Pets allowed
Allowed
Elevation Gain
120.00 ft (36.58 m)
Trail type
There-and-back
Distance
0.00 mi (0.00 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The Lake Sabrina Inlet Hiking Trail is accessed from the Inlet Trailhead behind the store located at the boat landing. This is currently not an official Inyo National Forest Trail, but it was reconstructed and is now maintained by the owners of the Lake Sabrina Boat Landing Store and Restaurant. They decided to do their part to promote recreation on Lake Sabrina and reopen the trail after a large rock slide swept over the original trail several years back. Be sure to stop by the Lake Sabrina Boat Landing Store and Restaurant before or after your hike to enjoy breakfast or lunch and kick back on the lakeside patio in the sun. Lake Sabrina is very popular for fishing and boating; it also hosts trailheads for hiking trails leading into the John Muir Wilderness and Eastern Sierra Nevada, and it provides access to the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail.

Not too far after leaving the Inlet Trailhead you will pass rare western juniper trees along the shore that are only found on the Middle Fork Bishop Creek in this region of the Sierra. Be sure to stop and enjoy their shade as the large open basin does not provide much. The Inlet Trail mainly follows the exposed rocky shoreline and is a very uneven terrain. Although this is a short hike it may not be suitable for small children or those with physical disabilities.

As you approach the south end of the lake you will notice the aspen trees growing down the slope as they follow the creek from the High Sierra. The place where the creek meets Lake Sabrina is the inlet. This is where the trail ends and where you will make your return back to the Inlet Trailhead from whence you began. The Lake Sabrina Inlet Hiking Trail is a beautiful, short section of the Lake Sabrina Loop Trail that provides access to the entire western shoreline and the superb fishing of Lake Sabrina. Enjoy the hiking, sun, water, and fishing on Lake Sabrina.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Beautiful views of Lake Sabrina. Shoreline fishing. Rare western juniper trees.

Cons

Rocky uneven terrain.

Trailhead Elevation

9,177.00 ft (2,797.15 m)

Features

Backcountry camping
Historically significant
Mountaineering
Rock climbing
Waterfalls
Big vistas
Old-growth forest
Wildflowers
Fishing

Location

Nearby Adventures

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area, California
Eastern Sierra + White Mountains Area, California

Comments

If you got that close to the waterfall as shown in the pic, you forgot to mention that the mosquitoes there are so bad that it's like "CONSTANTLY BEING IN A SWARM OF GNATS."

And from personal experience, I believe they have evolved to jump on to sprinting-in-retreat victims because I was sprinting out of there and they were landing on my face and I only got away with 2 whole bites.

Yeah wear DEET if you're going to hike to the waterfall that sources the lake water.
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