Crystal Lake

Syd and I wanted to go somewhere we had never been before so we drove up to the San Gabriel Dam. We read that about 15 miles up the mountain from the dam there is a lake called Crystal Lake. It looked pretty in the pictures online, so we decided to give it a try.

The oneway street

Crystal Lake is at 5,600 feet to it is a bit of a trek. For the last ten minutes to the lake it is a one way narrow loop. The street winds through trees and the mountains and then we found an empty parking lot with a lake sign.

Crystal Puddle?

We walked about 5 minutes down a hill and found Crystal Lake. It is in a pretty setting that feels very far away from the city, but the lake is really nothing more than a pond this summer. We were a little surprised that it was empty, with only two other families there. Syd immediately got out his fishing pole and put in his line.

After about an hour in the sun, Syd got a few bites, but didn't catch anything. The water was really clear and you could see a few tiny trout swimming around. I think in years where there is plenty of rain, Crystal Lake is probably a great place to come to be refreshed from the city, but this year is is a little sad.

We had a nice adventure today and saw something basically in our backyard we had no idea existed. This is what summer is all about, exploring and enjoying being outside.