20. Loch Leven Lakes

Length:	7.2 miles round trip
Hiking time:	5 hours or overnight
High point:	6,850 feet
Total elevation gain:	1,350 feet
Difficulty:	moderate
Season:	mid-June to late October
Water:	available from streams and lakes; purify first
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Cisco Grove, USGS 7.5' Soda Springs
Information:	Nevada City Ranger District, Tahoe National Forest

This hike takes you to three granite-ringed lakes and serves equally well as a good day hike or an easy overnight backpacking trip. An added bonus is its easy access from I-80.

The trailhead and parking area lie a short way east of the Big Bend Visitor Center on Hampshire Rocks Road, which is off I-80 about 75 miles northeast of Sacramento. Going east on I-80, take the Big Bend exit off I-80, then turn left onto Hampshire Rocks Road. Going west on I-80, take the Cisco Grove exit and bear right onto Hampshire Rocks Road.

The signed trail begins on the south side of the road. Jeffrey and lodgepole pine and some western juniper provide intermittent shade as you make your way uphill past outcroppings of granite. Pass a pond at 0.6 mile, continue along a hillside covered by white-flowered red cherry bushes, then reach a bridge across an alder-lined creek at 1.1 miles.

You'll cross railroad tracks at 1.3 miles and then continue the uphill push as western white pine and the occasional quaking aspen join the forest cover. Be sure to look north for good views of forested mountains and the South Yuba River. At 2.2 miles the trail levels and passes through a red fir forest before starting the descent to the lakes at 2.5 miles.

Upper Loch Leven Lake, surrounded by granite and pine, awaits at 2.7 miles. You'll find numerous campsites near the water, along with several good swimming spots. A trail fork lies at the lake's south end. Head left 150 yards to Lower Loch Leven Lake, which is prettier than its upper cousin. The path, bounded by purple lupine and huckleberry oak, travels by the lake's shore, where you'll find several campsites.

Bear left at another trail junction at 3.1 miles, then follow the occasionally faint path for the last 0.5 mile as you enjoy good views of Snow Mountain to the south. High Loch Leven Lake is both the least visited and most beautiful of the Loch Leven Lakes. Granite slabs surround most of the island-dotted waters, and red fir, lodgepole pine, and western white pine provide shoreline shade for the south-side campsites. Spend most of your time here.