20 Lakes Basin Loop + Conness Lakes (8/12/2025)

8/12/2025
This is the last hike of the road trip, and I couldn't ask for a more pleasant way to conclude my 2025 Eastern Sierra summer. The trail was relatively flat, with many beautiful lakes close to one another. There were no mosquitoes in August, and the overcast kept the temperature cool. After the Loop, I went up the side trail to visit the glacier-fed Conness Lakes squeezed between Mt Conness and North Peak. I returned to Saddlebag Lake trailhead by early afternoon and drove 350 miles straight home to Vegas.

Towards the end of this road trip I was feeling "lake fatigue". I counted all the High Sierra lakes (10,000'+) I visited in the last 30 days, and there are 45 of them. Perhaps I should do peaks instead of lakes. But peaks are hard. Here's the summary of these lakes --
7/13/2025 - New Army Pass
Cottonwood Lake #1 and #2
Long Lake
High Lake
7/14/2025 - Chicken Spring Lake
Chicken Spring Lake
7/15/2025 - Desolation Lake via Piute Pass
Loch Leven
Piute Lake
Summit Lake
Lower and Upper Desolation Lakes
7/16/2025 - Chocolate Lakes Loop + Chocolate Peak
South Lake
Bull Lake
Chocolate Lake #1, #2, and #3
Ruwau Lake
Long Lake
8/6/2025 - Lamarck Lakes
Grass Lake
Lower and Upper Lamarck Lakes
8/7/2025 - Treasure Lakes
South Lake
Treasure Lake #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5
8/8/2025 - Mt Starr via Mono Pass
Ruby Lake
Summit Lake
8/10/2025 - Mammoth Crest Loop
Crystal Lake
Lower, Middle, and Upper Deer Lakes
Duck Lake and Pika Lake
Barney Lake
Skelton Lake
Lake Barrett
Lake George
8/12/2025 - 20 Lakes Basin Loop + Conness Lakes
Saddlebag Lake
Hummingbird Lake
Odell Lake
Lake Helen
Shamrock Lake
Steelhead Lake
Greenstone Lake
Lower and Upper Conness Lakes


========================= Aug 2025 Eastern Sierra Road Trip =========================

8/6/2025, Wed
drive: LV to Bishop to North Lake TH
hike: Lamarck Lakes
overnight: South Lake TH
8/7/2025, Thu
hike: Treasure Lakes
drive to Little Lakes Valley TH
overnight: Little Lakes Valley TH
8/8/2025, Fri
hike: Mt Starr via Mono Pass
overnight: Little Lakes Valley TH
8/9/2025, Sat
drive to Mammoth Lakes
relax in Mammoth Lakes
overnight: Lake George CG
8/10/2025, Sun
hike: Mammoth Crest Loop
overnight: Lake George CG
8/11/2025, Mon
relax in Mammoth Lakes
drive to Saddlebag Lake
overnight: Saddlebag Lake CG
8/12/2025, Tue
hike: 20 Lakes Basin Loop + Conness Lakes
drive: Saddlebag Lake to LV

Total miles hiked = 50.4
Total elevation gain/loss = 11,198'
Total expense = $80.56
Total miles driven = 801
Total gallon of gas = 17.81

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