Road Trip - Silver Lake, Silver Lake Resort Cafe, and Hiking the Gardisky Lake Trail (June Lake)

After having a little taste of SUP at Gull Lake the previous afternoon, the Missus was up and ready to go at sunrise the next morning. After getting organized, I thought that heading to Silver Lake early in the day might work out well. So, we headed out. We had no problem finding parking near the Silver Lake boat ramp and the Missus was off and ready to go in no time at all!

Like the day before, I took a walk, taking in the beauty of Silver Lake. I loved the light and reflections at this time of the morning.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

And all you have to do is turn around......

Silver Lake is home to the oldest "resort" in the Eastern Sierra's; formerly known as Carson's Camp which was established in 1916, it is now the Silverlake Resort which has cabins, an RV Park, and most importantly (to me) a store and cafe, which opens at 7am.

There were folks waiting in when the place opened at 7. I decided to take a walk along the lake and returned about 20 minutes later. 

I walked into the shop and over to the entrance of the cafe. I was going to write my name down on the waiting list, but I was waved on in. There were some seats  at the bar, so I lucked out.

I loved the very "old school" look of the place!

The guy expediting behind the counter was super efficient and quite nice. Of course, I had to start with a cup 'o Joe, right?

Be it Folgers, Maxwell House, Kirkland, or whatever, I enjoyed this!

There were lot's of choices on the menu, I started looking over the specials.

Since I sat right across the window, I could see the breakfasts coming out. Some looked pretty hefty and I really wasn't in a position to head back to the motel for a nap. I did want to have a couple of items and I knew what to order when I saw the special.

So, I got the "Fisherman's Breakfast", nicely priced at $9.99.

   With not too much of anything, I could try the biscuits and gravy. The gravy wasn't too salty or greasy, the texture was on the lighter side of things, but it wasn't bad. The egg was perfectly easy over, the yolk having no off flavors. The breakfast potatoes nice and crisp on the exterior, the breakfast sausage routine. This was good enough to bring back memories of old school - diner breakfasts I'd had in my younger days.

It wasn't too much and actually was better than I had thought it would be. No wonder the place is so popular! There were about 8 people waiting in line as I left.

Silver Lake Resort Cafe
6957 Hwy 158
June Lake, CA 93529

As I walked back to the boat ramp I could hear the whistling of air being released.....as I figured, it was the Missus deflating Her paddle board. I had perfect timing! Once squared away, the Missus told me "it's too early, we need to do something else before lunch, and you need to burn off your breakfast!" Luckily, I had something in mind. We headed north on the 158 loop, then turned north on the 395 to Lee Vining. From there we headed west on Tioga Road, which was somewhat familiar to us as we had driven here when we visited Yosemite in 2021. Tioga Road heads to the Tioga Pass entrance to the park. We wouldn't be driving quite that far. We took a right onto Saddleback Lake Road and eventually after driving a bit on a dirt road found some parking and the trailhead to Gardisky Lake.

I believe I mentioned before how the Missus enjoys Her non-switchback straight up and down trails. Well, according to Alltrails, this was but a 1.8 mile out and back, but with a 750 foot elevation gain.

At the beginning it was rather easy. 

Yes, it was a climb, but the views were quite nice.

Walking alongside the river flowing downhill;  it was apparent that the winter snow and ice was still melting. And this was in July!

The portions with all the rocks and boulders were the hardest. You had to be aware not to twist an ankle or fall here.

At the top it really looked like an Alpine Meadow. I guess this is why folks call the area the "Switzerland of California".

The Lake itself is not very large.

But with no one in sight, we did not see anyone else on the trail, it was quite peaceful. Check out the snow still hanging around the lake!

We didn't run into anyone else hiking on the way down either. 

All in all, a steep, but very nice short hike.

Now the big question was; where we were going for lunch?

Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

[Kenneth]

Silver Lake resort is pretty nice. Did you see their pond with all the ducks and big fish? Their cabins are well equipped. Good spot to stay and you can always drive over to Mammoth lakes for more food options.

[Kirk]

Yes, I saw the pond Kenneth, though I didn't take any photos. It seems like a really nice place to stay!

[Soo]

You found a cool spot for a road trip!

[Kirk]

Yes, the lakes are stunning Soo!

[kat]

beautiful scenery

[Kirk]

It's very pretty here Kat!