Golden Trout Lakes (Onion Valley) Gear Checklist
Golden Trout Lakes sit near 11,270 to 11,400 feet in a basin between Dragon Peak and Kearsarge Peak. The Forest Service calls the trail primitive, steep and hard to follow, and counts 2,200 feet of gain in 2.2 miles from Onion Valley. It also allows a counterbalance hang here, and bans campfires. The hikers we read added a headlamp for a pre-dawn start, a pole for scree, traction or a plan for the snow plug in the canyon, bug repellent for the willows, and a light fishing rig.
What shapes your gear on Golden Trout Lakes
- Trail and gain
- The Forest Service says the trail ends at the lakes between Dragon Peak and Kearsarge Peak and calls it primitive, steep, rugged and difficult to follow. It lists 2,200 feet of gain in 2.2 miles from the parking lot. A 2016 hiker puts the grade near 1,000 feet per mile all the way up.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail and Binoculars in the Backcountry
- Where the trail splits from Kearsarge Pass
- The Golden Trout trail shares the Kearsarge Pass trail for a short way, then turns north up a steep headwall. A sign marks the turn. Hikers in 2016 and 2022 both describe an eroded headwall with several scree paths that people have worn trying to find a better line.
- How far people say it is
- Sources do not agree on distance. The Forest Service says 2.2 miles. A 1975 scout trip described 2.2 miles for the first stretch and about 3 miles to its camp, with a 6-mile round trip. A 1999 group called it a steep 5-mile hike. A 2016 hiker logged a little over 6 miles in total, which included a side trip toward Dragon Peak.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail, Mtn Mouse, UC Riverside personal pages and Binoculars in the Backcountry
- Two basins
- The basin splits at a meadow where two upper valleys join. One side canyon leads to Golden Trout Lake, which a 1975 troop put at 11,400 feet. A north spur trail leads to two more lakes, the lower near 11,270 feet and the upper about a third of a mile farther. Reaching the Dragon Peak lakes from Golden Trout Lake meant backtracking about half a mile and dropping 400 feet.
From Mtn Mouse, hikingtales.com and Binoculars in the Backcountry
- Quota and trailhead services
- Overnight trips need a wilderness permit all year, and day use does not. The cap is 10 people per day from May 1 until November 1. At the trailhead you will find a vault toilet, trash cans and bear lockers.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
- Snow and rockfall in the canyon
- In June 2022, a large snow plug filled the narrow part of the canyon. Above it the trail vanished into huge talus, and the hikers made a fourth-class bypass up and over the rockfall. In June 1975 the lower lake on the north branch was still frozen over.
From hikingtales.com and Mtn Mouse
What the agency requires on Golden Trout Lakes
A wilderness permit for overnight trips
Overnight use needs a permit all year, and day use does not. The cap is 10 people per day from May 1 until November 1.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
A bear-proof container or a counterbalance hang along the trail
On the trail, keep food, trash and anything with a scent in a bear-proof container, or hang it in a counterbalance rig 15 feet up and 10 feet out from the trunk. A container becomes mandatory where no tree is tall enough for a hang.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
Food and scented items out of the car
Bear activity near Onion Valley has been high for years. Take food, trash and scented items out of your vehicle and into the lockers and trash cans provided by the parking areas.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
A stove, not a fire
No campfires are allowed on this trail. Portable stoves burning gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed in fire-ban areas.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A way to treat water
Treat any water you take from a creek, lake or spring.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
A camp at least 100 feet from trails and water
Use an established site, with at least 100 feet between it and the nearest trail or water. Groups cannot exceed 15 people, and all trash goes out with you.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
What hikers carry on Golden Trout Lakes
A headlamp for a 4 a.m. start
A couple who made the climb in June 2022 left the trailhead in darkness so they would reach the worst scree at first light and finish the steep headwall in the shade of Kearsarge Peak.
From hikingtales.com
A hiking pole for the scree
The headwall has many worn scree paths. One hiker used a stick and a steadying hand on the trickier switchbacks, and the same stick helped slow a seated slide down the snow plug on the way out.
From hikingtales.com
Traction, or a plan for the snow plug
In a low-snow June the plug in the narrow canyon was still large. The snow beside it looked too steep to try without extra traction, so they climbed the scree and glissaded the snow on the way down.
From hikingtales.com
Bug repellent in a reachable pocket
The willows along the lower trail were full of mosquitoes late in the afternoon. The couple talked about stopping for repellent, decided digging it out would cost more bites, and walked faster instead.
From hikingtales.com
A light fishing rig and polarized glasses
The lakes are named for their fish. A 2022 angler used a short fly outfit and polarized glasses to see trout rising. Earlier visitors also fished: a 1975 troop caught four small trout at Golden Trout Lake, and a 1999 group fished and took pictures on their hike.
From hikingtales.com, Mtn Mouse and UC Riverside personal pages
Water treatment for the inlet creek
At the lower north lake the water came from the inlet stream, which one hiker collected and treated before camp. The Forest Service says to treat all creek and lake water.
From hikingtales.com and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
A map and a saved GPS track
A 2016 pair called the use trail easy enough to follow if you can read a map or a GPS track, but marginal, with a flood-eroded headwall.
Something to cool off with
A 2022 hiker soaked a shirt in the creek before the downhill scree, and a partner scooped snow to refresh a head-cooling bandanna on the climb.
From hikingtales.com
Knee supports for the descent
The steep drop over loose rock is hard on knees. One hiker wore a support on each knee going down and said it helped.
From hikingtales.com
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Golden Trout Lakes
A tent site at the water's edge
The nicest site by the lower lake was inside the 100-foot rule, so the 2022 camp moved uphill to a spot with a pine for shade. The couple later wished they had camped by the upper lake instead.
From hikingtales.com and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
Counting on the first lake for fish
The troop that camped by the lower north lake in June 1975 found it frozen and had no luck. In 2022 the fish rose all around but ignored the first fly, and the angler was shut out until a smaller line and fly the next morning.
From Mtn Mouse and hikingtales.com
Choosing talus over scree to avoid the slide
The 2022 couple took a fourth-class bypass over talus on the way up. Coming down the lower headwall they tried the talus field first, found the stones loose and shifting, and moved toward the creek, where the footing was no better.
From hikingtales.com
Gear questions for Golden Trout Lakes
Do you need a bear canister for Golden Trout Lakes?
The Forest Service page for this trail accepts bear-proof containers or a counterbalance hang, set 15 feet up and 10 feet out from the trunk. A container is required where there are no tall enough trees. Anything in your car must go in the trailhead lockers.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
How steep is the trail to Golden Trout Lakes?
The Forest Service lists 2,200 feet of gain in 2.2 miles, and a 2016 hiker put the grade at about 1,000 feet per mile. Expect scree on the lower headwall and talus in the upper canyon.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail, Binoculars in the Backcountry and hikingtales.com
Can you have a campfire at Golden Trout Lakes?
No. The Forest Service lists no campfires on this trail. Bring a gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel stove.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
How many overnight permits are issued for Golden Trout Lakes?
The cap on overnight use is 10 people per day from May 1 until November 1. A wilderness permit is required all year for overnight trips, and day hikes do not need one.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Golden Trout Lakes Trail
Sources
- Golden Trout Lakes Trail · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Part 3: Fishing at Golden Trout Lake · hikingtales.com · Blog
- Golden Trout Lake and Dragon Peak · Binoculars in the Backcountry, Bob Steele · Blog
- Sierra Nevada - John Muir Wilderness - Golden Trout Lakes · Mtn Mouse · Trip report
- Onion Valley, October 1999 · UC Riverside personal pages · Trip report