Lundy Canyon

The Lundy Canyon trail is an example of one of the Eastern Sierra's incredibly scenic landscapes that are often relatively crowd-free due to its distant location from any population centers. The trail has features that appeal to most hikers' preferences, whether that be a short walk to a scenic lake, longer hikes to clusters of waterfalls, or significantly more strenuous treks leading to rugged backcountry with remote camping and backpacking opportunities.

The trail begins at the end of a Lundy Lake Road, beyond a campground where the dirt road ends. Beginning here, hikers follow a trail up the canyon that parallels Mill Creek. Along the way, the creek forms several scenic ponds and shallow pools that can be used to cool off in during hot days.

Nestled into the high elevation of the Eastern Sierra, the canyon is subject to seasonal changes that vary between being covered snow and making an excellent snowshoe trail during the cold season, to colorful wild flowers during the early summer months, to colorful explosions of foliage along the riparian areas during the fall. 

At a quarter mile in, a trail forks to the left to a marshy lake surrounded by an amphitheater of mountain walls that reflect on the water while a waterfall flows into the lake in the distance. The trail is single track that winds from the canyon floor to stony outcroppings. Entering the Hoover Wilderness, at 2 miles and at 700' in elevation gain from the trailhead, the trail comes to the first of three cascading waterfalls. The falls flow through carved stone pools that make a great place to stop and enjoy a break. They also make a good turnaround point, as the trail beyond the falls soon becomes significantly steeper, eventually nearing the top of the canyon before becoming a steep scramble up loose scree that gains 1200' of elevation in about one mile. From the top of this climb, the trail enters the 20 Lakes Basin, with an incredible variety of other lake trails, waterfalls, backcountry camping and backpacking opportunities. 

While there are many great places to stop along the hike, the trail as a whole is through an incredibly scenic area. At any point along the out-and-back trail, hikers can turn around and retrace their route back to the trailhead.

While the trail is open to visitors year round, winter conditions often bury the trail in snow that can last late into the spring or summer. There are no amenities of any kind at the trailhead or along the hike. Plan accordingly.