Yosemite National P ark, and in particular Yosemite Valley, is home to some of the most famous wilderness landmarks in America. But north of the Valley, and north of Highway 120 and Tuolumne Meadows, resides an area of the park known as the Yosemite Wilderness. And in the same way that the mighty Merced River cuts its way through the 3,000+ foot deep Yosemite Valley, so too does the powerful Tuolumne River cut its way through a similarly spectacular canyon in the Yosemite Wilderness know simply as The Grand Canyon of Tuolumne. This huge river runs West and Southwest from Tuolumne Meadows, through Glen Aulin and then almost 20 miles to the massive Hetch Hetchy Reservoir – all the while cutting its way through the deep and massive Grand Canyon of Tuolumne. The Grand Canyon features a series of famous waterfalls at it’s upper/Eastern end, including Waterwheel Falls, LeConte Falls, California Falls and Tuolumne Falls.

Trail Details

Trail Map Distance: 47.1 miles
Time: 5 days
Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous
Elevation Gain: ~10,000 ft
Dogs: No
When to Go: Mid-June to Early September. For BIG waterfalls, early summer is best.

The Grand Canyon of Tuolumne can be backpacked as a multi-day out-and-back from either its West side or East Side, or it can be backpacked as a loop – starting from either Tuolumne Meadows or from White Wolf. We decided to backpack it as a loop starting and ending at White Wolf in a fantastic 5-day, 50-mile backcountry adventure.

Why start/end at White Wolf? Several reasons:

• During 2022, the Tuolumne Meadows backpacker’s camp was CLOSED for restoration and repairs. This eliminated the opportunity to sleep there the night before our start for acclimation and gear shakedowns. The White Wolf campground was open and available.
• The White Wolf campground is much closer to the entrance to the GC of Tuolumne, eliminating the out-and-back miles that would have to be repeated from Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin and back.
• The White Wolf campground day one start would be almost all downhill into the GC of Tuolumne – a good way to start day one.

Planning the Trip

We booked our backcountry permit online through the Yosemite backcountry permit system exactly 168 days prior to our entry date. The map we used to plan our route was the Tom Harrison Yosemite High Country Map. This one map shows the entire route. We chose the following schedule for our trip – hoping that this would keep our average miles around 10 miles per day and also put us near water each night:

• Travel Day One: Drive to Yosemite National Park via Highway 395 and Highway 120 – enter YNP at the Highway 120 Eastern Gate. Acquire our backcountry permit at the Tuolumne Meadows ranger station. Then drive to White Wolf, sign in and pay the money at the drop box, and pitch camp in the White Wolf backpackers camp.
• Day One: Hike from White Wolf North to Harden Lake, then East/Northeast and down into the GC of Tuolumne to Pate Valley.  
• Day Two: Hike East up the GC of Tuolumne to Waterwheel Falls.
• Day Three: Hike East up and out of the GC of Tuolumne to Glen Aulin, then South to the May Lake / Ten Lakes trail junction with a side trip to Polly Dome Lakes.
• Day Four: Hike West around Tuolumne Peak to Ten Lakes.
• Day Five: Hike over Ten Lakes Pass and then South and West to White Wolf, load up the car and then head home via a night in Bishop.

Total (Tom Harrison Map) Miles (including the side trip to Polly Dome Lakes): 48.9 Miles.

(NOTE: Actual GPS hiking mileage as recorded by the GaiaGPS for iPhone app was 53.35 Miles.

Map of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Loop

Day One – White Wolf Campground to Pate Valley

The trail from White Wolf Campground starts as a fire access road heading North towards the GC. In just under three miles you reach Harden Lake, which during our late-summer trip was quite low.

From Harden Lake the trail heads east and Down, Down, Down into the GC, winding its way 3,000 vertical feet to the canyon floor and the Tuolumne River. During this first week of September, the cool temperatures of White Wolf would skyrocket to over 100 degrees at the canyon floor! The switchback trail winds it way down Morrison Creek, which at this time of year was bone dry. 

The smoke from the Rogers fire was burning high up on the opposite canyon ridge, so we were in no danger. Looking back, there are a few good view points where you can make out the Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the West. This would be a much prettier hike earlier in the season, with some fun water crossings too.

Once at the canyon floor, the trail winds East/Northeast along the river. At approximately 10 miles in from White Wolf, you arrive at Pate Valley. There’s a large summer work camp there, and several bridges that cross over the Tuolumne River from the south side to the north side. Next to the main bridge is a fairly large area of calm river and several sandy beaches where we were able to get our shoes off and soak in the cold river water for some relief from the 100-degree heat! Pate Valley is known for its rattlesnake activity, and today was no exception. No sooner did we set foot on the beach than a huge black rattler greeted us. Needless to say we selected another spot to sit!

After a rattlesnake-free soak in the river, we decided to pack up and head up the trail further to find a more shaded campsite, as the sites at the Pate Valley bridge were very sun-exposed. We found a nice little spot along the trail with good river access about a mile up the trail, and pitched camp. It would be a hot night in the tent, with temps never getting below the mid-70s, sleeping on top of our bags…not in them. But we would get some sleep in the end. We would need it for the BIG climbing day tomorrow.

Day Two – Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls

Day Two of our adventure in the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne would be our big climbing day, as we would be heading directly UP the canyon. We woke to continued warm temps, had coffee and hit the trail while still dark to try and catch as much cool weather as we could. NOTE: try and avoid the biggest heatwave of the summer when doing this trip. Less than a mile up the trail, Pate Valley delivered its second rattlesnake sighting. This guy was sprawled out across the trail – and he was a big one! After throwing small rocks near him for a while, he finally decided to move out of the trail and into the woods – and we were able to continue our hike. It would be nice to get out of Pate Valley.

The hike up the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne is stunning. Like it’s big brother Yosemite Valley, the huge walls of granite on both sides of the powerful river make for an absolutely stunning backdrop. Up, up, up the trail climbs – and in places it leaves the canyon floor to climb around large rock formations, making for some challenging switchback ascents. As the temperatures rise again, the ascending becomes more challenging, and we work our way section by section, stopping to drink and rest and give each other pep talks to keep going strong. Again, this would be easier and more pleasant in earlier summer temperatures. The heat wave was energy sapping.

Finally, after an all-day hike and a final set of steep switchies, we arrive at Waterwheel Falls. Again, the late season waterfall flow is less than the majestic photos found in guide books, but it’s still quite beautiful and the perfect place to spend the night. The view from the top of the falls looking West unfolds to the grand canyon below, and the view to the East displays the most amazing sunset against the granite canyon walls. Above the falls, the river opens up to a beautiful still pond, and we sit on the flat granite and enjoy and perfectly gorgeous evening.

Later that night, the wind would pick up – making our sleep less than peaceful as it buffered our tent repeatedly. But in the end, it was a beautiful spot to enjoy the GC of Tuolumne.

Day Three – Waterwheel Falls to May Lake / Ten Lakes Trail Junction

Day Three is the “Waterfall Money Day” in the GC of Tuolumne. The first three or so miles up to the top of the canyon and Glen Aulin feature a series of gorgeous falls and granite features. Again we started early to beat the heat, so our views of the falls were shaded and lovely.

LeConte Falls

First, we arrive at LeConte Falls. Again, the late season flow is light, but it’s still an absolutely beautiful setting. Next, we climb up to California Falls – and hike in a bit off-trail to get a close up view. After California falls, the trail departs a bit North of the river and winds it way through the stunning Glen Aulin meadow. The walls of the canyon jut straight up from the side of the trail, and the lush green meadow creates an incredibly vibrant color pallet.    As we approach the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp, the final water feature is the White Cascade – with its water flow and red rock, the sunrise gives it an absolutely beautiful look.

We stop for a quick rest just after the bridge over the Tuolumne River to admire the magnificent Tuolumne Falls and check out the map for upcoming water sources. Again, the late season schedule as eliminated most if not all of the seasonal water sources – so we need to make sure we’ll have water on this next leg of the trip. After a map review, we decide that we’d better carry and extra load of water – so I fill up our dirty bag at the falls with 4 extra liters of water and strap it to the outside of my pack. Not the most pleasant additional weight, but better safe the sorry. With the water strapped in, we turn away from the PCT (that heads back to Tuolumne Meadows) and head south and UP on the May Lake trail.

As we pass McGee Lake – a potential water source – we confirm that the lake is low and dirty, so we’re happy we have extra water. We encounter a solo hiker doing the same loop but counter clockwise and he confirms there’s not much water around. We then encounter two rangers on horseback that have ridden up from May Lake and Tuolumne Meadows on patrol. In a “small world” story, we find out that the ranger is from Southern California and works with Montrose SAR! We talk about the Angeles NF a bit, confirm the lack of water, and discuss a water side trip to Polly Dome Lakes. The ranger tells us how to find the trail and we say goodbye and carry on.

We find the turnoff to Polly Dome Lakes and I convince my wife that the extra 1.8 miles will be worth it to have a full water source. It’s a small up and down trail but it leads us to a beautiful and stunning setting on the lake with tons of camping areas. My wife is bushed from the lack of good sleep the night before, so I lay out a towel and get her comfortable for an afternoon nap. While she naps, I dump out all the water and do a complete fresh re-fill of all our water containers. Now we are good to go for the night and next morning. The combination of the water source, naptime and the beauty of this pristine lake make the 1.8 mile side trip totally worth it! After my wife wakes up – fully refreshed – the clouds start to roll in and it looks like a thunderstorm is on its way. So, we saddle up fast and head back to the main trail and south to the May Lake / Ten Lakes trail junction hoping to beat the storm.

Polly Dome Lakes

We arrive at the trail junction and scope out a flat piece of ground to pitch camp. As it starts to sprinkle, we quickly get the tent up and get everything secured in the vestibule. No sooner are we done than the thunder, lightning and rain hit full force. We jump in the tent and hunker down, riding out 30 minutes of storm. When it passes, we climb back out – inspect everything – and cook dinner. We are good to go for the night with enough water to get us to the next viable source on the way up to Ten Lakes the next day.

Day Four – May Lake / Ten Lakes Trail Junction to Ten Lakes

The climb to Ten Lakes starts off with about a mile of flat trail crossing a beautiful meadow.

Day 4 sunrise

Then the climbing and switchbacks begin as the trail heads north and northeast up and around the 10,800 foot Tuolumne Peak. It’s beautiful alpine hiking with fantastic views to the north back towards where we came. We encountered three hikers on this part of the trail. 

After 3 or 4 miles, on the Northwest corner of the base of Tuolumne Peak, the trail dives back down into the South Fork drainage. On the way down the steep switchbacks, we find a beautiful, crystal-clear spring bubbling up from the ground – and we take the opportunity to have a rest and filter some of the cleanest water we’ve had all week…absolutely delicious. At the bottom of the switchbacks, the trail then turns directly North and heads about a mile and half up the South Fork drainage through some beautiful forested areas and a lovely meadow. There is a bit of water in the South Fork, but it’s pretty dry. Luckily we are filled up with that amazing spring water so we don’t need to stop.

At the top of the South Fork drainage, the trail then turns immediately West and UP UP UP about 800 vertical feet of crazy switchbacks to make the climb towards Ten Lakes. We stop at the bottom and eat a light lunch before making the climb, as the sun is now up and in full force and this will be a HOT ascent. We encounter one solo hiker coming down from Ten Lakes, and he asks us about water sources. We turn him on to the location of the magical spring, and he thanks us and heads off.

We begin our ascent of the switchbacks – taking it one section at a time and hydrating regularly as the sun is now beating down and temps are HIGH. We complete the climb quickly and efficiently and then slowing ascend the final flatter section to the first of the Ten Lakes. Of the Ten Lakes, the two largest ones are actually right on the Ten Lakes trail (the others require some off-trail nav via use trails). We stop at the first one (“East” lake) at 9,400 feet elevation and have a rest and filter some water. There are some great campsites there are zero people, but we decide to keep going to the second lake (“West” lake) which will position us better for the climb over Ten Lakes Pass the next morning. We hike the last mile and change, descending down to the “West” lake at 8,950 feet. The view on the descent is stunning and we stop a take a few pictures. We arrive at the “West” lake and pitch camp on a rock outcropping overlooking the lake. Because Ten Lakes – accessible directly from the Yosemite Creek / Ten Lakes trail head on highway 120 – is only about a 6-mile hike in, there are quite a few people camping there by the end of the evening. We share the lakefront with some other campers and swimmers during dinner, but then everyone settles in for a quiet night. The storm rolls in but we don’t get hit as hard as the night before. This will be our last night in the Yosemite Wilderness.

Day 5 – Ten Lakes to White Wolf

We wake up early and pack up our gear for the last time. The morning is cool, which is good because we now have to climb 800 feet of switchbacks in about a mile to get out of the Ten Lakes area and up-and-over Ten Lakes Pass. We begin the due West climb up the switchbacks – and it doesn’t take long for the East-rising sun to start to heat us up. We encounter some pikas and a huge Marmot on the switchback ascent, as Ten Lakes Pass is reasonably high up at 9,670 feet in elevation.

We finish the ascent and arrive at Ten Lakes Pass – a beautiful alpine meadow – and are greeted by some playful deer. Now – we begin our 8 mile descent South and West to are starting point at White Wolf campground. After the initial set of steep downward switchbacks, the trail crosses the lovely Half Moon Meadow. We encounter a pair of backpackers camped out there, but otherwise it is quiet and still. It’s a beautiful meadow at the base of the Ten Lakes Pass – and we make a note to come back and visit it again.

From there, it’s another 2 miles or so until the trail junction of the Ten Lakes Trail and the East/West White Wolf Trail. We stop at the junction for a snack – there’s no water in Yosemite Creek at the junction, but we have plenty so we are ok to keep going. The trail heads directly West towards White Wolf, covering about 3 ½ miles of beautiful dense forest with some amazingly large trees. It also winds its way through a burn area left over from the Lukens fire many years earlier. But the forest is coming back – which is a good sign. From the Lukens Lake trail junction, it’s now just a bit under 2 miles to complete our journey.

