This hike starts from the Lake George parking lot in the Mammoth Lakes Basin.  Take Lake Mary road to Pokenobe Lodge and turn left.  At the next junction just after the bridge turn right and your about 1/2 mile from the parking area.

As you come up to the parking area you will see this.  The trailhead is on your right of this sign and is well marked.

This hiking trail is well maintained, however, there are a couple of sections that lead you off the main trail and can be confusing at first. Just stay on the main tracked path and you will have no problems getting to the Lake.

The trail starts as a series of quick switchbacks until your reach the halfway point and then it’s more of long straights than more switchbacks.  There are lots of viewpoints to stop and take photos as you make your way up to the Crystal Lake.

Near the top of the hike, You will pass a sign and junction that leads to the summit of the Mammoth Crest, stay to the left-hand side so you are still on the Crystal Lake hiking trail.

Here are some of the prime view photos you can get as you get higher up on the trail.

Eventually, the trail tops out on a plateau and then drops back down a couple of hundred feet to the lake’s shoreline.

On the left side of the lake, you will see Crystal Crag, it tops out at an elevation of 10,403 feet. If you’re into some very steep climbing you can make it up to the top of the Crag.

Once you’re at the lake there are two trails, the left side and right side.

The trail on the left does go all the way to the back of the lake on a good well traveled path.

There are some nice little beaches and rocks to check out down the left side trail. This is a good area to swim out of if you want a to take are freshening swim.

The left side trail appears to go all the way around the back of the lake.  We tried it and got bogged down in some swampy mud with lot’s of biting bugs and never made it all the way around the lake.

The trail on the right side trail quickly gets steep and bouldering is necessary, fun if you are into this type of adventure. I have never gone up those rocks about .5 mile in on the right trail, but they do lead to the Crystal Lake Cliffs.

We have seen people jumping off the cliffs in the past when the lake was full. The advice we got was swim out and know where your going to land before you jump.

Fishing:  This lake has been well-stocked in the past, so there are fish here to catch. Please practice catch and release at Crystal Lake, stocking is rare these days and we would like to keep fish in the lake. Fly fishing will get you the best results in this lake’s environment.

Crystal Lake has a few Beaches and they are located on the left side of the lake.  The right side has a mix of rocky and forested shorelines. The right side of the lake also provides a couple of great spots to kick back, eat, explore and fish.

Please pack in and out your own food,water and trash for the day.  We do not recommend you drink water out of the lakes or creeks in the area without a filter. 

Hot Tip: make sure you check the mammoth lakes basin weather forecast before heading out. During thunderstorm cycle’s make sure to bring a rain jacket or better yet hike early and get out before the storms hit