The hike up-to Rubicon Reservoir became the silver lining to hiking during pandemic and served as a memory to erase the bitterness of not hiking Mt Whitney for a 3rd time. I was all set to hike Mt Whitney on the weekend of June 28th 2020 only for it to be closed 4 days into opening, due to the earthquake that struck Lone Pine on June 24th. Instead of dreading the drive up 395 N, I decided to join our CrossFit group to hike in the unknown land of Desolation Wilderness. This is probably the only hike where the lack of research actually proved out to be the best thing that could happen!
Day 0: With limited time to research and the last minute availability of permits it was decided to explore Zone 6 of Desolation Wilderness also known as the Rubicon. With my usual hiking partner unable to make the trip, I had enlisted one of my fellow hiking enthusiast to make the trip and he was happy to take on the adventure with me. Our plan was to hike all the way to Rubicon Reservoir for the day and camp overnight. Little did I know the beautiful landscape and lakes that were truly packed into this incredible hike.
Day 1: Getting to the Rubicon Trailhead may be tricky as there is network coverage right up until you reach the Loon lake campground, but nothing after. Look for signs to Wilderness camping and you will eventually find your way to the trailhead location.
We started our hike at 10.15 am on a hot summer day and it was easy going on the trail. You can see glimpses of loon lake as you walk through some shaded areas and open sun for the first 2 miles of the trail. There are plenty of access points to the lake in the first half mile if you decide to soak in the water on your way back. The initial 2 miles of the trail was more flatter (little ups and downs with some graded elevation points) than I expected and served as a welcome change for the gigantic backpack I was carrying. As you hit the 2.5 mile mark is when you start to realize the beauty of loon lake as it opens up to the north shore of the lake with tiny islands in between.
We took our first break soaking in the beautiful views of loon lake and waited for the rest of our group to gather before moving along. From this point on the trail descends down to the end of loon lake before circling back to the east side where the views are breathtaking on a sunny day. Though clouds were lurking around on our way in, it was a clear day on our way back and some of the pictures that we captured would make you fall in love with the lake all over! The incredible view continues for another half a mile before you hit the junction of Pleasant Campground (3.5 miles). Keep right to stay on the Rubicon trail and you will soon depart distant views of loon lake and cross over into Desolation Wilderness.
With the views of loon lake behind you, the trail ascends gradually before reaching a junction from where you can see views of Buck Island Lake and the valley beyond. We took another break for about 30 minutes before descending down towards Buck Island Lake. The trail from this junction to Buck Island Lake was marked with cairns and a part of the group ended up losing track towards the end of our descent. If you find yourselves here look for cairn markers at a distance that will help you stay on the trail, if not, you will continue onto the trail that heads towards Spider Lake in a different direction. We waited for another 15 minutes for the rest of the group to catch up while a part of the group decided to form additional cairns to keep other hikers from getting lost. As we continued on the trail towards Buck Island Lake (be sure to not go the other way to Spider Lake) we hit a junction with markers which served as a good mileage indication of the distance we had covered.
From this junction Rubicon Reservoir is about 3.5 miles away and the trail ahead is less shaded with some gradual ascents towards Rockbound Lake. As soon as the trail starts to get you a lake opens up and thats the beauty of this hike – you are never too far away from a lake! We kept continuing on the trail after taking a quick pitstop (less than 5 minutes) at the Rockbound lake views and headed towards our destination Rubicon Reservoir. During my little research there was a mention of number of stream crossings along the trail, but there was only one real water crossing (which you cross without soaking your feet) when we were on the trail. The trail takes a sharp detour to your right after crossing the water stream before heading to the final ascent towards Rubicon Reservoir.
With views of Rubicon Reservoir in front of us we headed to find camping spots for everyone in the group. We decided to camp halfway down the reservoir so there would be enough space for ourselves and so we could enjoy the solidarity of Desolation Wilderness. About half a mile into the trail from where you can view Rubicon lake we found some very good spots close to the lake that seemed like a nice spot to camp for the night. After scouting for camping spots we dropped our bags and waited for the rest of our group to arrive. It took us close to 5 hours to reach Rubicon Reservoir from the Loon lake trailhead and we were greeted with a most rewarding view of the Rubicon lake from our campsites!
Everyone in the group got to camp around 4.15 pm and 15-30 minutes later everyone was busy pitching their own tents. With gusting winds we had to find an enclosed spot so our tents wouldn’t fly away and we would stay warm in the night. There was plenty of time to relax before the actual sunset and everyone enjoyed their own time; from resting in hammocks, to taking photos, or enjoying the solitude that you hiked for! We started to prepare dinner before the sunset and enjoyed a nice hot meal with some yum snacks to share from the group. Everyone gathered around for a sunset picture and went to bed deserving a good nights sleep!
While the winds were gusting throughout the day they did calm down around sunset that would eventually make for a soundless night. Little did we know mother nature had different plans in store for us, as it began to drizzle on and off up until 1.30 am in the night. While in the tent the occasional drizzle did keep everyone on their toes should things turn south and it began to pour down, but luckily we were all saved from it.
Day 2: While the night was cold the morning sun brought in some much needed warmth and it was getting hotter by 7:30 am inside the tent. I decided to go out and enjoy the sunshine on what looked like a clear cloudless sky! After finishing my morning chores and chatting with everyone at the breakfast gathering we decided to head out early so we could drive back home before it got dark. Me and my friend said our goodbyes to the group and headed back on the trail towards Loon Lake trailhead where we had parked our car.
The views of Rubicon lake were so deceiving that I had not realized the descent we had to make in order for us to camp the previous night. The trail back was steep to begin with but as we exited Rubicon Reservoir things got better and we reached the junction of mileage marker in little more than an hour (took us 65 minutes). From the junction you can yield right and will end up at the point where we had lost the trail, or keep left and follow the marked trail towards Loon Lake trailhead. The trail goes through a series of gradually ascending switchbacks before we reached the junction where the views of Buck Island Lake and the valley were behind us.
As we stopped to take pictures and soak in the views, we could spot three other people from our group making their way up the switchbacks like they were running a marathon. We exchanged a quick conversation with them and they were on their way with me and my friend following them from a distance. We continued our way on the trail and were soon cast upon the view of Loon Lake. Loon lake looked like a fairytale place with the cloudless sky shining its magical blue color onto the lake. The very pictures that we took here inspired my wife to talking me into hiking to loon lake 5 days later!
As we continued to descend on the trail towards Pleasant campground the views of loon lake kept us on our toes, and we took a good last break before heading away from the lake and into the woods. The way back from loon lake kept me thinking about the short but most rewarding hike this was, and in no way was disappointing! I was actually much happier to have hiked this trail than dreading myself over the 99 switchbacks on Mt Whitney 😉 We reached the trailhead around 2 pm and met the three musketeers who were all set to drive back home after enjoying their swim at the lake.
Difficulty – Easy Insanity Level – 1 Distance ~ 18 miles Elevation ~ 1400 ft Time ~ 9-11 hours
Directions: Loon Lake Trailhead – Rubicon Trail – Loon Lake – Buck island Lake – Rockbound Lake – Rubicon Reservoir – Rockbound Lake – Buck Island Lake – Loon Lake trailhead – Loon Lake trailhead
The mountains are calling! 
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