Main Features
This strange section of the Mokelumne Wilderness is quite convoluted. I counted four times crossing the Wilderness Boundary between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass. The main reason appears to be for road access to the Blue Lakes, which is run by the pirates of PGE.
The Pacific Crest Trail through here is bisected by many dirt roads, and we can detect the signs of years of heavy use by cars and trucks around Blue Lakes and Tamarack Lake.
Though used by cars, it is also a densely forested section and the beauty of Tamarack, Lilly Pad and the Upper and Lower Sunset Lakes remains mostly undiminished by the traffic.
As a matter of fact, during one trip up Summit City Creek to Upper Blue Lake, where the the PGE Blue Lake Camping ground is located, I met a number of really nice car campers. The four-wheelers around there are mostly locals from Reno to Bishop out of the 395 corridor. Nice folks.
So, if we are considering hiking around this beautiful area, don't forget that there are two roads accessing Blue Lakes, the dirt Forestdale Divide Road and the paved Blue Lakes Road that can bring us out to Blue Lakes to begin our hiking or backpacking trip. Or to go car camping at the PGE campgrounds at Blue Lakes. Or we can car camp for free if our car can negotiate the dirt road out to the lakes.
Another of the main features of this section of trail are the long views to the East that high points offer.
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