Naturalist Basin Lakes

Follow the Naturalist Basin Trail north to its end on the bench that contains Shaler Lake. Because there are few trees above Jordan Lake it is easy to find your way around this area. Once at Shaler Lake you can head east a short distance to the edge of the bench. The steep drop off at this point will limit how far you can go. After enjoying the view to the east, reverse your steps in a northwesterly direction towards another bench north of Shaler Lake. Find a route up this bench and you'll now have an excellent view to the south showing Shaler Lake and its bench as well as country further south. There is a second bench behind Shaler lake and you can find your way up that for even better views. Once on top, continue in a westerly direction and as you approach the ridges that form the northwestern boundary of the Naturalist Basin, follow them in a southwest direction down a drainage which ends at Faxon Lake. Continue past Faxon Lake and you'll emerge back on the bench that contains Shaler lake. If you continue in a southwesterly direction you'll come to Le Conte Lake. Reverse direction again and head east back towards Shaler Lake and the end of the loop. Other than the work of scaling the bench north of Shaler Lake the remaining area is relatively flat, but without trails it will be slower going than with a trail.