One of my favourite things to do on a hike is stop at glittering alpine lakes for a swim. It doesn’t hurt that it helps with the stink – when you’re hiking for weeks at a time you take every opportunity for a natural shower you can get! But the sight of glistening, clear water on a dazzling sunny day, surrounded by towering mountains… who wouldn’t feel awed at that? Ironically, camping next to lakes isn’t always the best idea if you have a single-walled tent, there is no escaping that condensation. But for a lunch break, there is no better place to be. The John Muir Trail is famous for its spectacular mountain scenery – the silvery granite peaks and high passes of the Sierra Nevada are computer background material. But in this post I would like to honour the less talked about gems of the JMT: the mind-blowingly stunning lakes, big and small.

Lake Virginia

My favourite lake of all on the JMT. Perhaps because I had never heard of it before, I was completely unprepared for the stunning sight of it on day 4, which was also the first day I ever had the thru-hiker lunch staple: a peanut butter & Nutella tortilla. Finding Lake Virginia made me so happy that I named the day blog after it - “Happy Trails”!

Lake Wanda

Lake Wanda is the last sign of lush life before you enter the barren moonscape of Muir Pass. Very few people camp this high, as they prefer to start the day nearer Evolution Lake further north. At this altitude in the record snow year of 2017 it was much too cold to contemplate a swim, but what a treat to walk the sandy track right next to the deep sapphire waters.

Marie Lake

A missed opportunity, tsk tsk. Day 9 was, as the title suggests, a bumpy ride. We had set out from our first resupply at Vermillion Valley Resort with heavy backpacks loaded with eight days of resupply. Hiking up all the altitude lost from Edison Lake was tough going, and Bear Creek was high enough to cause some headaches during the multiple crossings. We camped next to the creek instead of pushing on towards Marie Lake below Selden Pass – gaining mosquito bites, tons of condensation, and missing out on the cutest chipmunks of the whole trail!

Bullfrog Lake

I shall eternally regret that I didn’t camp here. After starving on the middle stretch between Vermillion Valley Resort and our resupply in the town of Independence (not to mention having traversed the beastly Glen Pass that morning), I was ready to get the heck into town on day 15 – “Over and Over Again”. There was also a high bear activity warning in the Kearsarge Basin, but look at that beauty! Definitely on the bucket list should I ever repeat the JMT!

Thousand island lake

What a pearl to finish an exhausting first day with. I didn’t get an official John Muir Trail permit out of Yosemite, and therefore started my thru-hike at Rush Creek trailhead. That elevation gain is not for the faint-hearted! I named the day “Horizons” after the moment when I glimpsed Banner Peak from Agnew Pass. The lakeshores were scattered with JMT and PCT hikers and was our first camp on the trail. Unforgettable!

edison lake

Arriving at Edison Lake on day 5 was a momentous occasion – the end of the first stretch. The JMT had given me a beating, and I was so ready for rest and resupply at Vermillion Valley Resort. I arrived a day early, and hence had a whole morning to lounge on the banks and go for a swim. It felt like a true weekend! Although I certainly was hiking enough already and very happy to take the ferry across the lake, I am sure the lakeside walk from VVR would be a beautiful day hike.

Evolution lake

An honourable mention in the lake category, but the winner of the camp category. The Evolution Lake camp remains my favourite spot of all time. Day 10 – “Where the Wild Things Are” was a thing of beauty from beginning to end. Evolution Lake itself is relatively unremarkable as far as lakes go (look who has gotten spoiled), but the Evolution Crest above it… mountain magic.