The hike to Duck Pass is a particularly enjoyable one, even in warm weather, since most of the walk is among large evergreen trees, and there are a stream and three lakes, plus a fourth if you make it as far as Duck Lake, the largest of the lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin. You begin the hike by parking at the far end of the Coldwater campground, reached by taking the Lake Mary Road, which is a continuation of the main road (203) through Mammoth Lakes.

Follow the signs to Lake Mary and Coldwater campground. On this particular day many hikers other than myself saw a bear near the first of the lakes, Lake Arrowhead. You make a slight detour to the left to reach Lake Arrowhead after hiking about a mile. Some people miss it; it is a good fishing spot and swimming lake for dogs, of which we met several.

The next lake is very accessible from the trail, which passes along the sandy beaches of Skelton Lake, making this an ideal rest spot. Here another hiker photographed Genevieve and myself after a leisurely lunch and swim.

We continued on as far as Barney Lake, which even this late in the season had some snow on the far side. Barney Lake is different from the others in that it is surrounded by marsh grass and other vegetation and appears to be shallower.

The actual ascent to Duck Pass via about 26 switchbacks commences immediately after you pass Barney Lake.  On this trip we took a more leisurely pace and did not proceed to the pass because of the late hour. Genevieve and I had previously hiked to Duck Lake early in the season when the switchbacks were covered with snow and ice. In fact, it was one of her first mountain pass ascents at the age of eight months (the first was Kiersarge Pass in the Onion Valley). The round trip is only five miles, and it is also possible to continue the hike beyond Duck Lake, but it is best to carpool with two cars if you plan that route.

On your way down don't fail to pause among the rocks overlooking Skelton Lake. If your dog is as cooperative as mine in posing on rocks this is a great location for some late afternoon photography. As you can see, she is somewhat tired after a half-day hike and much swimming. Her saddle bags contain her toy, treats, and extra water, which on this trip was not necessary. People often ask if dogs can drink the stream and lake water in the Sierra Nevada. While there is certainly a risk of ingesting giardia bacteria, I have never been able to prevent her from drinking from the streams, and she may have built up an immunity. However, I have known some small dogs to get violently ill from drinking unfiltered water. I have since acquired a Sweetwater filtration system for hiking and will be using it on subsequent hikes and climbs.

Rock Creek Hike	Mt. Whitney Hike

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