Soooo what’s better than a mountain town?
A MOUNTAIN TOWN WITH SNOW!
I spent this past Monday hiking the around Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes on the Tahoe National Forest’s Yuba River Ranger District, and it did NOT disappoint.
I’d been wanting to try snowshoeing for a while. I’d actually never been! When I mentioned it to Ana, she couldn’t set aside a day to go snowshoeing fast enough. She grabbed an extra pair of office snowshoes (because… remember, I now work in a setting where “office snowshoes” are very much A THING) and practically dragged me out to a trail on her district.
I actually hiked this exact same trail right before I left the first part of my detail out here to head back to Flagstaff… and I have to admit, it’s SO much prettier in the snow!
The trail is a little more difficult during the winter, because Gold Lake Highway closes during the winter snow season.
To access the trailhead, you have to park off of Highway 49, in a parking lot across from Bassett Station, and then hike up Gold Lake Highway and to the trailhead before you can even start the (ordinarily) two-mile trail.
Oh, the added part is also all uphill, because, of course.
However, the hike is absolutely worth it.
We passed a good number of hikers, cross-country skiers and hikers during our trek to the lakes.
We also met a gorgeous camera-shy cone husky!
I know this is the second time I’ve hiked this same trail, but, cmon. Look at those photos. Can you blame me?! I feel like I could hike this trail again and again in every season, and it would never be enough. It’s so beautiful!
Regardless… my time on the Tahoe is running out, and I do have other things to see and do while I’m here.
Until next time!
This post was originally published Feb. 2, 2022. Its timestamp has been updated.
