Drake Lake Trail

Drake Lake is a moderate out-and-back from Warner Valley Day Use Area, about 5 miles round trip and roughly 3 to 4 hours. It starts on the Pacific Crest Trail through meadow, then takes quieter forest tread and a steep switchback climb to a small lake ringed by conifers. The park rounds the walk to 5 miles; the mapped corridor measures about 4.7 miles for the return, so treat the distance as approximate.

The opening stretch crosses Warner Valley meadow and follows Hot Springs Creek. It crosses the creek on a wooden bridge at about four-tenths of a mile, then passes a small mineral-colored tributary. Stay on the Pacific Crest Trail until the Drake Lake junction.

The Drake Lake path is narrower and quieter under the trees, and sections can blend into the forest. Around 1.7 miles from the start, take the lake-bound fork. The route climbs more than 500 feet in about half a mile on switchbacks; it is the hike’s hardest stretch. Follow the main tread as the grade eases near the top, then continue the final quarter-mile toward the lake.

The open switchbacks reveal Warner Valley, Mount Harkness and Lassen Peak. Drake Lake is a quiet, forested stop rather than a high alpine basin. The mapped route ends in the lake’s vicinity, about 35 meters from the nearest mapped shoreline point; look for the short continuation on the ground to reach the water.

Pets are not allowed on park hiking trails; service animals are excepted. The park warns that standing dead trees in the 2021 Dixie Fire area can fall without warning. The faint forest tread and steep half-mile climb call for attention. The longer 5.5-mile stem-and-loop is a different option and includes an unbridged Hot Springs Creek crossing; this route returns by the way it came.