About Garnet Lake

Garnet Lake is located on John Muir Trail between Shadow Lake and Thousand Island Lake in the Ansel Adams Wilderness of Inyo National Forest. The lake is stunning, set below the 12,936-foot mass of Banner Peak and framed by ridges of bedrock and pines. Hiking directly there, Garnet Lake is 8.55 miles from the trailhead at Agnew Meadows, so most of the lake's visitors are backpackers (a minimum of 17.1 miles is pretty long for a day hike). Is it worth visiting Garnet Lake on a backpacking trip? Absolutely ' and especially if you make it a loop. A 10,150-foot pass and two smaller lakes, Ruby Lake and Emerald Lake, separate Garnet Lake and Thousand Island Lake. There is another high pass south of Garnet Lake, so expect big views all along John Muir Trail. To see Garnet Lake on a loop that passes Shadow Lake and Thousand Island Lake, you'll put in a minimum of about 19 2/3 miles of hiking.