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| Hiking | 10.70 Miles |
2,412 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.70 Miles | 7 Hrs | | 1.53 mph |
| 2,412 ft AEG | | 12 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | This hike was recommended by the daughter of our friends who rented their cabin at Dollar Point to us. It did not disappoint. The plan was to take the trail from the Bayview TH towards Dick's Lake and Fontanillis Lake, then connect up with the PCT taking it north for approximate 2 miles as it passes along the east shore of Fontanillis Lake. At the intersection of the PCT with the Velma Lakes trail we would start our route back taking the Eagle Lake Trail down to highway 89 at Emerald Bay.
The hike started with a steep switch back hike from the trail head in Bayview Campground up to the ridge above Granite Lake that gave good views of Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay. It was great to get most of the AEG out of the way early in the hike. Upon reaching the ridge line labeled Maggies Peaks on the map, the views of the Velma Lakes basin and Desolation Wilderness opened up. We tried to keep up a good pace minimizing the stops for picture taking because we wanted to finish the hike before the afternoon thunderstorms moved in. We only saw two people on the trail until we hit the PCT at approximately 5-6 miles into the hike. Then we passed at least 10 people in the 2 mile stretch of the PCT, all were backpackers. A thunderstorm was starting to move in from the south so we headed straight back down the Eagle Lake trail without taking any side trips for a closer look at he Upper, Middle and Lower Velma Lakes as well as Eagle Lake. As we descended past Eagle Lake the rain clouds opened up and the lightning was hitting the high ridge lines above. Lots of people on the Eagle Lake trail, many were hightailing out to the trail head because of the lightning and rain. When we got to the Eagle Lake TH we still had a mile hike along the shoulder of HW89 to get back to our car. We were not looking forward to this section of the hike due to the narrow shoulders of HW89, the low visibility with the driving rain and the heavy traffic with drivers trying to get a glimpse of Emerald Bay. Fortunately a nice lady and her male friend who we had met on the trail were parked near the TH and offered us a ride back to our car which we were quick to accept. |
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