Getting There

To reach Island Lake in Nevada County, drive to the Carr Lake trailhead by taking Highway 20 from Highway 80 at Yuba Pass. Take Highway 20 west until you can turn right on Bowman Lake Road. From Bowman Lake Road, follow the signs to the turnoff for Carr Lake Road. Carr Lake Road is an unimproved dirt road that is very rough but still manageable in a 2-wheel drive vehicle with modest clearance. The parking can be sparse due to the trailhead being very popular.

The Hike

The hike to Island Lake is an easy and short hike. For this reason you are likely to cross paths with many other day hikers and backpackers. Many people bring their children into this area for the mild ascents and abundant lakes. We chose to camp at Island Lake and day hike to Long Lake. Our campground at Island Lake was great as it provided easy water access, a good spot for our tent and a great fire pit.

The Fishing

Island Lake in Tahoe National Forest is a put-and-take fishery that receives regular trout plants from DFW. Fishing Island Lake produced nice Rainbows and Brook Trout for us. We only fished one spot which was at our campsite. We had steady action using orange Powerbait and inflated crawlers and landed many fish. We kept one fish from Island Lake for dinner as my daughter loves to eat trout.

Island Lake is large enough to offer a great number of suitable camping sites if your willing to take a walk around the perimeter. It makes a good base camp to day hike to Long, Round, and Penner Lakes.