In Northern Yosemite just half a mile from a fairly remote section of the Pacific Crest Trail lies a large, sandy beach on the shore of a beautiful Alpine Lake. This is a brief trip report recounting a weekend outing to that lake, Benson Lake. This trip fell relatively early in the season, but a well-below-average snow year made it possible to reach the lake with only wet feet and a few short sections of snow. The twenty miles from the nearest trailhead provided a reasonable amount of solitude.

My plan was to hike the Benson Lake Loop, a 50 mile loop from the Twin Lakes trailhead, camping at Benson Lake and completing the longer leg of the loop (30 miles) on the first day. I drove over on Friday night, picked up my permit at the ranger station, and rolled out my sleeping bag under the stars at the Sawmill Campground.