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There are several possible starting points for this hike, but the quietest one
is at the sign for the Sand Pond Interpretive Trail. You can also park at Sand
Pond itself, or at Lower Sardine Lake.
We started on the trail and were immediately met with a decision. A trail went
to the left, right, and straight ahead. There were no signs to tell us where
the trails led to. We decided on the one that goes straight ahead, which
follows some planks over a marshy area. After a few minutes we decided this was
a bad choice and retraced our steps. As it turned out, this would have been a
fine choice, but I'll get to that later.
Walking on the planks
We retraced our steps and turned left (west). The east trail probably leads to
the nearby campgrounds. We followed the west trail, which closely follows the
road. We tried to get through this uninteresting stretch of trail as fast as
possible, and soon reached Sand Pond itself.
Sand Pond on Labor Day Sunday was a sight to behold. Swimming is allowed in the
pond, which meant that everyone and their kids were in the water. Inflatable
water craft and toys floated all over the surface. It was a complete zoo.
Imagine your community swimming pool, and then multiply it. Interestingly, I
searched the web afterwards and found pictures of the same pond 3 weeks earlier
and there was no one in the water.
Resting at Sand Pond
We were already here, though, so we settled down on a rare empty patch of shore
to have lunch. The Sierra Buttes, which we had hiked up 7 years ago, were visible
behind the pond. I should point out that dogs are not allowed in or around the
pond; a ranger continually walked around the edge and made sure people adhered to
this rule.
It's a big party at Sand Pond
After lunch we escaped the masses by making the short walk to the
far edge of the pond and then up a small earthen dam to Lower Sardine Lake.
A 50-100 foot high hill separates Lower Sardine Lake from Upper Sardine Lake, which is
of course not visible from here. Beyond that, the Sierra Buttes loom above. To
the right is a grassy hillside dotted with trees.
Swimming is not allowed in this lake, which means that we practically had the lake
to ourselves. We could still hear everyone splashing around in Sand Pond, but it
was still nice. The only downside is that there are fewer shaded shore spots
within easy reach. We could have opted to rent a row boat at the Sardine Lake
Resort, but opted to just let the kids play with their buckets and shovels
before heading back.
Sierra Buttes over Lower Sardine Lake
Row boat rentals at Lower Sardine Lake
Sierra Buttes (lookout tower is on the very top)
After enjoying the lake, we returned to the pond. I got the bright idea to turn
right and follow the trail on the southern side of the pond, which I was sure
would loop around the entire lake. Well, it didn't. The trail ends, so we had to
backtrack and retrace our steps along the trail back to the east end of the pond.
We now took the right fork to follow the Sand Pond Interpretive Trail (there's
a sign here). The trail heads into the forest. I've read that there
are interpretive signs, but I didn't see any along the trail. The trail winds
through the forest and then follows planks through the marshy area, with the
Sierra Buttes visible above. Soon enough we were on the section of trail we'd
started the hike on, and then were back at the parking area.
Planks on the Sand Pond trail
I'm a bit conflicted as to what to rate this hike. On the one hand, the hordes
of people at Sand Pond would lead me to give it a 4 or 5 rating. But I can imagine
that it's a completely different hike on a weekday morning when there's no one
around, probably deserving a 7 rating. So I'm giving it a 6 for now. Perhaps
we'll return when it's less crowded sometime, and also extend the hike to
Upper Sardine Lake.
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