Atwell Mill is near the East Fork of the Kaweah River, situated in an old logged sequoia grove with the southern Sequoia National Parks impressive Mineral King Canyon. Located 19 mi from Highway 198 near Three Rivers, CA. About 1 mi West of Silver City and 6 miles before the end of road at Mineral King.

Meadows with pines at this campground

• Elevation: 6,650′
• Number of Sites: 21
• Camping Reservations: No
• Sites Available: First come, First serve
• Vehicle Accessibility: No RVs; tents only
• Length of Stay: 14 Days
• Toilet: Pit
• Water: Piped
• Season: Closed in Winter Snow
• Fee: Yes

Bear Box in Mineral King Campground

Bear lockers for food storage are required in this region. Nice shady camp spots spaced out well at this small developed campground. Hikers parking lot is located at one end of the campground. Big bonus for hiking trails nearby.

FOOTBRIDGE HIKE: Great half day hike down to the Kaweah River. Small wooden bridge down at the river crossing and numerous trails lead off into plenty backpacking destinations around Mineral King.

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This is California – the beautiful, where millions flock on vacation. California is crowded & the tourist only increase each year. Thousands of people are looking for hiking mountains or better, a hiking lake - each weekend. Many are using the web for destinations, like the research you are doing right now. All folks seeking nature, water, fresh air & views. High Sierra, NorCal, SoCal Reservoirs, we list the best of these hiking lakes below.

Some of the lakes have mountaineering routes nearby; equestrian trails, regular hiking trails, campgrounds, some even have sorta level paved (granny) trails for biking, hiking & skating around.

High elevation or alpine lakes can be accessed best in summer months. Mountain bike, backpack, horseback into these hidden treasures. With any Sierra Nevada destination, snow pack deep can be in certain seasons. Major Highways (Sierra Passes) can be closed into June or July, due to rock slides and late snow melt. Snow shoes, snowmobile or 4×4 vehicles may be needed to reach such lakes, any months OCT-MAY (fall to spring). Winter can come early & stay late at these higher elevations of California; Be prepared for true Wilderness experience.

But maybe you are just looking for some easy hiking, loop trails & picnic spots; Or perhaps an overnight stay near a lakeside camp w/ kayak rentals. California reservoirs to alpine lakes, we have a wide variety listed below.

This page contains links to some favorite lakes with hiking trails around the lake, along the shoreline or routes on ridge lines overlooking the lake. If no good lake page could be found, we’ve linked to some photos of the lake on Flickr.

Baja California:

• Laguna Hanson

SoCal:

• Big Bear Lake
• Dixon Lake
• Lake Cuyamaca
• Green Valley Lake
• Jackson Lake
• Jenks Lake
• Lake Miramar
• Lower Otay Lakes

Central California / Sierra Nevada:

• Bass Lake
• Beardsley Lake
• Convict Lake
• Cottonwood Lakes
• Courtright Reservoir
• Coyote Lake
• Edison Lake
• Fern Lake
• Lake Genevieve
• Gold Lake
• Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
• Hume Lake
• Huntington Lake
• Kearsarge Lakes
• Mammoth Lakes
• Mammoth Pool Reservoir
• North Lake
• Pine Flat Reservoir
• Rock Creek Lake
• Saddlebag Lake
• Shaver Lake
• South Lake
• Lake Tahoe
• Tenaya Lake
• Twin Lakes
• Upper Blue Lake
• Walker Lake

NorCal:

• Lake Almanor
• Lake Britton
• Bucks Lake
• Eagle Lake
• Juniper Lake
• Medicine Lake
• Ruth Lake
• Lake Sonoma
• Whiskeytown Lake

Blackrock Reservoir in Sierra Nevada

Lakes California Map: check out all the maps we have for lakes in Cali

Balch Park Campground

Hedrick Pond lined w/ Sequoia trees

Balch County Park is right in the middle of Mountain Home State Forest, which is within the bigger Sequoia National Forest (aka Giant Sequoia National Monument). But don’t let all the bureaucracy mislead you, this is an ideal park and location, well worth your trip. The campground is the most developed one within the area – with paved roads, RV spaces, flush toilets and a fee to go along with all that. Even gotta fishing pond.

• Bears are a big deal in these neck of the woods. Please store all your food properly to avoid a un-welcomed visitor
• A Sequoia Grove is nearby with plenty of creeks & meadows.
• Trailers not recommended due to the long curvy road leading up the mountain.

Balch Park & Campground NOT TO BE CONFUSED with utility company residences of BALCH CAMP between Pine Flat & Blackrock Reservoirs

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Helpful Maps:

Nearby cities & towns:

Tulare County Parks & Recreation

From Lake Isabella down to Bako, along Hwy 178, numerous natural hot springs can be found in this canyon. Old Kern Canyon Road has plenty of primitive spots to camp along the road, way above the Kern River. This Southern Sierra Nevada scenic route, a 20 mi winding narrow paved road, is the old highway that leads up to Bodfish CA.

