28 Oct 25 - Conditions Report: Lake Sabrina to Blue Lake Hiking

The store owners badly needed a hike in the High Sierra, so they decided to check out what the snow situation looked like 2 weeks after the storm. They usually avoid the Lake Sabrina basin during summer season (it can get busy there), but figured that it should have gotten quieter there by now - and they were right!

Trip Report: 

Current As Of: 28 October 2025*

Activity During Report: on-trail hiking

Trail: Lake Sabrina trailhead to Blue Lake, 6 miles round trip, +1,380 feet elevation gain

Gear used: La Sportiva TX Hike Mid Leather hiking boots (good traction and waterproofing), day pack, LEKI Khumbu Lite trekking/hiking poles

Trip Information:

On October 14, the Sierra Nevada got its first real taste of winter, when almost a foot of snow fell at around 10,000 feet elevation and more up higher. However, the current temperatures are so warm (high 70s in the Owens Valley) that most of that melted off again or at least reduced to smaller amounts. 

On the drive up, we still saw some last fall colors around the 8,000 foot mark and in the village of Aspendell, but above the leaves had unfortunately fallen from the trees. 

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Lake Sabrina

Lake Sabrina has a good bathtub ring these days, and a few islands are poking out of the water. If you're still boating this time of year, be wary of hidden rocks in the water. The fishing still seemed to be good in the creek below the dam, as we saw several people bathing lures in the water. 

The trail starts off dry, and actually remains so for most of the way. Sometimes, there is some snow on the side of the trail, leaving the path itself dry. Even up here, it was surprisingly warm, we were just using our sun hoodies and left all layers in the backpack. the shady spots are a little chilly, but the sun is strong.

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The mostly dry trail

However, there are a few sections in north-facing corners where the snow lingered. Footsteps have packed it down enough to turn into solid ice. The first of these sections is almost 1.4 miles from the trailhead where the creek coming down from George Lake crosses the trail (is that called George Creek? We can't find a name on any maps). The next section is right at the next creek crossing and continues into the forest behind that. After that, there are some icy spots on the switchbacks leading up to Blue Lake. 

You can gingerly step on rocks and thus avoid most of the ice, however, you want to make sure there is no black ice on these rocks. The creek crossings had a sneaky ice film on the rocks in the morning. You can always bring microspikes for these sections, and use them to just walk on the trail.

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One of the icy trail sections

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Once we got to Blue Lake, the trail is no longer north-facing and therefore dry. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the slabs above the lake and then retraced our steps. Sadly, there isn't even a trace of ice on Blue Lake yet - back country ice skaters will need a lot of patience this year.

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Blue Lake

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Don't get lost!

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Pro Tip: When you cross the outlet of Blue Lake, have a look behind you and remember where you came from. The trail here is not very obvious and a lot of people get lost at this creek crossing. When you return, cross the creek, then immediately turn right. Yes, there is a "trail" going straight, but that one just leads you to a camp site, it is not the trail you need to take to get back to Lake Sabrina. Don't get lost here!

On our entire 6 mile round-trip, we only saw two other people. It is a wonderful time for fall hikes in the Eastern Sierra!

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