This trail begins at the Charity Valley trailhead off Blue Lakes Rd, which is accessed from Highway 88 east of Carson Pass. This trail can take you down to Grover Hot Springs State Park in 5.5 miles passing through a variety of habitats including upper montane forest, seeps, aspen groves, rocky slopes, and lower montane forest. Each of these has its own lovely blooming plants, including lupines that you may not have encountered elsewhere – spurred lupine (Lupinus arbustus) and sickle keeled lupine or white lupine (L. albicaulis). We may also encounter Leichtlin’s mariposa lily (Calochortus leichtlinii) and Bridge’s gilia (Navarretia leptalea). We will be exploring the first 2-3 miles of the trail from the west-end trailhead off Blue Lakes Road.
Level of difficulty: Moderate. We will begin at the higher elevation trailhead off Blue Lakes Rd (about 7800 ft), walking from the west-end trailhead for about 2-3 miles, and returning the way we came – an out and back of 4-6 miles, depending on how far we get down the trail.
