Bloody Canyon Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers

The trail begins to descend gently on the far side of Mono Pass and soon approaches Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes. These isolated, high alpine lakes seem to attract a lot of hungry mosquitoes!

The trail then descends very steeply through the huge rocky canyon sandwiched between Mount Lewis and Mount Gibbs. It is called Bloody Canyon because of all the injuries to horses and mules that used this route before wagon roads were built. Watch your footing, but be sure to also raise your eyes to the distant views of dazzlingly blue Mono Lake on the dry plains far below.

The Bloody Canyon Trail eventually enters forest again near Walker Lake and terminates at Sawmill Canyon Road.