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The large parking lot at Horseshoe Lake was nearly empty when we arrived in
the late afternoon, about 2 hours before sunset. The sun still lit up the
ghostly image of bare trees standing guard over bare sandy white ground
at the trailhead.
Bare trees at trailhead
After a short climb through the sand, we reached a trail intersection. The
trail to the right heads off to Mammoth Pass, while the trail to the left
goes on to McLeod Lake. We took the left fork, which passes through a
conifer forest. It climbs a steady, gentle grade. In only 20 minutes, we
were already at the lake.
Shores of McLeod Lake
Mountain crest over McLeod Lake
McLeod Lake is perhaps a little larger than TJ Lake, but it's not as quite
as pretty. One advantage of McLeod Lake is that it has wide, sandy beaches,
perfect for enjoying the sun. It's ringed by trees, and backed on one side
by the Mammoth Crest.
McLeod Lake
While we wandered along the shore near the trail, a couple of hikers walked
all the way around the lake. It probably only took them about 10-15 minutes.
One caveat for photographers: in the late afternoon, the sun casts a bright
reflective glare off the water. It's probably much better photographed in
the morning.
Forest at the edge of McLeod Lake
After enjoying the lake, we headed back down the trail and were quickly
back at the parking lot, which now only had 2 other cars. After the hike
I got to talking with the other hikers who'd been at the lake. They were
from Holland, nearing the end of a 3-week vacation including the Grand Canyon
and Death Valley. It's always interesting meeting people on the trail
and hearing their stories. Although it's a little sad that these people
from a foreign country have been to Death Valley and I haven't (yet). But
I'll get there eventually...
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