Basics
Itinerary
Trip Overview
We backpacked the Four Lakes Loop via the Stoney Ridge trailhead in the Trinity Alps Wilderness over 3 days in July 2020.
The Four Lakes Loop is a 6 mile loop located in the heart of the Red Trinities. The loop connects 4 alpine lakes as it circumnavigates Siligo Peak. Highlights of the trip include views of the White Trinities range, clear alpine lakes, the juxtaposition of red and granite mountains, summer wildflowers, and vibrant meadows. The loop is often accessed from the following trailheads: Stoney Ridge (most scenic), Long Canyon (shortest mileage), and Swift Creek (passes by Granite Lake). Depending on the trail you choose and the number of days you have, some side trip options are Siligo Peak, Echo Lake, Seven Up Peak, Granite Lake, and Granite Peak.
The Stoney Ridge trail climbs almost 3000’ from the trailhead to Stonewall Pass, after which it traverses 2 more passes before reaching the beginning of the Four Lakes Loop. As part of the Red Trinities, the Stoney Ridge trail crosses an area of contrasting geology and scenery every bit as striking as the loop itself. The Red Trinities lends its name to its distinctive red mountains, but you’ll also notice granite features throughout the hike. A jagged spine of white granite snakes from Granite Peak all the way north to Granite Lake. Not unlike the White Trinities to the west, this granite intrusion is tall and rugged, and is home to Siligo Peak and Gibson Peak, two of Red Trinities’ highest summits.
Most people set a base camp at Summit Lake or Echo Lake and do the 6 mile loop with day packs. We wanted to camp at different lakes, spending one night each at Diamond Lake and Echo Lake. Both these lakes are stunning with the White Trinities and Sawtooth Peak as their backdrops. The only downside was doing the loop with our packs and pitching/taking down camp both days.
Getting to the Trailhead
Do NOT follow Google Maps directions to this trailhead. Going north on Highway 3 from Weaverville, there is a dirt road turnoff on the left and a sign (view in Google Maps) for Stoney Ridge trailhead on the right. Google incorrectly maps this turnoff as a dead-end road named “Stonewall Pass”. Follow the dirt road for 6 miles until you reach the trailhead. There are a few poorly-labelled forks along the way. You kind of have to use your best judgment as to which road looks more correct.
Day 1: Stoney Ridge to Diamond Lake
At the trailhead, the air was dry and dusty and the sun was blinding. We had a long day ahead of us, and due to some direction mix-ups we didn’t start hiking until almost noon. The first 4 1/2 miles to Stonewall Pass is uphill with very few breaks. After the first mile, it’s switchback after switchback. Luckily, the switchbacks are moderately graded and there is good tree cover, but not so much that we couldn’t see the views. The periodic glimpses of Trinity Lake getting smaller and smaller below brought about a mini sense of accomplishment, evidence of all the elevation we had gained.
Around mile 4, the trail opened up to the first of several meadows that we would see on the trail, Red Mountain Meadows. This is a good place to stop for a break before the final hike to Stonewall Pass. Stunning views on the other side of the pass slowly revealed themselves as we crested the top. In the foreground, the red landscape was interspersed with green meadows and trees. In the distance, the White Trinities rose from the forested Stuart Fork valley where we backpacked the year before. Sawtooth Peak stood out pointedly from the ridge line, a jagged peak flanked by smooth granite slabs. The clouds created moving patterns of light and shadow that added a dynamic quality to the colorful landscape.
We thought most of the first day’s elevation gain was out of the way, but we still had 2 climbs to go: Little Stonewall Pass and Deer Creek Pass. The trail after Stonewall Pass was consistently scenic. It became breezy and cool as the day passed. Wildflowers and grasses adorned the trail. Right before Deer Creek Pass is Siligo Meadows, a grassy bowl rimmed by peaks. A few more switchbacks took us to the top of Deer Creek Pass, where we were rewarded with grand views of Deer Lake and Siligo Peak. From there, the trail descended a bit before crossing the talus slope above Deer Lake. There was a small snowfield there, the only one we encountered on this trip given the low snow year.
Once over the saddle, Summit Lake is on the left. Summit Lake is the largest lake on the loop and has the most campsites. The lake is quite a ways off the trail, so we didn’t visit it since we weren’t camping there. We met hikers on the trail the next day who hilariously described the camping at Summit Lake: “it’s like a resort over there.” Fortunately, we were spending the night at the much less popular Diamond Lake.
