Experience everything the Eastern Sierra has to offer. No crowds, crystal clear lakes, and stunning views are just a few of the things you can expect from hiking to Green Lake, Bridgeport, CA (and beyond). Learn everything you need to know in this comprehensive guide!
By Bekah Whitney
Although it feels like the middle of nowhere, Bridgeport, California has many things to offer for outdoor enthusiasts including hot springs, incredible hiking, fishing, and star gazing. My absolute favorite place to start a hike is the Green Lake Trailhead. This is because it offers the most beauty with the smallest amount of crowds. In this article I will share the best and most popular hikes out of Green Lake Trailhead, how to get there, what to bring, and more!
If you are unfamiliar with hiking in Wilderness areas, you may be wondering why there are so many hikes that start from the Green Lake Trailhead. In efforts to preserve and protect Wilderness areas, there is often only one designated hiking trail that serves as passage to multiple locations. This can be great if you are hiking with seasoned hikers and budding enthusiasts, as not everyone has to commit to the same length or difficulty of hike!
Distance from Town of Bridgeport: 13.4 miles, about a 35 minute drive, depending on how fast you drive down dirt roads!
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 38.11255, -119.27544
Or Type in: Green Lake Trailhead
Getting there: From Bridgeport, head south on US-395 S for about 5 miles. Turn right onto Green Creek Rd. The road will be dirt and a bit washboarded for the rest of the drive. After 3.5 miles, you will come to an intersection. Take a sharp right to stay on Green Creek Rd. The parking lot will be on the right after 5 miles.
The dirt road is very manageable for most of the drive except at the very end. You will have to drive slower up a steep-ish, narrow, and rocky road. My little car was able to make it up without scraping, but I did have to go very slowly and dodge some rocks.
Main hikes from Green Lake Trailhead:
This was the first hike with which I fell in love while living in Bridgeport, California. If you are hiking in Spring to Summer, you’ll find this trail has tons of wildflowers, lots of little creek crossings for water breaks if hiking with a dog, and a gorgeous lake at the end!
Length: 6.3-mile out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 1,082 ft
Difficultly: Moderate
The hike: As an experienced hiker, I found this trail to be a steady climb with a few steep spots. You’ll start from the trailhead in the parking lot with an up-hill then back down. Then you’ll find yourself on a dirt OHV-type road that follows the river. While on this road there is a spot that, if you’re lucky, you’ll see the resident beavers! Their dam is very impressive and you can see their gnawed-off stumps all over the place.
You’ll continue on and the trail will become a steady climb for pretty much the rest of the way. Once you make it to the fork, where there is a sign that points to West Lake or East Lake, you are basically there! Head towards East Lake and follow the trail until you see Green Lake on your right.
The first time I did this hike, I had a hard time finding my way to Green Lake on the actual trail. You will have to do a creek crossing right before you reach Green Lake and I’m assuming the water was too high for me to see where I was supposed to cross without knowing where to go. If you get a little turned around just follow the creek up and you’ll find the lake!
The Lake: Green Lake is a beautiful high alpine lake in a small valley between towering mountains with crystal clear, blue water. This is the type of lake that you imagine reading a book, drawing next to, or just sitting and taking it in. There are tons of little fish too!
On the west side of the lake you will see a cliff with a small waterfall feeding Green Lake. Way up at the top of that waterfall is West Lake.
I’d been wanting to hike to West Lake for a long while, but the almost-double elevation gain of the Green Lake hike in only a mile and a half kept me away for most of the summer. Then one day that my depression was really bad, I decided it was the day to do it.
Length: 8.5 miles, out and back
Elevation Gain: 2,119 ft
Difficultly: Difficult
The hike: Once at the split for Green Lake/East Lake and West Lake it’s time to head towards West Lake and start your second climb. My favorite part of this hike was the stunning views of Green Lake below. Any time I got a chance to take a break and look down at Green Lake, I took full advantage.
Once you make it to the small pond where the waterfall starts you are almost there! You can take a couple different paths to get to West Lake, but the shortest and easiest is crossing to the other side of the pond and hiking over the small hill until you see the lake that is your destination.
The Lake: Although not as stunning as Green Lake, in my opinion, it feels very triumphant to make it all the way to West Lake. There are many fallen rocks from the granite mountains above and a beautiful lake shore line on the other. I was able to find a rock overlooking the lake where I spent most of my time before heading back down.
My first visit to East Lake, I saw an Osprey holding a wriggling fish in its talons on top of a tree, something I had never witnessed before. East Lake is long and half-moon shaped, surrounded by enormous, sheer cliffs and full of Rainbow trout that cohabitate with the much smaller Brook trout.
Length: 8.7-mile out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 1,627 ft
Difficultly: Moderate
The hike: Once at the split for Green Lake/East Lake and West Lake it’s time to head towards East Lake. You will make a creek crossing and follow the trail away from Green Lake. If you want to get a good view of Green Lake on your way up, you’ll have to make a small detour off the trail. With only 500 more feet of elevation gain, the hike to Green Lake seems easy compared to West Lake. You will come across several more creek crossings and many wildflowers!
The Lake: Once you make it to the lake, don’t stop quite yet! The best place to enjoy the beauty of East Lake is in the center of the Lake near the large cliffs. Although I didn’t brave the water on either of my hikes to East Lake, others were jumping off the cliffs to cool off from the trek they just endured. Watching people jump from the white-ish rocks into bright blue water looked to me like a scene from what I think people do in Greek isles.
If you choose to make it all the way to Summit Lake from Green Lake Trailhead, you will most likely be spending the night which requires reserving a permit in advance. There is also a shorter hike to Summit Lake from Virginia Lakes Trailhead if you are day hiking that might make more sense. My packing list in this article does not pertain to overnighting at this lake.
Length: 14.5 mi, out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 2,454 ft
Difficultly: Difficult
The hike: Once at East Lake you are more than halfway to Summit Lake! East Lake is a great place to take a break and refuel. On your hike, you will pass a few more small lakes and creeks. There was one confusing crossing near one of the higher lakes that we had to pull up the satelite on our phone to figure out, so I suggest having some downloaded map in case you take a wrong turn along the way. There will be one more fork with a sign pointing the way to Summit Lake. This is your last little climb before you are at the lake!
The Lake: Summit Lake is a long beautiful lake with towering mountains to one side and wonderful lakeshore on the other. One fun thing to note is that on the opposite side of the lake is the start of Yosemite National Park. There is a large sign at the saddle (you can’t miss it) that states all the regulations of entering the park so don’t worry about it too much.
The best thing about this lake for me was seeing big horned sheep playing in the snow on the opposite side of the lake. We unfortunately didn’t bring binoculars, but it was still fun to see the little dots running around on the steep mountain above. We honestly wouldn’t have even figured out they were up there unless they weren’t disturbing rocks that fell down into the lake, so if you hear a lot of rocks rolling for what seems to be no good reason, make sure to study the mountain side to potentially see some big horned sheep!
Wearing:
In my pack:
If you are planning a road trip on Hwy 395, Bridgeport is a wonderful place to hang out for a couple of nights. There is plenty of dispersed camping, hot springs, beautiful night skies, and of course, a ton of incredible high alpine lakes.
Leave a comment below and let us know if hiking to Green Lake near Bridgeport California made it on your bucket list! Remember to share with your friends and family who love hiking and want to explore the Eastern Sierra of California!
Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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One Comment on Most Beautiful Hikes in the Eastern Sierra: Green Lake Bridgeport CA
I like the different trails available from this trailhead. The scenery looks stunning. I would be up for one of the shorter hikes like Green Lake.