Saddlebag Lakes and the 20 Lakes Basin / Highway 120

Map courtesy of mytopo.com.

Saddlebag Lake / 20 Lakes Basin  

Photo courtesy of Saddlebag Lake Resort

Elevation: 10,086

Road condition:   Paved  Note: This is the highest paved road ending in California.

Day hikes to fishing: Twenty Lakes Basin  Note: For a map and listing of the lakes visit the web site of Saddlebag Lake Resort.

Region: Tioga Pass /
Highway 120   Area/description: Eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park

Closest town or supplies: Lee Vining / Bell’s Sporting Goods

Contacts: Saddlebag Lake Resort, Lee Vining Chamber of Commerce (info@leevining.com; Visiting Mono Lake www.monolake.org/visiting/; Mono Lake Visitor Center (http://www.monolake.org/monomap/vc.htm

Facilities: Small store and café, boat launch, boat taxi to wilderness lakes

Nearest campground: Saddlebag Campground, Junction Campground and Sawmill Campground, a walk-in campground close to the lake.

Boating: Boat launch

Fishing Tips:

Favorite lures or bait: Use small lures such as Kastmasters, Daredevils and Panther-Martins.  Bring smaller lures, but have a variety of color combinations to entice both shallow and deep cruising trout. (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Lures and Bait)

Favorite fly patterns: Fly & Bubble technique with small nymphs such as Hare’s Ear, Zug Bug, Bead-Head Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail or a Tellico Shrimp.  (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Fly Patterns and Techniques)

Stocking information: 29,000+ annually

Additional information: The resort owners, Carmen and Richard Ernst, provide a boat taxi service to the back side of the lake and the 20 Lakes Basin.  The cost is $10 per adult for the 2008 season. The first shuttle is at 7am and the last shuttle is at 6:45 pm.  During the busy season, shuttles run on the half hour.  The shuttle is restricted to ten people so if you want an early start, it is best to make arrangements the day before for the earliest shuttles.  The wilderness loop trail is approximately five miles, but since there is only a 500 feet elevation gain, a continuous non-stop hike would take roughly three hours.  The resort typically opens mid June and always closes September 30.  Richard Ernst said that the resort is usually buried in 25 feet of snow during the winter months so the opening date is subject to snow removal.  Mr. Ernst asked me to remind readers that if they plan on staying over night in the wilderness area they need to pick up an over-night pass at the visitor center in Lee Vining.  Many back-packers are disappointed when they have to drive 24 miles round trip when they discover that the resort owners can not issue a permit.

Photo courtesy of Saddlebag Lake Resort

Nearby fishing: Saddlebag Creek, Gardisky Lake, Ellery Lake, Tioga Lake

Directions: From the junction of Highway 120 and Highway 395 just outside Lee Vining, take Highway 120 approximately eleven miles to the Saddlebag Lake Road on the right. Follow Saddlebag Lake Road 2.5 miles to the lake..