2018 Crooked Lakes Trail at Grouse Ridge CA

This was my grandson's second backpacking trip to this area.

Crooked Lakes Trail offers trail use for hikers, backpackers, equestrians, mountain cyclists, fishermen, seasonal hunters, and has excellent opportunities for outdoors activities for youngsters.

July 2018 update:  The weather was variable, warm, cold and windy, and rained most of one day.  Check for weather forecasts and go there prepared for unexpected changes that are common in this area.  On this trip there were no pesky flies at any of the many lakes we visited as were noted below.  Mosquitoes were there but not a high number. There were no more of the biting orange beetles mentioned in the article either, thank goodness. The trail to Milk Lake is more adequately marked than on our last trip, and for my 9 year old grandson's first backpacking trip, we camped there. Expect to see some kids as I do on every hike there, making a great family destination.
The forestry link is here.  

Distance: can be as little as one mile and can go for many miles over many days.
Difficulty:  Easy to difficult, according to your choice.  I would be comfortable taking an outdoorsy child who can hike at least 1/2 mile in and then out. They would enjoy the lakes. It really is not too steep for any length of time.  There were some tree falls to climb over or go around, and strollers are out of the question. We always meet people with kids here and it is an excellent place for backpacking with youngsters.
Weather: For forecasts click here.
Driving Directions:  Get onto Highway 20 West from Highway 80 west of Donner.  Turn right onto Bowman Lake Road, cross the South Fork Yuba River and keep going until you see the sign for Grouse Ridge.  Turn right on the forest road NF-17 which turns to a dirt and gravel road immediately.  When there are offshoots, just follow the road to the right.  It gets quite tricky just before you reach the parking.  There is a parking circle carved out on your right just before the original shaded parking area at the trailheads that will just extend your hike a little bit.  I drove my car successfully in.  The top parking is nice and shady.  
Note:  There are fees to pay at the trail head for using the backpackers campground facilities, but not if you backpack beyond it and camp near other lakes.  There are a countless number of sites throughout the area, but no restrooms beyond Carr-Feeley.  Fire permits are required, although there are currently fire restrictions, so check the Tahoe National Forest link provided at the end of this article before your trip.  Get your permit here: Fire permits

For a pocket map of the area, Right click on the image, Save image as....name it, and choose the location to keep it on your device.  Now you can print it as an 8 1/2" by 11" guide to take along. With all the lakes and trails at this location, it can come in handy.

This time, we arrived during a small heat wave! There were many day hikers and a few backpackers. Our camp site was along the west shore of Island Lake with good water access.  We didn't use our tent's rainfly, and sleeping bags weren't really necessary since the nights were very warm.

We discovered numerous sites along all but a few small unnamed lakes.

This campsite on the north side of the unnamed lake west of Island Lake has some nice flat tent sites nearby, is far enough from the lake, but clearly has a hazardous fire ring setup.  We chose a sunny site thinking it would be nice not to wait for morning dew to dry before packing up camp, but in this hot weather, shade like this might have been best.

There are trout and catfish in Island Lake and some surrounding lakes, although we didn't see anything large.  Only a few fish were observed feeding at sunset.

The local views of the lakes were satisfying at the end of our active days.  

There were some orange beetles (not ladybugs) voraciously biting our lower legs and feet, leaving itchy red bumps to remain for days.  Mosquitoes stayed until breezes kicked in, but the worst offenders were large black flies buzzing around our heads tapping our hair frequently, and I mean persistently.  Hikers we met reported them at other lakes they visited on this journey.  Breezes affected only the mosquito activities.

Our trip was enjoyable with weather perfect for swimming, fishing, and bonuses of viewing two eagles doing their own fishing.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT for Tahoe National Forest.  Get your permit here: Fire permits to use backpacker stoves and check any new restrictions.

For more tidbits of helpful information from previous trips in various weather conditions check out these posts:

Carr Feeley Trailhead and Backpackers Camp will give you more information about the area and another map of trails northwest of the Grouse Ridge. From there you use the Twin Lakes Trail or Round Lake Trail.
Crooked Lakes Trail Survivor Night describes an unexpected storm, hiking hazards and solutions. A true account with a happy ending.

Happy Trails!

July 2014

July 2018 updates Grouse Ridge, Donner Area

*If you double click on a photo you can view all of the photos enlarged.  At the bottom of this article I am including a map, an elevation profile from my Garmin GPS and a Wikiloc link.  Some of my hike to the lakes and ponds shown is off trail.

Sunset my first night there.

