1.3 hr
The cutoff trail from McLeod Lake (near Horshoe Lake in the Mammoth Lakes Basin) to the John Muir Trail (JMT) / Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) rolls over easy terrain on a good, but lesser used, trail. The trail joins the JMT/PCT at Deer Creek where year-round water runs. From there, a short jaunt up-trail leads to Upper Crater Meadows, and shortly down the trail is Lower Crater Meadows and more running water.