Tower Lake Trail

Dogs Leashed

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

Tower Lake is remote, about 15 miles from the nearest trailheads at Leavitt Meadow or Buckeye Canyon. The lake is most often used a base for climbing Tower Peak. The Tower Lake Trail can also be used as part of great loop hikes, either from Leavitt Meadow, past Piute Meadow, over Tower Pass and Dorothy Lake Pass, and back to Leavitt Meadow or starting a Buckeye Canyon, going over Kirkwood Pass and Tower Pass, down to Tilden Lake, and back via the PCT and the Kendrick Creek Trail to exit either at Twin Lakes or Buckeye Canyon.

The Tower Lake trail branches off the West Walker River Trail #046 just before Piute Meadows, about 11 miles from Leavitt Meadow and 6.5 miles from the Buckeye Canyon Trail. Piute Meadows is one of the gems of the Sierras. The trail passes along its west side for 3/4ths miles before it begins climbing Tower canyon. If you are coming down from Kirkwood Pass, it is possible to save 1.5 miles by crossing the meadows and the river about 3/4th mile before the junction. However, you need to wait until you are far enough north to reach the Tower Lake Trail before it starts climbing.

At 1.5 miles the trail climbs above Tower Creek where it passes through a remarkably steep, narrow, V-shaped granite canyon. The trail drops a little, crosses Tower Creek and begins a moderate climb through an open forest for a little over a mile. Without studying a map, you would think that the remarkable granite tower in front of you is Tower Peak. It is actually a separate formation that blocks the view of the real Tower Peak. The trail crosses Tower Creek again, climbs an open area and then begin a rough, steep climb near the cascades that come down from the lake. There are good view back across the Walker River canyon towards Kirkwood Pass and Hawksbeak Peak. There are a few camping spots at the lake and another good spot about 50 yards below the lake.