Lake Ediza and Iceberg Lake Hike
	Trip Date:  07/07-08/2022 Distance: 18.0 Miles Vertical Gain: 2500' Group Size: 5 Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate    Hard   Strenuous	See video of hike   GPX for Lake Ediza   GPX for Iceberg Lake
	Start Coordinates:   N 37 40.929, W 119 05.193     End Coordinates:   Same as Start Coordinates Car Shuttle Req'd:   No Parking Directions:   From Highway 395 turn west on Mammoth Scenic Loop Road.  Head on this road for approximately 6 miles until you reach Minaret Road.  Turn right, and head 5 miles, past the Mammoth Mountain resort area until you reach a park service booth.  Head past the booth (before 7am)  and continue on this road which becomes Postpile Road for another 4 miles until you reach the parking area on the right for Agnew Meadows campground area.  Drive in and park as far north as possible, passing by a couple of parking areas to get as close to the PCT trailhead as possible.  NOTE: You need to arrive before 7am to park here or you will be REQUIRED to take a hiker shuttle bus from Mammoth Mountain to the trailhead area.  There is a fee of $20 (as of Summer 2022) for use of the area past the booth. Hazards of Note:   Long day hike, significant elevation gain, many trail junctions to be aware of. Crowd Factor:   Moderate to High.  This is a crown jewel hiking area. Lake Ediza and Iceberg Lakes are some of the most amazing locations in the entire Eastern Sierras. The trail past Shadow Lake is along the John Muir Trail (JMT) for a mile or so, which is a very popular point to point hike from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite National Park.  The lakes are a popular destination and require reaching the destination early for the best available camping areas. General Notes: From the Agnew Meadows trailhead, find the sign for the River trail. Follow this trail for a couple of miles into the Ansel Adams Wilderness, heading past Olaine Lake until you reach the junction to Shadow Lake off to the left. This next couple miles up to Shadow Lake will offer the bulk of the elevation gain for this trip up to Lake Ediza. Just past Shadow Lake you will turn right (north) on the John Muir trail, which you will follow for less than a mile until you reach the signed junction to Lake Ediza. The next mile and a half will be fairly level as you follow the outlet stream from Lake Ediza that flows into Shadow Lake, and then you will cross the river and climb up to Lake Ediza. The scenery in this section is unbeatable, with the Minarets off to the left in the distance and Mt. Ritter and Mt. Banner off to the right. Head around the south side of the lake and look for the camping spots that are found along the far western edge of the lake. To head up to Iceberg Lake, there is a signed junction near the southeast corner of Lake Ediza that will take you up another 600 feet of elevation gain as you reach the stunning Iceberg Lake near the base of the Minarets which tower high above you.
	Pulling into the parking area near Agnew Meadows, there were some nice views to the northwest of some of the area that will get to be experienced on this loop.
	Our group getting ready to head out from the Agnew Meadow trailhead.
	These are the trail markers you want to look for to start along the hike.  Make sure to west onto the River Trail.
	Less than a mile up the River Trail you will pass into the Ansel Adams Wilderness area.  Don't forget on the way back that you have dropped a significant amount of elevation gain as the opposite will face you over the last two miles on your return trip.
	As you drop down into the valley your first lake will be Lake Olaine. It was a very scenic start early in the morning with mist rising off the lake and undisturbed reflections of the mountains ahead.
	Keep left at this junction so that you don't continue up the River Trail and inadvertently end up too far north at 1000 Island Lake. This will be the start of a significant climb that will be easier the earlier in the day you can attempt it.
	As the trail climbs you will be paralleling the Shadow Lake outlet stream/waterfall for much of the effort.
	About halfway to Lake Ediza is the picturesque Shadow Lake. This is a good spot for a break and possibly a quick dip, but there is no camping allowed anywhere around this lake.
	Just past the lake there is a junction with the John Muir Trail (JMT.) This surprisingly substantial bridge is to the south, and we will head the opposite direction for a relatively short stint along the JMT.
	After leaving the JMT the trail toward Lake Ediza follows the outflow from the lake, becoming more and more enticing with hints of the views ahead as you progress closer to the destination.
	After crossing the river via some well-placed logs, there is a last climb up to the lake that has a spectacular reward as the end.
	It's hard to imagine a more spectacular location than the Lake Ediza area. Everywhere you look is just filled will jaw-dropping scenery all around.
	A look at the trail headed toward the campsite area to the west of Lake Ediza with Mt. Ritter and Mt. Banner towering high above.
	There is one significant water crossing to reach the campsite, which was flowing very well even in the middle of July this low-water season.
	It didn't take long to drop our packs and get the campsite set up before we decided to venture out out to Iceberg Lake later that afternoon.
	As we headed up to Iceberg Lake from Ediza we were able to look back and fully appreciate the spectacular location of our campsite beneath the Ritter and Banner peaks.
	It's a good climb up to Iceberg Lake, but the sight of the Minarets so close and the vibrant flowers all along the way (as well as no heavy backpack) really made the trek that much more enjoyable.
	Iceberg Lake is another stunning location in this area. The next lake up, Cecile (formerly Upper Iceberg Lake) is just above this one past the notch in the left half of the ridge behind this lake. Unfortunately the trail is hazardous this time of the year with snow making it even more sketchy.
	On the way back down we couldn't help but stop to admire the almost surreal location we were surrounded by.
	Back at camp we were able to climb up a little bit above our tent locations and find a memorable location for dinner that evening.
	My camping spot with a nice overlook of Lake Ediza.
	We enjoyed the same spot for breakfast the next morning as we had for dinner the night before, and the light show in the early morning was one for the ages.
	Breakfast was even better with this view of the Minarets and the trail that we had climbed the previous day on our way to visit Iceberg Lake.
	The trip out was much easier than the climb in the day before, except for the last mile and a half that was upward out of the canyon toward Agnew Meadow.
	The last mile or so sees the trail climb 300' from the river valley up to Agnew Meadows once again, but the views of Mammoth Mountain in the distance were enough of a distraction to keep the pace going.
	GPX track of the hike from Agnew Meadow on the lower right to Lake Ediza on the upper left.
	GPX track of the hike from Lake Ediza up to Iceberg Lake.