Hiking to Parker Lake (June Lake, CA) - Trip Report
Tucked away in the mountains near June Lake is a beautiful turquoise lake, Parker Lake. It is surrounded by Mount Wood, Parker Peak, and Mount Lewis which are all above 12,000 ft and are often snow covered until summer. This scene makes for a very picturesque place to relax for an afternoon. There are a lot of trees bordering the lake which also makes for a great hammock spot!
Hiking Information
Location: Mono County - near June Lake, California
Trailhead & Parking: Google Maps
Date Hiked: May 1, 2020**
Trail Type: Out & Back
Elevation Change: 612 ft
Distance Roundtrip: 3.8 miles
Nearest Restrooms: None at the trailhead, the next closest would be at the either Tioga Pass Mart or a little shop/store in June Lake
Fees: An overnight permit is required for any backpacking trip in the Inyo National Forest, which has a fee on recreation.gov. Day hiking this area does not require a permit and has no fees.
ID# on Recreation.gov: AA04
Season Accessibility: April - November
Trail Tip: This is great fall color hike in September/October
**Please note that I am local to this area so I did not have to travel out of my community during the COVID-19 Stay at Home order, see my blog post on how to safely adventure in your own community**
The Drive/Parking
To get there, you’ll be driving on a dirt road for about 2.5 miles, but most cars should have no issue on this road. My subaru only has 5.9 inches of ground clearance for reference and I made it fine. Be sure to have your navigation set to the trailhead parking lot so you don’t get lost on the dirt roads.
The Hike
This hike starts out climbing up for a while in direct sunlight so be prepared with water and sunblock.
The first mile is where most of the incline is and then it’s fairly mellow with more tree coverage to help with the direct sunlight. After the climb you’ll start to hear the Parker creek flowing to the right of you as you finish your climb.
As the trail continues on flat terrain and more tree coverage, you’ll soon be hiking even closer to the creek with plenty of opportunities to relax by the water.
Once you reach the end of the creek, you’ll be greeted by a stunning view of Parker Lake. The trail ends on the left side of the lake, but there are a few spots to cross the creek and explore the right side of lake as well.
I headed over to the right side of the lake to set up my hammock and enjoy the lake. The lake really brightens up with color when the sun is directly hitting the lake, so try and go on a sunny day! I had some clouds covering the sun here and there, you can definitely tell which photos lacked full sunlight and which ones had full sunlight.
After spending some relaxing time next to the water, I packed up my stuff and headed back down to the trailhead. Something I didn’t notice on the way up was the stunning view of Mono Lake behind me. Now facing that way, I had a great view of Mono Lake the whole way back and mostly downhill, making it an easy trip back to the car. I hope you can check out this emerald-colored lake or got some enjoyment out of the views I witnessed. Happy Trails!
VIDEO OF MY ADVENTURE
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Tiare Kirkland
Hi! My name is Tiare, but you can just call me ‘T’. I’m a California based hiker and I spend most of my free time taking photos and videos of some of my favorite hikes. You can usually find me ‘Out Hiking’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range or road-tripping to new areas. Read more about me here and follow along with my adventures by subscribing below!