Devils Bathtub

Near: Fresno (but not really)
Trip Type: Dayhike
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation: 7,800 to 9,200 feet
Vegetation: Pine Forest, Meadows
Last Visit: August 2018

**Note: the Thomas A Edison Lake and Florence Lake areas were heavily impacted by the Creek Fire of 2020.  Check the Sierra National Forest website for up to date information on trail closures.**

The ominously named Devils Bathtub (in the shadow of Graveyard Peak, no less) is actually a very pleasant alpine lake in the southern Ansel Adams Wilderness.  It's ringed with perfect blocky boulders for sunbathing or launching a nice cannon ball.  Most easily reached from the Mono Creek trailhead just off of Lake Thomas A Edison, the Bathtub is moderate hike on an easily followed trail with just enough climb to get you ready to jump in.

Rules and Regulations

This hike is in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, managed in this section by the Sierra National Forest. No permits are required for day hikes, but backcountry camping requires a wilderness permit. The Sierra National Forest administration is a bit old-school on this point. As of 2018 you still couldn't reserve backpacking permits online through Recreation.gov as you can for most other national forests in California with hiker quotas, you've got to mail it in. Campfires are allowed below 10,000 feet with a backcountry permit. Dogs are allowed off leash, if under effective voice control.

Trailhead

This hike starts from the Mono Creek Trailhead near Lake Thomas A Edison.  From the same trailhead you can also hike east along the north shore of the lake, or northeast to the Graveyard Lakes or Goodale Pass, though those last two are getting fairly long for day hikes. 

Note that the road into this area is paved most of the way and passable for passenger cars, but only just barely.  Getting here from the Bay Area takes almost 6 hours.  So this hike is best paired with some camping.  You can camp right at the trailhead for a single night if you've got a backpacking permit or a campfire permit, or you can camp at the nearby Vermillion Campground on the lake, or you can stay at the Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) also on the lake.  VVR is a popular resupply stop for through hikers on the JMT and PCT.  It's a pretty basic place, but with really nice friendly, low-key vibe.  VVR also runs the water taxi that will give you (and your dog) a ride across the lake where you have several options for additional hikes along the PCT/JMT or east to Mono Pass.  If you enjoy the mountains more from horseback, you can also arrange a ride to the bathtub from the nearby High Sierra Pack Station.

Route

This a fairly straightforward hike with just one well-signed intersection along the way.  The grade is never very steep, gentling climbing for most of the hike with one switchbackey section up a steep slope in the last mile.  The hike in is pleasant enough but not very noteworthy until the lake.  You cross a couple of small streams and pass a small meadow along the way, but they didn't do much for me personally.  The bathtub is great, though, with a bouldery shore to jump in from, plentiful shade from surrounding pine forest and Graveyard Peak looming directly above.

CalTopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/S741