Skip the crowds at Tahoe and Big Bear. Sitting at 9,272 feet in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Ediza Lake is one of California's highest and clearest alpine lakes — and the only way in is on foot.
Ediza sits in the Ritter Range, thousands of feet above Big Bear Lake (6,759 feet) and Tahoe (around 6,223 feet). Its snowmelt-fed water is famously transparent: granite in the region acts as a natural filter, and the harsh high-elevation environment keeps fish populations low, so visibility goes right to the bottom. On calm days, Banner Peak and the jagged Minarets reflect in the lake's 26 acres of surface water. Towering over it all is 13,149-foot Mt. Ritter, first climbed by John Muir back in 1872. The area's dramatic scenery is what inspired Ansel Adams — the wilderness itself carries his name.
The hike in starts from the Shadow Creek Trailhead at Agnew Meadows, just outside Mammoth Lakes. It's a little over 13 miles roundtrip with roughly 1,225 feet of elevation gain. The route passes waterfalls, stream crossings and Shadow Lake, and shares a stretch with the John Muir Trail. Camping is allowed on the western and northern shores, but you'll need a permit.
Anglers have plenty of reason to make the trek. Ediza holds kokanee salmon, mountain whitefish, and rainbow, brook, brown and golden trout. Early mornings and evenings fish best. Fishing is open year-round, though the road to the trailhead shuts down in winter, so access is realistically a warm-season affair.
Getting there is part of the appeal. The Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway is often called California's most scenic drive, and it's about a three-hour run from Reno-Tahoe International Airport to Mammoth Mountain Main Lodge, where a shuttle takes you to the trailhead. Add on Devils Postpile National Monument — a short walk to striking basalt columns, often described as a mini Yosemite — or a 2.5-mile trail to Rainbow Falls to loosen up the legs before the main hike.
This one's for hikers, backcountry campers and anglers who'd trade a parking lot for a mirror-calm lake ringed by 13,000-foot peaks. It demands a solid day's effort, but the payoff is one of the most striking sights in the Sierra Nevada, with far fewer people than the state's headline lakes.
