A Clear June Day Hiking Around Gold Lake

We drove the Jeep up to Gold Lake in early June, and the weather was just about perfect. The sky was a sharp, clear blue, and you could see the Sierra Buttes across the water, still holding onto a good amount of snow.

The trail took us away from the main shore and through the forest. The ground was completely covered in a carpet of bright green ferns, all lit up by the sun filtering through the canopy. We passed by small meadows and large granite outcroppings on our way into the basin.

We found a smaller, quieter lake tucked against a rocky hillside. The water was a clear green and definitely cold, but not cold enough to stop us from going for a swim.

After a few hours, we hiked back out. The drive away gave us one last look at the buttes, this time framed by the pine trees along the road.