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About this place
A quick and easy hike that offers stunning views of Mammoth Mountain, the Minarets, and Heart Lake. If done in autumn, there is a ton of aspens along the trail for the fall colors.
You will see a couple of trailheads starting by parking at the Coldwater Creek Campground parking lot. This one is specifically marked Heart Lake. There will be a couple of forks in the trail, but if you stay right and on the more obvious path, you will be up to Heart Lake in no time. (Going left will take you on a short half-mile loop around some old mines.)
Just over a mile on a fairly easy trail, you will come out of the trees to the Heart Lake beach-like entrance. The beginning portion is the steepest of it all. The end of the trail flattens out and contours the hillside. A very small lake but very easy to access for swimming or chilling for a picnic. (You will be in the John Muir Wilderness area so mind those rules).
Leave No Trace
