Kaiser Peak Trail via Twin Lakes
2004 Trip
Trail Location and info: The trailhead for this trail is at Deer Creek
at Huntington Lake. If you don't want to climb up as mush, you probably should
start at Badger Flat trailhead off of Kaiser Pass Road. But the Deer Creek
Trail head allows you to make a loop and not just return the way you came. To
get to the trailhead you take highway 168 out of Fresno up to Huntington Lake,
then you continue going around the lake and you should see a sign for a stable
or pack station (forgot the name, maybe Deer Creek Stables), turn onto that
road and continue until you get to a parking area for the trail head. Shortly
after the trailhead is a fork, take the right to Potter Pass. The trail isn't
very well defined so you might loose it a few times, you should be fine if you
head in the general direction. After awhile the trail gets better. There are a
few forks along the way, I think they all meet up again, but we always took
the right because that is the direction we we're heading in. The climbs quite
a bit and after awhile you get to Potter Pass. This is a great place to take a
break and take some pictures. To the north you can see some peaks and to the
south you can see Chinese Peak or Sierra Summit Ski Resort. After you leave
the pass you quickly go down then after awhile start to go back up. You mostly
are hiking in the trees, however every now and then you get to a clearing and
can see some nearby peaks. After awhile you come to Lower Twin Lake. Its a
pretty nice lake, up against a granite peak. Then shortly after that you come
to Upper Twin Lake. This is a very beautiful lake and an easy day hike to get
to. It is a great lake to swim in, however isn't very warm, actually it's
quite cold. But its fun to swim in it anyways and to swim out to the island in
the middle. Also the outlet is quite interesting, there is a small creek that
flows down a short ways and then right into a rock. Also, nearby are some
caves, which I bet not very many people know about. I'm not sure how far they
go, but it is a very interesting area to explore. After Upper Twin Lake you
head up to George Lake. The trail isn't too step between Upper Twin and George
Lake. Probably about as steep as the rest of the trail. In the beginning as you
are getting above Upper Twin, it gets a little steep, but it levels off a
little after a little while. After you get to George Lake, there isn't really
any trail that goes up to the top of the ridge. The way we took was on the
north side of the lake where the slope wasn't so steep. You have to climb over
some rocks, but you soon come to College Lake. After College Lake you might
want to stay on the level part and you should soon come to the trail that goes
up to the top. I'm not sure what the best way is to the top, you might want to
try to find a better way. Before you get to the top you can start to see Lake
Edison and many high peaks in that direction, as well as George Lake below
you. After you get to the top you can see Huntington Lake and out to the
valley. You continue going up the trail, this part of the trail I think is
very steep and may take awhile to do. You will come to a place where you can
see Jewel Lake and Campfire Lakes below and you can even see a little bit of
Upper Twin Lake from this location. After a little ways you come to the top.
You can drop off your packs and take the short jog to the very top. From the
top you can see Mt Ritter, Mt Tom, Lake Edison, Huntington Lake and much more.
After you leave the top, you continue going down the trail to Line Creek Lake.
This is a nice lake on a the ridge just above timberline. If you decide to
stay the night there, you will get an amazing view of the valley at night.
After Line Creek Lake, you head back up to the trail and go back the way you
came. Continue past the saddle which you came up and on down to the Deer Creek
Trailhead. You will quickly descend and get into the trees. After a nice level
spot the trail begins to get very steep. After a while you will come to
College Rock. You should go on it and see the great view of Huntington Lake.
After college Rock you continue down the steep trail until you reach the
trailhead.
Links:
Topo Map