Snow Lake / Gem Lake '03,  Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area,  October 3, 2003     page 11 / 21

The trail gains about 800 feet from Snow Lake to Gem Lake. Gem Lake sits at an elevation of 4857 feet. The views are outstanding. We approached the lake from it's southeast side. From there one sees the lake from a small cliff about 20 feet above the lake. This allowed us to view deep into the clear water. I think we were able to see 40 or 50 feet deep! Very impressive.