Glacier Lake
Summary: If you can make it through the drive up to the trailhead you'll have no problem completing this hike. It is a pretty short hike with a moderate amount of elevation gain/loss. Although we did this hike in late-September, I imagine that this would be a beautiful hike in the spring. Be sure to check out the view from near the trailhead and take the short walk up to the lookout tower (further up the road). It is a mostly tree covered trail but offers several open viewpoints along the way as well as passing by multiple meadows. There isn't much fall color along the trail with respect to trees, but there is a lot of colorful groundcover. Take the Sand Ridge trail back for a longer and more varied experience.Distance: 7.6 miles round-tripElevation Gain/Loss: 1,225' totalSeason: late-June through October (whenever Grouse Ridge Road is open)Fees & Permits: None for dayhikersFinding the Trailhead: 39.39118 N, 120.60887 W (Grouse Ridge Trailhead). From the I-80/CA-20 intersection near Lake Spaulding, take exit #161 and head west on CA-20. After ~3.8 miles turn right onto the Bowman Lake Road (sharp turn). Follow this road past Lang's Crossing over the South Yuba River and Fuller Lake before turning right onto the Grouse Ridge Road (~6.3 miles). This road is marked as Forest Route 14 on Google Maps. Be sure to have strong tires and decent clearance. Follow the road for ~5.0 miles and pass by the campground turn off. About 0.1 miles further turn right onto another road as the Grouse Ridge Road makes a sharp turn to the left. Follow this secondary road down for ~300' and park. The trail begins off the northeastern end of this parking area.
The Hike: Begin the hike by winding downhill to the east before intersecting with the main trail coming from the campground. Here, there are only sparse trees and quite a few standing dead. These are great foreground pieces with the Black Buttes in the background to the east. Look to the southeast and you can see Sanford Lake below you. Continue walking downhill and just as the trail begins to enter into the thicker trees there is an intersection with the Downey Lake Trail (~0.4 miles). This side-trip would add ~0.7 miles and ~320' total. Stay left at this intersection to continue and you'll find the Milk Lake trail junction at ~0.6 miles. Stay right here and continue walking through the forest to the northeast. The slope here levels out but still continues downhill. At ~1.3 miles the Sawmill Lake trail comes in from the north. Stay right and quickly come to the Sand Ridge/Glacier Lake trail junction at ~1.4 miles, just after passing through a long and slender meadow. Stay right again to follow the Glacier Lake trail. You could take the Sand Ridge trail here and make your way to Glacier Lake or follow it in reverse from Glacier Lake to make a loop out of this hike. Following the Glacier Lake trail, it heads east through the trees. Just after passing through a rockier section the trail turns to the northeast and reaches a larger meadow system at ~2.1 miles. At the eastern end of this is a meadow that is more like a marshland earlier in the spring and summer. Continuing to the east, the trail begins to climb and get more rocky. The trail follows the edge of another smaller meadow before passing through a small stand of trees and coming upon the "Mammoth Skull" at ~3.2 miles. We nicknamed this fallen tree for obvious reasons (see pictures). Just past this the trail moves into a rocky and treeless landscape, where there is a nice view of the Black Buttes. The trail continues by climbing up the rocks (route is pretty easy to see) and at ~3.5 miles comes to a point where you can leave the trail to the north and crest a small mound for great panoramic views of the surroundings. Back on the trail, continue to the east and pass in and out of a small basin with a pond to the north before continuing to climb to the southeast and reenter the trees. At ~3.7 miles the junction with the Five Lakes/Sand Ridge trail is reached just above Glacier Lake. Continue straight (east) and then right (south) to descend to the western shore of the lake (~3.8 miles). The peaks to the south looming over the lake are the Black Buttes. Either follow the same trail back or make a loop of the hike by following the Sand Ridge/Five Lakes trail back to the junction.
