Brewer Basin in Kings Canyon

The lake just below Big Brewer Lake does not get much sun in the morning. There is a large potential camp area next to the lake to the left of this shot.

Below Big Brewer Lake

22 Sept., Day 4, Brewer Basin
It was my birthday and my birthday present was a layover day in the Brewer Basin. It was a fine day indeed. We had decided to go down to the lower lake and meadow area suggested by Phil Arnot in his book, and explore downward as far as we felt like to perhaps catch sight of the lowest Brewer lake. We were never really sure which lake was commonly referred to as Little Brewer Lake. There were at least four other fair sized lakes in the area that could have been entitled to the name Little Brewer Lake, but only later would I decide the lowest lake was to most deserving. After a leisurely breakfast, we set out for a walk. From our elevated camp we could look down on the lake just below and the level area described by Arnot. After crossing the outlet stream we descended an easy grass filled master joint to the lower lake with its park-like surroundings. The uninteresting lake, rock bound and shaded most of the time, held two points of interest. Its outlet did not seem to exist; rather it was buried in rock and reappeared some 30 meters downstream. And also nearby was a fairly new and well formed (probably Tioga) moraine piled up nearby, a perfect example of a small terminal moraine created by a small glacier. The stream circled around and outside a small flat park surfaced with sand, level granite, small trees and grass. If one were not comfortable with the sub-alpine conditions of Big Brewer Lake, then the more common forest and park-like conditions near this unnamed lake might be ideal. The view of Mt. Brewer is good, and there is plenty of room to stretch, or sprawl out. However, we saw no sign of human usage, although this may have been the site of the Brewer survey camp of the 1800s. They came up this drainage on horseback, and the nearby small meadow may have been big enough for their stock. We certainly did not see any impediment to horseback travel up to this point, and the area would be ideal for a large group such as the Brewer survey party.