Four gorgeous lakes can be enjoyed on the June Lake Loop in Mono County. Just down the road where we stayed at Double Eagle Resort and Spa is Silver Lake. Established back in 1916, it’s known as the oldest trout fishing retreat in the Eastern Sierras!
It was too bad we didn’t bring my dad with us on the trip, he would have planted himself on one of the motor boats and stayed the whole trip pulling up trout! For our family of five, we woke early and came to enjoy a lovely morning on these clear waters by boat and by kayak, no fishing this time!
Silver Lake Resort is open the last weekend in April through mid-October and has an old-fashioned General Store, Gift Shop, Cafe, Cabin Rentals, RV Park, and Boat Rentals. Since we had reservations on the water, the first order of business was choosing who was going where. One adult per watercraft, both people on the kayak need life jackets, and kids 12 and younger must have a life vest.
Dad and the two girls on the motor boat, and my son and I were going to paddle the kayak. Luckily I had practice not to long ago in Kauai. The lake is large, not crowded at 10am, and we had no rush for our two hour excursion. 
My son and I would paddle a bit, coast and rest, snap some photos and repeat. The morning air was cool, but the sun was warm and with the reflection off the water, don’t forget your sunscreen. Kayaks are offered $18 for the first hour and $10 and hour there after!
After a quick lesson on starting and steering the motor boat, my girls and husband set off. Motor boats also have paddles when you’re not using the power. 
Boat rentals are available for a reasonable $45 for a full day (7am-7pm) or half day at $35. 5 people max per boat. My oldest took a turn steering the motor boat then paddled a bit with my youngest all the while taking in the amazing beauty around the lake.
Towards the southerly end of the lake, we reached and docked at a little island. 
Here you can have a picnic (picnic table on site) or fish off the banks. 
Only about100 feet long, the island is a quiet little stop and my youngest coined it “Kendall Island” after herself naturally and loved exploring for about a half hour. My husband and youngest decided they wanted to take a little kayak ride.
After this nice break, we decided to put my son on the motor boat and my youngest with me on the kayak to work our way back to shore. I thought about taking over on the boat, but the motor is heavy and a bit tough to maneuver (pulling it up and in when switching to paddle) for me so I stuck to the kayak and left my husband on the boat.
Our Kauai kayak experience only allowed for me to have the paddle, so my little one was thrilled at the challenge to stay in line with mom and not counteract my paddling. She was a trooper, but at one point we both got tired.
The area is simply gorgeous with the surrounding mountains and trees encompassing the lake. Everywhere you look is picturesque we have about 150 photos of this excursion alone! The action on the lake picked up and the fishing was very productive when we asked others as we passed them in the boats. If you’re looking for a fishing spot with great rates for a boat rental (or you can launch your own), Silver Lake Resort is a great place for you to explore in Mono County! Or do what we did, a little leisurely ride with some exercise thrown in and bring a picnic for a stop on the island! Be sure to get there early, at 10am there was only one other motor boat left!
Can’t wait to make a return visit next summer and we’re bringing Grandpa!!
Our experience was hosted through our press trip, all opinions 100% our own.
At first I thought you were talking about Silver Lake over in Southern California but this place looks great! I hope I can take my family there sometime this summer!
I guess there’s many Silver Lakes in the US. When I first posted photos on my FB page, I had someone comment “you photoshopped those, there are no mountains in Florida!”
That looks like so much fun! The photos are great and it seems like a wonderful way to create family memories. We haven’t taken our kids out on canoes or kayaks yet, but I’m sure they would love this. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind if we are ever in the area.
This looks like a beautiful place to visit. I would love to go there someday.