Tiny Woods Lake, set just two miles off Highway 88 near Carson Pass, is that kind of place. You 'll find a picture-perfect alpine lake, offset by massive slabs of granite, at 8,200 feet elevation.

The trailhead is across from Silver Lake, 7,200-foot elevation, and climbs (great views to the east) to Gem Lake at 8,058 feet in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, a 3.2-mile trip, each way.