Long Lake is a picture-perfect Sierra getaway spot with crystal-clear waters surrounded by granite outcrops. Getting there requires a half-mile hike from the end of a rutted dirt road best traveled with a high-clearance vehicle.
Directions:
From the Soda Springs exit on Interstate 80, drive south about .8 miles and turn right on Pahatsi Road. Follow Pahatsi about .5 miles to the Royal Gorge Cross County Ski Resort’s Summit Station, where the pavement ends and Pahatsi Road becomes Kidd Lake Road.
Continue 4.8 miles on rutted dirt, past turnoffs for the Deer Lake Girl Scout Camp and PG&E’s Kidd Lake Campground. Park at the end of the road, in a clearing overlooking Cascade Lakes. Scramble down an incline, walk over the dam and follow an easy section of the Palisade Creek trail to Long Lake, elevation 6,700 feet. More ambitious hikers have many options from there.
