Twenty Lakes Basin & Conness Lakes
Twenty Lakes basin and Conness Lakes was our final hike of our trip to the Eastern Sierras. The hike starts at Saddlebag Lake, which is off of Tioga Road, just outside of the Yosemite National Park East entrance. The drive from Mammoth Lakes to the trailhead was beautiful, especially the ascent through the valley on Tioga Road.
The trail starts at the dam on the South end of Saddlebag Lake. There is a walkway and bridge over the dam, and then the trail proceeds along the West bank of the lake. This was unique relative to our other hikes in the area, which all started in the forest. As the sun rose, the light filled the lake valley and highlighted the mountains on the North side, where we were headed.
After Saddlebag, we next reached Greeenstone Lake and took the trail around the lake’s West side and started the short ascent to Conness Lakes. There are some trail finding challenges in this section, but no technical components. It was easy to correct course when we got off trail. The Conness Lakes basin was incredible. Anchored by the domineering North Peak and Mount Conness, the basin is filled with three turquoise lakes fed by the Conness Glacier. The lake color, combined with the yellow and red of the ground foliage and the contrasting gray and brown shades of North Peak, made this area the most colorful we visited in the Eastern Sierras.
We encountered a couple hikers who were climbing North Peak, which is a relatively short and accessible climb. We considered joining them, but decided that we wanted to complete the planned loop around Twenty Lakes basin. We loved this area, and the North Peak summit is definitely on our list for a future trip.
We then descended from Conness Lakes, ate lunch, and started the loop around Twenty Lakes. We choose to go counter clockwise, to approach Helen Lake from the South. Lake Odell was the first lake. It was very pretty. As we continued to Helen Lake, the valley got progressively tighter, with large rock walls on both sides, and a narrow trail descending through scree to the lake at the bottom. This was a dramatic scene and incredibly beautiful. Helen Lake felt like a deep backcountry lake, and we were the only ones there, which added to the experience.
After Helen Lake, there is a easy, short rock scramble to Shamrock Lake, which was another highlight, with multiple islands accentuated by fall color. We the reached Steelhead Lake. Like Conness Lakes, this is another part of the hike where North Peak loomed large, towering over Steelhead on its West side. This was the largest lake on the Twenty Lakes loop.
On the final stretch of the loop, I made a brief stop at Wasco Lake, and then we returned to Saddlebag Lake to hike back to the trailhead. The view of the ridge lining Saddlebag Lake on the West was one of the highlights of the return trip, providing several great photo opportunities.
Twenty Lakes Basin and Conness Lakes is one of the great hikes in the Eastern Sierras and shouldn’t be missed. It has all the beauty of Eastern Yosemite, without the national park crowds. Moreover, it is shorter and easier than most of the other great day hikes in the region. It was one of our two favorite trails from our trip.
