28. Caribou Wilderness

Length:	11.5 miles round trip
Hiking time:	8 hours or 2 days
High point:	7,100 feet
Total elevation gain:	950 feet
Difficulty:	easy to moderate
Season:	mid-June through late October; many mosquitoes through late July
Water:	available from lakes; purify first
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Harvey Mountain, USGS 7.5' Red Cinder, USGS 7.5' Bogard Buttes
Information:	Almanor Ranger District, Lassen National Forest

No, you won't find any caribou here, but you will find plenty of deer, squirrels, birds, and other wildlife, along with an impressive array of glacial lakes, all harbored in a seldom-visited wilderness area that abuts the eastern edge of Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Take Road A21 4.5 miles southwest from its junction with Highway 44 (14 miles north of Westwood). Go west on Silver Lake Road (also called Mooney Road) for 6 miles, and then head right on Road M10 and follow trailhead signs for the final mile.

Sign in at the trail register and then walk above Caribou Lake's dam. Note the red fir and Jeffrey and lodgepole pines. They're the major tree species you'll see on the hike, along with a few western white pines.

Keep to the right at 0.4 mile, bisect two ponds, and turn left at 0.7 mile. (You'll return on the right-hand fork.) Contour around a shallow lake and begin a climb that ends at 1.7 miles at a trail fork.

Go left for now and reach Emerald Lake at 1.9 miles. This is one of the crown jewels of the Caribou Wilderness, with sparkling green water and an excellent campsite.

Travel east through chaparral, eventually heading back west to an escarpment at 2.7 miles. Sit at the edge and enjoy the views of treetops and forested mountains stretching in all directions.

Continue another 0.2 mile to Rim Lake, where you'll find an even better panorama. If you fancy a dip, head for the deeper waters along the southwest shore. Backpackers will find several level areas to pitch a tent.

Continue southwest to two lakes: The first, at 3.5 miles, is shallow and forefronts a steep cliff; Cypress Lake lies another 0.2 mile farther; both have campsites.

Head back to the trail junction below Emerald Lake; go left. Continue to a trail fork, where a 300-yard walk to the right brings you to Gem Lake, with deep swimming waters but no campsites.

On the main trail travel 1 mile to North Divide Lake and a trail fork. (A 0.3-mile saunter to the left leads to South Divide Lake, which has better campsites then North Divide Lake.) Go right (north) 0.8 mile to grass-lined Black Lake, which has several campsites on its north and south sides.

Go right at the trail fork north of Black Lake. Climb and descend gently east for 1.5 miles to Jewel Lake, host of several north shore campsites and deep waters for swimming. Descend 1.1 miles to Cowboy Lake and soon reach a trail junction. Head left for the last 0.7 mile to the trailhead.