Truly one of the most beautiful spots in the Eastern Sierra, Thousand Island Lake is located in the Ansel Adams Wilderness near Mammoth Lakes, California and sports the magnificent Banner Peak as a backdrop. I first visited here nearly 20 years ago, on a backpacking trip with my family. We set out from Tuolumne Meadows, hiking up Lyell Canyon, and over Donahue Pass to reach the lake. I still remember being in awe as we crested the nearby ridgeline, bringing the lake into view, and roaming around the little peninsulas that dot the lakeside.
This time around, I visited in a single day trail run from Mammoth. I drove down to the Agnew Meadows trailhead in the morning and took the 'High Trail' out to the lake. It's a rather enjoyable run on a great trail, with a reasonable amount of elevation gain. I looped back via Ruby Lake and Garnet Lake, before retuning on the River Trail. All in all, it ended up being around 17 miles and 3,000ft of elevation gain.
