WEEKENDER CABIN TIME IN LAKES BASIN
Every year, millions of Californians suffer in silence from an acute seasonal disorder. A friend or co-worker nonchalantly mentions that they’re off to their place in the mountains for the weekend, and it strikes: cabin envy.
Symptoms include an intense desire for a charmingly ramshackle house in the forest, pine-scented solitude and a view over a lake or burbling stream; a longing for family traditions and campfire-tinged memories.
If you are one of the afflicted, an easy remedy is at hand in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area, a quiet northern Sierra wonderland of cold blue lakes, rimmed by towering mountains, with — yes — woodsy cabins. They may not be yours, exactly, but along the 17-mile-long Gold Lake Highway from Bassetts Station on Highway 49 to Graeagle (Highway 89), there are six historic lodges, each with its own small brigade of cabins, all waiting to be yours for a short getaway. Many families book the same cabin every year: All the tradition and memories you could ask for, without the hassle of actually owning a cabin.
The earliest lodges in the area opened in the 1850s on the heels of the California Gold Rush. In 1850, a rumor of a lake lined with chunks of gold triggered what newspapers at the time called the “Gold Lake excitement.” Thousands of desperate gold seekers set off in search of the legendary lake.
Surprise, surprise: There was no lake of gold. But in the hunt, the prospectors did find a precious gem of a region with more than 20 lakes (the largest they named Gold Lake), and people stayed.
At the Gray Eagle Lodge, opened in 1923, the comfortable cabins are strung along the creek, several with decks right on the water, including the Waterwheel cabin (complete with real waterwheel from its days as the lodge’s powerhouse), which looks out right on Gray Eagle Falls. The creek is stocked with trout, and there’s an irresistible (if chilly) swimming hole at the base of the falls. Even the tap water is a treat here, piped in from a spring high up on the mountain.
If you’re looking for a Lakes Basin trip to be all lake, all the time, it’s hard to get much more lake-y than the Sardine Lake Resort, where the chinked log cabins sit right beside the deep blue of Lower Sardine Lake at the feet of the high Sierra Buttes. Just a short walk away is Sand Pond, a soft-bottomed, emerald swimming pond, very popular with families in the summer months. Day hikes can take you to Upper Sardine Lake or Volcano Lake, where you can regularly have a whole lake to yourself.
The undisputed winner for day hikes, however, is the Sierra Buttes Lookout Trail. The steep steps to the lookout at 8,590 feet cross over a deep cleft in the peak, and the see-through metal walkway hangs out over a sheer drop of you-don’t-want-to-knowhow-many feet straight down. Get ready for palm sweat and wobbly legs.
Even if you’re not going to the top, don’t miss the Sierra Buttes: Float up for a cocktail at Sardine Lake Lodge’s dockside bar, Poor George’s Playpen, or ogle them from one of the many viewpoints along the Gold Lake Highway. From any angle, the Sierra Buttes are, well, beauts.
In the nearby towns of Graeagle, Blairsden and Sierra City, there are plenty of options for dining out, but you needn’t stray far from your cabin. The lot fills up each night for Firewoods, the restaurant at the Gray Eagle Lodge. With nightly specials like braised short ribs with potato hash, a quality wine cellar and after-dinner campfire with s’mores for the kids, all set to the pleasant sound of Gnip Gnop emerging from the lodge’s rec room, it’s no wonder diners linger well into the evening. The restaurants at Gold Lake Lodge and Packer Lake Lodge are good spots to fuel up with breakfast for a day of hiking.
Fall and spring are the slow seasons for the Lakes Basin area lodges, with a better chance of last-minute cabin openings. Visitors in the fall get treated to aspens turning bright gold and clear nights starting to take on an edge of chill. Because of the high demand, it’s also a good time to book cabins for the year ahead. Even with four other choices — Salmon Lake Lodge, Packer Lake Lodge, Gold Lake Lodge and Elwell Lakes Lodge — demand is high, and cabin supply can be tight.
If you strike out or want to explore off-season, numerous campgrounds are available, and nearby Graeagle and Sierra City have motel and B&B options — but will that cure your cabin envy?