Drive about 7 miles south from Lee Vining on Highway 395 to the North June Lake Junction at Route 158. Turn right onto the unpaved road for the lakes, and then veer left at the junction about 0.1 mile away. Drive 0.4 mile, then turn right toward Walker Lake. Drive about 3.4 miles to a small parking lot where the trailhead is marked. Rocky, sometimes steep trail.
Some sections have loose, sandy soil and footing can be treacherous.
The lake, named by Theodore Agnew during the mining days of the late nineteenth century, is nestled on a granite bench with soaring peaks around it. Gem Lake is a hydroelectric reservoir owned by Southern California Edison. But miners recognized it immediately for its beauty and photogenic location among the peaks in what would become the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The flora is also striking at Gem Lake. Small rodents in the area feed on this plant, which is fairly common in moist soils above 7,000 feet in the Sierra.