Lower Blue Lake & Deer Valley 4WD Trail
12.8 mi · ▲ 1,831 ft · 5 hr 11 min
Lower Blue Lake & Deer Valley 4WD Trail is a 12.8-mile out-and-back near Shay Creek Summer Home Area, CA. The route reaches Lower Blue Lake. It climbs 1,831 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 75/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Lower Blue Lake & Deer Valley 4WD Trail
12.8 mi · ▲ 1,831 ft · 5 hr 11 min
Elevation 7,074–8,067 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: 38.60926, -119.92468
Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 78°F / low 53° · precip 0% · wind 3 mph · sunrise 6:04 AM · sunset 8:09 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start at the trailhead, heading S.
- 50 ftPass Lower Blue Lake.
- 500 ftTurn left onto Deer Valley 4WD Trail, heading S.
- 6.3 miReach Lower Blue Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 6.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 400 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 5.4 mi in (~142 min). Leave by 5:27 PM for the 8:09 PM sunset. Back at your car by 11:00 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from this trailhead
- Meadow Lake–Twin Lake, 3 lakes 5.1 mi · ▲ 590 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Shay Creek Summer Home Area, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Shay Creek Summer Home Area, California