Resting in the basin created by Muriel Peak and Mount Goethe are the Goethe Lakes. The water is crystal clear, and reflects many shades of blue and green when touched by the sun’s rays. The “trail” leading to the lower lake is less of a trail, and more of a “just walk towards it” type of deal. There were very few footsteps in the mud and dirt- maybe it’s the time of year… or maybe this really is a seldom visited gem of a lake. It certainly felt remote. The basin is so quite. Even with the wind howling just below over Piute Pass, the mountains here protect you from the chill and cacophony of the wind.
Mount Goethe, and it’s respective lakes, was named after the author of “Faust”, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. With an elevation of 4,043m it is the highest point of the Glacier Divide, an east-west crest forming the northern boundary of Kings Canyon National Park.