We arrive back at the White Wolf Campground to the eerie sight of zero people. The campground closed just after Labor Day (the day after we were there), so it was locked up tight and no one was around. We saw two people sitting at a picnic table, and they look surprised to see us coming out of the forest, but other than that – no one. We were the only car left in the overflow parking, which was weird. We packed everything back into the car and followed the dirt loop back to the access road.

When we got to the access road / Highway 120 junction the GATE WAS CLOSED! Uh oh – how were we going to out??? I’ve got no phone signal either!! My first thought was to turn around and go back to those two people at the picnic table and say “how the heck did you guys get in here???” But first, I decided to get out of the car and check the gate. Sure enough, it was closed BUT THE LOCK wasn’t latched. Phew!!! I unwrapped the lock and chain and opened the gate, moved my car out, and then re-wrapped everything up. It took a few minutes for my heart to slow down LOL.

Alabama Hills Cafe

And just like that, our 5-day adventure on the Yosemite Wilderness Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Loop was complete. Now, time to drive to Bishop for Mexican Food and Beers! Then, the next morning, it would be a stop at the Alabama Hills Café in Lone Pine for breakfast, and then home!

Yosemite Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Tips and Notes

• Wilderness Permits are required to stay overnite in the Yosemite Backcountry. All trailheads are based on a quota system, and permits can be applied for 168 prior to departure. For all information on Yosemite Wilderness Permits, trail quotas and applications, go to https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm.
• With the exception of the White Wolf Campground backpackers camp, all of the campsites we used on the trail were backcountry sites with NO bear boxes for storage. Therefore, APPROVED bear canisters are required for this loop to store all food and items with a scent. You will be required to go through a quick education process on this when you pick up your permit at the Tuolumne Meadows permit station.  
• We tracked the trip via GaiaGPS for iPhone. Our GPX track can be downloaded above.
• Due to our late season start date, water was scarce in some spots. Lakes and major streams should be used – seasonal water on maps was almost entirely dry. Earlier in the season would yield water from all seasonal sources and would require many wet trail crossings.
• Normally in Yosemite, campfires are permitted above 6,000 fee and below 9,600 fee in elevation in improved rock fire rings. This year, NO FIRES were permitted in the park backcountry.
• We had a short burst of heavy rain on Day 3 and light rain on Day 4, so make sure you have proper rain gear, pack covers and shelter on this loop.

Conclusions

If you are as passionate about Yosemite National Park as we are (after all, we were married at Glacier Point), then a trip to the Northern half of the park and the Yosemite Wilderness should be on your bucket list. The Grand Canyon of Tuolumne and it’s majestic canyon and stunning waterfalls are a box that should be checked off.

Another benefit of this route is the small numbers of people in late season – it is a true backcountry experience after Labor Day.

This loop is perfect for beginner backpackers and experienced backpackers alike.

There’s no better way to see the Northern section of Yosemite National Park than the Grand Canyon of Tuolumne Loop.

Originally hiked September 3-8, 2022 by Greg Glass and Barbara Hale. All photos by the same.

Backpacking the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park is a great way to test the thru-hiking waters to see if it’s for you. Joan and I visited Mount Rainier National Park for the first time in 2018, as we were scouting trails for the Pacific Northwest Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. We were awestruck by this majestic mountain. The 14,411 foot active stratovolcano is so massive that it creates its own weather systems. I knew I’d be back.

The Wonderland Trail is a 93-mile trail that loops completely around Mount Rainier. You might assume that it’s easier because it’s going around a mountain rather than over mountain crests. You would be wrong. The Wonderland Trail climbs and falls 23,000 feet over those 93 miles. You are constantly either going up or going down.

Wonderland Trail Overview

Distance: 93 miles
Time: 3-14 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain/loss: 25,593 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-September

Jason had previously attempted a thru-hike that was aborted due to his hiking partner’s illness, so this was a sort of “redemption hike” for him. He suggested modifying our route from the official trail, taking more scenic Spray Park route between Mowich Lake and Carbon River. This guide covers the Wonderland Trail using the Spray Park alternate.

Wonderland Trail Map & Elevation Profile (Spray Park Alternate)

Itinerary

After hiking the John Muir Trail and many other trips in the Sierra Nevada mountains and elsewhere, I was surprised to learn that there is no dispersed camping along the Wonderland Trail (there is dispersed camping in the park, but by specific permit, and generally well off the Wonderland Trail). On the Wonderland Trail there are 18 established camps (plus two more on the Spray Park Trail), each with a specific number of sites.

Campsites are designed to accommodate up to five people and two tents, with some camps also having group sites that could accommodate up to 12 people. Your permit requires a detailed, day-by-day itinerary that states which campsite you will stay at on each specific date of your trip.

When we did our original planning, we were using an 11-day itinerary using this excellent online itinerary planner. It provides some really useful tools, including the distance between camps, sunrise/sunset times and hours of daylight.

Clockwise or Counter-clockwise? When you plan your itinerary, you’ll need to decide where you want to start, and whether you want to hike clockwise or counter-clockwise. Most folks hike clockwise, where the biggest inclines are not as steep. Either way, you’ll cover the same mileage and climb (and descend) the same total vertical feet. We happened to hike clockwise.

Permits

Scoring permits for the Wonderland Trail turned out to be our first challenge. You can submit your permit request beginning on March 15th. Permit requests are only accepted online, but there is no rush to submit. Submit your request anytime between March 15th and March 31st. Rangers begin processing the requests on April 1st in random order. Each permit request includes a non-refundable $20 fee that is paid whether you are awarded a permit or not. You increase your odds by having flexibility in start dates and avoiding peak times (weekend and holidays).

In our case, the three of us each applied for a permit, with different start dates and slightly different itineraries. Our hope was that at least one of us would get a permit. Sadly, none of us got a permit. 

Fortunately, 30% of the campsites are reserved for walk-in permits. We had allotted two weeks for the trip to give ourselves flexibility, and decided to take our chances. Jason and I drove to Longmire on Sunday and found an open car campsite at Cougar Rock Campground. Once we reserved that, we drove down to Longmire, walked into the Wilderness Information Center at 2pm and walked out 30 minutes later with a permit to start the trail the next day.

Instead of doing the trail in 11 days as originally planned, we opted to maximize our available time off and take 13 days to hike the trail. Because of the lengthy duration of our trip (most trips on the Wonderland Trail are closer to 6-9 days), we were able to score some of the most-coveted campsites along the way. Your permit lists your day-by-day itinerary, and must be attached to the outside of your pack when hiking, and your tent when camped. And in case you’re wondering, rangers checked our permits two times along the trail.

For walk-in permits, the ranger handed us a blank itinerary and a print-out showing current availability for each campsite by date. We were warned to be quick about filling it out, as there are three ranger stations on the trail where hikers can request walk-in permits. All are working from the same availability data, so while a site might be available when the ranger hands you the list, by the time you turn in your itinerary, someone at a different ranger station may have already taken that last campsite. In our case, we were pretty lucky. First, we were starting on a Monday (rather than a weekend date). Second, we had 12 nights of camping along the way. While the first two days would require a lot of miles, we would have plenty of short, easy mileage days on the second half of our trip.

Resupply

There are three main locations to ship or cache resupply packages: Longmire, Mowich Lake and Sunrise. Our hope was that we would start in Longmire, so we shipped resupply packages for both Mowich Lake and Sunrise. Another option would be to drive to the location(s) where you want to put a cache, which is feasible if you have day before you begin your thru-hike. Following the directions on the NPS website, we shipped in 5-gallon plastic bins, taped shut, via Fedex. It was expensive (~$158 for four buckets) so that might factor into your decision on the number of resupply packages, or whether you want to hand-deliver them the day before your trip begins.

One important tip: The NPS website tells you to write the date that the cache will be picked up on the container, but it doesn’t explain why. They have bear-proof storage boxes that are not large enough to store all of the caches. The rangers will fill the storage boxes with the caches based on the pickup date, and store the remainder in a secure area that you cannot get to. Since we were shooting to get walk-in permits, we didn’t know exactly what dates we would pick-up each cache, so we put down a date range.

Resupply at the Mowich Lake Ranger Station

As it turned out, all three of us got our resupply shipments at Mowich Lake, but Derek’s package was not in the storage at Sunrise. Fortunately he was able to track down a ranger who was able to open up the building where the other caches were stored, and his resupply package was found. The date of pickup is important, or else be sure to get there before the ranger station closes.

If you ship your resupply packages, bear in mind that you cannot ship fuel. We planned for this and carried a bit extra from the start. We were able to purchase additional canisters as well as snacks at the small store at Sunrise.

Planning Resources for Backpacking the Wonderland Trail

• Wilderness Camping & Hiking – Overview and essential info from the Mount Rainier National Park website
• Caching Food and Fuel – Official Mount Rainier NPS site
• Hiking the Wonderland Trail by Tami Asars – The Mountaineers Books
• Wonderland Trail Itinerary Planner
• Essential Wonderland Trail Resources – includes the tools we used both for planning on on trail

Backpacking the Wonderland Trail, Day-by-Day

The remainder of this guide outlines our counter-clockwise journey on the Wonderland Trail, beginning near Longmire and taking the Spray Park alternate route. I’ve divided it roughly into three segments: Longmire to Mowich Lake; Mowich to Sunrise; and Sunrise back to Longmire.

You can travel with us with a day-by-day guide based on the itinerary we used to hike the Wonderland Trail, with photos, trail description map and elevation profile.

Longmire to Mowich Lake

• Day 1: Devil’s Dream
• Day 2: North Puyallup River
• Day 3: Golden Lakes
• Day 4: South Mowich River
• Day 5: Mowich Lake (Eagle’s Roost)

Mowich Lake to Sunrise

• Day 6: Dick Creek
• Day 7: Mystic Camp
• Day 8: Granite Creek
• Day 9: Sunrise

Sunrise to Longmire

• Day 10: Summerland
• Day 11: Indian Bar
• Day 12: Maple Creek
• Day 13: Longmire

Postscript

Would I have done anything differently were I to hike the trail again?

• I combine a few of the days and complete the trail in 11 days vs 13 days. I enjoyed the lazy short days, but they were maybe a little too lazy for me.
• I would put more variety and just plain thought into my meal planning. I did the expedient thing, and brought dehydrated meals for dinners. Towards the end I was yearning for something a little different, and I think that could be achieved by putting a little more thought into the planning and preparation.
• One thing that was a hit? Flour tortillas and Nutella. Tasty, durable, packable, and loads of energy. I learned that tip from Carsten Jost when we backpacked in Grand Teton National Park. It’s a keeper.
• And for another perspective on the same trip, check out Derek’s Wonderland post over at 100Peaks.com.

Originally hiked between August 5-17, 2019 with Jason Fitzpatrick and Derek Loranger.

First up is the wonderful book Hiking the Wonderland Trail by Tami Asars. I used the paperback version as I was researching the trail and planning our trip. Derek had the Kindle version, so he was able to reference a downloaded copy on his iPhone. Tami has hiked the Wonderland Trail many times, and this was the best book I found covering the Wonderland Trail.

Highly recommended.

I always bring a paper map. National Geographic’s Wonderland Trail Map was an invaluable reference that I carried with me on the trail. Even though the Wonderland Trail is pretty well marked, it’s useful to have a reference to quickly identify geographic features, water sources, and side trails.

This map is printed on durable, water-resistant paper and is organized in pages, rather than a fold-out map. Each two-page spread includes an elevation profile for the section shown.

Guthook Guides app with the Wonderland Trail data. The app is free and available for iOS and Android, but you’ll pay for the trail data. It is super-cool because the data is downloaded to your phone, and uses your phone’s GPS data to locate you. You’ll know in a snap exactly how far it is to your camp, or the nearest water source.

I’ve heard of Guthook Guides since they first came out for the PCT years ago, but this trip was the first time I actually used it. I’m hooked.

For emergencies (we thankfully had none), weather reports, and communication with our families back home, the Garmin InReach Mini is highly recommended.

I have an older model that I’ve used for several years, but when it comes time to replace it, I’ll get the Mini. You use your smartphone as the primary interface for typing messages (which is preferred anyway) and you can send and receive text messages with your family.  If there were an emergency, you can also alert Search and Rescue (SAR).

Keeping my iPhone and Apple Watch charged? I used an Anker PowerCore Charger. Yes, I wore my Apple Watch and used my iPhone extensively on this trip. I tracked our route, took photos and more.

I tried using a solar panel on the John Muir Trail, but over time, I’ve found that a portable battery like this is much more effective and reliable.

Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you click the link and purchase. The pricing isn’t affected, but you’ll help support our trail guides at SoCalHiker.net, and for that we are thankful. – Jeff 

Click on the gallery to view larger, and leave a comment on a photo if you can help me identify them.

Yosemite National Park features some of the most beautiful backcountry in all of the Sierra Nevada.  Surprisingly, however, most people stick to a few main trails – namely the John Muir Trail between Yosemite Valley – Tuolumne Meadows – Donahue Pass and the High Sierra Camp trails leading to Merced Lake – Vogelsang – Sunrise.  Often times the northern portion of the park above Highway 120 and the southern portion of the park towards the Sierra National Forest and Ansel Adams Wilderness are overlooked by backpackers.

For this trip, we asked ourselves a few questions:

1. What is the highest trail point in Yosemite?  That would be a fun place to check out.
2. How can we construct a ‘loop’ hike to that high point starting and ending in Yosemite Valley

ANSWER: the highest Class 1 trail point in Yosemite National Park is Red Peak Pass – a steep and narrow mountain pass that crosses over the Clark Range in the southeastern portion of the park.  The Clark Range – and the Cathedral Range to its north – are the two main mini-mountain ranges in eastern Yosemite that come off the main Sierra Nevada range to their east.  The Cathedral Range is a bit more famous, as it features Vogelsang High Sierra Camp and eventually Donahue Pass to the east.

