Binoculars in the Backcountry: Monument Ridge

eBird list Summers Meadow Road

After we returned from Utah, we were still being menaced by smoke, but wanting to hike we had to look further afield. As it was leaf peeping season, and I do like leaves as much as I like flowers, our hikes would certainly involve autumn colors if available. I read a report about fall color along Summers Meadow Road. It was forecast to be out of the smoke zone and was a mere two hours drive each way. Let's go!

The hideous smoke we are escaping from. It is mid afternoon.

The drive along Summers Creek was pleasant and peaceful, but hardly spectacular, a mixture of yellows, and greens, and bare trees, and wide open meadows.

Pleasant scenery along Summers Meadow Road with the Sweetwater Mts in the background.

Arborglyphs of cows.

When we got to the end of the drivable, for us, road we wandered through the aspens and spotted mining junk on he hill above us, so up we went. It turns out it was on private property, so we hastened to leave. We met one of the owners on our way out. We apologized for our inadvertent trespass and he was gracious enough to tell us some brief history of their family and the mine, which was active in the 1930s and has now been filled in. The family is now maintaining the mining cabins. He also indicated that there were lakes and a trail system to take us there. Oh my, more exploration ahead.

A stamp mill

ebird list Hunewill Lake hike

We headed up to Tamarack and Hunewill Lakes a couple days later. It is a very pleasant fall hike with a splash of color from the willows around the lakes. We had also read up a bit about the area and found that the Hunewill family started ranching in the area in 1861 and still own the ranch. They recently added a conservation easement to their ranch, which would explain the small signs we drove past, and have an established dude ranch for those looking for vacation spots. You can delve further into this here:

Hunewill Ranch easement

Hunewill Dude Ranch

Crater Crest

Tamarack Lake

Hunewill Lake

Hunewill Lake and Monument Ridge

While we were eating lunch and looking at the map, we discovered that on the other side of Monument Ridge, there was another lake, West Lake, and West Lake would be a new lake for us. It would be our next smoke refugee hike.

ebird list West Lake hike

The hike up to West Lake passes several small beaver ponds before hitting a wide open broad valley and then Green Lake. From Green Lake there is a choice on trails to take, the left hand one heads up another lake filled valley and enters Yosemite NP, the right hand trail heads up a steep ridge to West Lake. The West Lake trail was better maintained than we expected and we made good time. We will either do another long day hike to explore the lakes basin beyond West Lake, or a short easy backpack to do the same next summer.