22. Crooked Lakes Trail to Penner Lake

Length:	6 miles round trip
Hiking time:	3 hours
High point:	6,900 feet
Total elevation gain:	500 feet
Difficulty:	easy
Season:	mid-June through October
Water:	available from trailside lakes; purify first
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Graniteville, USGS 7.5' English Mtn.
Information:	Nevada City Ranger District, Tahoe National Forest

Take Crooked Lakes Trail past a bounty of large and small bodies of water, where you'll have ample opportunity to picnic, swim, and fish. Gentle climbing and numerous campsites make this hike an excellent family backpacking trip.

From its junction with I-80, drive Highway 20 west 4 miles, then turn right (north) onto Bowman Lake Road (Forest Road 18). Follow this paved road 8.4 miles, then turn right at a sign for Carr Lake, your destination. Stay on the main road and bear right at all road junctions as you drive the last 2.7 miles of a somewhat rough dirt road to the trailhead at Carr Lake Campground.

Take the campground road east, where it crosses a creek before turning into the trail. The path initially travels along the shores of Feely Lake, a favorite spot for fishing, and offers good views of Fall Creek Mountain to the north. Begin a gentle ascent at 0.5 mile, then level off by a small, shallow pond.

Turn left at 1 mile onto the Crooked Lakes Trail just after encountering an unnamed lake (Hike 21, Sand Ridge and the Five Lakes Basin, travels to the right). You now pass between the unnamed lake on the left and the much larger and deeper Island Lake on the right. Granite-encased Island Lake, with its clear waters and small islands, rivals your final destination, Penner Lake, for swimmability and the most scenic beauty of the hike. Several campsites line the west shore of Island Lake and the east shore of the lake on the left.

Leave Island Lake behind at 1.5 miles, then travel through a red fir forest. Look for a small waterfall on Island Lake's alder-lined outlet creek at 1.8 miles. The first of the Crooked Lakes lies to the right at 2 miles, but press past its shallow, marshy waters to the better lakes to come.

As the path descends at 2.3 miles, take a small side trail on the right just before reaching a small lake. Follow it across the creek to the best of the Crooked Lakes, a large, deep lake rimmed by granite. You'll find a good campsite right where the trail ends, and from the lake's shore you'll have open views of the Black Buttes to the east.

Back on Crooked Lakes Trail, climb steadily for the next 0.5 mile over rocky tread past pinemat manzanita and huckleberry oak. At 2.8 miles crest a ridge and see the rocky shores of expansive Penner Lake below. Follow the trail the final 0.2 mile down to the lake, where you'll find excellent swimming spots but few campsites.

Be sure to enjoy the open views of the surrounding mountains as you hike back to the trailhead, and also consider adding part of Hike 21 (Sand Ridge and the Five Lakes Basin) to your journey.