Lily Pond–West Lakes, 4 lakes is a 16.2-mile out-and-back near Donner, CA. The route passes West Lakes and Castle Pass before reaching Lily Pond at the turnaround, 8.1 miles in. It climbs 2,130 ft, with sections as steep as 17% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 73/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi7,238 – 7,983 ft · steepest grade: 17%16.4 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Rest Area Access Connector 39.34271, -120.33969
Nearest town Donner, CA
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Lily Pond–West Lakes, 4 lakes
16.2 mi · ▲ 2,130 ft · 6 hr 28 min
Elevation 7,238–7,984 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Rest Area Access Connector · 39.34271, -120.33969
Weather Sep 20: Overcast, high 68°F / low 44° · precip 2% · wind 10 mph · sunrise 6:48 AM · sunset 7:03 PM
Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Rest Area Access Connector, heading N.
- 50 ftPass West Lakes.
- 150 ftBear left, heading NW.
- 250 ftTurn left onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading SW.
- 2.3 miPass Castle Pass.
- 0.9 miTurn left onto Sand Ridge Lake Trail, heading N.
- 0.4 miTurn right onto Hole in the Ground, heading W.
- 2.2 miBear right, heading SW.
- 0.7 miSharp right, heading SW.
- 1.6 miReach Lily Pond, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 1.6 miSharp left, heading E.
- 2.8 miTurn left onto Sand Ridge Lake Trail, heading SE.
- 0.4 miTurn right onto Pacific Crest Trail, heading E.
- 3.2 miTurn right, heading E.
- 250 ftBear right onto Rest Area Access Connector, heading E.
- 50 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
60% dirt40% unspecified
Weather
OvercastTemperature 68°F44°
Precip2%Wind10 mphUV6Humidity33%
Hourly temperature
70°40°
Sunrise 6:48 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM9 PMSunset 7:03 PM
Mon
69°51°
Tue
72°47°
Wed
72°45°
Thu
68°44°
Fri
67°42°
Sat
68°41°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.2 mi in (~74 min). Leave by 5:30 PM for the 7:03 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:12 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Rest Area Access Connector Trailhead
- West Lakes & Castle Pass via Pacific Crest Trail 4.7 mi · ▲ 654 ft
- Summit Lake–West Lakes, 8 sights 14.9 mi · ▲ 2,544 ft
- Sand Ridge Lake–West Lakes, 4 lakes 10 mi · ▲ 1,262 ft
- Lake Angela–Flora Lake, 7 lakes 11.6 mi · ▲ 1,923 ft
- German Ridge–Lake Angela, 7 lakes 7.5 mi · ▲ 870 ft
- Mount Stephens–Lake Angela, 7 lakes 5.2 mi · ▲ 406 ft
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