Pacific Crest Trail – Squaw Lake to Snow Lakes

July 20, 2022. Squaw Lake – Mile 1781.5 (5840′) to Snow Lakes Mile 1796 (6693′). 14.5 miles.

We awoke very early, 4am, to beat the bugs before they got up. That strategy didn’t work. They were waiting for us. So we donned our light rain jackets which they couldn’t puncture. They still got our legs as we packed up.

Today, we traveled through long sections of woodlands before coming out into some large burn areas south of our destination, Snow Lakes. Snow Lakes would be one of the last camps where we would have water available near camp. After this camp, we would have to carry water for wherever we camped.

The route took us along the low elevation divide between the Rogue River National Forest and the Winema National Forest. Much of the area is situated in Sky Lakes Wilderness. As we climbed up to a ridge, we could see many smaller lakes on both sides. It appeared that this was a glaciated area where many lakes were left behind. Much of the area around the lakes appeared to have been subjected to forest fires in the past, but the area still seemed inviting.

As we can see above, there are lots of dead trees but some very healthy smaller trees. Also, the terrain has become quite rocky – the trail made of leveled rocks. The elevation here is just above 6500′

The great part about this camp were the views. We could see all the way to Mt McGloughlin and way over to Upper Klamath Lake, both over 50 miles away. The air was very clear. Camp was situated near the second Snow Lake, right on its shores. It was very warm so we decided to keep the rain fly off for some time while we had our evening meal.