Backpacking Iceberg Lake

Today we’re going over a backpacking route that’ll take you to Iceberg Lake - an awesome spot in the Eastern Sierra, Ansel Adams Wilderness. It’s a tiny body of water that actually has tiny icebergs floating in it. Great place for a single-day overnight backpacking trip. Or stretched out into a multi-day trip if you choose to connect it to Cecile & Minaret Lake.

I went there on a solo backpacking trip last summer - had no idea what to expect, but now I recommend it to all my photographer friends as a must-see spot. I’ll share some need-to-knows with you if you’re planning a trip out there and lots of shots from my trip to help you decide.

HERE’S 5 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO…

Mileage: 8.5 miles one-way, from Shadow Creek to Iceberg Lake

You’ll need to get a permit from a ranger station.

There’s multiple ways to get to Iceberg lake - which is great news because if one of the entry trailheads is booked, you’ve got options for another that might be open. The way I went (from Agnew Meadows) you can either get a permit from River Trail or Shadow Creek. Both start at the same trailhead point.

Highly suggest getting to the station early - opens at 8 am in Mammoth. Expect a line of other eager backpackers, so get to the parking lot earlier than that if you’re heading out the same day. Once you’ve got it - keep the permit on you & easily accessible. I keep mine in a top pocket of my pack. Came in handy when I ran into a ranger who asked to see it during my route.

Parking is extremely limited, you may need to take a shuttle

There’s very little parking near the trailhead itself. Also they close the road at certain times. So unless you plan to park and snag a spot during the open window, you’ll need to park at the shuttle lot instead and take said shuttle. It was an $8 roundtrip and super convenient - look into the Reds Meadow / Devil’s Postpile shuttle before your trip for hours, cost, and peak season info.

The mosquitoes are no joke, pack bug spray

If you’re going during peak mosquito season in the Sierra, and hiking near any body of water - double check your packing list for bug spray. You’ll be bummed without it. I like to pack picardin - I’ll link my go to choice for you here. I’m usually one of those people that bugs leave alone but they were all over me this summer.

There’s lots of water along the way

So if you want to pack light and fill up as you go, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to fill up at sources along the way. Lakes, creeks, etc. I packed two 1L bottles, but could’ve saved myself the weight and space and packed just one. There was that much along the route.

Here’s where to set up camp

There’s very few places to camp out by Iceberg Lake - I saw maybe three areas where there were existing established campsites. There may seem like a lot of open areas but to abide by Leave No Trace, you’ll need to choose an existing spot to not trample the vegetation. Luckily there’s plenty of those to choose from in the surrounding area. And even when I went (in late summer on a weekend), it was just me and one other family out by Iceberg.

Many people set up camp at Ediza Lake where there’s plenty of spots available - and will take a small pack with them up to see Iceberg Lake. Iceberg is about a mile further from Ediza. If you scroll down below and look closely you’ll be able to see where people set up camp. Look for the tiny tents.

MORE VIEWS FROM ICEBERG LAKE, EDIZA LAKE, AGNEW MEADOWS

Here’s some more shots from that trip to help you decide if you wanna plan to visit Iceberg Lake. Be sure to pin and save this post to your travel board as a resource for later.

By the way, if you’ve got any questions about this trip or trail specifics - leave them in the comments below & I’ll get back to you. I’m an open book when it comes to sharing info with fellow hikers, backpackers, and photographers!