Name: Charlotte Lake Trail
Rating: 3.7

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Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Family Friendly While the approach to this trail may be tough for kids, once on it they should have few problems.

Wilderness permits are required all year. Daily entry quotas apply from Memorial Day to late September. Permits can be reserved online, but you must go into a ranger station to get the actual permit. No night drops are allowed. One-fourth of the quota is available on a walk-up, first-come-first-served basis, starting the day prior to departure. No campfires are allowed.

Description

This beautiful and very popular lake has many great camping spots along the entire length of the northwest shore. The Charlotte Lake Trail itself is easy: just a little over a 300-foot drop from the John Muir Trail and a little over a mile to the far end of the lake.

However, getting to the trail over Kearsarge Pass is a strenuous, full-day hike. The Charlotte Lake Ranger Station, about two-thirds of the way down the lake, was active when I was there. There were hand-written signs telling of unusually high bear activity at this and several other lakes in the area. There are bear bins toward the far end of the lake.

In the past, the trail extended beyond Charlotte Lake to Gardiner Basin via Gardiner Pass. However, that portion of the trail has not been maintained for a very long time and a number of avalanches have made it near impossible to follow.