Lakes Basin / Gold Lake
Winter enthusiasts love the Lakes Basin in the winter as much as summer recreationists do during summer and fall seasons.
Lakes Basin is crowned by both Sierra Buttes and Mount Elwell with numerous lake basins offering true back- country experiences.
Deep snows, the broad basin landscape broken by challenging ridges or commanding rock cliffs, and relatively easy access to the area, make Lakes Basin a haven for skilled cross- country skiers as well as snowmobilers.
DESCRIPTION:
Deep snows, the broad basin landscape broken by challenging ridges or commanding rock cliffs, and relatively easy access to the area, make Lakes Basin a haven for skilled cross-country skiers as well as snowmobilers. Sierra Buttes and Mount Elwell dominate the basin while the Sierra Crest forms the western boundary. Packer Saddle offers relatively easy access into the even more remote Gold Valley and Pauley Creek headwaters that lie in the North Yuba River basin above Downieville. From the Gold Lakes Road but lying to the east of Lakes Basin, groomed snowmobile routes climb to Mills Peak or scurry over the broad lap of Haskell Peak. Trails tie to the Yuba Pass Sno-Park that can lead to even more adventure trails south of Highway 49.
Access to Lower Sardine Lake is via the Packer Lake Road that intersects the groomed Gold Lake Road about 1.4 miles north of Bassetts. After turning onto the Packer Lake Road, take the left fork at the “Y.” Lower Sardine Lake is only 0.3 mile west on a nearly level, snow-covered, paved road from the groomed trail. Upper Sardine Lake is another mile beyond the paved road ending at Lower Sardine. Access to the upper lake in normal conditions should be considered Most Difficult. Lower Sardine Lake lies at 5740’. Upper Sardine is 6000’.
The Gold Lake access road intersects the groomed Gold Lake Road about 6.7 miles north of Bassetts. Dropping down a snow-covered paved road, Gold Lake is about 0.75 mile west of the Gold Lake Road. Gold Lake sits at 6480’. There is a 4WD road that follows the south shore of the lake all the way to the backside or western end that lies under the shadow of the Sierra Crest.
Packer Lake is another popular destination where skiers can usually follow ungroomed snowmobile tracks for about 4 miles after leaving the Gold Lakes Road. Follow the Packer Lake Road west after it intersects the Gold Lake Road about 1.4 miles northwest of Bassetts. From Bassetts the total trip is about 5.4 miles. The entire trip is More Difficult but the only challenging climb is the first 1.4 miles on the Gold Lake Road groomed trail. The trip up the Packer Lake Road is a marked snowmobile route and should be easy in most conditions. Packer Lake sits at 6400’.
The truly adventurous skier can follow the snowmobile route over the Sierra Crest and on into the totally remote Gold Valley. Most likely you’ll be the only skier in this lovely valley and few snowmobiles venture that far either. Save this one for the “extreme” skiers. Take camping and safety gear.
Lakes Basin is crowned by both Sierra Buttes and Mount Elwell with numerous lake basins offering true back-country experiences. Forested stands of pine and fir are generally open grown and interspersed with open meadows to allow good cross-country travel. Snow camping is common but Sardine, Salmon, Berger Creek and Snag Lake Campgrounds are useable – if you can find the tables in the deep snow. There’s little more inspiring than to wake up on a cold, crisp and bright morning to watch the sun creep up the Sierra Buttes.
The area is suitable for experienced skiers with snow-camping expertise who have the proper camping and safety equipment. A topographic map is a must.
| Parking Elevation: | 5400 feet | Base Elevation: | 6400 feet | Summit Elevation: | 8591 feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Lakes Basin sits at about 6400' elevation. |
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| Snowfall | 0 inches | Season | December-May | ||
| Parking: | Plowed with no fees | Skiable Area | 7000 acres | Groomed | Yes | Terain Park | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowmaking | |||||||
| Runs | Beginner | 0% | Intermediate | 0% | Expert | 0% | |
| Lifts | 0 | Types | |||||
| Contact(s) | Tahoe National Forest: 530-265-4531 |
|---|---|
| Website(s) |
DIRECTIONS:
To Lakes Basin / Gold Lake
From the south, parking is allowed at the paved parking area at Bassetts, 20 miles east of Downieville and 5 miles east of Sierra City via Highway 49. The paved Gold Lakes Road climbs rapidly from here. A groomed snowmobile trail follows the road and depending on snow conditions the lower end can have marginal snow levels.
From the north and Graeagle, parking is allowed at a plowed parking area along the paved Gold Lake Road at about the 5400’ elevation level and 1.5 miles west of Highway 89. From here the groomed snowmobile trail continues up the Gold Hill Road to Bassetts on the south end. The Gold Lake Road intersects Highway 89 about 1 mile south of Graeagle.
Topographic Maps: East Slope -Winter Recreation U.S.G.S. Haypress Valley, Sierra City, Gold Lake, & Clio
ACTIVITIES:
Snowshoeing (Rating: Good)
Snowshoeing opportunities abound in the basin, but the 1.5 mile and 1000 feet elevation climb on the groomed Gold Lake Road to the playground discourages all but dedicated enthusiasts.
See Cross-country skiing for descriptions.
Skiing - Cross-country (Rating: Exceptional)
This is one of the premier back-country cross-country skiing areas in these parts. The un-plowed access is a groomed snowmobile trail along the Gold Lake Road; so skiers must share this access for two or so miles until climbing into the heart of the comfortably large Lakes Basin. From there it is easy to lose the crowds by staying off the beaten path.
Skiers can follow the groomed snowmobile trail along the entire length of the Gold Lakes Road. With the 1000 foot elevaltion climb from the parking to the basin, this trip is considered More Difficult until you reach the Basin where the road flattens and offers easy going. The views are marvelous along the approximately 17 miles of road between the south and north trailheads.
Although there are no groomed trails into the Sardine Lakes or Gold Lake, these are popular destinations of snowmobiles that will leave packed trails in their wake. Skiing into Gold Lake and Lower Sardine Lake are considered easy with good snow pack.
Snowmobiling (Rating: Exceptional)
The groomed snowmobile route follows the scenic Gold Lakes Road with plowed parking available on both the south and north ends. This access route is 14 miles end to end with Lakes Basin opening up to side trips within a couple of miles of either end. The broad basin is open to snow play and the varied terrain offers Easy to Most Difficult challenges. Gold Lake, Lower Sardine Lake, and Packer Lake each have groomed trails into their locations. The basin is popular for both snowmobilers and cross-country skiers.
The Packer Lake Road that takes off to the west from the Gold Lake Road is groomed to Packer Lake. From there a marked snowmobile trail climbs over Packer Saddle and the Sierra Crest and on into the Pauley Creek area. From here the designated trail turns north and continues to Gold Valley and the uppermost reaches of the drainage above Hawley Lake. Gold Valley is broad with expansive meadows that offer snow play. Old mining access roads enjoyed by 4WD enthusiasts in the summer offer still other opportunities to play. The area should be enjoyed only by skilled snowmobilers in groups or at least pairs and each person with proper equipment.
To the east of the Gold Lakes Road and the Lakes Basin other groomed snowmobile trails follow existing roads to Howard Meadow, Mills Peak, Haskell Peak and connect 14 miles to the Yuba Pass Sno-Park. In all there are about 23 miles of groomed trails lying north of Highway 49 and connecting between the Gold Lake Road and Yuba Pass. Other snow-covered logging roads fan out from the groomed roads and lead to many openings perfect for snow play. The Lunch Creek cross-country skiing area lying just west of Yuba Pass is closed to over the snow vehicles.
