Location: South Lake, Bishop, California
Distance: 6 Miles Out and Back Time: 4 – 5 Hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 1,280 FT
Season: May – October
Foot Traffic: Light
Date Hiked: Sunday, June 27, 2021
Overview
It’s hard to find a more beautiful area to hike than the expansive and fabulous trails leading into the Backcountry from the South Lake area in Bishop. Multiple day hike options present themselves from the South Lake Trailhead, such as Bishop Pass, Green Lake, The Chocolate lakes Loop and Treasure Lakes, as well as hikes that are better suited for an overnight trip, such as the gorgeous Dusy Basin and LeConte Canyon.
Treasure Lakes is a great option for those looking to escape the crowds on the Bishop Pass Trail. The trail is Located within the Inyo National Forest, inside the John Muir Wilderness and begins at South Lake with all the trails listed above. This beautiful trek is six miles round trip, with only a moderate elevation gain in comparison to most Sierra hikes. Spectacular views and solitude will be ever present as you make your way along the trail. The culmination of the hike is two stunning alpine lakes (more if you are exploring further upstream or are backpacking). Furthermore, this is a great hike for those still getting their feet wet in this area.
Trail Description and Scout’s Story
After hiking from North Lake to Piute Pass the prior day for my wifes birthday, we decided on making the trip to Treasure Lakes the following day, which happened to be my birthday. My daughter, Scout, had just turned seven weeks old and my wife had just been cleared for strenuous activity. This would be our third hike ever with Scout. This seemed like a perfect trail to take her on. We packed up our gear at the Sabrina Lake campground around 730 and headed down the pass to the South Lake parking lot and the trail head for Treasure Lakes which it shares with the extremely popular Bishop Pass trail. Now having a baby in tow and making sure everything was good to go to start the hike, we were now running a little bit later than usual, but we ended up hitting the trail by 845.
Bishop Pass Trailhead to Treasure Lakes Junction
We proceeded over to the big trail bored and on to the start of the trail. The trail began just to the left of the big board. The trail started off by taking us down some steps and after a brief descent, leveled out and took us along the aspen lined shore of South Lake. Shadows of the mountains were bouncing off the lake in glamorous fashion. Just as the day previous day, there was barely a cloud in the sky.
With still a little bit of residual snow left on the top of the peaks in front of us, we admired the views as we continued towards the back of the shoreline and into the treeline at around .5 mile into the hike.
Shortly thereafter, we reached the signed junction for the Treasure Lakes trail at .8 miles. With the Bishop Pass trail going left and seeing the vast majority of hikers, we turned right and continued along the Treasure Lakes trail.
Treasure Lakes Junction
Despite it being a Sunday, we still had not encountered another hiker. From this point on we would not come upon another hiker until we would be leaving the Treasure Lakes a few hours later. After descending to a nice stream and crossing a small bridge, the trail started working its way downhill. The trail is pretty filled with gravel around this section. We made sure to take a bit of extra care on the descent, not wanting to turn an ankle. With my daughter tucked in to her moms chest in her carrier and fast asleep due to the up and down rocking from the hiking motion, we continued at a decent pace knowing that we wouldn’t be stopping until reaching the lakes, in fear of my daughter waking up if we stopped.
The one thing about hiking with a newborn is that they will typically stay asleep as long as you don’t stop moving. This definetly helps with motivation to keep moving forward when you are tired. As we continued our gradual descent, we reached the south fork of Bishop creek at 1.4 miles. We then reached the outlet stream for the Treasure lakes shortly after.
Outlet Stream to Treasure Lakes
The stream was moving nicely, adding a sense of relaxation due to the steady noises of the flowing water. Staying along the right side of the stream we eventually came to a stream crossing at 1.8 miles and crossed over to the left side of the stream. Leaving the stream behind us we began a steep climb through a shady forested section. This was by far the hardest section of the trail we had encountered so far. NIce views of South Lake came in to view before the trail opened up on a granite cliff side.
The Final Push to Treasure Lakes
Coming upon the stream once again, we crossed it as we neared the 2.5 mile mark of the hike. At this point, awe inspiring views of the surrounding peaks presented themselves at every turn. The delightful views temporarily took away from the taxing uphill ascent. Knowing that we were almost there, we took a short breather and then continued up the last set of steep switchbacks. Just before we reached our 3 mile point of the trail, the first of the Treasure Lakes finally revealed itself to us.
