Tales & Trails of a Traveling Wiseguy

On Saturday morning we got a later start than expected. It was already 11:30am when we started hiking. But the days are still plenty long, and the weather was beautiful.

I'm not sure this area is properly called the Grouse Lakes Basin. That's what I call it.



The only area name on the Forest Service map at the trailhead is the Grouse Ridge Non-Motorized Area. Look, I've been to the top of Grouse Ridge. I've hiked along it. I've hiked beneath it. There's nothing special about Grouse Ridge. What is special here is the seemingly endless number of small and not-so-small lakes beneath granite ridges. Hence, the Grouse Lakes Basin.

We started hiking at the Carr-Feeley trailhead. You can see it on the map above, where some clown has used a black pen to highlight the trail. And even this trail is misnamed. The Round Lake Trail? Round Lake is, at best, the 13th most interesting lake in this area. And it's not even round. I mean, look at the map. It's shaped like an avocado. A squished avocado.

But enough about Round Lake and things that are misnamed. We're not even going to Round Lake today. I mean, why would we go? Like I said, there are at least 12 prettier lakes. 😂



One of those prettier lakes is right next to us as we start the lake. It's Carr Lake. Seeing Carr Lake is practically free. It's right there within the first 50 meters or so of hiking. It's worth exploring around Carr Lake— we've done that in the past— but it's not our priority today.

Just as Carr Lake disappears behind your back when hiking this trail, you climb a slight rise to the edge of Feeley Lake.



Feeley Lake has a pretty good water level today. A few times in the past we've been here in drought years and the water's edge is 50' in from this spot. On the flip side, after wet winters, especially when we come earlier in the summer, we've clambered over snowbanks around Feeley Lake.

Today, though, we're not here for the lake. We're here for what's beyond it. That peak behind it is Fall Creek Mountain, and we're hoping to make it to the top. It's almost 1,000' up from here.



The route is nothing if not scenic. After passing along the south shore of Feeley Lake we climb a low ridge and pass Delaney Pond (above). Shortly after Delaney Pond we drop slightly into a bowl for Little Island Lake (below).



I'm not sure if this is officially called Little Island Lake. It's not marked on the maps I've consulted. But it's right next to the much larger Island Lake— which, BTW, has multiple islands in it and thus should be called Islands Lake— and has one island in it. Hence, Little Island Lake. I swear, the Forest Service should be paying me to name things in their damn forest instead of whatever squished-avocado-eating, unable-to-count-past-one fool they hired years ago.

To be continued....

Update: To Island Lake and beyond!

Sunday morning we broke camp at our hotel in Truckee and started toward home. We didn't go home, though— at least not right away. We visited another of our favorite hiking areas in Tahoe National Forest, the Grouse Lakes Basin. We drove several miles up a paved Forest Service road then a few more miles up a bumpy dirt road to the Carr-Feely Lakes trailhead. At 6,700' elevation and with a mostly level trail it's a great jumping-off point for visiting the Grouse Lakes Basin.



The trail starts off just below Carr Lake and travels up past it. There are a handful of camping sites here. Curiously, people were packing up their camps and leaving as we laced up our boots to hike. I hope they're headed somewhere at least as nice to hike today, because this trail is so worth it.

Just past the far side of Carr Lake (left in the photo above) the trail crosses a small stream below an earthen dam for Feely Lake.



Feely Lake is running pretty low this year. You can see that clearly with the amount of shoreline exposed. A gauge just inside the dam shows the water level's about 17 feet below max. We've been here before when it was at maximum. For example, when we visited in June 2019 it was not only full but still had snow and ice!

The trail tracks around the south (right) side of Feely Lake providing plenty of great views across it to Fall Creek Mountain. From the far side it goes up a slight rise to the next set of lakes. I say slight meaning it's less than 200' of ascent, but the 7,000' altitude had us struggling for breath nonetheless.



On the other side of the low ridge there's a small pond, Delaney Pond. It was pretty full with water this year, surprisingly. This pond is hardly the star attraction, though, Just beyond it are Little Island Lake and Island Lake.



TBH I made up the name Little Island Lake. On two official maps I've checked this attractive little lake has no name. It's so close to the much larger Island Lake— seriously, they're so close you could throw a stone from the edge of one and splash it into the waters of the other— I figure Little Island Lake is a good fit The lake has a great little island in it!



Island Lake is, of course, way bigger than Little Island Lake. The photo above shows less than half of it. The lake's shape, combined with its size, makes it hard to see all in one view... except from above... which we've kind of done before! Beyond the lake you see a ridge rising from the center toward the right of the frame. That's Grouse Ridge. We hiked a bit atop Grouse Ridge two years ago. Atop the triangular peak in the back toward the right is the Grouse Ridge Fire Lookout. We've hiked there, too. See Outhouse at the Edge of the Earth!

We spent a while at Island Lake before pressing on. Our goal for the day was to get to Penner Lake, the next major lake along this branch of the trail, past at least half a dozen small lakes. Our energy started flagging, though, so we turned back short of it. The day was no less wonderful for not seeing Penner Lake. As I've written before it's not to beauty I walk but in beauty I walk.