Sporty Sunday: Hiking Showers Lake

Yosemite is my favorite place in the world. The hikes I like the best are those that remind me of the summer I lived and worked in the park. The hike from the Meiss Trailhead, along the Pacific Crest Trail, to Showers Lake put me in a Yosemite frame of mind. There are sweeping views (including Lake Tahoe to the north), an enormous, golden meadow, and a granite-rimmed lake. Unlike Yosemite, though, you can bring your dog on this hike. (And we saw at least a dozen dogs!)

California Hiking gives this hike a difficulty of one boot out of five, but I would give it at least two boots. It is five miles to the lake (and five miles back), includes two significant climbs, and stays above 8,000 feet.



The destination lake is lovely, but my favorite part of the hike was Meiss meadow and the historic cabin and barn. A plaque outside the structures provides some history on the Meiss family and their time in the area. A broken board on the barn’s wall allows a peek inside (where it looks as if the occasional hiker squats). I entertained myself with imagining what it might have been like to spend an entire summer at the cabin, watching cattle graze the golden meadow by day and the endless sparkling sky by night.

Source: Stienstra, Tom and Brown, Ann Marie. "Showers Lake." California Hiking. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Foghorn Press, 1997. Print.

Length: 10 miles

Water: The smallest tributaries are dry, but the lake and larger streams still have plenty of water.

Use: Moderate to heavy. We saw two groups of horses and riders and many hikers with dogs, so be prepared to encounter these animals.

Differences from published description: This is not a moderate hike, not an easy one. There is a $5 fee to park at Meiss Trailhead.

Jasper’s rating: 5 paws out of 5.

Sporty Sunday is a recurring feature in which I share my fitness routine and offer and solicit advice. While this content might seem a little out of place in an outfit diary, a healthy, strong body is the foundation of my wardrobe. I hope to inspire my readers to be fit as well as stylish!