California · Hiking · John Muir Wilderness · Near Mammoth Lakes

Steelhead Lake

Steelhead LakePhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
2.0 mi
round trip
725 ft
climb
10,248 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 5 h ago

Is Steelhead Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Steelhead Lake is an easy out-and-back hike in California's John Muir Wilderness, within the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest. The trail is about 2 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 725 feet, and it rises from a low point of about 9,500 feet to a high of about 10,250 feet. The route is on natural surface and is open year-round. Horses are allowed, but bikes are not, and the trail is not accessible. The Forest Service manages the land. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Tuolumne Meadows, which sits about 1,500 feet lower, show July highs around 71°F and lows near 38°F. That station's figures are not directly comparable to conditions on this trail, which sits higher. Baldwin Canyon lies just 0.4 miles away, and Big Mcgee Lake is about 1.7 miles off. For an overnight stay, McGee Backpacker Campground is about 3 miles away, and the Convict Lake & McGee Creek climbing area is about 4 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    McGee Backpacker Cg

    Campground

    Campground · 3.1 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    The Restaurant at Convict Lake

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 6 mi
  • If it rains

    Hot Spring

    Hot spring

    On your way back · 10 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Mammoth Lakes

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Sep

    Best time to visit Steelhead Lake

    Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      41° / 13°

    2. Feb

      38° / 12°

    3. Mar

      42° / 15°

    4. Apr

      45° / 22°

    5. May

      54° / 27°

    6. Jun

      65° / 33°

    7. Jul

      71° / 38°

    8. Aug

      70° / 36°

    9. Sep

      65° / 32°

    10. Oct

      57° / 26°

    11. Nov

      47° / 20°

    12. Dec

      40° / 12°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 38.4 mi away at 8,694 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

BALDWIN CANYONPhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

BALDWIN CANYON

Next door

5.76-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,736 ft elevation gain

Baldwin CanyonPhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Baldwin Canyon

~1 min drive

3.40-mile out-and-back trail in Baldwin Canyon with 978 ft gain

Big Mcgee LakePhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Big Mcgee Lake

~3 min drive

0.80-mile out-and-back trail to Big Mcgee Lake in California.

Mcgee MountainPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mcgee Mountain

~7 min drive

1.02-mile out-and-back trail at Mcgee Mountain in California with 81 ft of elevation gain.

MONO CREEKPhoto: feverblue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

MONO CREEK

~8 min drive

9.34-mile out-and-back trail in California with 3,527 ft elevation gain/loss.

Hopkins Pass TrailPhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hopkins Pass Trail

~3 min drive

2.04-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,053 ft gain and 11,411 ft max elevation.

McGee Creek to Hilton Creek TrailPhoto: Dcrjsr, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

McGee Creek to Hilton Creek Trail

~7 min drive

2.8-mile out-and-back hike from McGee Creek to Hilton Creek in California.

Hopkins PassPhoto: Miguel Vieira from Redwood City, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hopkins Pass

~4 min drive

0.07-mile out-and-back trail at Hopkins Pass in California.

Red Slate MountainPhoto: Robert Gourley, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Red Slate Mountain

~5 min drive

Route to the summit of Red Slate Mountain (13,140 ft) from McGee Creek Trailhead.

Hilton CreekPhoto: Dcrjsr, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hilton Creek

~7 min drive

6.33-mile out-and-back trail in California with 1,509 ft elevation gain.