It is fairly straightforward to construct a Red Peak Pass Loop from Yosemite Valley – either clockwise or counter-clockwise.  Most people will either start from the valley at Happy Isles (IF you can get a permit!) and either head south down Illiloutte Creek or head east towards Lake Merced.  For ease of permit acquisition, we decided to start up high above the valley floor at Glacier Point and head south and counter-clockwise.

We decided to not follow Illiloutte Creek across to Merced Pass Lakes, but instead go directly south and explore Buena Vista Lake, Royal Arch Lake and Buck Camp before heading back north and east towards Red Peak Pass.  This extended version of the Red Peak Pass Loop would give us a great 6 day / 57.6 map miles backcountry adventure.

Why enter at Glacier Point instead of Happy Isles / Yosemite Valley?  Several reasons:

• Glacier Point has 15 permits per day as a quota, whereas Happy Isles > Illiloutte only has 3 permits per day that are desirable to John Muir Trail hikers.  Much easier to get the permits and the dates we wanted via Glacier Point.
• By starting at Glacier Point, we start up at 7,700 feet and head down to start – nothing wrong with that on day one.
• We can park our car in the Valley the day before we start, pick up our permit, stay at the Backpackers Camp in the valley, and take the Glacier Point tour bus to the trailhead the next morning – then when we end in the valley, we are at our car.

Trail Details

Distance: 57.6 miles
Time: Six days
Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous
Elevation gain: 8,859 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Mid-July to September

Planning the Trip

We booked our backcountry permit online through the Yosemite backcountry permit system exactly 168 days prior to our entry date.  Once we had our permit, we then booked our Glacier Point bus tour tickets online as well.  The map we used to plan our route was the Tom Harrison Yosemite High Country Map.  This one map shows the entire route.  We chose the following schedule for our trip – hoping that this would keep our average miles around 10 to 11 miles per day for the first five days and also land us at a good water source each night:

• Travel Day One: Drive to Oakhurst, CA and spend the night at a motel.  Since our departure was on Labor Day Weekend, we wanted to be able to get into the park the next morning as early as possible to insure getting a parking space at the Happy Isles trailhead parking lot.
• Travel Day Two: Drive from Oakhurst into Yosemite Valley early a.m. and get a parking place in the Happy Isles trailhead parking lot.  Once secured, stow our gear and pitch camp at backpacker’s camp.  Then go the Wilderness Office in Yosemite Village and pick up our backcountry permit and parking pass.  Then go to Yosemite Lodge and pick up our bus tickets for the ride to Glacier Point. Do a little sightseeing in the Valley, then crash in our tent at backpacker’s camp that night.
• Day One – 10.7 miles: Take the free Yosemite Shuttle from Backpacker’s Camp to Yosemite Lodge and pick up the tour bus to Glacier Point.  Hike south from Glacier Point to the point where Buena Vista Creek crosses the Buena Vista Trail near Hart Lakes.
• Day Two – 10.7 miles: Hike south to Buena Vista Lake and over Buena Vista Pass.  Continue South past Royal Arch Lake and then east and up to Buck Camp. Then continue Northeast and up to the Moraine Meadows Trail Junction.
• Day Three – 10 miles: Hike north over Merced Pass then northeast to Ottoway Lakes.  Ascend Red Peak Pass, then descend and head east into the Clark Range basin to an unnamed trail lake and camp.
• Day Four – 10.5 miles: Hike east and down to the Triple Peak Fork Trail and then north to Washburn Lake.
• Day Five – 11.5 miles: Hike north to Lake Merced and then west to Little Yosemite Valley.
• Day Six – 4.2 miles: Hike west and down to Yosemite Valley.  Shower at Curry Village then drive home.

Total (Tom Harrison Map) Miles: 57.6 Miles
(NOTE: Actual GPS hiking mileage as recorded by the Gaia GPS for iPhone app was 60.72 miles)

Day One – Glacier Point to Buena Vista Trail / Buena Vista Creek Crossing

Day One Stats

Distance: 10.7 miles
Time: 6 hours
Elevation gain: 3,196 ft

Barb at the Glacier Point Trailhead

Most Red Peak Pass Loop-ers will stay on the Illilouette Creek trail and head east directly towards Lower and Upper Merced Pass Lakes.  We chose the long route to head south and visit Buena Vista Lake, Royal Arch Lake and Buck Camp.  So here, we take the junction and join the Buena Vista Trail and head south.

From here on out, we are alone on the trail. The Buena Vista Trail is a low altitude, dusty trail that follows a partially wooded, partially exposed path south.  To the east there are great views of Mt. Starr King – and still farther east we can see views of Red Peak and the Clark Range…our eventual target.  As this was late in the summer, seasonal creeks are mostly dry and we are careful to monitor our water supply and fill when we can.

As we get closer to the Buena Vista Creek trail crossing, the trail heads up and into the forest on a ridge known as Horse Ridge.  We get back up over 8,000 feet after a fairly steep switchback climb up onto the ridge and are welcomed by the shade of the forest again.  Then, as our GPS signals we are close, we spot our friends Mark and Mia who had headed out the day before and had already found the creek crossing and pitched camp.  They found a nice flat campsite near the creek crossing and it already had a built-out rock fire pit.

Unfortunately, Buena Vista Creek wasn’t flowing anymore, but Mark had found a small trickle and pool with clean water and we were good to go for the night.  For those that take the shorter version of the loop via the Illiloutte Creek trail, water is not a problem.  For this longer, Southern route towards Buena Vista Lake, be aware that late season water is limited unless you do a full 13+ miles to Buena Vista Lake on day one.  But with our clean pool at Buena Vista Creek, we were just fine!  Time for a campfire, dinner and night one on the trail.

NOTE on CAMPFIRES: Yosemite Campfire rules are a bit different than other parts of the Sierra.  Fires are ONLY allowed in improved campsite areas with rock fire rings and only above 6,000 feet and below 9,600 feet.  You should have a California Fire Permit with you along with your wilderness permit at all times.  Get the permit at http://www.preventwildfireca.org/Campfire-Permit/.  I also carry a lightweight collapsible bucket.  Not only does it work for washing clothes and feet, but you simply fill it up and keep that 5L of water next to the campfire so that when it’s time to put it out, you have a way to completely extinguish it quickly and safely.

Day Two – Buena Vista Trail / Buena Vista Creek Trail Junction to Moraine Meadows Trail Junction

Day Two Stats

Distance: 10.7 miles
Time: 8 hours
Elevation gain: 1,919 ft

We continue south and arrive at Buena Vista Lake.

Buena Vista Lake is a beautiful alpine lake that sits at about 9,100 feet, surrounded by gorgeous rock cliffs and overlooked by Buena Vista Peak.

The trail winds its way along the north side of the Lake, and then heads up a series of switchbacks to Buena Vista Pass at a little over 9,300 feet which crosses a rock range called the Buena Vista Crest.

The trail then heads directly south again towards the southernmost east-west trail in Yosemite National Park that runs from Wawona and Chilnualna Falls to Buck Camp.  Before arriving at that trail junction, the trail winds through some gorgeous rock formations to arrive at Royal Arch Lake at about 8,700 feet.

Royal Arch Lake gets its name from the amazing arch-shaped granite wall that borders the east side of the lake.  It’s simply breathtaking!  We stop at the lake, filter some fresh water, have a snack, take a few photos, then then we’re off again.

We arrive at the trail junction at 8,490 feet and then turn directly east towards Buck Camp.  The climb to Buck Camp is a steep, forested trail that grabs a quick 400+ vertical feet and definitely gets your heart pumping.  Our friend Mark saw a large bear run by and it was soon followed by a few hikers coming the other way.  After the quick hard climb, the trail drops back down the other side of the ridge through some gorgeous flowery meadows and water lilies to arrive at Buck Camp.

Buck Camp is the southernmost ranger station in Yosemite National Park and sits less than 3 miles from the southern border with the Sierra National Forest.  It is a very old log cabin-style building and has an old outhouse and a small corral/tie-up for horses and mules.  When we arrived, four women from the Buena Vista Lake trail camp were resting and filtering water and we chatted with them for a bit.  They were nice enough to show us the location of the Buck Creek water source and we filtered/filled up as well.

The trail now heads directly northeast towards Moraine Mountain and the Moraine Meadows trail.  After 4 miles and a vertical gain of about 500 feet, we finally arrived (tired) at the Moraine Meadows trail junction in the southeastern corner of Yosemite National Park.

We were concerned about water, but all of my maps showed that there was a permanent tarn just East of the trail junction on the Moraine Meadows trail.  Everyone dropped their packs at the trail junction and I volunteered to go look for the tarn.  I took my water bag with me in hopes of success.  Thank you Tom Harrison!…your map was correct.  The tarn was there and FULL and we had water!  Everyone took turns going back and forth to the tarn and we filled up for the night and next morning.  While others were doing water and camp chores, I took it upon myself to build a rock fire pit so we could have a campfire.  That’s a workout in itself! We were now set with water, a good camp site, a campfire, and a perfect 8,800 foot position to attack 11,060 foot Red Peak Pass the next day!

NOTE: the Moraine Meadows trail heads directly east towards the eastern border of Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness.  If you head east on this trail about 4 ½ miles, you end up crossing over the southern portion of the Clark Range at the famous Fernandez Pass.  This is part of the old Theodore Solomons Trail route that you can also read about here on the site.

Day Three – Moraine Meadows Trail Junction to Red Peak Pass and the Clark Range Basin East of Red Peak Pass

Day Three Stats

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 8 hours
Elevation gain: 3,259 ft

After breakfast and coffee, we headed north, climbing 500+ vertical feet over 1.8 miles to Merced Pass at 9,300 feet.  Merced Pass is at the eastern end of the Buena Vista Crest that we had crossed the day before.

From the pass, the trail winds downward to the trail junction of the Illiloutte Creek trail.  We are now back at the point where the traditional Red Peak Pass Loop would arrive from Glacier Point.  The trail junction sits right between two lakes – Lower Merced Pass Lake and Upper Merced Pass Lake.  We bid goodbye to our friends Mark and Mia who decide to head back to the Valley via Illiloutte Creek, and we are now on our own to tackle Red Peak Pass!

The trail junction sits at 8,900 feet, so we have 1,200 feet of northeast climbing to do to get over the Pass.  Ready, set, GO!

The first 2 miles of climbing is steep, forested, dirt trail combined with some rock steps and switchbacks.  Once you get above the tree line, the trail turns to all granite and granite steps.  Like most of the trails in Yosemite National Park, the granite step trails are meticulously constructed and demonstrate the best of 1920s and 1930s trail building techniques.

The next landmark is Ottoway Creek, which is fed from the Ottoway Lakes above and then flows down and feeds into Illiloutte Creek below.  Some beautiful water features and small waterfalls decorate the creek on both sides.  I find a tricky rock crossing, but my wife chooses to put on her sandals and do it as a wet crossing for safety.  Always better to wade through then risk a fall.  After drying off her feet, we continue up to Lower Ottoway Lake.

Lower Ottoway Lake is a gorgeous alpine lake at the base of the Clark Range at 9,600 feet.  The trail comes right up next to the lake on the West edge, and we find a beautiful flat granite outcropping and take off our packs for an early lunch and water refill.  The fish are swimming and jumping in the lake, and as with the entire trail, we are the only ones there.

We could have stayed there for hours and done some swimming too – but we had a date with a PASS! And so we saddled up and headed UP!  1,500 vertical feet to go in about 2 miles.

The trail switchbacks upwards through the granite, with more incredible granite step trail building.  We were amazed at how much greenery and flowers and water were still on the trail the first week of September! It looked like the Alps in some places, and another great benefit of a big snow year.

As you look back, you get great views of Lower Ottoway Lake.  We saw our other friends from Germany in the distance and gave them a yell and a wave as they arrived where he had just been.  As we continue to climb, Upper Ottoway Lake comes into view to the South, again surrounded by the bare peaks of the Clark Range and patches of leftover winter snow.

The final push to Red Peak Pass is a straight up switchback trail that goes directly in between two rock spires.  It’s some of the coolest trail design and construction we’d seen yet.  We couldn’t believe THAT was where they decided to put the trail!  We arrive at the top – Red Peak Pass – and our feature goal of the trip is complete.  The views to both the south and the north are breathtaking and we quickly grab some photos and videos.

We are surrounded by 11,000+ foot peaks including Gray Peak and Red Peak to the northwest and Ottoway Peak, Merced Peak and Triple Divide Peak to the southeast.  The north side of the pass is all above-the-tree line granite basin, making for a gorgeous hike down through the rocks.  BUT, in all our glee to reach the top, we didn’t notice the thunder clouds rolling in…until JUST NOW!

As we begin our decent on the north side of Red Peak Pass, the raindrops start to fall.  We quickly get our rain jackets and pack covers on.  We are hopeful that it doesn’t get too bad – and we’re also thankful that almost all the snow and ice has melted off the north side switchbacks and we don’t have to put on micro spikes.  Unfortunately, the clouds let go with FULL force including thunder and lightning, and our adventure at 11,000 feet of exposed rock just got interesting!

First came the stinging hail.  Then, as we hustled lower, the heavy rain.  The trail turned into a river in places, and we hiked as quickly and carefully as we could.  When the thunder and lightning was directly overhead, we tried to take some shelter under some big rocks, but it wasn’t very effective.  In between bursts we kept going as quickly as we could. After more than a mile from the pass, we finally reached some trees and we were no longer the tallest thing on the rocks.  We kept going until we reached the largest unnamed tarn on the map at 9,900 feet that we had targeted during map planning.  By this time, we were pretty wet.

