A High Sierra Dessert: Chocolate Peak and Lakes

📍 Inyo National Forest, California

The Story

Up until 2026, I've only had a taste of the Sierra Nevada mostly through eastern Yosemite and the SEKI parks. This area has been teasing me closer, but the long travel just to set up "base camp" here had deterred me to this point. After landing in Vegas, it is still about a 4 hour drive away to get into town on the 395. With that in mind, I knew exactly what I was looking for on this trip -- I was going to tag at least 3 high altitude peaks with off-trail approaches to make all of that traveling well worth my time. The Sierra Nevada has an unbelievable number of alpine lakes. From the top of Chocolate Peak, the beautiful red/brown summit rocks contrast strikingly with the glacial blue alpine lakes in the basin below and out towards Bishop Pass. I originally planned to hike out to Bishop Pass on this trip, but sometimes my ambition is bigger than my endurance. I am glad to have taken the bird's eye view this time, and will definitely hike out to Bishop Pass another day!

Location Details

Trail: Chocolate Lakes Loop Trail
Feature: Bishop Pass

Conditions

Features: Alpine Lakes,Mountain Peaks,Snow Patches,Basin
Terrain: Talus,Scree,Alpine,Rocky
Atmosphere: Clear,Sunny,High Visibility
Time Of Day: Midday

Technical Specs

Body: Nikon Z 9
Lens: Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Settings: ƒ/8 | 1/250s | ISO 64 | 24mm
Resolution: 22263 x 7139 px (158.9 MP)
Date Taken: Jun 2026 (Summer)

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