Sherwin Lakes Hikes
The fourth and final hike on the 2023 Sierra Club trip, like the third hike, was near the town of Mammoth Lakes, California but was in a different area. The fourth hike was at a lower elevation and had areas which ranged from densely to sparsely forested. Along the way there were sweeping views over the Long Valley Caldera, Mammoth Lakes town and the mountains beyond. The pretty Sherwin Lakes greeted us at the destination.
I also did this hike on the 2022 Sierra Club trip but I ended up with not enough pictures of either hike to do a post by itself so this blog post will have pictures from both. Starting out are pictures from the previous year’s 2022 hike. The trail starts out going through stands of pines and firs before beginning to switchback up along the slope leading to the lakes. Before long we reached places with valley views.
There were also spots affording views of the town of Mammoth Lakes and the distant mountains.
This is part of Mammoth Mountain.
When we got near to the lake there were mountains with their peaks in the clouds.
When we arrived at Sherwin Lakes the water was calm which made for a nice reflection. This lake is at an altitude of 8,269 feet.
This is another part of Sherwin Lakes taken from a different location. There was also a reflection with the slight breeze making some ripples.
A panorama showing more of the lake seen from this location. A peninsula with trees prevents being able to see the portion of lake the first picture of Sherwin Lakes shows.
Sherwin Lakes are actually a series of five lakes and all the pictures are of the largest lake. We did not try to go to any other of the smaller lakes as they are not particularly scenic and are a bit off the beaten path.
These are two pictures taken from close to the same spot. The first picture with clouds is from the 2022 hike and the one with no clouds is from 2023. Compare the water level of the lake in both. The 2022 hike followed a number of years of below average rainfall while the 2023 hike was in a year of well above average rainfall.
Switching to the 2023 hike pictures this is a panorama of the lake seen from this location.
The peninsula between the two areas of the lake even had some water.
A nice reflection in another area that had no water the previous year.
A portrait orientation of the reflection. At this point we needed to return so I was not able to get to where the panorama the previous year was taken.
On the way I did look back to get a picture of the rugged mountains. In 2023 no clouds covered their tops.
A little bit further there was a partial view of Mammoth Mountain.
The distant mountains had more snow on them in 2023. Mammoth Mountain is on the left and is actually a dome complex consisting of about 12 overlapping domes. These and others nearby were built by recurring eruptions starting about 220,000 years ago and ending 50,000 years ago.
Switching back to the 2022 hike pictures this is a panorama of the valley. Long Valley Caldera was formed 760,000 years ago when an enormous eruption occurred spewing lava and ash high into the atmosphere. As the eruption continued support was removed and there was an collapse which formed the valley.
Another panorama showing more of the distant mountains.
Just as our bus was leaving the trail head parking we saw a deer which quickly scurried away.
Both hikes were enjoyable with the scenic valley, variety of mountains and pretty lake. The 6 hour bus ride home gave us lots of time to relax and reflect on all the hikes.
Be sure to check out both the Sherwin Lakes 2022 gallery and Sherwin Lakes 2023 gallery for this post as the galleries usually contain pictures not in the post.
Blog posts on other hikes on the 2023 Sierra Club trip
- Hike from South Lake to Marie Louise Lakes
- Hike from Lake Sabrina to Blue Lake
- Hike from Agnew Meadows to Shadow Lake
Blog posts on other hikes on the 2022 Sierra Club trip
- Hiking in the Twenty Lakes Basin part 1
- Hiking in the Twenty Lakes Basin part 2
- A Three Lake Hike in John Muir Wilderness
More Information:
Forest Service information for Sherwin Lakes
Mammoth Lakes Trail System information for Sherwin Lakes
Long Valley Caldera Wikipedia article