The rain lightened up long enough for us to get our tent set up and get everything stowed.  Then the thunder clouds let go again and we hunkered down in the tent for several hours.  The tent held up, although we had water underneath which was a bit unnerving.   At 7 p.m., five hours AFTER it had started, it finally blew through and we could get out and evaluate.  Kevin and our German friends had arrived during the storm – thought about going even lower on the trail – and then decided to stay and pitch camp near us.

We kept some stuff dry, while other stuff was wet.  Sleeping gear was all dry which was great. We’d be ok tomorrow – but with wet shoes which is never fun.  We ate some food, filtered some water, and went to sleep as things began to dry out.  It was our BIG day in so many ways.  Never a dull moment in the Sierra Nevada – and its baby brother the Clark Range gave us everything it had.

NOTE: once the hail and rain started coming down, I tried to take some photos and videos but my hands and my iPhone cover were so cold and wet that I couldn’t get it to activate my password and turn on.  So unfortunately I don’t have any good storm photos or videos coming down the North side of Red Peak Pass.  Better to stow my phone and keep it dry and functional anyway.  You’ll have to take my word for it.

Day Four – Clark Range Basin to Washburn Lake

Day Four Stats

Distance: 10.5 miles
Time: 7.5 hours
Elevation gain: 2,976 ft

The trail out of the Clark Range Basin zig zags east as it makes its way into the river basin that will eventually become the Merced River.  The three miles of eastern trail was beautiful – up and down, gorgeous views of the Clark Range to the south, and some pretty water features coming down from remote Edna Lake to the south.  Up and down we zig zagged, including one wet creek crossing that gave our feet a nice morning wake-up call.  Then, as the trail drops steeply down towards the river basin, we hit the wildlife lottery and spotted a big California black bear.  He was a healthy big boy and had no tracking device or ear tags.  He was a true wild Yosemite bear.  It absolutely MADE our DAY to see him.  He was magnificent.

We soon arrived at the bottom of the trail and the trail junction that would turn us north and up the river.  This main tributary of the Merced River is called Triple Peak Fork, getting its name from Triple Divide Peak to the south.  Its source is mainly the waters of Turner Lake to the south.  It’s a beautiful river at the trail junction – wide and clear.  If you cross the river, the trail heads two miles east and over Isberg Pass and into the Ansel Adams Wilderness.  Yes – we are still in the corner of the park.

We begin the six-mile, flat and downhill hike north along Triple Peak Fork.  Along the way, we encounter a solo male hiker who is headed to Isberg Pass.  It’s the first stranger we’ve seen since Buck Camp, more than 20 miles earlier.  Yes – we are truly in the backcountry.  About three miles into our northern hike, the trail drops down a series of massive granite switchbacks and Triple Peak Fork becomes an incredible series of waterfalls.

We are dropping down into the next major basin where Triple Peak Fork and Merced Peak Fork meet and officially become the Merced River.  It’s an incredibly gorgeous area and the trail building is spectacular.  We cross a bridge over the Merced Peak Fork and then stop at a beautiful granite beach to snack and filter water.  It was warm and sunny and it would have been a perfect place for swimming and sunbathing.

We saddle up again and finish the last two or three miles to Washburn Lake.  Washburn Lake is about three miles before Merced Lake, but unlike its more famous brother, Washburn Lake isn’t filled with a massive High Sierra Camp and a huge backpackers camp.  It’s still pristine backcountry and an absolutely gorgeous and unspoiled place to camp.

We grab a sweet spot along the East side of the lake with a fire pit already in place and pitch camp.  We spread out all of our wet stuff to dry on hot sunny rocks and take a long foot soak in the lake.  The fish are jumping and we are happy!

The Germans come by a few hours later one by one, but they continue on to Merced Lake, as they have a few extra days in their schedule to grab Sunrise High Sierra Camp, Clouds Rest and Half Dome.  We wish them safe travels and take a photo by the lake with our good friend Kevin Muschter before he heads out.  We start our campfire, fold up all of our now dry clothes, celebrate our now dry shoes, and enjoy a quiet dinner and evening alone at Washburn Lake by the fire.  We are blessed.

Day Five – Washburn Lake to Little Yosemite Valley

Day Five Stats

Distance: 11.5 miles
Time: 7 hours
Elevation gain: -1,532 ft

The hike along this section of the Merced River is quiet and beautiful.  We soon arrive at the Merced Lake Ranger Station and Trail Junction which are about a mile prior to Merced Lake proper.  It’s a beautiful ranger station with a big horse/mule corral, but it appears to be locked up for the season.  The trail junction heads northeast for those hikers on the Yosemite High Sierra Camp loop to Vogelsang.  We continue west to Merced Lake.

First you arrive at Merced Lake High Sierra Camp.  There are a few large wooden buildings and then dozens of concrete platforms where the High Sierra Camp tents go.  Everything is taken down for the season so we stroll through it without seeing a soul. Beyond the High Sierra Camp is the backpackers camp – a huge area with room for dozens of people / tents.  We see about a half dozen folks packing up their stuff from the night before – we are back in “hiker civilization” now.

The trail heads directly west along the north side of Merced Lake.  It’s another pretty lake – but we actually think Washburn Lake is prettier.  The fish are jumping and it’s a pretty morning.  At the western end of the lake, the Merced River exits and heads down into the granite canyon that we will follow downward for the next eight or so miles to Little Yosemite Valley.

The beautiful Merced River canyon winds its way through three distinct valleys – Echo Valley, Lost Valley and finally Little Yosemite Valley.  Echo Valley is where the trail junction is that heads north towards Sunrise High Sierra Camp.  Once you head west beyond the trail junction, the trail winds its way through gorgeous granite features, across a huge bridge, and then up up up and around the mountain and down to a beautiful waterfall called the Bunnell Cascade and the entrance to Lost Valley.

We stop at the cascade to take some photos and filter some water.  It’s windy so we don’t stay too long.  Then we enter Lost Valley which is the start of the fire zone left over from the 2014 Meadow Fire.  From here until Little Yosemite Valley, we walk through the burned remnants of a destroyed forest.  It’s very sad and a bit spooky, but hopefully over the next 10 or 20 years things can heal.  Ground cover is healthy, but the forest has yet to renew itself.  As we exit Lost Valley and enter Little Yosemite Valley from the East, Half Dome comes into view and we know we are close.

We finally arrive at Little Yosemite Valley campground – one of the biggest backcountry campgrounds in the Sierra – and stake out a site next to the community fire pit.  I’ll be the fire builder tonight.  After we pitch camp, we go down to the Merced River to filter water and wash/soak our feet.  It’s a beautiful afternoon and there’s a ton of people there.  We are no longer alone.  We do some firewood gathering and take a walk to the solar powered latrine.

Our night is tweaked a bit by a visit from a Search and Rescue staffer who asks us if we had been on Half Dome today.  We had heard a helicopter earlier…and the picture became clear.  There had been a fall on the cables earlier that day and a young woman had died.  He was simply investigating the accident at the campground.  A sad thing for sure.

We lit the fire and had a visit from a Utah family with four kids and an older couple on an overnite.  We put the fire out before the 10 p.m. campground requirement and headed off to bed.  We saw some clouds rolling in so we put up the rain fly on the tent, staked it out and stowed the backpacks in the vestibule before crashing out.  Good thing, as it started to rain at 11 p.m. for about an hour.  Then it was quiet the rest of the night. It would be our last night in the Yosemite backcountry.

Day Six – Little Yosemite Valley to Happy Isles Trailhead

Day Six Stats

Distance: 4.2 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Elevation gain: -3,130 ft

As most of you reading this have probably hiked the JMT or the Mist Trail from Yosemite Valley to at least the top of Nevada Falls, I won’t spend too much time describing the route here.  Suffice it to say we had dozens and dozens of Half Dome day hikers passing us on their way up as we were heading down.  Another little fun experience was the fact that there was NO ONE at the top of Nevada Falls when we got there (as everyone was coming up the Mist Trail and heading straight up to Half Dome).  That was the FIRST time we had ever been at the top of Nevada Falls and on the bridge with NO ONE in sight.  Strange but fun for our last morning in Yosemite.

We took our time and walked down the JMT.  We passed a few backpackers coming up and a ranger on horseback with a mule team going to service the bathrooms at Nevada Falls and Little Yosemite Valley.  Other than that, not too many people until the bridge at the base of Vernal Falls.  From there, it was “back to civilization” until we got to the trailhead and the trailhead parking lot where our car was waiting.

And just like that our six-day adventure was over.  Next stop, Curry Village for a $5 shower and then heading home.

Red Peak Pass Loop Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Red Peak Pass Tips and Notes

• Wilderness permits are required to stay overnight in the Yosemite backcountry.  All trailheads are based on a quota system, and permits can be applied for 168 days prior to departure.  For all information on Yosemite wilderness permits, trail quotas and applications, go to https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm.
• With the exception of Little Yosemite Valley, all of the campsites we used on the trail were backcountry sites with NO bear boxes for storage.  Therefore APPROVED bear canisters are required for this loop to store all food and items with a scent.  As you read above, there ARE bears in the park.
• We tracked the trip via Gaia GPS for iPhone.  Our GPX track can be downloaded above.
• Due to our late season start date, water was scarce in some spots and plentiful in others.  Lakes and major streams should be used in late season.  Earlier in the season will yield water from all seasonal creeks.
• Although we did not fish, there were great places along this loop for Golden Trout and other species, including Buena Vista Lake, Royal Arch Lake, Washburn Lake, Merced Lake and the Merced River – so plan accordingly with proper gear and a fishing license if you choose to fish.
• Campfires are permitted above 6,000 feet and below 9,600 feet in elevation in improved rock fire rings only.  We had campfires every day except our rainy night in the Clark Range Basin.
• We had heavy rain on Day 3 and light rain on Day 5, so make sure you have proper rain gear, pack covers and shelters on this loop.
• Stream crossings were easy during this time of year and micro spikes were not needed over Red Peak Pass.  Earlier in the season would have required traction on the pass and would have included more wet crossings.

Conclusions

If you are as passionate about Yosemite National Park as we are (after all, we were married at Glacier Point), then a trip to the southern half of the park should be on your bucket list.  Being able to cross the Clark Range at Red Peak Pass – the highest Class 1 trail point in the park – is a box that should be checked off.

Another benefit of this route is the complete lack of people – it is a true backcountry experience.

This loop is perfect for beginner backpackers and experienced backpackers alike.

Given the shorter option of the Illiloutte Creek trail and the longer options of extending the northern portion to include Sunrise, Clouds Rest and Half Dome, the Red Peak Pass Loop can be configured for anywhere from 4 to 8 days and from 40 to 70+ miles depending on how you want to do it.  The ability to customize the trail gives you so many options depending on your schedule, the weather and your experience level.

There’s no better way to see the southern half of Yosemite National Park than the Red Peak Pass Loop.

Yosemite National Park Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95389″]

Originally hiked on September 1-6, 2019 by Greg Glass, Barbara Hale and friends. All photos by the same.

Day 13: Cougar Rock

Distance: 9.3 miles
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 1,972’/1,925′

About a mile up the canyon we reached Sylvia Falls, though the forest was thick and it was difficult to get an unobstructed view of the falls.

We managed to navigate the washout section in Stevens Canyon — arguably the sketchiest part of the entire Wonderland Trail when we hiked it. There was a detour available that involved road walking, but we managed just fine with our trekking poles to help.

At two miles we reached Martha Falls at Unicorn Creek.

Martha Falls

We crossed the creek and climbed another 1/2 mile to Stevens Canyon Road. The trail crosses the road (watch for cars) and continues climbing to Reflection Lakes.

Rotting bridges are not uncommon

Foggy Morning at Reflection Lake

The “trail” skirts the parking area and then follows along the shore of the lake before crossing back over Stevens Canyon Road and starting our final downhill, dropping 1,800 feet over three miles to the Nisqually River.

Crossing the Nisqually River

There were a lot of day hikers exploring along the Nisqually. We had to wait (patiently?) to cross as a family took multiple selfies on the bridge that stood between us and the end of the trail. Once we crossed, it was all smiles and a short walk to the Cougar Rock Picnic Area parking.

Our 13-day thru-hike of the Wonderland Trail was complete! We experienced a little bit of everything on this trail, and after changing into some clean clothes, we headed to the nearest town for a well-earned pizza.

Maple Creek to Cougar Rock Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 17, 2019 with Derek and Jason. Also note that Longmire is technically 1.5 miles further down the trail. We were thankful that we hiked that mileage on Day 1. 

Back to Day 12  |  Return to Wonderland Trail Overview

Day 11: Indian Bar

Distance: 10.6 miles
Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 1,220’/3,805′

The Pacific Northwest said, “Not today.”

At about the five mile mark, we reached the junction with the trail to Olallie Creek Camp. Stay right and follow the trail down into the heavily forested canyon.

The forest grew darker as we descended lower.

Two miles further and we reached the Nickel Creek crossing. We were nearing an elevation of 3,000 feet, and the forest grew thicker and darker as we dropped through different zones.

Crossing Nickel Creek

At Box Canyon the trail on the west side of the bridge was closed for maintenance, so we crossed at the road and took the opportunity to use a civilized restroom, with a sink and everything! We hiked through the tunnel and reconnected with the trail down toward Stevens Canyon.

Once you reach Stevens Canyon, the trail begins to climb parallel to Stevens Creek. In just over a mile you reach a side trail to Maple Creek Camp. The campground is verdant green, thick with trees and undergrowth. We pitched our tents, replenished our water from the creek, and did a little exploring.

Maple Creek

We hoped to work our way to Maple Falls, but there was no tread to be found, the creek banks were overgrown and the creek itself had deep sections that would require wading, scrambling and frankly, more than we had energy for. We had one final hot meal on the trail.

