Moonlight Lake Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Commonly Backpacked · Lake · Views · Waterfall

The Moonlight Lake Trail is a short, easy trail that branches off of the Sabrina Basin Trail (31E01) before Sailor Lake and about 3/4ths of a mile below Hungry Packer Lake Trail (31E01C) . I do not remember seeing a sign, and I found the trail hard to follow. But the whole area is mostly smooth, gently slopping granite, so you can more or less go any way that you want.

I recommend taking a detour past the southeast end of Sailor Lake. There is a classic Sierra view across Sailor Lake towards Mt. Haeckel. It is also well-worth taking a little detour to see the falls on the creek just below Moonlight Lake.

Each lake in the surrounding area is spectacular by itself and Moonlight Lake is no exception. The only problem I found was that it is more open than the other lakes and there was a cold wind blowing down the canyon coming from Echo Lake.

I did not go there, but it is possible to continue off trail up to Echo Lake, which sits in a steep bowl surrounded by spires, small glaciers and granite cliffs. However, the last part is a steep scramble.