Hiking Old Cottonwood Creek Trail to the South Fork Lakes

Looking toward Langley across the South Fork Lakes

The Old Cottonwood Creek Trail breaks from the popular Cottonwood Lakes Trail for a more secluded hike into Cottonwood Basin. The trail visits pristine meadows, alpine lakes, flowing creeks, and amber forests.

Take the Cottonwood Lakes Trail from Horseshoe Meadow as it runs downhill heading north through the Golden Trout Wilderness. After about a mile, the trail crosses the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek. A log has been positioned over the creek for days when rock hopping would cause wet toes. A few hundred feet beyond the creek there is an important unmarked junction. At the mid-point of a straight run of sandy timber-lined trail, turn left and cross over the logs to join the under-maintained but still-used Old Cottonwood Creek Trail. If you are not looking for the trail, you could easily walk right past it.

Check out this slideshow for a picture of the junction

Beyond the “junction,” the trail is easier to follow. You will see fewer travelers here than on the Cottonwood Lakes Trail, but it is no less picturesque.

Pass through a thin forest of Foxtail Pines. The trees you pass might be as much as two thousand years old, and their golden red trunks glow triumphantly in the sunlight. The trail borders a babbling creek for much of its course and crosses rich forest meadows as it rises gradually northwest toward the mountains and lakes.

An old cabin along the trail

Beneath the South Fork Lakes, the trail climbs a rocky hillside, and becomes a bit hard to follow. Stay close to the creek and stick to the faint path as best as possible. Cairns positioned along the way should help to make this navigation easier.

At the top of the hill the trail remains close to the creek and then crosses it to approach the first South Fork Lake, which lies at 11,000 feet. Here you have a nice view of Mt. Langley, whose 14,042 foot summit is the ninth tallest in California. Have a seat at water’s edge and enjoy this striking lake. You will probably see a few Golden Trout doing their best Destiny's Child impressions, Jumpin’ Jumpin’.

Excuse that last sentence, and continue along the south end of the lake as it heads east before crowning a ridge and dropping down to Cirque Lake. Oddly, the trail fizzles out a few hundred feet from the shoreline, making it a bit tougher to find on the return. Cirque Lake lies at the base of a boulder field beneath Cirque Peak and spoils hikers with yet another crystal blue body.

Cirque Lake

This day hike will take about nine miles round-trip (eight excluding Cirque Lake). Those looking to extend may climb Cirque Peak, which is a two-mile long ascent from the lake, or make a one mile traverse along the South Fork Trail to reconnect with the Cottonwood Lakes Trail.

What you should know before you go:
A free wilderness permit is required for all overnight trips into the national forest. A trail quota is also in place on the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead from the end of June to mid-September. A permit may be booked in advance for a five-dollar fee or obtained the day of the hike for free at the nearby ranger station in Lone Pine (or one of the other permit offices in the Inyo National Forest). The quotas are generous for Cottonwood Lakes trailhead and those who haven’t reserved a permit will most likely be able to obtain one on the day of the hike (if you get to the ranger station early in the morning). The Cottonwood Lakes Trail opens to sixty permits per day. Thirty-six of those may be reserved ahead of time for a fee of five dollars and twenty-four are saved for walk-ins.

To be safe, backpackers must carry a bear canister to hold their food while camping. These can be rented in Lone Pine for five dollars. Bear Lockers are provided at the trailhead. Make sure your vehicle is bear-safe before leaving the parking lot.

Given the high elevation of the trailhead at Horseshoe Meadow, altitude sickness is prevalent in the region. Backpackers are well advised to spend a night of acclimation at one of the trailhead campgrounds or be prepared to face the symptoms (headaches, nausea, and lack of appetite) out on the trail.

To get to the trailhead: The city of Lone Pine is a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, and from there it takes another half hour to ascend to the trailhead. From Lone Pine on Route 395, turn west at the traffic light on to Whitney Portal Road. After three miles, turn left on Horseshoe Meadow Road. Twenty miles of road switch up the mountain and terminate at Horseshoe Meadow. Turn right, following signs for the Cottonwood Lakes and park at the trailhead.

View Hiking the Sierra Nevadas in a larger map

	You might also enjoy:
	Chicken Spring Lake This lake sits just beyond Cottonwood Pass, 4.1 miles from the trailhead at Horseshoe Meadow. The lake makes for a nice day hike, or a first stop on a backpacking trip into the Sierras.
	Cottonwood Lakes The Cottonwood Lakes Trail visits several lakes before rising to the 12,300-foot New Army Pass. The Pass is 7.5 miles from Horseshoe Meadow, but day hikers can turn around a mile sooner by omitting the climb up to the pass.
	Cirque Peak This 12,900-foot summit can be reached with a two mile off-trail ascent from either New Army Pass, Chicken Spring Lake, or Cirque Lake. The views from the top are majestic.
	Hikes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains This list of trails explores the Sequoias, peaks, waterfalls, lakes, and streams of the Sierra Nevadas.