Gem Lake
Gem Lake is nestled at the foot of Wright Mountain and is about two miles beyond the trail junction at Rock Creek trail #1013.1 that intersects with the Snow Lake trail starting at Alpental. Beautiful colors surround the lake in autumn as do the many climbable peaks in the area.
For more information, go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/[…]/snrd_1012.htm
Driving Directions:
Exit 52 off I90, drive to ski area parking at Alpental Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
96
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
I wanted to get back out to this area seeing how a couple of weeks back I tried this hike...
I wanted to get back out to this area seeing how a couple of weeks back I tried this hike and was caught up in first major amount of snow this year and turned back just below Gem lake. The weather today was much better, started with some fog, then the sun came out to brighten things up. I was able to get Alex out on the trail with my dog (Pepper),Isiah and myself. It's been a couple of weeks since Alex put his boot to the trail but he came in with some gusto. The trail to snow lake saddle was well worn, no need for snow shoes till we dropped down to the lake. Once we got to the lake we crossed over the frozen lake to the far side and went up the hill side to Gem lake, climbing up thru the trees like Alpine Apes. We saw no other trace of anyone up this way or at Gem lake,only some rabbit prints.Gem lake was frozen over as well and the snow good for walking on. We made our way up Wright mountain and had lunch then went down the other side to follow the rim around the lake to meet up with our trail in. We did some sliding on our way out which saved some time. We had some fun and adventure along the way. We also lost an ice ax somewhere on the way out, if anyone sees it and wants to return drop me note. I'll see you on the mountain and you will know it's me when you here me howl!!! Gorillaz in the Mist.
Snow Lake, Gem Lake
— Oct 15, 2011
— kyle
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage | Ripe berries
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Trail is fantastic shape. As long as you don't mind crowds get there and enjoy the spectacular views and...
Trail is fantastic shape. As long as you don't mind crowds get there and enjoy the spectacular views and fall color before the snows return!
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
We were fortunate to have the one sunny day this week to hike. We arrived at the TH at...
We were fortunate to have the one sunny day this week to hike. We arrived at the TH at 9:30 am and only saw about 10 cars in the lot. Fall color on the 1st mile is very good. For some reason at higher elevation the fall color is just barely starting to appear. Some muddy areas on the lower part of the trail from Snow lake to Gem lake. All sorts of neat little hidden meadows and tarns on the way up. Gem lake is very pleasant. To ascend Wright Mtn, follow the main trail to the right (east side) of Gem lake. A Cairn marks a narrow path that ascends by a couple of camp sites then onto a saddle with nice tarns and views to peaks at the head of the Mid Fork Snoq river valley. The path alternates between easy to follow path and somewhat easy to follow talus with occasional cairns to mark the way. The view from the top is awesome and well worth the extra effort. RT 11mi and 2300 ft in with additional 300 ft out. A few non-biting flies and occasional mosquitos but overall pretty much bug free. A few small patches of 2 inch deep snow near the top of Wright Mtn (nothing like the report from Ingall's Lake from today where there is 10+ inches of snow). We only saw about 10 people all day on this sunny Thursday.
Gem Lake
— Oct 01, 2011
— Weluv2hike.
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
The hike was a great. We have been to snow lake several times, and this was our first time going...
The hike was a great. We have been to snow lake several times, and this was our first time going past snow to Gem lake. It is so beautiful there. It just rained, and rained good thing we had rain gear. Trail was in pretty good condition.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Fall foliage
Issues:
Clogged drainage | Water on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
The hike to Snow Lake is in good condition, but it is wet and muddy on the final descent to...
The hike to Snow Lake is in good condition, but it is wet and muddy on the final descent to the lake. It was a Monday, so I only saw a couple of groups of hikers along the way and a couple of fisherman at the lake. There are some ripe berries along the way. I continued on from Snow Lake to Gem Lake. This trail is also rather wet and muddy in sections, probably due to recent rain. I noticed lots of submerged "alpine parkland" type flora. Lovely flowers along the way. Cairns mark tricky trail junctions on the Gem Lake trail, which there are a few of along the way. The hike from Snow Lake to Gem Lake isn't strenuous in elevation gain, but there are lots of twists, turns and tricky-to-navigate rock/root bits in the trail. The lake itself is lovely. I didn't see anywhere to camp at Gem Lake. The first part of the lake that you encounter has a trail that splits off to the left that was mostly submerged. I kept to the right, up the avalanche chute and continued around to the other side of the lake, in the shadow of Wright Mountain where I stopped for a snack and to enjoy the scenery. I could see the trail that I believe leads up Wright Mountain, my cranky knee was acting up so I didn't follow through on that impulse. I was wearing bug repellent applied at the trailhead, but I still don't think that the bugs would have been a problem without it. Just some of the buzzy "bees" that pollinate the flowers and aren't dangerous and a few lazy flies here and there. It's a lovely time of year to visit Snow Lake and I highly recommend the continuation to Gem Lake to get a bit more of a workout.
|
Gem Lake in the Fall
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
Forgot your
New user?