Tomorrow would be our final day on the Wonderland Trail.

Indian Bar to Maple Creek Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 16, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 11  |  Continue to Day 13, Maple Creek to Longmire

Day 11: Indian Bar

Distance: 5 miles
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation +/-: 874’/2,002′

The climb was just over a mile and steep.

Sunrise at Summerland

This section of the trail is above the timberline and the scenery very different from most of the Wonderland Trail. There are creek crossings, snow fields, and aquamarine tarns that reminded me of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

We stopped at Panhandle Gap for a break, where the wind whipped at us, forcing us to head just downhill where we were partially sheltered.

Looking north from Panhandle Gap

Looking south from Panhandle Gap

From the gap, the trail does a bit of roller-coaster routine for the next two miles, finally reaching a ridgeline which begins the descent. The final 1.5 miles drops 1,600 feet, and you can actually pick out the Indian Bar shelter from far away.

Can you spot the shelter at Indian Bar beyond the ridge?

We had a warm, bluebird day and meadows filled with wildflowers as we descended into the canyon.

We had the group site in Indian Bar as well–the nicest shelter yet! This one actually had wooden platform bunk beds. The hike took us just over three hours, leaving us plenty of time to soak our feet in the cold water of the Ohanapecosh River.

Our next camp would at Maple Creek, and our final night on the Wonderland Trail. At this point, I admit I was starting to look forward to celebrating the completion with a pizza and beer.

Summerland to Indian Bar Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 15, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 10  |  Continue to Day 12, Indian Bar to Maple Creek

Day 10: Summerland

Distance: 10.8 miles
Time: 6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 2,326’/2,663′

The trail followed cairns to a log bridge crossing the White River that was looking a little dicey. Later in the day as the river level rises, this might not have been a safe option. The optional detour took you a mile down the road, but thankfully we were able to avoid that.

Once across the White River, the trail parallels the river down to the Frying Pan Creek Trailhead, roughly 6.25 miles in. We stopped for a break, and then started the climb.

The trail parallels Frying Pan Creek for about four miles, then crosses and begins a series of switchbacks up to Summerland.

Crossing Frying Pan Creek

Summerland is indeed stunning, and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather to enjoy it. Views, wildflowers, snowfields, babbling creeks–Summerland delivers on all counts.

Our water source at Summerland

We were also lucky to be assigned the group site here (it was designated on our permit). The group site is a three-sided stone shelter, which meant we didn’t need to pitch tents.

It also provided a great venue for an impromptu birthday bash for a fellow Wonderland Trail hiker from Las Vegas, Brian. A few other hikers that we had met along the way including Brad and his daughter and some nice ladies from Canada joined in and we shared a beer, some awesome homemade jerky and wished a fellow hiker happy birthday.

Sunrise to Summerland Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 14, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 9  |  Continue to Day 11, Summerland to Indian Bar

Day 9: Sunrise

Distance: 4.4 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation +/-: 969’/839′

We began with an 800′ climb from Granite Creek, above the timberline to Skyscraper Pass.

Jason climbing up trail from Granite Creek

It was a little over one mile, and at the pass we began to run notice more hikers on the trail. Skyscraper Pass and nearby Skyscraper Mountain are popular destinations for day hikers heading out from Sunrise. The views were spectacular.

Looking back at Mount Rainier from Skyscraper Pass

Looking north from Skyscraper Pass.

From the pass, we headed down to Berkeley Park, then up over the saddle to our final descent to Sunrise.

We reached Sunrise early and once again, pretty much had our pick of the campsites. The sites here are closer together and feel less private, partly because there are so many day hikers wandering by.

Once we setup camp, we hiked an extra mile to the Sunrise Visitor Center to pickup our resupply packages and enjoy a meal that wasn’t rehydrated in a bag. We were also able to re-charge our devices at the visitor center and revel in our stinky backpacker mystique for the tourists. Next to the grill is a market that sells mostly souvenirs, but also some snacks, fuel canisters, sunscreen, and some food. At this point, we were growing a little weary of the lack of variety in our food bags, so it was really nice to supplement with a few different snacks.

We ate lunch, picked up our resupply package, chatted with some other folks who just complete the Wonderland Trail, and then had dinner, too before heading back to camp.

Shadow Lake near Sunrise Camp

Tomorrow would be our tenth day on the Wonderland Trail, and a return to more “normal” (i.e. not short) mileage as we hiked to Summerland, considered one of the most beautiful camps on the trail.

Granite Creek to Sunrise Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Note that this map does not show the hike from camp to the Sunrise Visitor Center (about a mile each way).

Originally hiked on August 13, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 8  |  Continue to Day 10, Sunrise to Summerland

Day 8: Granite Creek

Distance: 4.6 miles
Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation +/-: 1,502’/999′

The hike from Mystic Camp to Granite Creek was short – a mere 4-1/2 miles – and took us all of two leisurely hours to complete.

We started with a descent of 1,000 feet to Winthrop Creek, and the views of Mount Rainier began to open up.

Jason and Derek preparing to cross Winthrop Creek

The lower section of the Winthrop Glacier looks less like the snow and ice we think of when you imagine a glacier, and more like dirt and rock. Beneath that talus there is ice, moving slowly down the mountain.

The dirty, rocky Winthrop Glacier can be seen through the trees.

After crossing Winthrop Creek, the second half of this day’s hike was all uphill and forested. We crossed Granite Creek on a log and the camp was on the right. The camp sites were spread out nicely, and arriving before lunch, we had our pick. We chose a roomy site closest to the creek, setup our camp and proceeded to laze about for the remainder of the day.

We read, took photos, and generally just enjoyed the sounds of the creek and the beautiful weather.

Photogenic Granite Creek

It was a day to just “be” in the wilderness–a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the peace once in a while.

Mystic to Granite Creek Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 12, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 7  |  Continue to Day 9, Granite Creek to Sunrise

Day 7: Mystic Lake

Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation +/-: 1,521’/557′

There were no views during the hike as far as we could see, thanks to the fog. On a clear day, we should’ve had some glimpses of Carbon Glacier and Mount Rainier.

The campground is about another 1/4 mile beyond the lake, so we setup camp and hung our tents and wet clothes to dry out in the sun which was peeking out through the clouds. While our gear dried out, we hiked back up to Mystic Lake for a lazy lunch and a dip in the water.

Mineral Mountain on the far side of the lake and Mount Rainier beyond that.

The sun was warm. The water? Not so much. The cold water soothed and rejuvenated our muscles. Surprisingly, we had very few mosquitos.

After swimming around in the lake, we headed up the hill to the Mystic Lake Patrol Cabin, which is worth the side trip for the views of Mount Rainier.

Back at camp, we napped, read and generally lazed about. Almost a zero day.

Mystic Camp has seven campsites and one big group site with it’s own pit toilet. Water is available from a nearby creek.

Dick Creek to Mystic Lake Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 11, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 6  |  Continue to Day 8, Mystic to Granite Creek

Day 6: Dick Creek

Distance: 9.2 miles
Time: 6.75 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 2,461’/3,221′

At 9.2 miles, this was going to be one of our longer days. It had rained overnight, and was still misty and damp when we started out in the morning. Leaving Eagle’s Roost, the trail begins with a climb that up switchbacks to the creek that feeds Spray Falls. The wildflowers and meadows grew more spectacular as we hiked through Spray Park, and the clouds parted a few times to give us a peek at the peak of Mount Rainier.

As we climbed above the timberline, the terrain became rocky. A few weeks earlier and we would’ve been trudging over snow fields. Now there were just a few short sections to cross. The trail here is marked with stone cairns and occasionally painted markers on rocks, including the 6,400 foot high point of the Spray Park Trail.

From that high point, we had a long, five-mile downhill stretch dropping over 3,000 feet to the Carbon River and our second suspension bridge on the Wonderland Trail. Once again, the Pacific Northwest weather obscured the views of the Carbon Glacier upstream, but the bridge itself is an impressive span.

We crossed one at a time, as instructed by the signs at either end of the bridge. We were back on the “official” Wonderland Trail and had a final climb to our camp at Dick Creek: one mile and 1,000 vertical feet.

By the time we arrived at Dick Creek, the fog had turned to a driving mist soaking our waterproof layers. There are only two campsites at Dick Creek, and the larger one was already occupied. We shoe-horned our three tents into the remaining site on the edge of the ledge that supposedly overlooked the Carbon Glacier. I say supposedly because the fog was so thick and soupy, we couldn’t see it.

Crowded camp on the ledge

Heavy mist turned to rain. Derek was having trouble staking his ultralight tent in the saturated ground. Cold and wet, it was a perfect time for Derek to pull out his trail treat: three beers. We toasted to our health, and after dinner enjoyed another new trail tradition, hot apple cider that Jason had brought. Our mood had reflected the weather, and the hot, sweet cider was a perfect pick-up.

Hunkered down in our tents for the night, the rain came, at times driving hard enough to wake me up. We dreamt of drier, sunnier days ahead.

Eagle’s Roost to Dick Creek Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 10, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 5  |  Continue to Day 7, Dick Creek to Mystic Lake

Day 5: Eagle's Roost

Distance: 8.5 miles
Time: 5.5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 2,896’/604′

So we broke camp, and started climbing.

There were no views on the trail to Mowich Lake, just forest. But there was a lovely cascade in Carter Creek, fed from Mowich Lake further uphill.

Lovely cascade on Carter Creek

Not far past the creek crossing we reached a junction with the Spray Park Trail, making a mental note of this for later. Our camp for the night was Eagle’s Roost along the Spray Park Trail, but first we had to pick-up our resupply packages at Mowich Lake Ranger Station.

When you emerge from the forest, you encounter the road and a series of ugly campsites at Mowich Lake. It’s not a place I would choose to stay, but there were plenty of people who had. The resupply boxes are in front of the ranger station, which is roughly 0.1 miles along the southeast shore of the lake.

We got there, found our buckets and had a little lunchtime feast. The sky cleared enough to give us a bit of blue and warm sunlight.

There are trash receptacles at the Mowich Lake camp area, so we were able to empty our trash and donate our empty 5-gallon buckets.

Ready to hit the trail again, we headed back down to the junction with the Spray Park Trail, and followed it roughly 2.5 miles to Eagle’s Roost camp. This camp is set on a steep, forested hillside with peek-a-boo views of the mountains (when it’s clear).  We scoped out a decent site, setup our tents and headed out for a short side trip to Spray Falls.

Spray Falls is detour-worthy

The falls are fed from the creek running through Spray Park, which we would be hiking through tomorrow. It’s a big, beautiful waterfall, even on a cloudy afternoon, and definitely worth the short hike.

Back at camp, the clouds rolled in and brought that cold, damp air with them. We had occasional rain, but were buttoned up pretty neatly and were able to enjoy dinner without getting too wet.

Our camp at Eagle’s Roost. Photo: Derek Loranger

After dinner, the weather even gave us a glimpse of the view beyond the trees.

Day five was a satisfying day. We did a lot of climbing, successfully retrieved our resupply packages, had a great campsite and enjoyed a side-trip to Spray Falls. Tomorrow would be a longer day, with the high point on the Spray Park Trail and the Carbon River suspension bridge to look forward to.

South Mowich River to Eagle’s Roost Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 9, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 4  |  Continue to Day 6, Eagle’s Roost to Dick Creek

Day 4: South Mowich River

Distance: 7.2 miles
Time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 433’/2,705′

We broke camp and headed off into the fog.

The dampness of the day was reflected in the trail. The undergrowth is lush and green, and everything in a state of perpetual decay and regrowth. Except for the bridges. They were just decaying.

The trail itself on the west side of Mount Rainier is a pleasure to hike on. Lined with ferns, mushrooms and other plants, the tread is soft and padded by a cushion of pine needles.

The first two miles were gentile forest trail with little elevation gain or loss. And then began a steady downhill. We would drop 2,700 feet in the next 4.5 miles.

At the bottom of the canyon, we could hear South Mowich River before we could see it. The water is fast and the current strong enough to move bowling ball-sized stones downstream. We heard them rumble and crack as they tumbled downstream.

When you reach the river, the trail itself is ever changing, as the water winds its way through the scrabble and finds a new route. Stone cairns served a real purpose here, helping us find the “most likely” route across. We reached a point where there was no good log crossing, and we would have to wade through a couple sections.

We unbuckled our packs in case we fell in, and steadied our steps with our trekking poles, probing for hidden rocks that could turn an ankle or worse. We all made it across without incident, although I think it took most of the remainder of the trip for Derek’s camp shoes to dry out.

Not far beyond the river crossing was the sign for South Mowich Camp. We were first there, and claimed the shelter, giving us a chance to get out of the damp air and maybe even dry out some of our gear.

The camp is quite near the river, but you cannot use it for a water source due to the high silt content. If you try to filter it, it will quickly clog your filter. Instead, we had to hike a few hundred yards further north on the Wonderland Trail to a calmer creek that ran clear.

Tomorrow, our first resupply at Mowich Lake. 

Golden Lakes to South Mowich River Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 8, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 3  |  Continue to Day 5, South Mowich River to Eagle’s Roost

Day 3: Golden Lakes

Distance: 6.1 miles
Time: 3.75 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 1,836’/624′

There were no views on the first few miles, just beautiful forest and mushrooms.

The Trail Provides

The well-known saying suggests that when you are feeling hot, tired, or down, there’s something around the corner to lift your spirits. On the Wonderland Trail, that something was often the stunning views. Today it was the discovery of wild blueberries. We found blueberries along the trail, bursting with juicy, tart flavor. We’d spy them as we hiked along the trail, pick a few and pop them into our mouths. They gave us a little boost each time we found them.

As we passed the four mile mark on GaiaGPS, the forest began thinning, opening up views of Mount Rainier.

