The trail to George Lake, via the Potter Pass Trail, is about 9.5 miles long and is on the rugged side. There are areas on this trail that are very steep. These are the most difficult areas. The length of this trail and the steep areas are the reason for the "rugged" description. This hike is very much worth the difficulty, and is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the area (See photos: http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/george-lake).
The parking lot for Potter Pass Trail is about 5 miles up Kaiser Pass Road. The trailhead is on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot. You will steadily ascend about 1,100 feet in about 2 miles. This climb will take you to Potter Pass. Potter Pass will provide phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains and a small meadow below. This is a great place to take a break after the hard climb, and if you left the parking lot at about 10:30, you should reach the pass at around lunchtime. When you leave the pass, you will immediately start heading back downhill. The first 1.5 miles downhill are fairly steep and the ground can be loose, so watch your footing. At the bottom of the steepest downhill section, the trail flattens out and you will have another 1.5 miles to Lower Twin Lake. You can fish here. The deep drop off on the West side of the lake is the best place, and 10-12 inch trout are not uncommon. A few hundred yards up the trail from here, is Upper Twin Lake. There is a small outlet cave on the Northeast side of the lake that provides some cool exploration opportunities. You can fish here too, but fish are generally smaller and less common than they are at Lower Twin. The trail from Upper Twin to George Lake is a steady uphill for about 1.5 miles, but much less rugged that the first part of the hike. About a quarter mile up the trail to George Lake, there is another cave.this cave goes all the way through to an exit on the other side, and is very cool to explore as well. Once you reach George Lake, you will realize why this hike is so popular. You will see 2 peaks towering over the lake, and Kaiser Peak is visible to the West. You can fish here too. Fish are mostly between 8 and 10 inches and are most common in May and September. You can do this whole hike in a day, or you can camp on the Northeast side of the lake. Either way, I highly recommend this hike.
