Availability
Waterhouse Lake and Unnamed mapped lake or pond are mapped at or near the camp-area marker. This is map evidence, not a real-time flow report.
Backpacking camp
Waterhouse Lake camp area
Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg & Mokelumne Wilderness, California
About this place
Waterhouse Lake is the named terminal of NFS Trail 19E31 and the destination shown from Waterhouse on the Stanislaus mileage diagram.
Use a durable legal site outside lake and meadow setbacks, treat water, and carry the Stanislaus wilderness permit during the permit season.
Water planning
Water at this camp
Natural water at or near this camp areaDrinking safety
Natural water is not verified potable. Filter and disinfect it or boil it according to the linked land-manager guidance before drinking.
Seasonality
Waterhouse Lake is a mapped waterbody; USGS does not classify it here as seasonal or year-round. Confirm current level, access, and quality. Unnamed mapped lake or pond is a mapped waterbody; USGS does not classify it here as seasonal or year-round. Confirm current level, access, and quality.
- Waterhouse LakeLake or pond · at the camp areaMapped waterbody — level and access can change · Treat before drinkingOfficial source
- Unnamed mapped lake or pondLake or pond · at the camp areaMapped waterbody — level and access can change · Treat before drinkingOfficial source
Fire planning
Campfire & stove rules
Existing fire ring only when restrictions allowCampfires
This camp is approximately 7,490 ft. A small campfire may be used in an existing legal ring only when current restrictions allow it.
Backpacking stoves
Regulated gas stove allowed with permit. A gas stove with a regulator is the preferred cooking device; wood-burning stoves follow the campfire prohibition.
Permit
Carry a valid California Campfire Permit for every stove or allowed fire.
Current restrictions
Check Stanislaus alerts immediately before departure; temporary restrictions supersede the standing elevation and named-area rules.
Seasonal access
Closures & seasonal access
Highway 108 and its trailhead spurs are typically closed by winter snow, with reopening controlled by conditionsPlace closure
No recurring date-based closure of Waterhouse Lake is published. The source-connected approach conditions below and temporary emergency orders still control access.
Seasonal access
Source-connected approach: Waterhouse Trailhead. Highway 108 and its trailhead spurs are typically closed by winter snow, with reopening controlled by conditions. Wilderness permit dates are an authorization rule, not a closure season.
Before driving
Check Caltrans, Stanislaus alerts, and the selected forest road before travel; do not use the permit season as proof that the road is open.
Mapped approaches
Choose a trailhead for Waterhouse Lake camp area
Each option has a sourced trail route to this camp area. Choose one to open its itinerary builder with this destination in context.
- Waterhouse Trailhead1.3 mi awayView trailheadBuild from here
Map
Loading map
- Latitude
- 38.223307° N
- Longitude
- 119.903587° W