The turnoff for Siligo Peak is also right after the saddle. It is 0.6 miles to the peak and +400 feet, but we (regrettably) decided to leave it for the next day since we were feeling pretty exhausted. Most of us ended up not wanting to backtrack to the turnoff the next day, but thanks to my friends who did go for it, their epic photos of the view from the top are below.
Leaving Summit Lake behind, the trail leveled out for a bit before we reached a stunning vista of Diamond Lake. Diamond Lake is framed as if an artist had carefully designed the composition. Nestled in a grassy basin, the lake shimmered in the afternoon sun. Beyond the lake, the ground dropped sharply into the Stuart Fork valley. The setting sun silhouetted the White Trinities, the layered peaks forming the backdrop of the scene.
The long switchbacks down were forgiving to the knees and let us take in the lake view as we slowly descended. A footpath to the lake was at the far end by a giant tree. There was one established tent space at the base of the tree. We chose to set up our tents closer to the lake. The ground was a little uneven with grass mounds and dirt patches, but it wasn’t rocky so we could set up our tents pretty much anywhere. We were the only campers for the night.
Day 2: Diamond Lake to Echo Lake
The day started with a short uphill to a saddle above emerald-colored Luella Lake. Then the trail switchbacks down right to the edge of the lake. From there, we continued to descend into Deer Creek Meadows. Wildflowers were everywhere, and Gibson Peak and Dolomite Ridge loomed ahead.
The climb back up to Deer Creek Pass from the meadows is the steepest of the loop, climbing 1200 feet in 1.5 miles. We took a lunch break at Deer Lake to break up the ascent. Part of our group split off to do Siligo Peak, taking it off-trail directly from Deer Lake until reaching the switchbacks. The rest of us headed up over Deer Creek Pass, completing the loop.
Echo Lake is situated in a rocky basin and well-hidden from the trail, but its popularity as a base camp for the Four Lakes Loop makes it far from a hidden jewel. From the top of Deer Creek Pass you can see a small unnamed lake. A few hundred feet after passing this lake there is a use trail on the left (coordinates) that takes you towards Echo Lake. It’s easy to miss, and we lost over 400 ft in elevation before we realized that Echo Lake is at the same elevation as the unnamed lake. The footpath meanders up and down for a bit until Echo Lake appears behind a wall of boulders.
We followed the path around the grassy lake shore towards the south end, where there is a large sandy campsite with space for up to 5 tents. The campsite has easy lake access but for filtering water it is better to get cleaner, running water from the stream that feeds into the southern tip of the lake. From our campsite we could see at least 4 other groups even though it was the middle of the week. Several were across the lake on the north end, and several were perched high above the lake atop rock shelves overlooking the lake.
We ate dinner by the lake and then climbed up the rocks on the western side of the lake to see the sunset. The lake is perfectly framed by the foreground on either side. Sawtooth Peak is centered above where the lake comes to a point at its outlet to Deer Creek. Every so often the ribbit of a frog pierced the air. Before long, more and more frogs joined in and it escalated to a symphony of croaking as we retreated into our tents for the night.
Day 3: Echo Lake to Trailhead
It was a lazy morning at Echo Lake. We only had 6 miles to hike that day and it was mostly downhill except for the hike back over Stonewall Pass. We took our time packing up camp and also took a dip in the cold lake before we left. The southern end of the lake is less than 5 ft deep so it’s good for wading. The part I didn’t like so much about Echo Lake is that the bottom is covered in a muddy layer that makes the water murky when disturbed.
On our way down from Stonewall Pass we passed more backpackers hiking in than we did on our entire trip combined. All of them were asking us about the campsite availability at Echo Lake. We felt relieved that we planned our trip dates to avoid the July 4th weekend.
The last mile or 2 back to the trailhead felt never-ending since it all looked the same. Every turn was like a “false summit” of thinking we were back at the trailhead. It also got much hotter as we descended. We got back to the trailhead late afternoon, and the parking lot was packed. Cars were parked up and down all 3 roads from the trailhead.
The Trinity Alps currently has no quota on permits, but as it gets more popular, it is worth planning to avoid the holiday weekend crowds. After our Stuart Fork trip in 2019, it was great to return this year for our first backpacking trip of the season. The Four Lakes Loop via the Stoney Ridge trail is a classic introduction to the Red Trinities.
Note on this post:
I procrastinated on getting my Nikon shutter repaired, so all photos were taken with iPhone 8 - iPhone XR (thanks to my group for contributing some of the photos).
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