Fourth Recess Lake Trail #29e41

Dogs Leashed

Features Commonly Backpacked · Fishing · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

No campfires allowed.

The Fourth Recess Lake is one of the most popular destinations for those hiking the Mono Creek Trail. The lake is only an easy 1/2 mile up from that trail and can therefore be crowded in the mid to late summer. There are a couple of good campsites in the pine forests on the northeast side of the lake and additional campsites on the trail before reaching the lake. If you can cross the large creek that flows from the lake, you can camp on the west side, away from the crowds.

The trail starts from a signed junction almost 8 miles from the start of the Mono Pass Trail (Mosquito Flat) or nearly 12 miles from the Lake Edison Ferry. It is only about 1/4 mile upstream from the junction with the Pioneer Basin Trail. The Fourth Recess Trail drops about 30 feet to where it crosses the main creek (technically Golden Creek, because Mono Creek comes down from the Pioneer Basin) and then climbs about 100 feet to the lake.

The Fourth Recess continues south of the lake for over two miles; however, the nearly vertical cliffs at the end of the lake are impassible for those not adept at rock climbing. If you look at a topographical map, you can see that there is simply no easy way to reach the southern part of the recess from any direction.