To
visualize the geography of the Jamison Lake basin, imagine one giant "Y" shaped
valley with tarn lakes at the top known as Jamison and Wades Lake. Mount Elwell
(7812') looms on the eastern side; the PCT hems in the top ridge and another
mighty ridge flanks the west. This provides a grand ampitheatre setting but
also limits the number of camping spots compared to the Trinity Alps. On the
other side of the ridge lies more lovely lakes like Bear Lakes, which unfortunately
are restricted from overnight camping because of the heavy day use. Gold Lake
is the largest and most developed of these lakes and has about 200 unimproved
camping spots, boating access for fishing, horseback riding stables, and permanent
cabins scattered around the lake. This side is accessed via another road (see
"Directions" below) although you can hike to either
side within a day.
My
favorite part of the Lakes Basin area is ascending to the dividing ridge along
the PCT, which incidentally is less than four (4) miles from the trailhead,
where you eventually see both drainages with Long Lake tucked below. If you
are adventurous enough to climb to the top of Mt. Elwell, which is only about
2 miles off the PCT and 8 mile from the trailhead, you can see a fantastic panorama
of the Sierra Nevada/Cascade landscape. Otherwise you can descend into the Gold
Lake basin to explore numerous small lakes.
We
spent a couple of nights here at Wades Lake on a weekday (which receives heavy
weekend use and has little firewood, incidentally), and then ventured up to
Mt. Elwell the next day. This is a 9 mile round trip from Wades Lake and can
easily be done in a day. You can even pack out that day for just an overnight
backcountry visit. We bolted out of there in about one and half hours! Wow,
but this means that on the way in it's mostly uphill with some steep climbs
and level spots at Grass Lake, which is only about 1 mile from the trailhead;
Wades Lake is about 3 miles; Jamison Lakes is 3 1/4 miles and Rock Lake is slightly
farther along at the top of the valley, all of which provide overnight backpacking
opportunities.
Even
though this location is a distance from major urban areas, you will enjoy the
drive up the Feather River Canyon or coming in from the Yuba River or Tahoe
areas. Then it's an easy trek into mountain splendor much more difficult to
reach this early in the season (June) in other parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
which incidentally are less steep as you work your way from Mt. Whitney (14,
500) to Mt. Elwell (7812'). I also enjoyed the wildflowers if you hike into
this area by late June or early July. One last note, the Jamison Lake trailhead
was once a thriving mining area with some historic buildings to rummage through
at the beginning of your trip. A small campground exists at the trailhead within
the boundary of Eureka State Park.
Best parts: easy
access, Pacific crest views, wildflowers in late June and early July, Mt. Elwell
Directions
- From Highway 70 drive east past Quincy for about 1/2 hour to the small settlement
of Mohawk. Turn right and drive another mile to a "T" junction with a deli on
the left. Turn right again and drive for about 2 miles to a sign that says, "Jamison
Mine / Grass Lake Trailhead 1.3 miles." Turn left and drive to the end until you
are there. To reach the Gold Lake area, from Highway 70 drive to Highway 89. You
can also reach Hwy. 89 from Truckee or Hwy. 49 along the Yuba River drainage.
Coming from Quincy, turn right onto Hwy. 89 and into the resort town of Graeagle.
Just past Graegle turn right onto a road marked with a "Gold Lake" sign. It's
a steep few miles to Gold Lake. Access to Long Lake is before Gold Lake. As usual,
bring a map for clarification.
Important Information:
The
Lakes Basin area is really two recreational areas dissected by the Pacific Crest
Trail (PCT) and accessed via two different entrances. The Jamison Lake side
is heavily used by day hikers and backpackers while the Gold Lake side is used
by day hikers, campers, horseback riders and boaters. In many ways this popular
place reminds me of the Trinity Alps on a smaller scale. It certainly receives
similar trail use and possesses a similar morphology characterized by glaciated
valleys and lakes. The geology is different, however, in that volcanism has
overlain much of the granitic foundation typical of Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
within the northern extent of this geographic province. 