Reaching Treasure Lakes
There were no anglers, hikers or backpackers anywhere to be found. The lake was a mesmerizing sight and the sun was intensifying the colors of its clear waters. Massive, jagged peaks circled and backed the lake in every direction. My wife and I put our packs down and my wife unhooked her baby carrier to let my daughter out. The look on my daughters face as she woke up and saw the mountains and lake in front of her is something that I will never forget and something that would become so common to us and would never grow old.
My daughters expressions seemed as if she was trying to figure out how she was transported to this magical place or wondering if she was still sleeping and dreaming.
Reaching into my pack, I pulled out one of my eno hammocks and pitched it between two trees right along the shoreline so my wife could comfortably relax and breast feed our daughter.
Exploring Treasure Lakes
I decided to follow the insanely broad trail as it went off in different directions and see what lied ahead. I went left and to a pretty meadow and then retraced my steps back to the shoreline and continued very briefly until a second lake presented itself.
The second lake came in to view a lot quicker than I was expecting. I took the little spur trail that headed left and sat on the banks of the lake.
While not as big or quite as aesthetically appealing as the first lake it is none the less, a majestic lake. The massive Hurd peaks hovers over the lake directly on its backside creating quite a setting.
I decided to head back to where my wife was feeding our daughter and it took me only a matter of minutes to get back to the beginning of the first lake where they were perched in the hammock still. We spent the next 45 minutes or so just wandering the shores of both lakes and taking in the stunning views.
There are three more lakes in the Treasure Lakes chain further upstream but we would not venture to them on this day. I absolutely intend on bringing my daughter back when she is older and making it a backpacking trip to fully explore and enjoy the rest of the basin. As we decided to head back we ran into two couples and their dog who had planned on camping at the first lake. We stopped and chatted briefly before saying goodbye to the lake and setting out on our way back down the trail.
The Trip Back from Treasure Lakes
This would be the first and last hikers we would see the entire day until reaching the original junction with the Bishop Pass trail a little bit before arriving back at the day use parking area at South Lake. The hike down went pretty smoothly for the most part but took about the same amount of time as the hike up. The section of trail from the .8 mile point to the 2 mile point was now mostly all uphill which is a little different than most Sierra hikes in which you mostly ascend on the way to your destination and mostly descend on your way back. Getting a little bit of a final work out in for the day and with our baby once again sleeping to the bouncing of my wifes hiking steps, we arrived back at South Lake.
We hung out for a bit by the trail board and chatted to another couple about all the different trail options and hikes that we had done in the area. Knowing we would be heading down the pass soon and driving 6 hours back to our normal lives wasn’t something that I was ready to come to terms with yet. There is something so special about these mountains and my heart aches and yearns for more every time I have to leave.
Getting to the Treasure Lake Trailhead at South Lake
From Hwy 395 in Bshop, take W Line Street/Hwy 168 and follow it up the pass for 15 miles. Make a left on to South Lake road and follow the road for 7 miles until the road ends at day use parking area for the Bishop Pass trail at South Lake.
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
Is this a fee area?
- No, there are no fees to hike the Treasure Lakes Trail or to park at the trailhead.
Are dogs allowed on the Treasure Lakes Trail?
- Yes, dogs are allowed on the trail but must be leashed and kept in control at all times. Please pick up and properly dispose of all animal waste
Are there toilets at the trailhead?
- Yes, vault toilets are located in the parking area just before the trail board.
Is overnight camping allowed?
- Yes, overnight camping is allowed, however, hikers must obtain a permit and permits are limited to 36 people a day. Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance on recreation.gov.
The trail to the upper 3 lakes in the basin is faint or non existent in spots. A bit of route finding is required, although the path upstream never veers far away from the stream. The farthest distance is from lake 2 to lake 3.
Restrictions:
- Food, trash and scented items must be stored in Bear proof containers.
- No campfires allowed above 10,000 FT
- Groups cannot be larger than 15 people (this includes day use). To enhance and improve everyone’s experience in the magical area, I would highly recommend hiking in groups no larger than 6.
Afternoon storms are always a possibility and risk in the mountains and the weather can change rapidly. Check the forecast and plan accordingly and always be prepared.
Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers, anglers, and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.