Derek on the ascent to Golden Lakes

The sun was strong, and it was muggy. The sort of heat that saps your energy, and encourages you to take any rest breaks in the shade.

The final 1.5 miles was fairly flat, with a small descent to Golden Lakes. The first sign of the lakes was a rickety wood plan walkway to the old patrol cabin perched on the best spot overlooking the biggest and prettiest of the Golden Lakes. We dropped our packs here and explored the campsites.

We ended up scoring a campsite on the far side of the lake, on a hill with a view looking down the valley to the west. We setup camp, and wandered down to the lake. Jason was first to go in.

We swam out to the little island in the middle of Golden Lake.

We learned an important rule to remember on the Wonderland Trail. Whenever you get a chance to take a dip in a lake, take it.

The shallow water was warm and the lake bottom soft mud. As we swam out to the deep section, we would come across a section that was freezing cold. We made our way out to the tiny island in the middle of the lake, and found a balance between too cold and almost warm water.

Sunset from our Golden Lakes campsite. Photo: Jason Fitzpatrick

A pretty perfect day on the trail.

North Puyallup River to Golden Lakes Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 7, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 2  |  Continue to Day 4, Golden Lakes to South Mowich River

Day 2: North Puyallup River

Distance: 16.7 miles
Time: 12 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 3,927’/5,116′

As we were getting ready to break camp in the morning, a doe and two fawns wandered right through our camp, setting a great vibe for a tough day.

At about 1.5 miles you reach an area known as Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, an area rich in history, fields of wildflowers and jaw-dropping views.

The patrol cabin at Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground was built in 1915.

From here, we began a 1,200 foot descent to the Tahoma Creek Suspension Bridge, one of two suspension bridges on the Wonderland Trail, spanning 150 feet and towering 200 feet above the churning grey water of Tahoma Creek.

Jason crossing the Tahoma Creek Suspension Bridge

It’s one person at a time across this span, which can get a little bouncy. The adrenaline rush from crossing the bridge gave us a boost for our next objective: Emerald Ridge. The ascent lasts about three miles, climbing 1,500 feet  to the ridgeline.

Climbing to Emerald Ridge – Photo: Derek Loranger

When we reached the ridge, we stopped for a break to take in the views of Mount Rainier.

Rainier from Emerald Ridge. The Tahoma Glacier on the left is covered with rock and dirt.

Is there any question why this was named Emerald Ridge?

From the ridge, the trail drops steeply down to South Puyallup River. Trekking poles came in handy, as sections of the trail had loose gravel looking for an opportunity to send you sliding. There’s a camp near the river, and though we had logged a lot of miles, we still had yet another ridge to climb.

At this point, in the day, it was heating up. Sitting in the shade would feel comfortable, but hiking exposed to the sun sapped our energy.

Views en route to St Andrews Park

The trail to St Andrews Park climbed 1,800 feet, and by the time we reached St Andrews Lake, we were grateful for a break.

St Andrews Lake

We were tired, and still had miles to cover. Thankfully, we were done with the climbing. We wandered down the trail to scenic Klapatche Park and wished we had our camp there.

Klapatche Park

From Klapatche Park we descended nearly 2,000 feet over two miles to North Puyallup River, our camp for the night.  The trail down to to North Puyallup was a grind. The group site is on the south side of the river, where the remains of a road are being reclaimed by the forest. On the north side are four campsites. They are not particularly beautiful, but we didn’t care. We setup camp, ate and crashed for the night.

That is, except for Jason. He got up in the wee hours of the morning and setup his tripod at the bridge over North Puyallup River to capture this nighttime photo of the waterfall.

North Puyallup Falls at night. Photo: Jason Fitzpatrick

Thankfully, our next day was going to be easier as we headed to Golden Lakes.

Devil’s Dream to North Puyallup River Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 6, 2019 with Derek and Jason.

Back to Day 1  |  Continue to Day 3, North Puyallup River to Golden Lakes

Day 1: Devil's Dream

Distance: 8.7 miles
Time: 4.75 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation +/-: 2,515’/782′

We are hiking around that?!

Jason crosses bridge number 1 of 1000

At about mile five we passed the first camp on the trail, Pyramid Creek Camp, and after crossing the creek, began climbing in earnest again. The trail is forested and the tread perfectly padded with pine needles as you climb another 1,100 vertical feet to our destination: Devil’s Dream Camp.

Perfectly padded tread

There are seven individual camp sites and one group site, as well as an outhouse with four walls and a door (a luxury as we learned). Devil’s Dream has a reputation for having a lot of mosquitos, but luckily the weren’t bad when we were there.

Unfortunately, the closest water source is another 1/2 mile up the trail, so after setting up camp, Derek and I took our Sea-to-Summit buckets (highly recommended) up to Squaw Lake, where we discovered an intolerable number of mosquitos. We hoofed it back to camp for dinner, adding another mile to our total for the day.

Longmire to Devil’s Dream Map and Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on August 5, 2019 with Jason and Derek.

Continue to Day 2: Devil’s Dream to North Puyallup River

The Rae Lakes Loop is one of the legendary backpacking routes of the Sierra Nevada.  It essentially makes a big circle around the center of Kings Canyon National Park, and features four amazing canyons and one of the epic sections of the John Muir Trail (JMT).  The beauty of this trail is considered by many to be one of the most scenic in all the Sierra.  It includes such famous sites as Mist Falls, the Woods Creek Suspension Bridge, the Sphinx, Fin Dome, Glen Pass and the Painted Lady overlooking the Rae Lakes. It is also a fantastic first-time backpacker route due to its manageable length. And, because the entire trail is horse/mule accessible, the ascents are all very reasonable. In short, it is a must do backpacking trip!

Trail Details

Distance: 54.2 miles
Time: 6 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 12,700 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Mid-July to September

Why enter via Kearsarge Pass?
Several reasons:

• We had one week available to us, so we wanted to extend the mileage and days
• We like to have an acclimation / gear shakedown day/night prior to starting the trip, and the Onion Valley Campground at 9,500 feet of elevation gives us a great high-altitude sleep before we start
• The Eastern Sierra is a faster and easier drive from Los Angeles than driving up into Kings Canyon National Park
• The permitting system for Inyo National Forest is through Recreation.gov, and is much easier than the dedicated Sequoia/Kings Canyon (SEKI) permitting system

Rae Lakes Loop via Kearsarge Pass Map

Planning the Trip

We booked both our wilderness permit and our Onion Valley Campground permit on the first day possible via Recreation.gov.  The map we used to plan our route was the Tom Harrison Kearsarge Pass Rae Lakes Loop Map.  This one map shows the entire route.  We chose the following schedule for our trip:

• Travel Day: Drive to Lone Pine, CA and pick up the backcountry permit.  Eat lunch in Lone Pine.  Drive to Onion Valley and pitch camp for the night / acclimation sleep
• Day One – 8.5 miles: Hike Onion Valley West/up to Kearsarge Pass, then down to the JMT junction and then down to Charlotte Lake.
• Day Two – 8.5 miles: Hike Charlotte Lake back up to JMT, then South to Vidette Meadow, turn off the JMT and on to the Bubbs Creek Trail hiking West to Junction Meadow and the Charlotte Creek junction.
• Day Three – 11.1 miles: Hike Charlotte Creek West and down to the Kings River Bridge and then north/up the Kings River trail to Middle Paradise Valley.
• Day Four – 7.7 miles: Hike Middle Paradise Valley to Woods Creek Bridge and then west/up Woods Creek to the Woods Creek suspension bridge and the JMT junction.
• Day Five – 6.5 miles: Hike south on the JMT to Rae Lakes. Optional 4-mile day hike from Rae Lakes to the 60 Lakes Basin Saddle and back.
• Day Six – 12 miles: Hike Rae Lakes Southwest up over Glen Pass then over Kearsarge Pass and then west/down back to Onion Valley.

Total Hiking: 54.3 Miles

Day One – Onion Valley Trailhead to Kearsarge Pass and Charlotte Lake

Day One Stats

Distance: 8.5 miles
Time: 6.25 hours
Elevation gain: 2,566 ft

The trail starts immediately upward on long switchbacks. Once over the first ridge, the trail ascends to a series of five lakes.  First is Little Pothole Lake, followed by Gilbert Lake – which is a very popular camping spot and fishing spot.  Then comes Flower Lake, the beautiful Heart Lake (yes, it’s shaped like a Heart) and finally Big Pothole Lake just before cresting Kearsarge Pass at 11,835 feet and the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park.

Kearsarge Pass is a very popular day-hike, as well as one of the most popular JMT re-supply outlets, so expect to have lots of company on this trail.

Once over the pass, some backpackers will head down a lower trail to the Kearsarge Lakes to camp at the base of the gorgeous peaks known as the Kearsarge Pinnacles, while others (including us) will take the standard upper trail and head on to the John Muir Trail.  The upper trail follows a high line that features great views of the Sierra and Bullfrog Lake as you head west towards the JMT.  We encountered a ranger on the trail towards the JMT, checking permits and warning everyone of multiple bear encounters.

Once you reach the JMT junction, you can either go north or south on the JMT or continue west for 1.3 miles down to Charlotte Lake.  At 10,370 feet, Charlotte Lake is a gorgeous place to camp, with nice campsites, a bear box, and easy access to the lake for swimming, fishing and water filtration.  And because it’s 2.6 miles round trip off the JMT, it is not very crowded. There is a ranger station located here, manned full-time during the summer season.

Day Two – Charlotte Lake to Vidette Meadow, Junction Meadow and the Bubbs Creek Trail to Charlotte Creek

Day Two Stats

Distance: 8.5 miles
Time: 5 hours
Elevation gain: 402 ft

After a mile of steep switchbacks you reach the junction of the JMT and the Bubbs Creek Trail.  We wave goodbye to the JMT (for a few days anyway) and head west on the Bubbs Creek Trail. Bubbs Creek is a good size river that flows all year round, with great water features and falls as you head down the canyon.  After you pass the Junction Meadow campground, the canyon opens up a bit and we found an amazing spot right off the trail to have lunch on granite slabs right at the top of a waterfall.  We ate, drank, soaked our feet and enjoyed the view.

Back on the trail, the canyon heads almost straight down to the west along the north side of the creek.  Here is where we had our first of two bear sightings.  This one was a smallish but beautiful cinnamon colored bear.  We didn’t get too close, Kevin got some photos while Barb and I made noise and asked it to leave the trail.  It moved on and so did we.

Eventually we arrived at a large camping area right at the junction of Bubbs Creek and Charlotte Creek, with the beautiful 10,672 foot Charlotte Dome overlooking the camping area.  We chose a great campsite with logs and a fire pit very close to the Bubbs Creek water source and pitched camp. Kevin took a swim in Bubbs Creek and Barb and I filtered water and gathered firewood.  It started to rain about 4 p.m. and we put up the rainflies on the tents. Thunder passed over us but no lightning strikes.  Eventually it cleared up to a beautiful night.

Day Three – Bubbs Creek / Charlotte Creek Campground to Sphinx Junction, Kings River Bridge, Mist Falls and Middle Paradise Valley

Day Three Stats

Distance: 11.1 miles
Time: 6.25 hours
Elevation gain: 2677 ft

We started the morning continuing our hike west and down Bubbs Creek. We started at 7,200 feet at the campground, and were headed all the way down to 5,120 feet at the Kings River Bridge, before climbing up the Kings River Canyon towards Middle Paradise Valley at 6,680 feet.

The hike down Bubbs Creek would take us through an active fire zone – where a 200-acre fire had just been put out four days before we arrived!  It was on both sides of the trail and we even found several logs that were still smoldering.  But god bless the firefighters, as they got this one out before it was able to spread!

Then we arrived at Sphinx Junction – a trail that heads south towards Avalanche Pass.  As you look up and to the South/left, you see The Sphinx – an incredible rock formation that looks similar to the Sphinx from Egypt!  Needless to say, we took a lot of photos of The Sphinx. No sooner do you finish staring at The Sphinx than the trail opens up on a spectacular view looking down on the canyon that heads west towards Roads End.  And, as you look off to the north/right, you see the Kings River Canyon that you are about to start hiking up in an hour or two.  It’s another breathtaking view at the top of a set of steep switchbacks.

Once at the bottom, you cross a number of small wooden bridges on the way to a large steel bridge that crosses the Kings River.  It was in this area that the ‘little black gnats’ started flying all around our heads – and so the head nets went on!  They aren’t mosquitos so they don’t really bite, but they can fly in your nose, ears and mouth – and the head nets were a welcome accessory.

Once across the bridge, the trail turns left towards Roads End and right/north towards the Mist Falls and Paradise Valley, up the Kings River canyon. Mist Falls is a very popular day hiking destination from Roads End, and even though this was a Tuesday, there were still a few dozen people sunbathing at the falls.  We took a bunch of photos, a few videos, and met some guys on vacation from Israel.  It is a gorgeous spot.

From Mist Falls, it’s a straight up climb to Paradise Valley.  The trail features first-class granite stairway-style trail building and is very consistent in its ascent.

Prior to arriving at Lower Paradise Valley, the thunder and lightning hit! We put on our rain jackets and pack rain covers as fast as we could. Barb said it was the loudest thunder she’d ever heard and swore that the lightning went right in front of her face!  Good thing it was over quickly.

Paradise Valley is a gorgeous flat valley featuring big trees and the Kings River.  It is about 3 miles long, and has three campgrounds – lower, middle and upper.  We decided to camp at Middle Paradise Valley and got a great spot near the river with a fire pit and logs that was somewhat sheltered from the rain so it wasn’t too muddy.  Unfortunately, the wood all around was pretty wet, but we eventually got the fire going and had a great camping night.  The next morning we would have to shake out the tents and footprints pretty well to get the water off, but nothing too nasty.

