Downey Lake

California

California

Free — you'll pick up right here.

0.7 mi

Distance

291 ft

Gain

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside Tahoe National Forest

    2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Quick trip — under 2 mi
Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

Downey Lake

Suggested plan · check conditions before you go

Building your full AI plan…

Meals

Building your meal plan…

Gear for the day

Building your gear list…

Elevation & route

Distance
0.7 mi
Elevation gain
291 ft
Highest point
7,196 ft
Lowest point
6,885 ft
More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

Get Directions

Permits & access

Managing agency
Forest Service
Bikes
Allowed
Horses
Allowed
Surface
Natural

Source for bikes, horses, surface: USDA Forest Service National Forest System Trails (EDW)

About this trail

Downey Lake is a short out-and-back trail in California managed by the Forest Service. The trail is 0.72 miles and follows an out-and-back route.

Facts about this trail

The climb

High point
7,196 ft
Length (round trip)
0.7 mi
Shape
Out and back

Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)

When to go

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Sagehen Creek, CA weather station, 20 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan40° high15° low
  2. Feb41° high15° low
  3. Mar48° high19° low
  4. Apr53° high22° low
  5. May62° high28° low
  6. Jun72° high32° low
  7. Jul80° high37° low
  8. Aug79° high35° low
  9. Sep73° high31° low
  10. Oct61° high24° low
  11. Nov49° high20° low
  12. Dec39° high14° low

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Managed by
Forest Service

Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1

Conditions

Active alerts for Tahoe National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

Add to a trip & share

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Glacier LakePhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Glacier Lake

~1 min drive

5.76-mile out-and-back trail to Glacier Lake in California with 671 ft of elevation gain.

Crooked Lakes TrailPhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Crooked Lakes Trail

~2 min drive

6.60-mile out-and-back hike in California with 628 ft elevation gain.

Sand Ridge TrailPhoto: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sand Ridge Trail

~4 min drive

4.28-mile out-and-back hike in California with 919 ft elevation gain and loss.

BaltimorePhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Baltimore

~7 min drive

0.66-mile out-and-back trail in California with 94 ft of elevation gain.

Pacific Crest TrailPhoto: M. Rhodes Photography, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Pacific Crest Trail

~15 min drive

5.08-mile out-and-back trail on the Pacific Crest Trail in California with 1,898 ft gain/loss.

Beyers Lake Trail (13E15)Photo: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Beyers Lake Trail (13E15)

~7 min drive

9.56-mile out-and-back hike in California with 2,755 ft elevation gain and loss.

Five Lakes BasinPhoto: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Five Lakes Basin

~4 min drive

2-mile out-and-back trail in California's Five Lakes Basin with 32 ft of elevation gain.

Salmon Lake TrailPhoto: PLeia2, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Salmon Lake Trail

~15 min drive

3.00-mile out-and-back hike in California with 464 ft gain.

PASS CREEK LOOPPhoto: M. Rhodes Photography, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

PASS CREEK LOOP

~15 min drive

15.32-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,399 ft elevation gain

Baltimore Trail (13E34)Photo: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Baltimore Trail (13E34)

~8 min drive

1.92-mile out-and-back trail in California with 567 ft gain/loss and 7,502 ft max elevation.

Guided trips nearby

Local operatorsoffering guided trips. You book directly with them — Roamze doesn’t take a cut.

Alpenglow Expeditions

Hiking business nearby (~24 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet

View operator