We hiked out to Lake Dorothy for an overnight. It was downright deserted compared to how busy the trails have been--most day hikers are put off by the long distance (now 12+ miles round-trip) and I think most backpackers prefer to avoid the road portion of the hike, so we only saw 3 groups on the trail the whole way in, plus another 5-6 groups camping at the lake as we passed. We saw half a dozen trail runners on our way out the next day and a few groups coming in, but overall this trip was blissfully quiet.
First, many cars were still pulling up unaware that the bridge is closed 4 miles prior to the trailhead, making this a 6-6.5 mile hike to Lake Dorothy (and closer to 7-9 miles to camp). The road hike is a pleasant one, as far as roads go--lots of nice wildflowers, plenty of shade, a few places to get water. There are no real mountain views. A few folks road their bikes up the road, but as we had our dog, we walked it. There's one spot where the creek has flooded the road, that was deep enough that we went off-road to rock-hop. Otherwise it's an easy stroll, about 500 feet of gain in the first 3 miles, and another 400 feet in the last mile.
Once you hit the true trailhead, there's a picnic table to take a break. Bathroom is closed, of course. The short hike from the TH to Lake Dorothy is lovely, no flowers yet, but green and quiet. The first campsite is about 7 miles from your start, and the rest are peppered along the lake. Most of the ones that are lakeside were full when we arrived, but I love that they are spread out enough that although you can see people from the trail, once in camp you may hear the occasional shout or laugh but you really cant see or hear your neighbors. We opted to go all the way to the end of the lake and got a fantastic campsite with a trail down to a private lakeside shore, spent the afternoon lazing in the hammock, swimming, and reading. Great place to spend a summer weekend.
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