Day Four – Middle Paradise Valley to Woods Creek Junction Bridge, Castle Domes Meadow and the Woods Creek Suspension Bridge / JMT Junction

Trail Details

Distance: 7.7 miles
Time: 4.25 hours
Elevation gain: 2,444 ft

Day 4 would be our shortest day, but it would be all ascending and would include some beautiful Sierra landscapes.  We started off the morning by finishing our walk through Paradise Valley to Upper Paradise Valley campground.  Here, the trail then turns from north to east and crosses the Kings River over a bridge….but there’s just one problem…the entire bridge was washed out in the big snow year of 2017!  We had been a bit concerned about this through the spring and early summer, but by the time we got there the crossing where the bridge once stood wasn’t even knee deep and was quite easy.  The good news is that for next season – 2019 – the Forest Service expects to have a NEW bridge in place!  So I guess our photos of the bridge pedestals on each side of the river with NO bridge in between could be considered ‘collectors items’ in the future!

After the bridge crossing, the trail follows Woods Creek up the canyon and into a gorgeous meadow called Castle Domes Meadow.  On our North/left are the massive 10,000+ foot Castle Domes that overlook the meadow.  Although Woods Creek is quite a bit to the South of the trail for most of this ascent, we found one spot where the trail comes quite close and we were able to hike down a use trail to the rivers edge and have a great lunch / soak on some granite slabs.  As it was quite hot that day, we appreciated the cool break.

Ascending up to almost 8,500 feet, we then reached the junction of the JMT, where the famous Woods Creek suspension bridge takes hikers across Woods Creek.  Again, at this time of year we could have just walked through the creek at knee deep or less, but the suspension bridge is one of the highlights of the JMT!  I walked across first (one person at a time on this bridge) and took a video, then took photos of Barb coming across after me.  It swings and sways and is just another one of those epic landmarks on the JMT.

When Kevin arrived shortly after us, he had seen another bear.  This one was in a tree and Barb and I apparently walked right by it without seeing it.  When it almost dropped a pine cone on Kevin’s head, he looked up and saw it. It came down and Kevin watched is it ate its prize.  What a story that was around the campfire.

On the other side of the Woods Creek bridge are all the improved campsites. We chose a good one that had a nice water source, good fire pit and logs for sitting and spreading out gear. Again, dry wood was a challenge but we finally got a campfire going strong.  By the time dinner rolled around, this junction had no less than 20 tents pitched in it, maybe even 30!  It is definitely a busy campground for JMTers going SOBO and NOBO.  It became a tent city!  The rain never came and the clouds parted to a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous (and a bit chilly) night.

Day Five – Woods Creek Suspension Bridge / JMT Junction to Dollar Lake, Arrowhead Lake and Rae Lakes (with a day hike to the 60 Lakes Basin Saddle)

Day Five Stats

Distance: 6.5 miles
Time: 3.75 hours
Elevation gain: 2,134 ft

Day 5 began with a beautiful clear and cool morning.  We were excited, because today was the day we would get to see the Rae Lakes…and judge for ourselves if it is really one of the most beautiful places on the JMT.

The hike starts up and south as you ascend up the canyon of the South Fork of Woods Creek.  As you climb up from 8,500 feet to over 10,000 feet, you get an incredible view backwards from where we came looking down the canyon.  Soon we arrived at Dollar Lake – a gorgeous round lake teaming with Golden Trout!  We stopped and had a snack by the lake and watched the fish swim around right in front of us.  The trail then wraps around the West side of the lake and heads South again towards Arrowhead Lake.  There’s a nice campsite and bear box at Arrowhead Lake, and now you get amazing views of Fin Dome off to the right/West.  At 11,693 feet, Fin Dome towers over Arrowhead Lake and is absolutely stunning. We got a great photo of Fin Dome reflecting in the lake.

Another mile down this beautiful trail brings you to the Rae Lakes – a set of three lakes.  Middle Rae Lake is where the ranger station is located and most of the camp sites, including a bear box.  Overlooking the lakes is The Painted Lady, a 12,119-foot pyramid shaped peak that has amazing colors running through the rock, giving it its name.  We found the BEST campsite overlooking the middle lake towards the South and the Painted Lady and pitched camp.

Once our gear was secured, Barb and I headed out on a separate day hike while Kevin napped and went swimming.  Our destination: around the middle lake to the junction of the 60 Lakes Basin Trail and up the mountain South of Fin Dome to the saddle in hopes of looking down into 60 Lakes Basin.

It’s about a 2-mile ascent from 10,565 up to about 11,200 feet where you reach the saddle and the trail heads back down the other side into the less explored 60 Lakes Basin.  We had a beautiful view of 3 or 4 of the lakes to the South – and we knew right then that someday we’ll have to come back and hike all the way down into the basin and explore the lakes.

There’s another day hike out to the East from Rae Lakes that goes up to Dragon Lake at 11,076 feet.  We’d have to save that one for another trip as well.

When we got back to camp, the clouds were forming really beautiful shapes that gave way to a great sunset and some fabulous photos of The Painted Lady reflected in the lake.  We took photos and prepared for a cold night.  Since Day 6 would require a 12-mile, two-pass climb (Glen Pass and Kearsarge Pass), we decided to go to bed early and set our alarms for 4 a.m. for a 6 a.m. start.  That way we could get up both passes before the heat of the day.

Day Six – Rae Lakes to Glen Pass, Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley

Day Six Stats

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 7 hours
Elevation gain: 2,478 ft

The ascent from Rae Lakes up to Glen Pass is a 1,500 vertical foot, 2-mile hike up above the tree line and then on a series of Whitney-like switchbacks to a thin ridge.  It’s really a beautiful hike that took us to the highest point of the week at 11,978 feet. You can scramble up a bit higher and get 12,000 on the GPS if you so choose.  It’s the one part of the Rae Lakes Loop where you really feel like you’re on the moon.

There’s no sign, no trophy, no applause at the top of Glen Pass – just a thin ridge with enough room for a few people and grand views back towards Rae Lakes.  We were the first ones up on the pass that morning but were soon joined by a few other JMT SOBOers.  We all took each other’s photos, and then headed down the other side.  More steep switchbacks on the other side pass by two pothole type lakes, and then Charlotte Lake comes into view – we realize we are headed home.

The trail goes high up over the west side of Charlotte Lake, until you come to a small crossover trail that leads you back to the Kearsarge Pass trail. This is where we stopped to have a snack and say goodbye to the John Muir Trail.  We got to hike about 13 miles of the JMT on our trip, and what a great section it was!

Now it was time to climb again, up from 10,775 feet to the top of Kearsarge Pass at 11,835.  It isn’t a lot of vertical feet, but with the sun out and after already ascending Glen Pass, we had to do some work to get up and over.  The hike along the high trail gave us great views of Bullfrog Lake again, and we took some awesome photos.  We met a number of day hikers at the top of Kearsarge Pass, including another ranger.  Then it was the long 4.7 mile hike down to the car – past Big Pothole Lake, Heart Lake, Flower Lake, Gilbert Lake and Little Pothole Lake all over again.

When the cars finally came into view, we smiled big as thoughts of beans and chips, burgers and cold beers started coming front and center!  The car was where we left it, safe and sound.  We met a few PCTers at the trailhead, and then soaked our feet in the stream before packing up and driving back to Lone Pine.

Rae Lake Loop Tips and Notes

• Wilderness permits are required to enter via the Kearsarge Pass trailhead. Between May 1 and November 1, overnight visitors are limited to 60 people per day. Visit recreation.gov for more information.
• All of the campsites we chose included bear boxes for storage, but we carried bear canisters anyway for flexibility.  Bears were very active during this trip, so best to be safe.
• We tracked the trip via Gaia GPS for iPhone.
• Water is very plentiful on this trail, as each of the main canyons it follows (Bubbs, Kings, Woods) have a large active creek.
• Although we chose not to fish, there are great places along this trail to fish for Golden Trout and other species – so plan accordingly with the proper gear and license if you choose to fish.
• Fires are permitted when the campsite is under 10,000 feet in elevation, so we were able to have fires on days two, three and four.
• We had light rain several afternoons and one thunderstorm. Rain gear is advisable.
• As this was the first week of September, stream crossings were quite low and easy and there was no snow on Glen Pass so we did not carry any sort of traction devices (micro-spikes).

Conclusions

For beginner backpackers, I can’t think of a better trail to start your adventure and hone your skills than the Rae Lakes Loop.  For experienced backpackers, if you haven’t done this loop, take 4-6 days and do it – it’s so beautiful that you don’t want to miss it. If you don’t have three weeks to do the JMT, then section hiking is the way to go, and this is a great section to start off with.

Kings Canyon National Park may not be as popular as Yosemite or Sequoia, but in many ways is just as – if not more – beautiful in its own way.  It just seems so unspoiled and so natural in its features and its views.  And there is no better way to see Kings Canyon than the Rae Lakes Loop – that’s for sure!

Originally hiked on September 2-7, 2018 by Greg Glass, Barbara Hale and Kevin Muschter. All photos by the same. 

Eight years ago, I thru-hiked the John Muir Trail (JMT) for my second time in thirty years. Anytime you are out on the trail for weeks at a time, there comes a point when you miss fresh food. It could be something as simple as a cold glass of milk, or fresh fruit, or… a taco. And sometimes you get surprised, like when we were met at Reds Meadow by one of the people I had hiked the JMT with 30 years earlier, and she and her husband treated us to lunch. That kind of “trail magic” is greatly appreciated, and I’ve long thought of ways to pay it forward.

Four years ago, I hatched a plan–hike in fresh meat, tortillas, cheese, avocados and even beer and and surprise thru-hikers on the JMT and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) with a little backcountry trail magic. It was my way of giving back to the backpacking community. The idea is pretty crazy on paper. It means carrying back-aching loads at least two days into the wilderness–far enough to be meaningful to the thru-hikers and out of reach of the day hikers. Thus was born the #MuirTaco Adventure.

At the original Muir Taco trip back in 2014, I was joined by Derek Loranger from 100peaks.com and his brother-in-law and adventure buddy, PD. We started at South Lake, west of Bishop, with the intent of reaching the Muir Hut on the third day and serving lunch to anyone who happened to be lucky enough to hike over Muir Pass while we were there. We didn’t quite make it to the pass (foot issues) but we did serve tacos and beer at the so-called Muir Monster in LeConte Canyon. And there were some very happy hikers.

In 2015, we went back again, this time, trying a shorter-but-more-challenging route over Lamarck Col. That year, we were thwarted by fires, and setup our impromptu taco stand in McClure Meadow instead.

2016 was a big year. I started out planning the now-annual trek, but life got in the way, sending me to Seoul, South Korea for a year. Thankfully my Theodore Solomons Trail buddy Curt Cragg stepped in to take over in my absence. And for the first time, there was not just one, but two Muir Taco trips.

That twice-yearly schedule has stuck, with two trips in each of the past three years. I was fortunate to join the second trip of 2017, and finally… last week, on the second trip of 2018, our eighth Muir Taco trip over the past five years, we actually served tacos at the historic Muir Hut on Muir Pass for the very first time.

Here’s a photo gallery from this five day trek. If you see yourself or someone you know in the photos, leave a comment below.

The Muir Taco Crew

You’ll have to scroll to see them all, but a BIG thanks to the rest of the crew: Curt, JoAnn, Laura, Ryan, Neenah, Eric, Deb, Paul, Yoko. Bonus points if you “look up” to see the amazing stonework of the hut.

[vr url=https://socalhiker.net//wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Muir-Hut-Taco-Crew-2018.jpg view=360]

Muir Taco Adventures #8 By the Numbers

• 10 crew members
• hiked 40.6 miles
• climbing 10,583 feet of total vertical ascent
• carrying 6 lbs of chicken and carne asada
• 2 lbs of cheese
• 18 avocados
• 48 cans of beer
• 60 flour tortillas
• fresh bell peppers and onions
• stoves, fuel cans, pots, pans and utensils
• hot sauce
• 1 jalapeño

We made it to Muir Pass, where we served sixty tacos and two cases of beer to hungry and ecstatic thru-hikers. And of course, we followed Leave No Trace principles, packing out all the trash.

It’s been immensely rewarding to see the #MuirTaco trips take on a life of their own, with new faces each year joining the cause. It’s hard work, but the response from the hikers we’ve met makes it all worthwhile. In a crazy sort of way.

Want to see more? Follow Señor Muir’s Taco Hut page on Facebook. Want to support the cause? You can get stickers and shirts!

Did you get a taco from us? We want to hear from you! Leave us a comment below.

Last year at the SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Finishers Party, we wrote down our adventure goals for 2018. One of my big goals for 2018?  Climbing 14,179′ Mount Shasta for the first time. There are many routes to the top of Mt Shasta, but by far the most popular and one of the least technical is via Avalanche Gulch.

Trail Details

Summit: 14,179′
Distance: 12.3 miles
Time: 2 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 7,411 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: May – mid-July

The Team

Originally there were six of us, but as typically happens, as the date got closer, the team shrank. Ultimately, there were four of us: myself, John, Josh and Amie. We all had some winter mountaineering experience, but none of us had summited Mount Shasta before.

The Trailhead

The Avalanche Gulch route begins at the Bunny Flat Trailhead (6,920′). There are pit toilets, wag bags (required beyond Horse Camp), and self-issue summit passes ($25 per person at the time of writing). We met at 7:00 am, put on our mountaineering boots, checked our gear one last time and shouldered our backpacks for the climb.

Our destination for the day was Helen Lake, and our goal was to get there before the sun became too strong.

There is a clear view of our route to Helen Lake from the trailhead, as well as the climb from there up to Red Banks. Mount Shasta looks incredibly steep and ominous, but also beautiful and awe-inspiring from this south-facing trailhead.

Left-to-right: Jeff, Josh, Amie and John, one mile in.

