August is the high season for leisurely lakeside getaways in California. Naturally, Labor Day weekend, which hops over the end of August and into September, is the most desirable weekend for avid outdoor lovers – a last farewell to the summer months. This is the weekend that all of the major attractions throughout the Sierras experience their busiest and greatest influx of city escapists.
Good news is that the world famous Lake Tahoe is quite accessible from the Bay Area and warm weather is guaranteed. The bad news is that everyone else is also staring at the same itinerary. Thankfully, there are many other lakes in the Sierras that are equally beautiful but, are a less crowded destination than their famous brother. On Labor Day weekend, our good friends James and Carline gave us a campsite reservation to spend a fantastic time in Loon Lake in Eldorado National Forest.
We packed the VW Tiguan with gear, including four flimsy filaments of buoyant noodles courtesy of Grocery Outlet, and pulled up to the auditorium of Jefferson pines that we would call home for the next two nights. It felt refreshing to step out from the vehicle to breathe in the air accented by the whiff of afternoon campfire and sun drenched grove. Loon Lake campground is tucked in the depths of the Californian wilderness just far enough to escape city light pollution and service signals (i.e., bye bye work emails).
The first day at a campsite is always exciting; it’s like moving into a new, bigger apartment, and trying to get used to the new space. We unfolded the tarps, still dusty from the last camping trip, and assembled the frameworks of tents. Late August sun was pouring down between the branches of the trees and illuminating the tiny particles of dust dancing in the air. We found home.
After securing the homestead with stakes and an abundant supply of fire wood, we strolled around the campground to familiarize ourselves with our new home.
Loon Lake campground was a perfect size for quiet group camping. The loop C that we stayed at had around 20 campsites with each campsite spacious enough for trailer parking and privacy from other campers. Even a car like the Tiguan felt small in the generously allotted campsite.
Loon Lake was within ample distance from the campsite and shockingly blue. We stepped on the wet pebbles by the shore and found tiny specks of what appear to be water bugs popping above the washing tide. Upon closer look, the specks revealed themselves to be baby frogs – a small sign of life in the eco system of Loon Lake.
Despite having brought the noodles, they laid unused at the campsite as the water was too cold for swimming. We toured around the vicinity of the lake to the boat launching dock and returned to our new nature home to prepare dinner.
Building a fire is an affirmation of survival. It is the single most important activity in camping. There’s really nothing more secure and satisfactory than building a successful campfire from tiny twigs and wood. Camping without campfire is worse than the one without a flask of whiskey (though the latter is also pretty sad). We were fortunate Eldorado National Forest was not under the fire restriction the weekend we were there. We cooked canned chili and bratwurst over the open flame and sit to watch the day turn to night.
After dinner, we gazed over the canopy of trees to remember the presence of galaxies. Jupiter and Saturn were close to us, but not quite visible with the naked eye. Nonetheless, the dark night in the depth of forest treated us with a gorgeous light show. The sky was so clear and cold, and there was nothing between us and the atmosphere to interfere.
Later that night we decided to head to the boat launching dock for star gazing by the lake. Using the headlamps to beam light onto our path, we pushed back the thick layer of black towards the direction of the lake. It felt like a totally different experience in the darkness even though we had walked on the same road earlier that day. Heavy darkness made the walk eerie, especially with the looming probability of bear.
Finally, we made it to the beach with no bear encounter.
A metallic, creaky dock was standing silently over the lake as if it was surprised to see the late night visitors disturb the quiet. We sat near the edge of the dock and looked at the starlight reflected on the lake. We could see the artificial lights gleaming on the other side of Loon Lake and an even brighter glow in the distance – probably from the town of South Lake Tahoe. Other than that, it was peaceful.
The next morning, I woke up before Becca and wiggled my body out of the sleeping bag and unzipped the tent window. It felt nice to wake up to the fresh forest air; I felt the cool morning breeze on my skin still slightly moist from sleep sweat. David was already up and reading a book by the table. He was ready to build the fire for breakfast. I prepped some potatoes, sausage, green onions, and eggs for a power meal before the hike on Loon Lake Trail to Spider Lake.
Loon Lake trailhead was located near the campground, and it was not too hard to find. This moderate lakeside hiking trail starts from the southeast part of Loon Lake and takes the hikers all the way to the Desolation Wilderness through panoramic views of the navy blue lake. We took the trail out and back to Spider Lake, approximately a 9 mile trip.
At about 3.5 miles into the trail, we came across the junction that split into Pleasant Campground and Buck Island Lake. We continued on the right fork towards Buck Island Lake’s direction, slightly lost and confused by the absence of clear markings, and eventually found the unestablished trail down to Spider Lake that was claimed by pebble towers laid by previous explorers. After some bushwhacking through dusty hills and scarcely vegetated woods, we found the peaceful lake garnished with water lilies.
Spider Lake was a neat little oasis perfect for lunch and a swimming break. We spotted two other small groups relaxing and enjoying the early afternoon in the Sierra Nevada. Soaking into the cool lake water in nature was both refreshing and therapeutic for tired feet, legs, and busy brains. It really made me feel relaxed and unwound the entangled parts of my muscles floating on the water. After the relaxing hour at Spider Lake, we hiked back on the trail to the junction to Pleasant Campground for another soaking activity in the clear blue water.
Pleasant Campground was definitely more suitable for backpackers, and it was a world away from glamping (judging from one side of the campground seen from Loon Lake trail). Strangely, I had to say the toilet equipped here was one of the cleanest, and scenic on top of rugged rock compared to the other ones near our campsite. We traversed through the pine forest to exit at the lake. Oh, how nice to see you again Loon Lake.
The water in Loon Lake was colder than Spider Lake and the bottom was sandy like the ocean. It always amazes me to see how clear some of the lakes in this part of the Sierra Nevadas are. The lake looks deep navy blue from the distance, and so clear and transparent when you are inside of it. The afternoon sun was right above our heads and telling us the day is now reclining to the golden hour. It was time to go back.
All in all, our hiking distance totaled 10 miles including the extra bushwhacking business to Pleasant Campground. Although it was not necessarily the longest day hike, it felt so nice to come home and collapse into the camping chair with an ice cold can of beer pulled from the bottom of the ice chest. Labor Day weekend in Loon Lake Campground was the beautiful getaway that I needed. I was thankful to have spent it with great people.
Written by: Kosuke Haga
Edited by: Rebecca Hoover