Shadow and Ediza Lakes Trail [CLOSED] is a 13 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near June Lake, California that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
FIRE CLOSURE: As of February 2021 there are closures in this park or area due to wildfire. For more information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD839166 SEASONAL ROAD CLOSURE: Roads leading to this trailhead are subject to seasonal closure. For more information, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=21874. Crowded towards the bottom part of the trail, and a bit dusty. Beautiful river up Shadow Creek and lakes galore! Wonderful views of the Minarets.
Absolutely spectacular. Hands down the most beautiful trail I’ve ever done. Lots of mosquitoes in the summer, and a brief river crossing towards the end, but 100% worth it. Long & steepish but not terribly difficult. The trail continues on past Ediza Lake to Iceberg Lake and the Minarets too! (July 2020)
Amazing trail! A mixture of shade and no-shade. There is (obviously) always plenty of water, but be careful where you fill-up. Some people wearing masks, others not.
Very beautiful hike, plan plenty of food and breaks and lots of sunscreen. We parked at 7am on Friday morning and it was pretty much full as we expected. Definitely sturdy shoes/great ankle support as lots of rocky terrain. Not recommended if you have ankle instability. Worth the reward at the end.
Get there early. We started at 11 and it was warm. Beautiful views... at about 4 miles you climb about 800ft in about a mile.. definitely hardest part of the trail.. one you pass that it’s smooth sailing.. much faster down than up.
Trail was great! Well maintained, some flies but little to no mosquitoes. Lakes the whole way to dip into :)
A great hike that rewards with spectacular views, especially when you hit Ediza lake. I hiked the extra section up to Iceberg lake which was steeper than expected but well worth it. Mosquitoes the size of buzzards along the way, but I somehow managed to avoid being devoured despite forgetting the repellant. I drove in and arrived at 6:20am and there were still a few spots at the trailhead parking at that time. Including the extra section to Iceberg and a swim in Ediza it took around 7 hours. Recommended!
It was an amazing hike. Iceberg lake is amazing as well and worth the extra mileage.
As good as it gets. Aside from the mosquitos. Truly a special hike.
So stunning - blew our minds how beautiful the whole hike was. Lots of folks on the trail, but there's plenty of space so we still felt like we could get our piece of heaven. When we did it over July 4th weekend, the mosquitos were wicked bad - we had huge regrets not bringing mosquito repellant. Lots of little trout in the rivers and lakes
Way too many mosquitos but got to check out some really nice alpine lakes!
As of June 20, 2020, the road to the trailhead is still closed at Minaret Vista. Which means you will be hiking 3+miles to get to the Agnew meadows trailhead. Separately, if you are driving from Bay Area, do not take 120 (Tiogq Pass) to get across the Sierra, as Yosemite is also closed for pass through vehicles. You need a reservation in Yosemite to be able to enter Yosemite. We made this mistake and had to double back to get to 108 (Sonora Pass), adding 2.5 hrs to our journey.