I love hiking the Trinity Divide Mountains. They’re just west of Mount Shasta in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and although they don’t boast the spectacular beauty of the high Sierra Nevada to the south or the Trinity Alps further west, they have rocky peaks and ridges and some sweet glacial lakes with clear and cool water for summer swimming.
My sweetie Stephanie and I just returned from a multi-day exploration of the Trinity Divide. For now I’ll focus on Gray Rock Lakes and Timber Lake.
Gray Rock Lakes Trail
The one main trail is accessible from an extremely bumpy dirt road that leaves just past the second bridge across the South Fork Sacramento River. We parked my Subaru Outback about a half-mile below the actual trailhead to avoid the worst of the punishment. The good news: the nasty road means few people come here.
The trail itself is a beauty, with initial views of Mount Shasta. It rises a bit and then drops to Lower Gray Rock Lake.
Lower Gray Rock Lake
Lower Gray Rock Lake shallow waters are the best and warmest for swimming in the entire basin. It’s not too shallow though — you’ll quickly reach water over your head. I like to swim from the north shore to the south shore and back.
Lower Gray Rock Lake in the Trinity Divide Mountains west of Mount Shasta. (Photo by John Soares)
Upper Gray Rock Lake
Upper Gray Rock Lake awaits a half-mile climb from the east shore of Lower Gray Rock Lake up a steep path. It’s smaller and more secluded than it’s lower sibling, and hardly anybody comes here. The water is a bit cooler, though still inviting, and it has large submerged rocks in the middle that you can stand on.
Upper Gray Rock Lake and Molly in 2007. (Photo by John Soares)
Upper Gray Rock Lake in the Trinity Divide Mountains west of Mount Shasta. (Photo by John Soares)
Timber Lake
Timber Lake lies just east and below Upper Gray Rock Lake. We didn’t hike there this time, but on past visits I’ve swum out to a large log and sunned myself.
Timber Lake in the Gray Rock Lakes basin. Scott Lake lies on the other side of the gap. (Photo by John Soares)
Tree-ringed Timber Lake in the Gray Rock Lakes Basin. (Photo by John Soares)
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
John, our Gray Rocks Lake adventure was absolutely wonderful! What a perfect day! Thank you for being you
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
Great time together Sweetie, and much more fun to come.
It’s nice to hear about some interesting places in the Trinity Divide Mountains. The last time I drove through them, I couldn’t find anything of interest. Just miles and miles of tree farms.
Ken Shoufer recently posted ..Bodie
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
Ken, the Trinity Divide Mountains definitely see their share of logging, but much of it is high rocky peaks and glacial lakes. And there’s relatively few people on the trails, especially compared to the Sierra Nevada.
Wow this hike looks amazing and so does the blog. Keep up the good work
Ryan Bailey recently posted ..Reno Hiking- Hunter Creek Waterfall
Hey great site, I love the hiking pictures and info, I have just started a similar site in Utah, check it out at Hiking Utah Trails if you feel so inclined, thanks.
Beautiful pictures and great site. Thanks much for sharing.. We blog about Alabama and all the beautiful areas we have here.
Hike Alabama recently posted ..Costs rising for toxic waste dump in Decatur Alabama