Basic Trail Information
Dates: 9/30 – 10/2
Miles: 13 mi
Trailhead: Sabrina Lake Trailhead
Location: Inyo National Forest, CA
Parking: Free overnight parking lot (Google Maps)
Trail Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 2,500 ft
Permit: Yes, $16
Highlights: Multiple alpine lakes, fall foliage, mountain views, waterfall, meadows, fishing
Getting There and Parking
The trailhead is about 18 miles southeast of Bishop, California. From Bishop, you take a highway that climbs steeply up a several thousand feet until you reach a dirt parking lot on the right side of the road. The dirt parking lot is next to the entrance to Sabrina Campground and is labeled with a sign that says “Hiker Parking.”
For overnight parking, make sure to park at this parking lot. There is a second parking lot further up the road directly next to the lake/boat landing but that is for day use parking.
We arrived at 1 PM on a weekday during the end of September and I was surprised to see there was only one other car in the parking lot. This is a popular trail and the weekends would definitely look a lot different.
Short Walk to the Trailhead
From the Hiker’s parking lot, Linard and I started walking along the shoulder of the road to get to the trailhead. It was early afternoon with perfect autumn weather – low 70’s, sunny, and slightly breezy. A short walk later, the shoulder ended and we walked along the road since there was no sidewalk. Be careful of cars here!
Despite not reaching the trailhead yet, the scenery was spectacular. We walked through a sea of gold birch trees, paused to admire the fluttering yellow leaves, and snapped some photos. We eventually reached the trailhead on the left side of the road.
1. Sabrina Lake
The trail takes you right along the east side of Sabrina Lake. We were greeted with some incredible views of Sabrina Lake throughout this entire section of the trail. Autumn colors draped sections of the hillside, covering the area in gold, orange, and hints of crimson.
Even though this section of the hike was fairly easy and very steady, I was already feeling the thin air at 9,000 ft.
2. Blue Lake
Once we lost sight of Sabrina Lake, we hiked into the forest where the strenuous switchbacks began. Here, we started the climb up to Blue Lake. Nature’s own stairmaster. Up and up we went. Towards the last section of the climb, we reached several staircases carved out of the granite hillside where we spotted cute pikas bouncing around the rocks.
A few hours had passed and we finally reached our destination for the first night, Blue Lake. We set up camp here, mostly so I could get acclimated to the high altitude. Blue Lake sits at 10,400 ft.
For dinner, we refueled on dehydrated asian pear, fruit leather, Chomps beef sticks, and pizza. Linard fished in the evening but drew an unlucky hand and had no bites (don’t feel bad, just wait until we get to Sailor Lake).
3. Dingleberry Lake
The next morning, Linard made coffee while I drank a hot cup of Japanese onion soup broth. We didn’t have much of an appetite, likely due to the high altitude, so we decided to eat lunch at the next stop, Dingleberry Lake.
The hike went through the forest along Blue Lake until we reached an intersection for Dingleberry Lake and Donkey Lake. After hanging (😉) around for a second to read the sign, we turned right for Dingleberry Lake. The trail maneuvered alongside boulders but was mostly flat.
As we caught sight of Dingleberry Lake, we walked on bare granite slabs where sometimes the only evidence of a trail were rows of rocks outlining the trail. We found a beautiful spot overlooking the lake and took a lunch break to enjoy granola, fruit leather, and Slim Jims.
4. Topsy Turvy Lake
After leaving Dingleberry Lake, we continued on until we reached a wide section of Bishop Creek. A considerable number of trout lingered in the calm waters, even right up against the trail. Here, we easily crossed over the creek on a path of rocks.
There are enough rocks to avoid getting your shoe wet, even when we did this trail in the summer of 2021 when water levels were higher. Just make sure the rocks you place your foot on are stable enough because there were a few that were wobbly for me.
The next lake we passed was Topsy Turvy Lake. We didn’t head down to look at it up close because by this point, I started to feel the altitude more, breathing heavily. From afar, the lake looked beautiful.
5. Moonlight Falls
From Topsy Turvy Lake, the trail opens up to a wide open area of granite boulders, slabs, and sparsely growing high alpine trees. As you continue along, you may begin to hear a cascade of rushing water, a waterfall.
Unfortunately, since it was well into autumn, there was nothing but a trickle of water. If you happen to visit earlier in the summer where the water is flowing, I would make the trek out to see it because hikers say it’s beautiful.
6. Sailor Lake
A short distance away from Moonlight Falls was Sailor Lake. Sailor Lake sits at 11,000 ft and is one of the best places to set up camp because there are a number of great campsites. We made camp next to a bundle of trees to protect us from the wind and bad sleep. Last time we camped out in the open, unprotected, and there were very strong gusts that made for a horrible night’s rest. We learned from last time!
After getting settled and taking a quick snack break, we trekked to our final destination, Hungry Packer Lake.
7. Hungry Packer Lake
A short 10 minute walk later, we arrived.
Hungry Packer Lake was my favorite lake of them all. Picture Peak sits high in the background adjacent to glistening blue alpine water, like a picturesque Windows screensaver. We were both stunned by the clarity of the water, and it might just be the clearest alpine lake water I’ve ever seen in my life. We had our water filter with us and took a sip of the crisp refreshing alpine water – so good!
After taking some time to admire the stunning views, we headed back to Sailor Lake to go fishing.
Fishing at Sailor Lake
Here is Lin’s redemption plot: he caught 9 trout. Most were orange bellied brook trout with a couple Rainbow trout thrown in. His set-up included a spinning rod with a rooster tail. Meanwhile, I lounged in the warm sun, read a book, and adjusted to the high altitude. It was a tranquil time. At the lake, we encountered only one other couple with a dog during the entirety of our stay.
Once the sun set, it got chilly fast. For dinner, we devoured rehydrated Japanese curry with rice and chicken that I dehydrated at home prior. It was our first time eating Japanese curry on a backpacking trip and it might just become a staple due to how good it is! I usually struggle with my appetite at high altitude, but this dish was so flavorful, I gobble it down quick.
By 7 PM, it dipped down to the 30’s so we headed inside for the night. Linard fell asleep by 8 PM, and I stayed up later to finish reading my book. I woke up in the middle of the night because I was slightly nauseous from altitude sickness, but once I drank water I was fine until morning.
Heading Out
We both woke up early for sunrise, munched on rehydrated Chipotle, and packed up camp to start our trek back early. Linard went fishing again for about 30 minutes (the trout weren’t interested in him this time) before we headed out around 9:00 AM.
We stopped by Dingleberry Lake for a snack break, and Blue Lake for lunch. Linard went fishing again at Blue Lake but had zero luck. I guess they all retired for the day!
Since most of the trail was downhill, the hike was faster than our trek up. Including our two long breaks, we returned back to our car around 2:30 PM.
Final Thoughts and AllTrails Stats
This hike was definitely a winner with rewards that outweigh the effort. The trail is easy to follow and visually stunning, so much so that we backpacked it a second time and will likely backpack it a third. It offers visits to numerous alpine lakes, fall colors, fishing, and epic mountain views. It’s a popular area so expect to see many other hikers, especially at Blue Lake.
Despite the trail being 13 miles long, our AllTrails stats recorded total mileage of 19.5 miles (between all the frolicking and off trail exploring). Overall, we had a great time and hope to return again to visit a few of the other lakes in the area!
Happy Trails!
