Granite Lake- near Silver Lake CA

After attempting to hike on the Emigrant Trail passed Kirkwood and finding ourselves snowed out, we went down the road a little bit toward Sac (about 15 miles) and just tried a trail we found on a trail map on the side of the road. From Silver Lake just off the 88, we parked in day parking scattered throughout a little neighborhood of cabins. You can park within the cabins on a dirt one lane road. We oriented ourselves with our destination on a map and began our trek. We took the lower dirt road, parked on the water and had to hike about 3/4m extra to the sign indicating Granite and Plasses lakes. The elevation is 9000-10000 ft so you can get a little winded, but the hike isn't that far, so its worth it! You pass a waterfall with a wooden bridge, many beautiful ponds, and mini lakes on your way up. We ran into one person the entire time, great for seclusion, and you will encounter a beautiful and untouched area. Great for having a picnic. Granite lake is on the map, although not searchable so just look above (I think South) on a map from Silver Lake that is basically on highway 88. Our hike total was about 4 miles. This hike was done in early May. A little sooner than expected, but we anticipated that there would be less snow and we were right, at least for this hike. May 2013