Leavitt Lake Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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At 9,560’ elevation, Leavitt Lake is one of the most picturesque alpine locations in the Central Sierra Mountain Range. However, this cache should only be attempted by people in good health with good lung function. Altitude sickness is no joke! The area is great for sightseeing, camping, fishing, hiking and off-road trails. Don’t forget the camera. Wild flowers are abundant in July and August.
Leavitt Lake road is located 3.8 miles east of the Sonora Pass off Hwy 108. There is no sign to mark the road, so you need to watch carefully for it. The dirt road is located near the apex of a curve in Hwy 108 that points to the south. The coordinates for the Hwy 108/Leavitt Lake Road intersection is:
N38 ° 18’ 174”
W119 ° 35’ 360”
Hwy 108 at Sonora Pass is closed in winter. The pass does not usually open until some time in May or even June depending on the amount of snow fall each year. Leavitt Lake Road is not plowed and often holds snow into July and sometimes August. Call the USFS Summit Ranger Station at (209) 965-3434 or the Bridgeport Ranger Station at 760-932-7070 to see if the road is passable. The road is available to hikers even if it is closed to vehicle use.
Leavitt Lake Road offers access to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and on to the Sierra high country of the eastern Emigrant Wilderness as well as the northern Hoover Wilderness Areas. Leavitt Lake is only accessible with a 4-wheel drive with good ground clearance or by hiking. It's 2.8 miles to Leavitt Lake from Hwy 108 on a rough dirt road with a couple of seasonal shallow stream crossings.
If you are camping, there are several nice established campsites above Leavitt Lake’s eastern shoreline that you can drive to. There are no other facilities of any kind, so bring what you need and take it out when you leave.
If you are planning to continue on the PCT into the wilderness, go to SummitPost at www.summitpost.org/trailhead/202533/leavitt-lake-trailhead.html for additional information.
I have been coming to Leavitt Lake for many years to camp and fish. When it is miseribly hot at lower elevations, I come here. Because of the evelation (9,560’), you need to be prepared for all weather conditions. You can get real wet, real cold, real quick if caught by thundershowers that occure frequently in the Eastern Sierras.
The lake holds mostly Brook Trout and an occasional Rainbow Trout. Fishing, or should I say ‘catching’, can be anything from great to non-existant. I learned the hard way that moon stages really effect the bite at this lake. Most fishing is from shore, but canoeing and tubing is also good. If you are tubing, wear wool socks and thermal underwear under the waders. I learned that the hard way too.
The original cache contained:
Log with an ink pen
Bob’s EarthCache Geo Coin
Lance Cpl Grant B. Fraser Ultimate Sacrifice Tag
Assortment of foreign coins
Roll of TP and a bottle of Purell
Pair of funny ‘Merlot’ bottle sunglasses
The Merlot sunglasses are great for visitors to wear for pictures, so please leave them.
Enjoy the view! It doesn’t get much better than this.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur ynxr jvyy or oruvaq gur yvggyr gerr