Hike to Twin and Island Lakes

The Twin Lakes trail starts winding through a pine forest, with a couple bridge crossings over crystal clear trout-filled streams.  The marsh-like water is very slow moving, and even though it is indeed beautiful, it is also a prime location for pesky mosquitoes in the summertime.  Be sure to load up on bug spray for this section. 

The trail continues on a gentle climb as you leave a large section of pine forest and begin covering more exposed granite terrain.  On the exposed granite, navigating can be a bit tricky because there are not many official trail markers.  However, there are rocks lined on the granite, pointing the way over the more ambiguous sections.  The large granite boulders and thinning tree cover provides some incredible vantage points of the surrounding landscape. 

After the patches of forested areas become fewer and farther in between, the trail begins to follow a shallow and fast moving stream with some very scenic small waterfalls.  There are some pools here that make for great spots to dip your feet in the chilly water. 

Once you have followed the stream uphill for about 1.5 miles, you will begin to see the towering peak of Mt. Price in the horizon and at this point you are almost at Twin Lakes.  Twin Lakes lies at the entrance of the valley, and is incredibly scenic.  There are also some nice camping spots around the lake and good trees for hammocks, but if you opt to overnight it, make sure you get an overnight permit in advance. 

After Twin Lakes, there is not much of a real trail, but further exploration into the valley will bring you over a granite ridge and on top of Island Lake.  This is also the section that can be used as an approach to the summit the Western face of Mt. Price, which is described in further detail here. 

Now that you have soaked in the abundant beauty in this remote valley, taking a dip in the cool waters would pretty much be the icing on the cake.  Although the temperature of the snowmelt water might take your breath away at first, the rejuvenating effects of the frigid water on weary legs cannot be understated.  Top it off with a soak in the warm California summer sun, and you have yourself a top-notch alpine lake experience. 

Return on the same trail used for the approach, and in about an hour and a half, you will be back at the trailhead.  As long as you are mindful of your navigation on the way out to the lakes, navigating on the way back should not be much of a challenge.