Cirque Lake to Cottonwood Lake #3

Trip Type: Incorporate as an additional day to your Cottonwood basin visit.

Altitude Gain: 0 feet

Trail Difficulty: Easy

Trail Traffic: Moderate to Light.  The Trail from Cirque to the connection with the Cottonwood/New Army Pass trail is lightly traveled.  Cottonwood Lakes typically has numerous users, particularly on weekends.

WSH Trip Rating: 4 out of 5 stars:  You can't beat the alpine Sierra!

The Hike:  This is a super easy mid-day stroll from lake to lake.   Take your time, get up late, even make a batch of pancakes and take in the quiet and beauty of Cirque Lake and Cirque peak.  It's a bit more than an hour walk over to Cottonwood so no rush.  Follow your tracks back to the junction with the New Army pass trail.  When you're there head left and make the short 100' climb to Cottonwood Lake #1 and the junction to Cottonwood Lakes.  Once there you'll see a trail sign, left for New Army Pass, right for Cottonwood Lakes.  Take the right and stroll on over to Lake #3. 

Camping at Cottonwood Lakes: Cottonwood Lake #3 appears to have the most use and therefore the best camping however there are a few other spots to consider.  There's a nice camping area on the Northeast side of Lake #2 which could provide a bit of solitude as Lake #3 does get a lot of traffic.  Also, if you're really looking for solitude try heading up to East side of Lake #5.  There is no suitable camping at Lake #1 (marshy) or Lake #4.