Carson Pass - July '25 

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On the last week of July, three of us took a mid-week drive up to Carson Pass, to do the classic walk to Lake Winnemucca and back, expecting to see some wildflowers, as in years past.

Even though more than a week of 'rain with thunderstorms starting at 11 am' forecasts preceded our visit, we gambled and won.  Had we seen clouds building up ahead of us, on the drive uphill, we would have stopped for a decent day's walk at Fleming Meadows, near Sly Park.   

Instead, at Carson Pass it was a perfect hiking day, with overcast skies keeping us cool and providing ideal light for landscape and flower photos.  

The only rain we encountered was at the parking lot, when we first arrived. Having left a rain jacket at home, I purchased a $2 plastic poncho in the Ranger Station, only needing it for a few minutes. 

note - on a pc or laptop you can zoom into any part of a photo, but alas, not on a smartphone. 

	at the Ranger Station		PCT crossing		plasticized
		local hikes		heading out
	Kathy & Red Lake Peak (10,063 ft.)				in the woods
		Frog Lake & Red Lake Peak		Hawkins Peak, 10,014 ft., looking east from the overview
	walking around the lake		Frog Lake & Round Top (10,381 ft.)

We had lunch at Frog Lake before we walked around the lake to the overlook, and then headed uphill to Winnemucca Lake on the main trail.  

	Elephant Back at 9,581 ft.		pink gillia		Caples Lake on hwy. 88
				< horse mint & cow parsnip >
	lupine		volcanic Black Butte at 9,000 ft.		green gentian
		paintbrush		Lake Winnemucca

We found a place to sit, well above the lake, and soon heard a splash, and Jean saw an Osprey fly into a nearby tree, where it stayed out of our sight, but we heard the distinct single-note call.  

We had a walking break before heading downhill again. 

	heading back		Elephant Back		see note
		Red Lake Peak		blue flag Iris
	< Frog Lake again & coyote mint >		almost back		great light today

note - the multi-trunk bare tree to the right is a Bristlecone Pine, among the oldest trees on the planet. 

Approaching Frog Lake, we saw threatening clouds, but they were miles away, to the NE, towards the Lake Tahoe Basin, and there was no lightning or thunder. 

Postscript - We walked 6 miles with about 550 ft. of gain. As for technical aspects, there were some medium-large granite steps, and you had to watch for loose gravel around them, especially on the way down.  

Honorable Mention - Diane wanted to hike today, but on the drive to the meeting spot, a Caltrans traffic diversion on hwy 50 had her completely wedged in with other vehicles, not moving for 30 minutes.   

Plant names are from Picture This.     

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