Leavitt Meadow to Fremont Lake

I did this trail as a day hike with my dog. We started around 7:30a, took some short breaks on the way up, hung out at Fremont Lake for 30 min, and finished the hike at 4p. Bring PLENTY of water on this trail. Or water purification if you have it. I had a 3L hydration pack and a 25oz bottle for my dog, and that wasn’t enough. Next time we will bring water purifiers as there are plenty of spots to access water. A lot of this terrain is loose and sandy, so it can be difficult to walk through at times. You get to climb over lots of slabs of granite on the way up to Fremont Lake. The last 1.5 mile before you get to Fremont Lake is rough. Between the rocky terrain and high altitudes, it is no joke! The altitude got to me. Go slow and keep your breathing steady. Once you reach the lake, it’s all worth it. This trail was an unbelievable experience. It’s very, very physically demanding. But you get rewarded with some of the most incredible views you can imagine. It was like a dream. If you’re up for the challenge, and know how to hydrate properly, I highly recommend this trail.

Great valley with peaceful lakes along the trail. Completely remote this time of year. Definitely recommend.

Day 4: Originally we planned to return to Lane Lake and hike out on Friday. However, the previous day's weather looked like it might return and we decided to hike out to the trailhead. We drove back to Pinecrest and enjoyed dinner and sleep at the Pinecrest Lake Lodge:)

Day 3: Day hike loop to Cinko Lake and back to Lower Long Lake. The weather deteriorated through the day. When we got back to camp around 3 pm, the wind was howling. We spent the next 16 hours or so hunkered down in our tents, trying to stay warm and avoiding high winds, cold temps, rain, hail, and snow.

Day 2: Nice weather all day. The trail up West Walker river gradually climbs up to the intersection with the cutoff to Fremont Lake. The cutoff crosses the river and then heads fairly steeply up to Fremont Lake. We continued on from Fremont to Lower Long Lake, passing "Chain Lakes," a series of small, weed choked lakes.

Departed Leavitt Meadow TH just as a light rain started. The rain continued for the entire 4.0 miles to Lane Lake. Shortly after our arrival at our campsite at the south end of the lake, the rain stopped. The night was a little windy, but overall a nice overnight camp spot.

Hiked from Leavitt Meadows to Fremont Lake on Day 1. Hiked to Cinko Lake and back to Fremont Lake on Day 2. Hiked back to Leavitt Meadow on Day 3. Fishes both lakes and the West Walker River on the way back to the car. Caught some nice Rainbow Trout and smaller Brook Trout!

Beautiful scenery on this easy backpack. Caught some fish at Roosevelt Lake and Fremont Lake but didn’t really fish for long at either. Skunked at Lane and Hidden Lake. Felt lazy this weekend but would love to come back and make it to Tower Peak someday.

Poor fishing in Chain of Lakes. Muscle spasm in back flared up. Thunderstorm rolled in near junction to Fremont Lake. Sheltered under a tree canopy for 30 minutes until the thunderstorm blew past. Still raining and in the tent warming up.

Wonderful! Easy river crossing, just over knee deep if you pick the right path. That part was easy. Last mile up to the lake is a killer tho.

Beautiful country

We have just finished this hike. We went from Leavitt Meadows to Lane lake on Friday afternoon. Continued to Fremont lake on Saturday. Returned to Roosevelt Lake on Sunday and hiked back to Leavitt Meadows on Monday. The lakes were all very nice and the scenery was beautiful, especially the canyon where the West Walker rushes through. There were good camping sites between Lane and Roosevelt Lakes, and also south of Lane Lake. We crossed the West Walker at Fremont, and it was very doable at this time. Fremont lake was worth the climb and was easier to swim in than Lane and Roosevelt - less debris in the water. The trail was not crowded at all - we saw maybe 15 other hikers the entire 4-day trip. The bathrooms at Leavitt Meadow trail head were clean - thank you!

Getting from Roosevelt to Fremont is challenging enough, let alone Leavitt Meadows, so definitely pack light. There are strong rainbow trout at Fremont, but finding a place to cast around the perimeter of the lake can be challenging with deep mud and rocks (bring waders).