Here’s the El Dorado National Forest, off Highway 50 and about 4 hours east of San Francisco. On the east side of the forest is the Desolation Wilderness, which has beautiful lakes in rocky terrain. This is from a hike between Wright’s Lake and Smith Lake, which involves a decent uphill.
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Grouse Lake
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Smith Lake
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Eldorado National Forest from vicinity of Smith’s Lake.
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El Dorado Forest looking east over Highway 50