Mott Lake
Sierra National Forest
High Sierra Ranger District
29688 Auberry Road
P.O. Box 559
Prather, CA 93651
559-855-5355
The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada. Portions of Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, and Placer counties lie within the Forest Boundary. The forest is bordered on the north by the Tahoe National Forest, on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, on the southeast by the Humboldt-Toiyabe, and to the south by the Stanislaus National Forest. Eldorado ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet above sea level along the Sierra crest. The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are located between these steep canyons. The Eldorado National Forest has a network of trails totaling 349 miles. I hiked it with The Ox during a cross-country road-trip in 1998 and we decided to explore the Desolation Wilderness which is a section near Lake Tahoe. Although we passed a number of day hikers and backpackers during the trip, we had Velma Lake all to ourselves during our visit.
- click to see trail photos from this backpacking trip to Mott Lake: August 18, 2005
- click to view a trip report from this hike on the Pacific Crest Trail: August 18, 2005, August 19, 2005, August 20, 2005, August 21, 2005
- click to yourhikes.com for more information on this camping trip near the Vermillion Valley Ranch: August 18, 2005
- click to view a photo journal from this hike to Mott Lake: August 18, 2005 (password required)
- click to read an article about a nearby hike in Yosemite National Park: August 31, 2002
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