Saturday, October 14, 2006

Shirley Lake Hike

Map of the Shirley Lake Hike

We had breakfast in the Six Peaks Grille at the hotel, got some deli sandwiches and drove to the trailhead for the Shirley Lake Hike. The trailhead is just west of the Squaw Valley Tram.

We hiked almost exactly 2 1/2 miles with a climb of 1,300 feet in 1 hour and 45 minutes to Shirley Lake. The hike is a mix of terrain, including some easy forested trail, some bouldering and a section of scrambling over a sheet of granite. There were some nice sections along the creek in the first mile. Even this time of year, there were some small waterfalls and quiet pools.

The lake is at the bottom of the Squaw Valley Shirley Lake ski run. We sat in the sun on a rock that sticks out into the lake and had lunch. It took us almost 1 hour and 40 minutes to hike back down. We were both surprised that we did not make better time on the way back.

If you look at the bigger version of the first picture shown below, you can see the hotel that we were staying at in the distance! This picture was taken at about the two mile mark. You are looking back down the canyon that we had hiked up.

Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California

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