What are your favorite lakes in the Sierra?

[giantbrookie]

At my age my mind is kind of shot so most scenic lake is the last one I visited.Mike

Is that Blue Lake? The view looks familiar, although its been 15 years.

[JMat]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
While the pure aesthetics of some lakes may inspire you the photographer...for me, finding large rising rings on a lake inspires too. What I am looking for and what you seek to photograph, and thus label beautiful are often a different kettle of fish...(pardon the pun).
In addition, while many lakes are not, as a whole, totally beautiful, there may be that special, isolated spot, maybe close by, perhaps depending on the time of day, that catches the light, bounces off the alpenglow, or intrigues just by being "extra" special in itself, while the rest of the lake is actually fairly mundane.Great question but, ambiguous as to what each perceives as beauty.

markskor, Couldn't agree with you more...
For me Upper Cathedral Lake and the previously named Upper Fletcher Lake(now just named Fletcher Lake)both in Yosemite, are two of the most beautiful.

Although we started dayhiking when I was 4 or 5 years old my dad and I didn't start backpacking until I was about 10 and Upper Fletcher and Upper Cathedral were two of our first destinations. Upper Catherdral became the place we would go when up at Tuolomne Meadows just to get away. We would park the car and the tent trailer in the campground and spend most of our downtime at the lake just to get away from the masses and then backpack around most of the highcountry.

I've hiked to alot of lakes over the years but these two are still some of the most beautiful to me. When backpacking, my dad and I never used a tent unless it was raining so we spent alot of time in our bags watching the alpenglow and then the stars afterward. The glow of Fletcher Peak over the lake is amazing and off of Catherdral Peak at Upper Cathedral was pretty good, too. The stars at both places were incredible but the fishing, back in the day, was much better at Upper Cathedral. On multiple trips I caught brookies in the 17 and 18' range but I'm guessing nowdays they would be much smaller.

My Dad passed many years ago but based on beautiful memories and gorgeous scenery these two lakes in Yosemite get my vote.

John

[oldranger]

GB
Yup! Been nearly 40 years since I had been there. I forgot how stunning the view is.

Mike

[TehipiteTom]

GB
Yup! Been nearly 40 years since I had been there. I forgot how stunning the view is.

Mike

Went by there in 2000 on the way from Bench Canyon to Rockbound. Looking at your pic, I now regret not spending more time there...

[ndwoods]

I am not quite inclined to name favorite places so as to keep them to myself, I am however willing to drop hints...in the spirit of our old "name this place" game we've played with pics etc
1-"favorite view from a lake" - you can access this one on trail and you will encounter other folks. It is on a classically well traveled loop, but is not considered the highlight (silly people). I bet George can figure this one out as I am sure he has hiked by it innumerable times...
2-"nicest backcountry swim" - this one is also on a trailed loop, but not a well traveled one. You might encounter others, but they are going to have to hike a really long time uphill from the west side to get here and you'll have to "kiss the sky" so to speak on both sides of this lake...
3-"best campsite at a lake" - this one is a real gem as I don't camp at lakes ever! I camp on passes and ridges above lakes where I have views, but this lake had me drop my pack at midday (I also don't take layover days) and stay. You can get there on or off trail, the on trail is unmaintained, the off trail is just plain fun navigating! There are dozens of possible camp spots on the level ledges at the north end of this huge lake. Did I ever mention where I went this summer?
4-"best WOW factor" - this is actually a string of several lakes in the southern sierra that you pass by on the way to an untrailed pass that you first pointed me to Tehipite...maybe a dozen years ago I would guess on the old yahoo forums we used to frequent. I don't know if you ever hiked there as then we used to toss out ideas of trips we wanted to do, but...you can find a discussion of this area in the old archives there. You walk up a canyon turning this way and that passing gem after gem after gem that takes your breath away....
Dee

[TehipiteTom]

Hmmm...is the canyon named after a color?

[ndwoods]

No...but you are soooo close! It was the same discussion of that canyon that got me on this trip. And if we had continued over one of the off trail passes we would have gone into the canyon of which you are talking. The one I am referring to is the canyon that leads to the lakes of the wild wild west...
Dee

[trav867]

This is a great topic. Some lakes I love because of memories I have there, others for their remoteness or scenic beauty. Some that come to mind are:

Summit Lake in Golden Trout Wilderness (first Sierra lake I ever saw!)
Lake Reflection
Precipice Lake
Sky Blue Lake
Moose Lake
Columbine Lake

[copeg]

Dee, I like your descriptions. Makes us work to find the answers. I think we should start a name this place thread (pics or no pics allowed)

[TehipiteTom]

No...but you are soooo close! It was the same discussion of that canyon that got me on this trip. And if we had continued over one of the off trail passes we would have gone into the canyon of which you are talking. The one I am referring to is the canyon that leads to the lakes of the wild wild west...
Dee

Is this a canyon with metavolcanics on one wall and granite on the other, with a big meadow in the canyon bottom, and a 'lake' that's really a broadening of the stream meandering through the meadow?

Or are you talking about the branch that feeds this canyon from the west, a stepped basin with a lake at ever level?