Camping, lodges open for summer on Hwy. 88
A 30mile drive across the high west flank of the Sierra Nevada on Highway 88 can lead you to 15 campgrounds, four lakes, three lodges and a series of outstanding trailheads. Summer is taking over most of the landscape this week, even as a stubborn winter snowpack remains near the crest.
Highway 88 is the transSierra twolane highway that leads from Jackson, in Amador County, up to the 8,652foot Carson Pass. In that span, west to east, you arrive at Bear River Reservoir, Silver, Kirkwood, Caples and Woods lakes, along with trailheads for pretty Shealor, Margaret, Winnemucca, Fourth of July and Round Top lakes. At the major destinations — Bear River, Silver and Caples lakes — everything is open: access, campgrounds, boat ramps and lodges. At Woods and Kirkwood lakes, campgrounds are scheduled to open later this month.
On top at Carson Pass, the snow has melted along the road, where you can drive over the top and down into Hope Valley along the pretty Carson River. But near the summit, the Pacific Crest Trail and the great, easy hikes to small lakes in the Mokelumne Wilderness still are blocked by snow.
As you rise to the crest — and as summer takes hold — the number and diversity of destinations can provide a series of spectacular landing spots:
Bear River Reservoir, 727 acres, 5,900 feet:
This is a popular recreation lake set in the front country of the Sierra. For overnighting it, a lodge, developed campground with RV sites, and several Forest Service campgrounds are available. A heat wave this weekend is expected to put temperatures in the mid80s here. That is when anglers will get on the lake at dawn and dusk for the trout bite. By midmorning, the fast boats for waterskiing and wakeboarding will take over through midafternoon, when a wind out of the west often comes up. The headquarters is Bear River Lake Resort, which has a lodge, restaurant, bar, marina, boat rentals and campground for RVs and tents. Contact: Bear River Lake Resort, 2092954868, bearrivercampground.com.
Silver Lake, 200 acres, 7,300 feet:
The first glimpses of summer are just arriving to pretty Silver Lake. The lake is small, quiet and intimate, nestled in granite and edged by a sprinkling of pines. Both the Kit Carson Lodge and Plasse’s Resort are fullon goes for the 4th, with lodging, restaurants and rentals of small boats, including kayaks and canoes, available. The cabins at Kit Carson Lodge feel private and secluded in the pines. The boat ramp is operated by the Eldorado Irrigation District (GCID) is open. A Forest Service campground, Silver Lake East, opened Wednesday; the opening of Silver Lake West has been delayed by storm damage. Contact: Kit Carson Lodge, 2092588500, www.kitcarsonlodge.com; Plasses’s Resort, 2092588814, www.plassesresort.com.
Shealor Lake Trailhead, 7,400 feet:
The trailhead is located on the left side of Highway 88, a half mile past the turnoff for Plasse’s Resort. It’s then a 1.2mile hike (2.4mile round trip) with a short climb and descent to Shealor Lake, tucked in a mountain pocket. This is a popular hike that gets a lot of use, where you end with a picnic and maybe a swim. Contact: Eldorado National Forest, Amador Ranger District, 2092954251, www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/eldorado.
Kirkwood Lake, 7,600 feet:
Spring is just arriving to little Kirkwood Lake. The Forest Service projects it will open the campground here July 12. This is a small lake for camping, handpowered boating and fishing for small trout. Kirkwood Lake has no connection to the giant Kirkwood Ski Area. Kirkwood Lake is on the north side of Highway 88, with the turnoff is 4 miles past Silver Lake, then a halfmile spur to the campground (the ski area, on the other hand, is on a signed road that heads south from Highway 88). Contact: Eldorado National Forest, Amador Ranger District, 2092954251, www.fs.usda.gov/rec area/eldorado.
Lake Margaret Trailhead, 7,700 feet:
The trail is flooded by snow melt. For reference, the Lake Margaret Trailhead is located a half mile on the left past the turnoff for Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
Caples Lake, 600 acres, 7,800 feet:
This is often the No. 1 lake in the region for trout fishing. Caples Lake Lodge supports it with cabins (with furnished kitchens) and a marina with boat rentals. During the evening, when shade hits the lake and extends out from the shore, that is when the trout often bite best here. Note the trout are often lineshy, and nearinvisible fluorocarbon leaders can be the difference between a limit and a zilch. The lake records include a 39inch, 26pound mackinaw and a 31inch, 13pound brown trout. GCID operates a public boat ramp a half mile from the lodge, and a 10mph speed limit keeps the lake quiet. The lake is right along Highway 88, 1.5 miles past the turnoff for Kirkwood Mountain Resort. A Forest Service campground is closed this year for reconstruction. Contact: Caples Lake Resort, (209) 2588888, www.capleslakeresort.com.
Woods Lake, 8,200 feet:
Woods Lake is a small but pristine lake that provides a beautiful setting in the high Sierra. The campground here is scheduled to open July 12, firstcome, firstserved. The turnoff for Woods Lake is a Forest Road located 2 miles past the east end of Caples Lake. You turn right and drive into national forest a short distance to 25site campground and small lake. No boating allowed, but shorefishing is often OK. Contact: Eldorado National Forest, Amador Ranger District, 2092954251, www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado.
Pacific Crest Trail, 8,550 feet:
Snow depths ranging to 4 and 5 feet still cover sections of the PCT in areas south of Carson Pass toward Mount Round Top, according to a field scout report out of Caples Lake. It will be a late, short season for the PCT here. Yet it is worth the wait: The PCT Trailhead near Carson Pass (along with a trail out of Woods Lake) provides day hikes into the Mokelumne Wilderness to Winnemucca Lake, Fourth of July Lake and Round Top Lake. Contact: Eldorado National Forest, Amador Ranger District, 2092954251, www.fs.usda.gov/ eldorado.