United States · US

Lakes Basin

Lakes Basin is a high mountain valley in California's Sierra Nevada where glaciers once scoured out a jumble of more than twenty clear, granite-rimmed lakes. Perched in Plumas National Forest above the old mining town of Graeagle, the basin crisscrosses with over 30 miles of trails that link the lakes to one another and up to the Pacific Crest Trail along the ridgeline. It's a place built for unhurried summer days: wading and fishing, a picnic on a lakeshore, and a hike that strings together five or six alpine tarns without ever returning the same way. The whole area is small enough to base yourself for a weekend yet wild enough to lose yourself in. Gold Lake, the largest water in the basin, has a boat ramp and shoreline camps, while smaller lakes like Big Bear, Long and Silver sit tucked among meadows and craggy peaks. With five campgrounds, three rustic Sierra-style lodges, and a waterfall reached on a paved, accessible path, Lakes Basin rewards both the day-tripper and the backcountry angler.