Distance: can be as little as one mile (to Milk Lake) and can go for many miles over many days.
Difficulty:  Easy to difficult, according to your choice.  I would be comfortable taking an outdoorsy child who can hike at least 1/2 mile in and then out. They would enjoy the lakes. It really is not too steep for any length of time.  There were some tree falls to climb over and strollers are out of the question.
Driving Directions:  Get onto Highway 20 West from Highway 80 west of Donner.  Turn right onto Bowman Lake Road, cross the South Fork Yuba River and keep going until you see the sign for Grouse Ridge.  Turn right on the forest road that turns to a dirt and gravel road immediately The road had some work done on it so should be in good condition for a dirt road, accessible by car.  6 miles but worth it! July 2018 the road was in good condition, and I drove in my sedan.
You'll arrive at a fork that points to the right for camping with a well kept vault toilet in an actual structure or the fork to the left that leads to a parking area for the trailhead.  No running water is available.  You can hike a half mile to Downey or Milk Lake or just bring bottled water for camping.
Notes:  The area is being renovated so by the time you read this and get there the road will be in better condition.  The campground has picnic tables, fire pits, and some nice flat tent areas. Check on hunting season dates before you go.  (Deer hunting in the fall).
Weather: forecast here

Amusing.  Not much better than the road. July 2018 the trailhead sign is repaired.

 At the top of this 1/2 mile road, closed to vehicles,  is the Grouse Ridge Lookout.  It is a shady and pleasant climb to the fading structure.  The road is shown on the map below.

Although it is weathered and boarded up you can still climb the stairs and look inside the empty space that used to be manned by staff.  I braved the stairs for the spectacular views but the wind was pushing me off balance enough to scare me from venturing around to the other side.  It's pretty rickety and you go at your own risk.

The outhouse was hard to capture since it virtually hangs over air!  Doesn't that add a whole new meaning to "outhouse"?

If you didn't have to "go" before you got to this outhouse you would have to go once inside. And can you imagine having to go in a violent storm?  But you can appreciate the views!  I had to kneel down for photos because of jarring wind gusts.  It was frightening to be so close to nothing but air space to fall into and I doubt one would walk away from a mishap like that.  When do you ever hear me so unnerved by such wonders? There is a hand rail for good reason.  My son and I laughed about having to wear rappelling gear to use the restroom!

I am barely standing on another precipice in threatening wind gusts to get his view for you from under the lookout deck.  It's worth the hike.  Every direction is something different geologically.  Beautiful and fascinating.

 An ancient dead tree (nicknamed a widow maker) stands in stark contrast to sections of forest untouched by the ravages of fire.

But never park, camp, stand, or sit within the reaches of widow makers.  Some hiker came back tired and ready to go, I'm sure.  Their truck met up with a widow maker!  Beware.  This is the best cautionary evidence I've photographed yet! July 2018: the truck was removed.

The following photos were taken along the path heading east along Glacier Lake Trail.  Within a short distance there are lakes, ponds, meadows, pine forest, willows, and granite bowls and outcroppings.  I enjoyed plenty of shade and the trail is in good condition.  Off trail you bushwhack but get to see a variety of landscapes and enjoy a true wilderness experience. 

The size of a pencil eraser, one of countless flowers in bloom right now.

The cattle eyed me suspiciously and began calling to each other and clanging their bells!

 Not sure of possible bacteria, I did purify water from these sources.

From the Grouse Ridge Trailhead, you can also head northwest toward Crooked Lakes Trail on Round Lake Trail, or north toward Shotgun and other basin lakes.  The area is one of my favorites and worth a dusty, difficult drive.  The trails are actually pretty easy and in a short distance you can day hike or backpack camp. You'll encounter few if any groups, or occasional hikers even if you see quite a few vehicles parked at the trailheads into the area. Once I did happen back there when some travel company was taking tourists backpacking.  Weekenders will find more people than those who can go on weekdays. There are so many directions to go and so many places to hang out.
GPS link, click here.

You can print the map and it is a handy pocket size to keep with you on the trail.

Carr Feeley Trailhead and Backpackers Camp will give you more information about the area and another map of trails northwest of the Grouse Ridge. From there you use the Twin Lakes Trail or Round Lake Trail.
Crooked Lakes Trail Survivor Night describes an unexpected storm, hiking hazards and solutions. A true account with a happy ending.

Peachy Hiker's Table of Contents
Thank you for stopping by and Happy Trails!

Road conditions updated 5-13-2014
Updated July 018: map note, trailhead sign, removal of truck, added weather link,and current road conditions.