Hilton Lakes

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Features Fall Colors · Fishing · Hot Spring · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

If you want a hike sure to work up your appetite, in a beautiful place and without a zillion people, try Hilton Lakes.
In the Rock Creek drainage but disconnected from the more popular Little Lakes Valley, Hilton Lakes delivers everything you want and more. Crystalline alpine lakes, craggy peaks, evergreen forests, solitude, and access to cross country hiking.

This was a constructed trail and is relatively easy to follow. A trail of use continues all the way to the highest lake. It becomes fainter and less used the farther you go but it's not very difficult.

The upper lakes route branches the Lakes 3 and 4 trail just before the top of the ridge above Lake 3. There is no sign, but if you look carefully you can see two small cairns that mark the branch. The trail follows the top of the ridge and then switchbacks steeply up to Lake 5. This is a beautiful lake with great camping on the ridge a little above the west shore.

The trail goes about 1/3 of the way along the western shore. After that, the route is essentially a trail-of-use that is a little hard to follow. However, if you keep heading up among the lakes, you should be able to find your way. The path climbs up on the side of the Lake 5 ridge before dropping back down above the south end of the lake.

If you look at the pictures of the higher lakes, you see talus everywhere, but the path avoids the talus, and it is fairly easy hiking. The next 3 lakes are beautiful, but smaller and shallower.

Finally, we reach a larger alpine lake in a bowl directly beneath the Sierra crest. It is barren, except for short grass and a few trees on the northern shore.

Explore around and when ready, return the way you came.

- Added by Lee Watts, edited by Ethan Fichtner