Winnemucca Lake Loop

Route Description for Winnemucca Lake Loop

The Winnemucca Lake Loop is a picture-perfect adventure that can be enjoyed year-round. In the summer months, the terrain is teeming with wildflowers and lush vegetation, and in the winter, the route makes for an epic snowshoeing or cross-country skiing experience. Note the Mokelumne Wilderness requires day-use permits and parking passes; refer to the Eldorado National Forest website for additional information.

Setting out from the Carson Pass Trailhead, the Winnemucca Lake Loop travels south along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT). This route will guide you through meadowlands and granite gardens up to Frog Lake. Here, you will be diverted southwest onto the Carson Pass to Lake Winnemucca Trail. Follow this path up to Winnemucca Lake, a charming alpine lake nestled among pines and bounded by the cliffs of Round Top Mountain. Enjoy the lake, and when you are ready, track the Winnemucca Trail north to Woods Lake and the Woods Lake Campground.

This section of the hike will guide you over a few snowmelt streams before rerouting you onto Woods Lake Road before merging onto the ALP122 Trail. Hiking through meadowlands, you will be diverted right at the next junction onto 10N01—which will ultimately deliver you back to the trailhead.