Mossy Pond Trail
to Glacier Lakes Trail Loop.
Elevation approx. 7,152
Nevada County, Tahoe National Forest.
Wanting to explore hiking trails off the I-80 corridor on the way to Tahoe, we stumbled across this lightly trafficked trail on Caltopo that we thought would make a great loop. It is just off the Cisco Grove exit and across the Yuba River. To get to the trailhead requires about five miles of dirt road driving, not 4x4 off road, but high clearance vehicle would be best although we did see a Mini Cooper at the trail. If you're looking for a great day hike or even a potential overnight backpack spot, you've got to check out this area. There were plenty of great camp spots and plenty of lakes to choose from.
Interstate 80 East from Sacramento and exit Cisco Gove, stay left under the overpass and across the Yuba River.
Left onto Hampshire Rocks Road and right on to Fordyce Lake Road 85.
At the intersection, stay left and then look for Sterling Lake Road on your right.
My new Ford Ranger 4x4 (Pearl) had no problems with the road conditions and most small to midsize SUV's wouldn't have a problem either.
There is a campground at the end of the road and when we pulled up, we looked at each other and thought
"Way too many people here, this may have been a bad choice."
Once passed the lakeside campers, things took a more quiet and serene tone.
We are both happy with serenity on the trail.....
Up this little slot...……..
.........and taking in some pretty spectacular views.
After skirting the southwest rim of Sterling lake you'll drop down this rocky portion and come to a dam crossing.
A dam good crossing.
In case you missed it, there is some red trail tape in the bush...….this will become very important, pretty soon.
The trail was a little rustic in spots and though, clearly marked...….you had to pay attention and look for signs of being "On....On" trail.
An example of on trail sign...…..Bubba's Lilly Pond
Found this great flat granite boulder pushing out into Bubba's Lilly Pond and decided it would make a great lunch spot.
After lunch and into this pretty fern grove.
Not much further along and we came across another beautiful alpine lake.
On occasion the trail became difficult to follow.
But if you look for markers or cairns you can usually pick it right back up.
And then......another beautiful alpine lake.
Nearing the end of the Mossy Pond West Trail and you come onto a 4x4 road as you approach the lake.
Along the 4x4 road and Mossy Pond comes into view.
More of a beautiful alpine lake, than a pond. There is also some nice campsites at lakes edge that would be pack or 4x4 accessible.
Here is the maker letting you know where to make the trail connection back to Sterling Lake...….note that this marker is now blue for the Mossy Pond East Trail.
And then the trail becomes a little less evident.
Soooooo, follow the cairns.
And after about every thirty to forty steps, stop and look around for the next trail marker.
Sometimes its a piece of blue trail tape and on a wire, laying on the ground.
And, look...…….....another beautiful alpine lake.
And not more than a hundred yards later...….another beautiful alpine lake
and another one...…...enough already, with all these beautiful alpine lakes! Seriously, taking in all this beauty is kinda slowing us down.
Spent to much time staring at the lakes and lost the trail.
Oh, there it is...….faintly.
And more lakes...……...seeing a theme here? I guess we made the connection to Glacier Lakes Trail.
This hike exceeded our expectations for sure, with beauty, serenity, varied terrain and challenging navigation.
The numbers don't lie...….one mile every 43 minutes on average......that's a lot of beautiful alpine lake gazing.
The blue trail markers indicate that you are on the Mossy Pond East to Glacier Lakes Trail
The red trail markers indicate that you are on the Mossy Pond West Trail
With the exception of the initial campsite parking area at Sterling Lake, we saw less than 10 people total on trail. This trail starts you pretty much at its high elevation point so there is not a lot of climbing and even though the trail was hard to find at times, it was clearly marked. It did require you to pay attention while on trail so no getting lost in conversation with your trail buddy and plodding right along or you'll soon be scratching your head wondering which way to go. The challenge of locating the trail markers made this hike a bit of a navigation game with hide and seek trail markers.
Now Get Out There and Get Gone....
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