East Boulder Lake Trail #5575

Dogs Leashed

Features Commonly Backpacked · Fall Colors · Lake · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers

From the parking lot, head south from the trailhead. The East Boulder Lake Trail #5575 begins gently by following East Boulder Creek through a wide, shallow canyon. The trail remains on the left (east) side of the creek as it passes through intermittent meadows. You cross into the Trinity Alps Wilderness about 0.5 miles from the trailhead. At about 0.75 miles from the wilderness boundary, the trail begins to climb more abruptly as it passes close to a small waterfall just before reaching the outlet of East Boulder Lake. At 32 acres, this lake one of the largest lakes in the Trinity Alps. It is excellent for both fishing and swimming. The meadows along the way to the lake, and those around the lake, are filled with wildflowers in the summer months.

To continue on the #5575 to its junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) up along the crest of the Scott Mountains, continue south, along the west side of the lake. It then crosses some marshy meadows at the south end of the lake. When these meadows are in full bloom, the trail may be hard to find in all the vegetation. Continue southeast, up a knoll and into a grove of trees. Once through the trees, the route becomes vastly more obvious as it switchbacks up the basin headwall. After passing through a notch in the headwall, you arrive at the PCT and a view into the northern Trinity Alps Wilderness.