The Complete Guide

I have, at this point, walked to McLeod Lake enough times this summer that I could probably do it with my eyes closed, which is not a good idea, I've checked. The Mammoth Lakes Basin has this incredible thing going for it where you can be standing at a turquoise alpine lake less than a mile from your car, sweating through a t-shirt, wondering why you ever thought you needed to train for this. That's the appeal of this whole category of hike, and also, if I'm honest, the reason I keep underestimating how much water to bring for a "short" walk. Here's my rundown of the easiest, most rewarding alpine lakes in the basin, plus everything I've gotten slightly wrong trying to get to them.

Quick Stats

• Difficulty range: Easy to Moderate, all doable in under 2–3 hours
• Distance range: 0.5–3 miles round trip depending on the lake
• Elevation: Trailheads sit around 8,900–9,000 ft, so altitude matters more than distance
• Best time: Late June through September, once snowmelt clears the trails
• Dogs: Allowed on leash at all the lakes below
• Getting there: Free Lakes Basin Trolley (Orange Line) from the Village, or drive Lake Mary Road — parking is limited at most trailheads

Why Alpine Lakes Are the Move If You're Short on Time (or Fitness)

Mammoth has more than a hundred lakes tucked into the basin, and the genuinely underrated thing about this town is how many of them don't require a full day or a great cardiovascular system to reach. I've dragged out-of-shape friends, a dog who quits after a mile, and one memorable group of in-laws to several of these, and all of them left thinking they'd done something much harder than they actually had. I take full credit for that and also feel a little guilty about it.

McLeod Lake

Distance: 0.5–1.15 miles one way depending on the exact route | Difficulty: Easy | Trailhead: Horseshoe Lake parking lot

This is the one I recommend first, every time, no hesitation. Short, shaded, and you come out of the trees to a small, almost unreasonably turquoise lake with Mammoth Crest rising right behind it. The shore is shallow and sandy, which makes it one of the few lakes in the basin where wading in doesn't feel like a personal challenge. I've now been enough times that I've started timing how fast I can get there, which, again, is not the energy you should bring to a relaxing lake hike, and yet. Loop the whole lake if you have the extra twenty minutes — adds about 0.8 miles and the views back toward Mammoth Mountain are worth it. Fishing here is catch and release only, in case you're the type to pack a rod on a whim like I have, unsuccessfully, more than once.

TJ Lake

Distance: About 1.5 miles round trip | Difficulty: Easy | Trailhead: Lake George

TJ Lake gets you three lakes in one short outing, since the trail passes Lake George and Lake Barrett on the way. There's one steep little push, about 200 feet of gain packed into a fifth of a mile, that always makes me question my life choices for approximately ninety seconds before it flattens back out. Worth it for the view of Crystal Crag from the far shore, and for the wildflowers if you catch it at the right point in summer. I've hit this one both early morning and mid-afternoon, and the light on Crystal Crag in the morning is the better version, though I have historically been bad at getting myself out the door early enough to catch it.

Heart Lake

Distance: About 2.2 miles round trip | Difficulty: Moderate | Trailhead: End of Coldwater Campground

Heart Lake is the one I always forget how to find the trailhead for, despite having done it several times, because it isn't clearly marked and Google Maps is not going to save you here. Once you're on trail, though, it's a nice one — you pass the ruins of the old Mammoth Consolidated Gold Mine on the way, which gives you something to look at besides your own heavy breathing, and the lake itself is small and genuinely heart-shaped if you catch it from the right angle. Slightly more effort than McLeod or TJ, but still very manageable.

Horseshoe Lake Loop

Distance: About 1.5 miles for the full loop | Difficulty: Easy, mostly flat | Trailhead: Horseshoe Lake parking lot

This one's a little different from the others because it's not really a hike to a hidden lake, it's a loop around a lake you can already see from your car. What makes it worth doing anyway is the eerie stretch of dead, silver trees along parts of the shoreline, a leftover from a 1989 earthquake that released enough carbon dioxide into the soil to kill off the surrounding forest. It's genuinely strange to walk through and photographs better than it has any right to. Good option if you're short on time, hiking with someone who needs flat and easy, or just want a warm-up before tackling McLeod Lake from the same trailhead.

Emerald Lake (with a Skelton Lake add-on)

Distance: About 2.4 miles round trip to Emerald Lake, add roughly a mile more to include Skelton Lake | Difficulty: Moderate | Trailhead: Coldwater–George Trailhead

This is the one I'd pick if the group I'm with wants something slightly more substantial without going full mountain-day. Emerald Lake alone is a solid moderate outing, and if legs and motivation both hold up, the connector to Skelton Lake is short enough to tack on without much regret. I have, on at least one occasion, regretted it slightly by the final stretch back to the car, but that's more a personal fitness disclosure than a trail warning.

What to Bring (Even for the Short Ones)

Footwear: Trail runners or light hikers are genuinely fine for every lake on this list. I've done McLeod Lake in sandals before out of pure laziness and do not recommend it, mostly because of the loose rock near the shore.

Water: These are short hikes, which is exactly why people, myself included, underpack water for them. The elevation here does more work than the mileage does — you're starting around 9,000 feet, and that adds up faster than the distance suggests. I bring at least a liter even for the half-mile options now, after learning that lesson the slightly dehydrated way.

Sun protection: Most of these trails have real tree cover, which is a nice break from more exposed hikes in the area, but the lakes themselves sit in open basin with zero shade once you arrive. Hat and sunscreen, especially if you're planning to linger at the shore, which you will, because these lakes are extremely good at making you linger longer than planned.

Clothing: Mornings are cold enough for a light layer even in July. I've started keeping one in the car specifically because I keep forgetting to bring one on the trail, which somewhat defeats the purpose.

Swimwear: Worth packing for McLeod and Emerald especially, since both have swimmable shorelines on a hot day. The water is colder than you expect walking in and exactly as cold as you expect once you're actually in it.

When to Go

Late June through early July still has snowmelt hanging around some of the higher trailheads, which means colder water, muddier patches, and occasionally a lake or two still partially frozen at the edges. By mid-July everything's fully open and it's peak season, which also means the McLeod Lake parking lot fills up embarrassingly early on weekends. September is quieter and my personal favorite window for this whole category of hike, mostly because I'd rather have the lake mostly to myself than share it with a tour group, no offense to the tour groups.

A Few Things I've Learned the Hard Way

• The Lakes Basin Trolley (free, Orange Line) will get you to most of these trailheads without the parking headache, and I did not use it for most of the summer despite it being right there.
• McLeod Lake's parking lot fills up by mid-morning on weekends. Go early or take the trolley, ideally both.
• Heart Lake's trailhead is not well marked, so don't trust the map pin blindly. Look for the wooden trailhead sign at the end of Coldwater Campground.
• Even the shortest of these hikes will humble you a little if you're not used to the elevation. I've lived here a while and it still occasionally humbles me.