Fern Lake | Hiking in June Lake

As you’re driving up the US-395 you can’t help but notice the beauty all around. Just enough woods and openness to see the granite peaking up across the vast landscape. Then as you turn onto the CA-158 at June Lake Junction you wind your way to the tropical-esque waters of June Lake with its perfect beachy shoreline. At 7,600 feet elevation and nestled in a gorgeous valley between impressive granite mountains it’s like driving to a beautiful high elevation lake that usually would require a hike to get to!

And not to mention the charm of the mountain town of June Lake. As you drive past June Lake eventually you reach Gull and Silver Lake which are stunning amongst the forested mountain landscape. As you can imagine, there is also an abundance of hiking opportunities in this amazingly scenic area. Read on for information about a short steep hike to the less visited Fern Lake.

Quick Info: Hiking to Fern Lake

Directions: From the US-395 head west on the CA-158 S at the June Lake Junction. Follow the 158 for 5.3 miles and turn left into the Fern Lake Trailhead parking area.

Distance: About 4 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous – the trail is steep for the majority of the way though the distance is relatively short

Our Experience Hiking to Fern Lake

At the Fern Lake Trailhead there is a large parking area, a bear box, and a port-a-potty. A few meters from here on the trail is an information sign.

The trail starts as a gradual ascent through Aspens. Here, the trail is a bit rocky. Then the trail keeps climbing through the woods and along the mountainside but becomes less rocky. As you gain elevation, be sure to take in the view of Silver Lake and Gull Lake down in the valley below.

The trail to Fern Lake continues gaining elevation and is rocky off and on. It passes some impressive trees along the way too.

Eventually, there is a sign indicating the trail branching to either Yost Lake or Fern Lake.

Go right here towards Fern Lake. From here the trail seems to get slightly steeper but it’s not much further to the lake.

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Before you know it, there it is! Fern Lake. The lake is big but shallower than we expected. As soon as the trail reaches the lake there is a sandy beach-like area.

But when we were here the water seemed too shallow and kind of still for swimming so we just followed the trail around the shoreline. The surrounding granite made an awesome backdrop. We saw a huge bird soaring around and also some decent sized fish in the lake. There were no other people at the lake but some arrived right as we were leaving.

We found a nice spot for a snack, then took our shoes off and walked in the water a bit. Just putting our feet in was refreshing and we didn’t end up swimming this time. Shane skipped a bunch of rocks and we enjoyed the solitude with a view.

From here, we headed back the way we came, but at a much faster pace and stepping with care to spare our knees. At the signed intersection we followed the Yost Lake trail for about 200 feet and checked out the creek that was so steep it was more like a waterfall. It was beautiful.

Overall, this was a nice jaunt up into the mountains to a nice lake. It was a good leg workout and there were very few others on the trail. In an area so rich in natural beauty we can’t wait to plan our next adventure!

Thank You for Reading!

Click the links below to check out some of our other adventures in the area:

• Free Camping at Hartley Springs Campground
• Backpacking to Ediza and Iceburg Lakes
• Magical Day Hike on Hilton Lakes Trail
• Otherworldly Hike Up Obsidian Dome

Here’s Shane cruising around June Lake on his longboard. Check out our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop to see our latest lineup of our unique hand painted longboards!

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