Kennedy Meadows Trailhead to Relief Reservoir
- Dates: September 6-8, 2013
- Forest: Stanislaus National Forest
- Region: Emigrant Wilderness
- Trailhead: Kennedy Meadows
- Trail Mileage: 4.2 miles
- Major Highway: 108
- Difficulty: moderate
- Elevation gain: 1300 ft.
- Nearby lakes: Sharon Lake
- Restrictions
- Wilderness permit required (free)
- Group size limit: 12 people
- Small campfires are allowed
We wanted to share our passion for the outdoors with our friends so we took them to Relief Reservoir. Me and Jon had never been through this route before so it was new for everyone.
Day 1
Overnight Stay at Rivers Resort
We paid $210 for one night in a 3-bedroom cabin at Rivers Resort in Strawberry, CA. It was pretty clean and big.
Day 2
Drive to Kennedy Meadows
From Rivers Resort, we drove 30 minutes to the Kennedy Meadows Trailhead.
Hike to Relief Reservoir
The hike was beautiful. There were a couple bridges we had to crossoverlooking amazing scenery, there were tons of wildflowers, rocky landscape, and rivers. However, the trail was shared with horseback riders, so there was shit everywhere. Also, the trail had no switchbacks.....it was constant uphill all the way to the reservoir.
Relief Reservoir
After 4.2 miles of constant uphill, we finally reached the reservoir. HOWEVER, we reached the view of the reservoir. We had to hike downhill to actually reach the campsites.
When we got closer to the reservoir, I wasn't impressed with the campsites. It had an okay view of the lake, and it seemed like it was the drought's fault. You could see where the waterline used to be. If it was full, our campsite would've been so close to the water!
