Barney Lake

Kettle Peak rises above Little Slide Canyon and the aspens of Robinson Canyon

8 miles round trip, 1250 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy-moderate

Access: Paved road to trailhead, Mono Village parking fee required

The hike up Robinson Canyon to Barney Lake is one of the Sierra Nevada's great fall hikes, but this trail gets surprisingly little attention compared to the busier autumn hikes further south in the Eastern Sierra at June Lake, Mammoth Lakes, and the Bishop Creek watershed. This is a slightly long hike that is generally fairly flat save an ascent through one of the Sierra Nevada's loveliest aspen groves at its end, and travels from the touristy Mono Village area at the end of the Twin Lakes Road outside Bridgeport to Barney Lake, a pretty subalpine lake situated near some of the most impressive peaks of the Sierra Nevada north of Tioga Pass. Although not necessarily exciting the whole way, the views that this hike does provide of Barney Lake, rugged Little Slide Canyon, and the many aspen groves that are ablaze with color each fall make this a worthwhile hike, especially in early October when the trees are changing color.

I hiked to Barney Lake on a clear and lovely early October day; the leaves here generally peak around the second weekend of October. The trailhead is a short drive outside of Bridgeport but is far from any major metro area; Bridgeport itself is situated off US 395, a four hour drive from the Bay Area, reachable via either Highways 108 or 120 from the Central Valley. From Bridgeport, I took Twin Lakes Road, which split off from US 395 at the west end of town and headed south; I followed Twin Lakes Road through Bridgeport Valley into the Sierra, enjoying the incredible views of Sawtooth Ridge the entire way. I drove past Lower Twin Lake and then reached Annett's Mono Village at the far end of Upper Twin Lake, at the far end of Twin Lakes Road. There is a designated parking area within Mono Village for day hikers and backpackers not too far from the entrance of the complex, close to the shores of Upper Twin Lake.

A fee is required for day hikers and backpackers to park within Mono Village, as it is a privately owned pocket within Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. However, day hikers may find it possible to find parking along the Twin Lakes Road prior to arriving at the entrance of Mono Village and then walking into and through Mono Village to reach the trailhead. Mono Village- a popular campground and RV hangout- does have flush bathrooms that make this a bit more of a luxurious trailhead.

Sawtooth Ridge rises above Lower Twin Lake

From the hiker parking lot next to the lake, I followed the main road of the campground to the back of the campground, where the dirt road skirted the northern edge of a broad, flat meadow. There was a glimpse of Mount Walt, one of the spires of Sawtooth Ridge, rising to the south from this meadow. Here, the dirt road transitioned to trail as it re-entered the forest, initally remaining quite flat.

Mount Walt rises over a meadow near Annett's Mono Village

At 0.7 miles, the trail passed a wilderness signboard and then began to ascend steadily through the forest for the next mile. The trail flattened out at 1.7 miles, exiting the forest for the broad, grassy bottom of Robinson Canyon. From here until the end of the hike, the scenery along the trail through Robinson Canyon was continuously excellent.

Aspens in Robinson Canyon

The grasslands at the base of Robinson Canyon were punctuated frequently by aspen groves. In early October, many of the groves in the lower parts of the canyon were still mostly green, although there were tinges of yellow and orange on the trees. The rocky canyon walls provided consistent framing for the lovely fall scenery.

Aspen color

Robinson Canyon

At 2.6 miles into the hike, the trail came to Robinson Canyon's junction with Little Slide Canyon. Little Slide Canyon is one of the most dramatic side canyons to Robinson Canyon: great granite walls, including those of Kettle Peak, rise above this gash in the mountains. There were good views up the canyons from a few consecutive stretches of meadow, each of which were lined with aspen groves displaying their full fall golden colors.

Kettle Peak and Little Slide Canyon

After leaving the views of Little Slide Canyon, the trail began to ascend gently again. The trail came close to Robinson Creek at 2.8 miles at the head of the canyon, passing by a small cascade on the creek. Now at the end of the canyon, the trail began its most extensive uphill climb. In the next mile, the trail climbed about 500 feet as it ascended along Robinson Creek towards the basin holding Barney Lake.

Cascades on Robinson Creek

The lower part of this ascent focused on crossing a rocky and brush-choked slope by a series of switchbacks, but the trail soon ascended into an expansive aspen grove that spread over much of the mountain slope above Robinson Creek. The trees in the lower part of this grove were a bit stunted and short, but much better fall foliage lay ahead. As I ascended, views began to open up down the valley of Robinson Creek of the landscape that I had hiked through so far that day.

Climbing out of Robinson Canyon

As I continued ascending, the aspens along the trail became more and more impressive. The upper parts of this aspen grove were among the most splendid of all aspen groves that I've encountered in the Sierra Nevada: the trees grew tall and densely and the entire grove had simultaneously displayed their golden coat as they prepared for winter. As sun's rays streamed through the aspen leaves I found myself bathed in a glowing golden light; it was an unforgettable autumn moment.

Golden aspens at the head of Robinson Canyon

One particularly delightful find in this autumn wonderland was a blooming Indian Paintbrush, a touch of spring on the floor of the fall forest.

Spring and autumn: Paintbrush blooming amidst the golden aspens

The switchbacks ended by the 3.3 mile mark of the hike, but the trail continued to ascend towards Barney Lake's basin through the glorious aspens. After passing by the base of some rocky bluffs, the trail finally leveled out and some final flat hiking brought me to a junction, where the left fork led down to a beach at the northern end of Barney Lake.

Fiery aspens

Crown Peak rose splendidly above Barney Lake; the lakeshore was colorful with spots of aspen fall color mixed with the autumn colors of bushes and other lower lying vegetation. The lakeshore was sandy and the lake seemed pretty shallow. On the day of my visit, calm weather allowed the lake surface to be almost completely placid, providing stunning reflections of Crown Peak. While the lake is lovely, the fall colors here were not quite as extraordinary as those encountered earlier amongst the aspen groves of Robinson Canyon.

Barney Lake

After enjoying the lake, I retraced my steps to the trailhead, stopping frequently in the aspen groves that were now brightly illuminated by the midday sun. I had the lake entirely to myself and didn't see any other hikers that day until I was on my way back to the trailhead; however, I did come on a Monday so it's possible that weekends might provide a little less solitude. Regardless, I found this to be a lovely and refreshing fall hike in the Sierras.