# Dope Lake: Yosemite's Weirdest Treasure Hunt

> A smuggler's plane went down in a frozen Yosemite lake in 1976, and Camp 4 climbers went diving for the cargo.
- Title: Dope Lake: Yosemite's Weirdest Treasure Hunt | Shortify
- Summary: A smuggler's plane went down in a frozen Yosemite lake in 1976, and Camp 4 climbers went diving for the cargo. Yosemite's climbing scene was broke, bold and…
- Keywords: yosemite, climbing, camp 4, 1976, documentary, Dope, Lake, Yosemite's, Weirdest, Treasure, Hunt, Gripped Magazine
- Source: Gripped Magazine — https://gripped.com/news/the-plane-full-of-marijuana-that-crashed-in-yosemite
- Author: Brandon Pullan
- Published: 2026-09-14T11:25:21+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: yosemite, climbing, camp 4, 1976, documentary
## A plane hits the ice
In December 1976, a twin-engine Howard 500 loaded with about 6,000 pounds of Mexican marijuana crashed into a frozen lake deep in Yosemite's backcountry. Both men aboard died.
## Weeks before anyone knew
Park employees only stumbled on the wreck weeks later. Rangers pulled out some of the cargo, but thousands of pounds stayed locked under the ice. Then Camp 4 heard about it.
## An 18-year-old hikes in
Ken Yager was one of the climbers who made the trek through three feet of snow to the scattered wreckage. He remembers the site as grim, not thrilling.

> There was a spooky feeling, you know? You could just feel death.
## Hacking bales from the ice
Climbers chopped holes through the frozen lake and hauled soaked bales back toward the valley. The cargo reeked of water and aviation fuel.

> It's cold, windy, you could smell airplane fuel.
## Drying it out in LA
Some of the haul went to a Los Angeles motel room, spread across the floor to dry. Yager called it off before the whole thing collapsed on them.

> I just said, 'Hey, we're going to get busted if we stay here. We need to get out of here.'
## Fifty years on
Scuba divers followed, until authorities shut the site down. Now the documentary High Ground reunites climbers, rangers, investigators and families to sort out what really happened.

> We underestimated the entrepreneurial spirit of certain members of the community.
## Key takeaway

Yosemite's climbing scene was broke, bold and opportunistic enough to turn a fatal plane crash into a months-long salvage operation.