Reflections in the High Sierra

I’m someone who can easily spend an hour looking for the perfect campsite. For me, a campsite needs to have a certain sense of coziness, but it also has to be visually special. I took this photo while hiking the Rae Lakes Loop in the southern Sierra Nevada in 2025. I had hiked this area before on the John Muir Trail and already knew I didn’t want to camp at Rae Lakes. Beautiful as they are, they’re heavily used, and it can be difficult to find a quiet, pristine campsite. Instead, I stopped at Arrowhead Lake just below. I spent nearly an hour walking around the shoreline, scouting every possible campsite before finally finding this one. Looking toward Glen Pass with the impressive Fin Dome towering above the valley, I pitched my tent here. As the sun slowly set, the wind completely disappeared, turning the lake into a perfect mirror. Without a doubt, my favorite campsite on the Rae Lakes Loop.