TR: Fall Overnight in the Wonder Lakes Basin 9/24-9/25

[jlweinberger]

When a quick look at the upcoming calendar two weeks ago revealed that work and family obligations had already filled all but one September and October weekend I panicked and asked my daughter if she wanted to come on one last backpacking trip of the season with me. She replied "no." So I asked if she would come if we took the dog. Without hesitation she changed her answer, and I set off to find an overnight destination on the east side that we hadn't already visited, had available "walk up" permits, and allowed dogs. We settled on the Lamark Lakes trailhead and our adventure was set.

We drove up from southern California after school on Friday and pulled into the Forks campground at around 8 oclock. It was pleasantly chilly and the night sky was sparkling in the absence of a moon. We drifted off to sleep chatting about our plans and hopes for the next day's hike.

Awaking to a dog desperately needing to escape the confines of the tent, we got up early and headed to the North Lake trailhead where the car proclaimed that the outside temperature was a chilly 28 degrees, but my internal thermometer remained skeptical.

Everyone took care of last minute chores, donned our packs, and set off.

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This was the Rocky's first trip but he was right at home on the trail.

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We took our time hiking up the trail, enjoying the beginnings of fall color, the songs of birds, and the ideal hiking conditions. Despite our leisurely pace we found ourselves at Lower Lamark Lake in short order and Rocky went for a dip. He loves nothing more than bracing water the likes of which is hard to find in San Diego.

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I had read that the best way to get to the Wonder Lakes was to traverse the north side of Lower Lamark Lake above the lakeshore to avoid some cliffs that meet the lake. We dutifully traversed along with my daughter finding the walk to be a bit more tedious than on-trail travel. Upon reaching some large campsites on the northwest side of the lake I found that she was no longer sold on the idea of an off-trail adventure. In contrast, I wanted to get further away from the trail after our last trip when we had a party of six arrive and set up camp more or less on top of us, causing me to grumpily pack up and move our gear further away. After some negotiating we settled on taking a long break for lunch before hiking for no more than another half an hour to see if we could at least get to the lowest of the larger Wonder Lakes.

When we set off again we passed through beautiful scenery and climbed past waterfalls that must be spectacular in their spring peak but were pleasantly drowsy in preparation for winter.

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Fortunately we needed exactly 30 minutes to find a campsite at the first of the larger lakes above Lower Lamark and we were both content to pitch the tent, laze around, and play cards for the rest of the afternoon.

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As the sun set, we were treated to some beautiful views to the east.

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[jlweinberger]

The morning views to the west were equally spectacular.

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After savoring the morning light, the clean, cool air, and the sense of serenity that comes with waking up in the mountains we set off back down the valley towards the trail.

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We took a slightly different route, passing by other waterfalls and through thicker forest than on our trip up the valley the day before.

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When we got back to the large campsites on the northwest side of Lower Lamark Lake my daughter forged ahead and found that there was a trail by the lakeshore that would have avoided our slightly less comfortable walk of the day before. While this may not be present in higher water years, it worked for us and we quickly found ourselves back on the main trail heading toward civilization.

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I tried to photograph the early bits of fall color, and generally failed, but I locked the intensity of it in my mind until next year.

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My only complaint was that the trip was too short. My daughter's only complaint was that the Frosty Chalet was already closed for the season. Rocky had no complaints at all and slept all the way home. This was a perfect end to this year's backpacking season.

[giantbrookie]

What a superb fall trip with your daughter! Yes, fitting such trips in after school starts is challenging but you got the most out of an overnighter with a really nice choice of a destination. I'm amazed that there is still water flowing over those waterfalls, too.

[astrogerly]

Looks like it was a great time! My husband and I ran into y’all on your way out

[sekihiker]

Some great photos for an entertaining report of what was a fun trip.
Thanks for posting.

[jlweinberger]

Thanks Giantbrookie, Astrogerly, and Sekihiker. It was a great trip.
Astrogerly did we see you at the north lake campground? If so, please thank your husband again for taking our trailhead picture. If I had known it was you I also would have thanked you for your trip reports. I love looking through them!

[kpeter]

Thank you for your inspiring report!

I have look at Wonder Lakes often on the maps, and Lamarck Lakes too, as a possible easy-ish destination akin to Sabrina Basin. If one were to camp in that area and dayhike up into Wonder Lakes one day, dayhike up to Lamarck Col the next, what would be the ideal spot, allowing for nice views at basecamp? Upper or Lower Lamarck Lakes? It could be a very nice 4 day trip for a slowpoke like me, with a couple of interesting days of exploring.

[astrogerly]

That wasn’t us, but would have taken your pic! We were almost to Lower Lamarck when we ran into you - we were day hiking to some of the Wonder Lakes. And thank you! I have a few to write from this summer, but I haven’t found the time yet.

[oddtiger]

What a great overnight trip! Thanks for sharing. My family like Wonder lakes too. It's not hard for kids and one can find solitude there.

[jlweinberger]

Thanks kpeter. We didn't head up to Upper Lamark Lake on this trip, so I can't comment on campsites up there but there were lots of great spots to camp at Lower Lamark as well as at the lake where we camped (at roughly 10,900 ft). At Lower Lamark there seemed to be some good sites closer to the water on the north side of the lake, out on a peninsula, but the ones on the northwest corner were big, sandy, established, and tucked away from the wind. The views weren't perfect from those, but I think if you looked around a little you could probably find something nice on the west end of the lake on some cliffs overlooking the water. I really liked our spot on the east end of the lake where we camped, just north of the outlet stream. We were tucked between a couple of granite ridges, so we didn't have a view of the lake directly from the tent, but were 10 steps away from views to either the east or the west. There were other sites at this lake that did have views. Walking up into the rest of the Wonder Lakes basin from here looked easier with less tree cover. Since we were only ~30 minutes from Lower Lamark this lake could be a good option for a base camp. It's a beautiful area, and one I'm really happy we got to go see.
Astrogerly - now I remember which pair you were. Nice to see you on the trail! Glad you got to explore the lakes.
Oddtiger - thanks! It was a blast. I love reading about your adventures with your kids.