Frog Lake viewed from Overlook off Warren Lake Trail

View of Frog Lake from overlook
off Warren Lake Trail

Frog Lake is a small alpine lake located in a forested wilderness east of Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada, a few miles north of Donner Pass and Summit Lake. Glacier-carved Frog Lake is private, but accessible during a stay at the rentable cabins and the Frog Lake Lodge—a rustic, hand-carved-granite building from the 1930s [1].

If, instead, you want to get a bird's-eye view of the remote lake (as shown in the pictures herein), a hike to the Frog Lake Overlook is a necessary and rewarding adventure. There are several ways to reach this impressive vista point right above the west shore of the lake [2,3]. This point literally is the dead-end of a short use trail that branches of the 5.3-mile-long Warren Lake Trail. The latter connects Warren Lake with the Donner Lake Rim Trail (DLRT) west of Summit Lake.

The overlook is usually marked with piled-up rocks, such as the unsteady stone lantern seen below. Standing at the edge of the Frog Lake Cliff, one has an excellent opportunity to topographically oversee the pristine lake including its near-shore depth profile contoured by the gradual changes from sand-brown to teal and dark blue colors. Also, one can spot boulders of different sizes and shapes under the surface of the clear water.

GPS Coordinates of Frog Lake Overlook [2]
Elevation: 8664′;
latitude(N): 39° 22.044′,
longitude (W): 120° 19.763′.

North shore of Frog Lake

Frog Lake Overlook marker

South shore of Frog Lake

References and additional information

[1]	Private High Sierra Treasure - Cabins & Lovely Frog Lake!: www.vrbo.com/95604.
[2]	Frog Lake Overlook: motherlode.sierraclub.org/SierraNevada/recreation/frog_lake_overlook.pdf.
[3]	Mike White: Afoot & Afield, Reno-Tahoe, A comprehensive hiking guide. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, California, 1st Edition August 2006, 2nd printing 2008, pp. 69-71.

Nearby lakes and trails

Summit Lake near Donner Pass
Donner Lake Rim Trail (DLRT)
Sierra Nevada Crest at Roller Pass

Trailing Ahead

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