At least a dozen dispersed camp sites can be found along the Old Kern Cyn Rd, some spots with views over canyon, some hidden & shady, many spots are level & large – suitable for RVs. No facilities, no fees, just a flat, dispersed site. Campfire permits are required for fires outside of developed Campgrounds & fire restrictions are often high, so no fires are allowed much of the year. Most of the gates on the Lower Kern are now locked & only accessible by Forest Service personnel, ranchers or local rafting companies with permits.

The 2 developed Lower Kern Campgrounds are HOBO & SANDY FLAT, if you really need a picnic table & bathroom. You can reserve camps by clicking the links.

Miracle Hot Springs - next to Hobo Campground. This hot tub park is closed for repairs (indefinitely). On a visit in Oct 2008, I found the gates open to Miracle (while Hobo Campground was closed), a few portable bathrooms & trash bins, the hiking trail clear; 2 shallow pools partially filled. Maybe enough room to soak your butt, but not fully submerse yourself. Someone really needs to renovate this place!

Remington Hot Springs

The 3 hot springs listed below are Private Property, so don’t get shot:

Delonegha Hot Springs

Concrete tubs were built by homesteaders, later a hotel and boarding house were constructed. Stage coaches from the San Joaquin Valley took 2 days to get visitors to this area. The hotel closed in 1912, when more accessible areas of Democrat and Hobo were built. Remaining cement tubs run along a rock peninsula overlooking the Kern River; water temperatures average 112 degrees. This private property is fenced.

Scovern Hot Springs

Also known as the Hot Springs House. 1902 mud baths were being offered and the wooden tubs were replaced by galvanized tubs. A swimming pool and bath houses were added when the Scoverns bought the property in 1929. Bath house burned to the ground in 1971 and only a vacant lot remains. Steam can still be seen in the fields across from the springs, where water runs at 140 gallons a minute @ 115 degrees.

Democrat Hot Springs

The hotel and cottages were constructed to accommodate guests that came in stage coaches to dine and relax during the early 1900’s. Five springs on the property flow at 115 degrees into large soaking tubs and a swimming pool. Because of vandalism, this private property is gated and has a full time caretaker.

NEARBY TOWNS -

ALTA SIERRA CA

KERNVILLE CA

LAKE ISABELLA CA

WOFFORD HEIGHTS CA

MAP OF THE KERN RIVER -

Sequoia National Forest Map

lake in ca / calif lakes / lake elevation / geology lakes

hike in lakes

Wilderness lakes are as pure as it gets. No cattle, no roads nearby. Snow melt, cool days, good fishing, great mountain scenery, granite, fresh air & clean water. You have to really wanna reach them. You must physically WORK to get to these remote alpine wonderlands – hike, bike, or horseback. Most prefer to backpack in and stay a while. Why not? These puppies are ONLY ACCESSIBLE a few months outta the whole year. May as well enjoy them while you can. The rest of the time most of them are frozen solid or buried with tons of serious snow. Wilderness areas do not allow dogs or mountain bikes on trails, so plan accordingly.

California is lucky to have hundreds of lakes within protected wilderness areas. Almost all are gorgeous and have very limited access. While we haven’t yet been able to hike every Wilderness in Cali, we will leave you with the best links with could find & a way to buy some maps. Most Wilderness topo maps are printed on waterproof plastic these days. The most popular topographical maps sell out often, and can be outta stock or outta print for months, or even years. The less popular areas still have the old paper maps.

Ansel Adams Wilderness

• NFS Map is OUTTA PRINT

Bucks Lake Wilderness

• Bucks Lake Wilderness Map

Carson Iceberg Wilderness

• NatGeo Carson Iceberg Map
• NFS Carson Iceberg Wilderness Map

Desolation Wilderness

Granite Chief Wilderness

• Tom Harrison Desolation Map
• NFS Desolation Wilderness Map

Emigrant Wilderness

• Tom Harrison Emigrant Map
• NFS Emigrant Wilderness Map

Hoover Wilderness

• Tom Harrison Hoover Map
• NFS Hoover Wilderness Map

John Muir Wilderness

• John Muir Map Pack
• USDA John Muir Kings Cyn

Lassen National Park

• Lassen National Forest Map
• Lassen Topo Maps Atlas

Mokelumne Wilderness

• NFS Mokelumne Wilderness Map

Monarch Wilderness (Kings Cyn)

Jennie Lakes Wilderness

• NFS Monarch / Jennie Lakes Wilderness Map

Thousand Lakes Wilderness

• Ishi, Carribou, 1000 Lakes Wilderness Map

Trinity Alps Wilderness

• NFS Map is OUTTA PRINT

Yosemite National Park

• Yosemite High Country Map
• Tuolumne Meadows Hiking Map

Forget the hike!
If you are seeking a remote mountain lake that you can drive to, you will need to search for one that has the fewest people. A 4WD vehicle will help you exit the tourist traps, thru plenty of the back roads we feature. Always steer clear of crowded, holiday weekends.  See the CA LAKE LIST here!

A few regions more with pristine lakes, but not dubbed Wilderness:

• Lakes Basin California
• Aspendell California
• Tahoe Lakes
• Lake Mammoth CA
• June Lake CA
• Lassen National Forest
• Medicine Lake
• Tahoe National Forest
• Inyo National Forest
• Castle Crags State Park