Distance: 9 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 10945' (Gem Lakes)
Elevation Gain: 1355'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Mosquito Flat trailhead (Little Lakes Valley)
Difficulty: Moderate
We drove south from Mammoth to Little Lakes Valley trailhead. We arrived around 9:00 AM and the regular parking lot was full. There was some overflow parking a little way back, also full. We had to park at a lot 0.7 miles from the trailhead. Most of the two lane road in between was signed as No Roadside Parking. Some visitors were ignoring the signs, so bold as to park right under the signs. We hoofed the extra bit and started on the very nice trail. We never went more 500' without passing other parties either coming or going. A popular hike on a holiday weekend led to much crowding. Dogs and horses were also welcome on the trial, but fewer people had their dogs compared to the Duck Lake trail, and we saw no horse droppings but no horses. The valley was dotted with numerous small lakes. The first one was Mack Lake, where another trail split toward Mono Pass. Then we walked the banks of Heart Lake and Box Lake. All were picturesque with Mount Starr forming the western valley wall. Soon, we reached Long Lake and took a short break there. Past Long Lake, we took the side trail to Chicken Foot Lake, which is larger than it looks because of its unusual shape. Finally, we reached Gem Lakes under the towering peaks of Bear Creek Spire, Mount Dade, and Mount Abbot. Small fish were swimming in the shallows. The trail continued up to Morgan Pass and Morgan Lakes, but we turned around and headed back. This beautiful area can be reached without much vertical which probably contributes to its popularity.
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