Hiking in the Shaver Lake Basin

The terrain in the Shaver Lake area is varied, but always beautiful, with lush green meadows and massive granite outcroppings all around. For the casual hiker, there are hiking trails in many of the subdivisions in town. Taking a morning hike in the woods is as simple as walking down the street a bit until you turn onto a local trail. Hiking Trails Around Shaver Lake There are approximately 35 miles of Multi-Purpose Hiking, Mountain biking and Horse riding trails on Edison land around Shaver Lake. These trails are maintained by Shaver Lake Volunteers. Descriptions of the trails is given on the back side of the map. The map is sold at various business locations within Shaver Lake.

For those who want to get a little more serious, there are hundreds of square miles of open wilderness nearby with trails and old logging roads throughout.

Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake are known to many as little towns they drive through in order to get to the major trail heads they use for extended backpacking trips; like the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada.

Some local trails include Dinkey Lakes, Kaiser, Brewer Lake, Dusy Ershim, Big Creek Railroad Grade, Twin Lakes Trail and so many more.

Be sure you bring all appropriate gear with you as our suppliers are limited locally. Take great care in watching the weather forecast for your trip, particularly in the spring and fall when heavy snow is still possible. Verify that you will be able to park your vehicle at the trail head during your trip.

For any overnight trip, be certain that you have let more than one person know where you are going, your planned stops along the way, and when to expect you home.

Below there is solid information on where you can go and some of the things that might see along the way. Have a safe trip!

Ansel Adams Wilderness- Named in honor of the pioneering landscape photographer, this wilderness area is known for spectacular alpine scenery, sparkling lakes, and steep, rock-walled gorges.

Dinkey Lakes Wilderness- The 30,000 acre Dinkey Lakes Wilderness lies immediately west of the John Muir Wilderness and is separated from the John Muir Wilderness by the Dusy-Ershim Off Highway Vehicle Route.

High Sierra Recreation Area- Located in the rugged and majestic high country of the Sierra National Forest, High Sierra is the gateway to the Ansel Adams and the John Muir Wildernesses.

Huntington Lake Recreation Area- Huntington Lake Recreation Area, located at 7,000 feet elevation in the Sierra National Forest, is a two-hour drive east of Fresno via State Highway 168.

John Muir Wilderness- The John Muir Wilderness encompasses approximately 584,000 acres in the Sierra and Inyo National Forests. It extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada from Mammoth Lakes southeastward for 30 miles, then forks around the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park to Crown Valley and Mt. Whitney.

Kaiser Wilderness- Kaiser Wilderness lies immediately north of Huntington Lake. The area is named after Kaiser Ridge which divides the area into two distinctly different regions.