Contents and photos copyright 2003-2009 K Franson, J Franson, Westernpaddling.com, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
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Klondike Lake
(near Big Pine, CA.)
Location: Three miles north of Big Pine, California
Getting There: Go north on 395. Leaving the town of Big Pine, the lake is roughly 3 miles north of town, on the east side of HWY 395. Access road is not marked. Look for Reynolds Road, and turn off about 0.6-0.7 mile north. Or simply go north from Big Pine, and look for the first yellow road sign that shows a right only road exiting off HWY 395. Take dirt road for short distance to the lake, which is visible from the highway.
Camping/Lodging: None at lake. Lots of hotel options in Big Pine. Campground at north end of town (near the giant American flag). Driving west into the Sierra from downtown Big Pine there are several campgrounds, along with hiking access to the southernmost glaciers in the Western Hemisphere.
Put-In/Take-Out: Several "beaches" for put in, all quite small.
Good Points: Close to Hwy 395, allows waterskiing, jetskis, etc. Note portions of the lake some distance from shore are waist deep - ok for kayaks and canoes, perhaps iffy for summersaults while skiing! Herons and gulls in decent numbers when we visited in late March.
Not-as-Good Points: Shallow, unattractive lake. If you want something "warm" and right off HWY 395, Lake Diaz in Lone Pine is much nicer (although Klondike is better than double the size of Diaz). There are no facilities of any kind at Klondike. This lake's value is more for locals as a place to play with water toys and cool down on hot summer days. When we walked into the Big Pine Chamber/Visitor Center (conveniently located next to the bar shown below), asking about the lake we were informed is was a big mud-hole.
Lake Size:
Above - Best part of the lake is not the lake! The Hitching Post is a beer and wine tavern with friendly locals, on east side of Hwy 395. The lake is about 4 miles north of the tavern.
Above and Below. Looking southwest. The mountains seen are above Big Pine, and visible (sort of, if you blow up the photo) is the Palisades Glacier. While the lake is nothing to look at, the scenery above Big Pine is very much worth a visit!
Above - Very little in the way of trees at Klondike Lake.
Above - Lake meeting of a newer design inflatable kayak (in Blue, the AdvancedFrame), and one of the originals, a Sevylor Tahiti (in yellow).
Above - From put-in on shore shore, looking north-northwest.
Above - Klondike Lake, from south shore, looking northeast. In distance are the astronomy/radio antennas of the CalTech installation.
Above - One of the put-ins. Pretty, no?
Above and Below - An AdvanceFrame inflatable kayak on Klondike Lake.
