Location: The trail for Smith Lake starts at Angel Lake in the East Humboldt Mountains. Take State Route 231 (Angel Lake Road) out of Wells, Nevada. The road itself is a scenic byway and worth exploration. There are two trailheads out of Angel Lake. The first one to Winchell lake is 1.5 miles below the campground directly off the state route. The second one is near the campground which goes to Gray lake and Smith lake.
The hike: Today I hiked the 4.5 mile round trip to Smith lake. The weather was drizzly and cool. The trail itself is easy to follow and moderately strenuous. Follow like you are going to Gray lake (July post) until approximatly a mile into the hike where a sign shows the turnoff to Smith lake. The main vegetation in the East Humboldt mountains is Aspen and Sub alpine fir. The hike is very beautiful and suitable for hikers of any ability. There is no off-trail navigation to the lake. The highlight today was talking to a man from Hawthorne, Nevada, named Harold. He was scouting the day before hunting season started. What I liked about him was his tough attitude. Harold was planning on hiking to Gray lake where he would spend a night huddled behind a rock. He said, "It will probably be cold around 3 am but the sun will come up soon." The guy also owns property in Montello, Nevada, where he wants to graze cattle.
The sign for the campground with fall foliage
Smith lake with drizzle coming down
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