The Route

We were following the “summer trail” to Horse Camp (7,800′), so-called because it’s used when the snow has melted. Earlier in the season, climbers can follow a more direct route up the snow toward Helen Lake.

The first 1.8 miles is forested and mostly shady in the morning, but we stopped for a break at the historic Horse Camp just the same. This stone lodge is in remarkable condition and kept by crew of caretakers who rotate every five days. It’s also the last reliable source of water without melting snow. Mike, the caretaker on duty called it “The Fountain of Youth” and claimed he was 140 years old. Whether the water really possessed miraculous age-defying powers or not, it sure tasted good.

After topping off our water and checking out the lodge, we picked up the summit trail. The route is called Olberman’s Causeway, and portions of it are built of huge stones that pave the trail up into the mountain.

The trees grow sparse and soon you are climbing in a lunar landscape of volcanic scree. This section of trail is usually snow-covered earlier in the season, which in some ways would be much more pleasant.

The trail climbs steeply from Horse Camp. With the snow melted, we had to pick our way along the rocky switchbacks up the mountain to 50/50 Camp. It pays to turn around once in a while to see how far you’ve come.

We took another break and regrouped at 50/50 Camp (9,280′). This is another popular spot for folks to setup base camp, but we wanted to get further up the mountain. The snow fields began here.

The weather was warm and we were able to hike up in boots and poles — no traction devices required. Along the route there are patches of pink watermelon snow. Be sure not to eat or melt the pink snow; it’s not good for you.

We reached Helen Lake (10,400′) around lunchtime on Friday. It’s called a lake, but it’s a large flat area covered with snow and commonly used as a base camp. There were many tent sites already dug out and leveled in the snow, so we picked a trio of sites near each other and setup our tents.

Our plan was to stay in the shade through the intense afternoon sun, resting and melting snow with our stoves — our only source of water until we returned to Horse Camp.

As the sun dipped below the mountains, the temperatures quickly dropped. We were in our tents by 9pm for a 2am alarm. Saturday morning at 3am, we strapped on our crampons, helmets and headlamps and began the ascent of Avalanche Gulch.

The ascent was steep and slow going, carefully climbing and definitely feeling the effects of the thin air. As the sun began to rise, the pyramid-shaped shadow of Mount Shasta swept over the landscape, creating an awesome reminder of how prominent this volcano is.

The route up Avalanche Gulch itself was fairly easy to follow, thanks to the headlamps of the many other climbers already headed up. In general, you head to the right of The Heart and (when there is sufficient snow cover) to the right side of Red Banks, just left of The Thumb.

Pretty much everyone took a break when they reached the top of Red Banks (12,800′), rehydrating and fueling up for the next part of the climb: Misery Hill.

Here we skirted the top of the Kenwakiton Glacier. The bergschrund (the crevasse seen below opening up near the left side of the glacier closest to The Thumb) often opens wider across later in the season, forcing climbers to instead climb up one of the chutes in the Red Bank. We were fortunate to have enough snow coverage to take this easier route.

The climb up Misery Hill felt less dangerous than Avalanche Gulch, although the wind really picked up. We had gusts up to 40 mph that nearly knocked you off your feet.

When we reached the top of Misery Hill, there is a broad saddle between you and the final climb to the summit. We regrouped, checked with some of the climbers coming back down from the summits, and decided it was safe enough to continue.

The final climb to the summit was not bad, with well-worn tread through the snow and rock to the craggy summit of Mount Shasta. We took the obligatory summit selfies, signed the summit register, and headed back down.

The summit in some ways feels like the “goal” of this adventure, but it’s worth reiterating that this is the halfway point. We had over 7,000 feet to descend. Working our way back to Red Bank was pretty easy (much easier to catch your breath than when you’re climbing). A short distance down from Red Banks, we were able to glissade nearly 2,000 vertical feet down the mountain to Helen Lake.

We spent roughly an hour breaking camp, then began the slog down to Bunny Flat. And a slog it was. At this point, our legs and feet were tired, AND we were carrying our fully-loaded backpacks. What seemed like a short easy hike up to 50/50 Camp turned into an seemingly never-ending downhill grind. It was hot, and we were looking forward to being finished.

Back at the trailhead, I changed into fresh clothes. Josh and Amie bid adieu (they had other plans), and John and I had dinner at Yaks on the 5 in Dunsmuir — supposedly one of the top 100 restaurants in the country. My burger was good, but I could probably name 100 restaurants that are better. But at that moment, it didn’t matter. We had summited Mount Shasta, made it back down the mountain, and our bellies were full. Life is good.

Mount Shasta Avalanche Gulch Trail Map

Video Overview of the Climb

One of my climbing partners Josh from California Through My Lens put together a 10-minute video overview of the trip.

Mount Shasta Tips & Resources

• The Mount Shasta Avalanche Center has excellent updates on current conditions, advisories plus a ton of useful resources for anyone interested in climbing Mount Shasta.
• Get educated about winter mountaineering, including how to travel with crampons and ice axe, self arrest, glissading and more. I learned first learned these skills in an REI Winter Mountaineering Skills course, although many guide and outfitters offer similar classes.
• I trained physically for this by hiking the NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, plus additional cardio and strength training at the gym.
• I highly recommend getting the Tom Harrison Mt Shasta Wilderness Trail Map.
• Check out California Through My Lens for Josh’s perspective on this epic mountain adventure.

Mount Shasta Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”96057″]

Originally climbed on June 23, 2018 with John Soltys, Josh and Amie McNair. 

We peered up at the ridge above the cirque, straining to find Lamarck Col. Checking our maps and double-checking the GPS, we found what looked like a playground of car-sized boulders. The silhouette of a lone backpacker sitting at the top confirmed our suspicions — our route was going to involve some scrambling. Little did we know that the other side of the ridge would be even tougher. And it was only our second day on the second annual Muir Taco Adventure.

On the first Muir Taco Adventure, we packed in beer, grilled carne asada, tortillas, cheese, avocados and salsa over Bishop Pass. Our goal was to serve thru-hikers on the 211-mile John Muir Trail from Muir Hut on Muir Pass, but with one of our team members was hobbled by a nagging foot injury, so we opted instead to setup our pop-up taco stand at the Muir Monster.

This year, we had the same objective, but via a shorter but more challenging route to Muir Pass, heading over Lamarck Col. This route from the North Lake trailhead outside of Bishop begins as an established trail, but dissolves into a boulder-hopping, route finding trip over the col and down to the amazing views of Darwin Bench before finally joining the John Muir Trail near Evolution Lake. From there we planned to head south to Muir Pass, down into Le Conte Canyon, and finally up to Dusy Basin, over Bishop Pass and out to South Lake. It was a solid plan, until the wildfires came along.

There were four of us for this year’s mission. I was joined by three Muir Taco newbies: Paul, Mark and Byron. We drove up the 395 from LA to Bishop, picked up our permit, then parked one car at South Lake (our exit trailhead) and my Xterra at North Lake. With a mid-afternoon start, our plan for day one was an easy hike up to Lamarck Lake.

The next morning, we arose at sunrise. After the requisite coffee and oatmeal, we broke camp and headed toward Lamarck Col. The trail to the col is less-traveled and sometimes picking the route takes some detective work. The views to the east opened up as we climbed above the tree-line, and soon we approached the cirque.

We had some discussion about where exactly the col was. There wasn’t a clear “trail” that led up. It was going to be a boulder scramble to the crest of the col. Finally, we spied a single person standing at the divide next to the trail sign marking the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park. We began carefully climbing from boulder to boulder up to the top of the col.

Smoke from the Rough Fire made this even more difficult.

When we reached the crest, we quickly realized two things. First, the smoke from the Rough Fire was far worse than we anticipated. It was certain to be a factor in this trip. Second, getting down the west side of the col would be even more arduous than climbing the east side.

There is no “trail” down from Lamarck Col. It’s another boulder scramble. Every now and then you run across a short social trail, but it soon gives way to another boulder field and you’re stuck picking your way down to the bottom of the basin. Carrying extra heavy loads with taco ingredients (and beer) doesn’t help.

Our goal had been to setup camp near the outlet of Evolution Lake on the JMT. Unfortunately, we got some bad news. As we neared Darwin Bench, we ran across a former ranger traveling in the opposite direction. He had just met up with rangers earlier in the day and was told that they were considering closing Muir Pass and even evacuating the ranger station in Le Conte Canyon due to wildfire danger. The Rough Fire was wreaking havoc.

Exhausted from the long, slow slog over and down the col, we decided to camp at Darwin Bench and reassess our plans.

Darwin Bench is a beautiful place to camp. Being off and above the JMT/PCT corridor, we had the place to ourselves.

After a decent night’s sleep, we considered our options around breakfast. We quickly ruled out our original plan to head over Muir Pass. The smoke had partially dissipated overnight, but we had recognized that as part of the pattern, and knew it would grow worse over the day. We could turn around and go back over Lamarck Col. With the memory of that fresh, we quickly ruled that option out as well. Our third option was to hike through Evolution Valley down to Goddard Canyon, then up Piute Creek, over Piute Pass and back to North Lake. We could still setup our “taco stand” in McClure Meadow. It was settled.

On our way down to McClure Meadow, we ran into a couple of JMT hikers who were continuing southbound in spite of the fire. We wished them well and handed them a beer for later. If nothing else, it would help clear the smoke out of their throats.

McClure Meadow had a great campsite for us to setup our taco production. We were right near the trail, so we could easily see and call out to any passing thru-hikers. Plus, we had a banner.

We setup production, heating the carne asada, making guacamole, and cooling the beer in the nearby creek. And soon we had hikers.

I’ll never get tired of the expressions of pure joy they share when they realize it’s not a joke – we really are offering them a free, freshly made taco and beer. And of course, one of the beautiful things about long distance backpacking is that you can always eat. Your body typically runs a caloric deficit, so more food just staves off the hunger.

My favorite story came when a group of college-age thru-hikers from east coast came by. One of them asked me “Are you the guy from SoCalHiker?! You’re the reason I’m hiking the JMT!” He shared how he’d spend time in class reading and re-reading my posts on the John Muir Trail. I’m hoping it didn’t stop him from graduating, but thrilled that he was inspired. “I bring fresh tacos and beer to all my readers,” I joked. It was a happy accident to run into him.

We shared a couple tacos with the ranger from McClure Meadow Station, and then packed up our gear and hit the trail again. This time, our plan was to camp along the San Joaquin River, near the northern boundary of Kings Canyon National Park.

Waking after our third night, we broke camp and soon left Kings Canyon NP. Here we parted from the JMT and PCT and headed up toward Piute Pass. I had never been up this route, and wasn’t sure what to expect. As it turns out, it’s quite beautiful!

As was the pattern, the day began with optimistically blue skies, but almost like clockwork, the afternoon sun was choked with smoke. As we climbed higher toward the pass, smoke filled the entire basin. It was like breathing a campfire. Not good.

We camped for the night just below Piute Pass. It was a long haul, and this set us up well for a short hike out to the trailhead. The smoke was so thick that you could barely make out the outlines of the jagged peaks towering around us.

Our fifth and final day, we climbed over Piute Pass and enjoyed the slightly clearer morning air as we hiked back down to North Lake.

This modified route worked well for us. It was a little longer than our original plan, but with the same number of nights, we had plenty of food. As it turns out, we came out at North Lake, near where we started five days earlier. We still had to go pickup the other car at South Lake, but we didn’t have to hitch a ride.

The Rough Fire may have wreaked havoc on our plans to serve tacos at Muir Pass, but it didn’t stop us from our core mission: bringing a little trail magic to hungry and thirsty thru-hikers, deep in the backcountry. And that is priceless.

Postscript

Señor Muir’s Taco Hut has it’s own Facebook page. Follow along for more photos from other Muir Taco adventures.

Originally hiked on August 20-24, 2015. Thanks to Paul, Mark and Byron for joining me on this bodacious boondoggle! 

Rose Peak. The name evokes thoughts of gentle beauty. But this Rose is guarded not by thorns, but by a relentless series of climbs and descents. In total, nearly 20 miles for the round trip, and 5,000 vertical feet. This is one tough hike.

Trail Details

Distance: 19.5 miles
Time: 7-10 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 5,000 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Year-round

Getting to the Trailhead

From Livermore, head south on North Livermore Avenue. This becomes Tesla Road outside of Livermore. Turn right at Mines Road, then continue straight onto Del Valle Road, following it all the way to the park entrance. There is a vehicle entry fee, and (if camping overnight) daily campground fee.

We camped overnight at Del Valle, and started on the Vallecitos Trail. Here’s the location of our trailhead on Google Maps. If you’re hiking this as a day hike, park near the Rocky Ridge Visitor Center and start on the Sailor Camp Trail.

You’ll also need an Ohlone Wilderness Regional Trail Permit for each person in your party. They must possess and carry the permit, which actually doubles as a detailed map and is good for one year. You can get a permit at the Del Valle Regional Park, but your best bet is to order it in advance online. Backpacking permits are not available at Del Valle Regional Park.

Hiking to Rose Peak via Del Valle

We hiked from the Vallecitos Trail near the family campground, but the Sailor Camp Trail near the Rocky Ridge Visitor Center meets up at the boundary of the Ohlone Wilderness.

The trail starts out with a gradual climb along a shady ravine.

At 0.8 miles, you reach the junction with the Sailor Camp Trail and the check-in board for the Ohlone Trail. Check the information here for the latest warnings and bulletins, and sign the registry before continuing.

From here, the double-track trail climbs steeply. Trekking poles are highly recommended. 

Pass through Gate RK4. As with all gates you encounter in the wilderness, be sure to close them behind you.

The first water source is marked by trail marker #39. As with most of the water sources on this trail, they require a detour to the spring, and water must still be filtered or treated before drinking.

This trail signpost is typical throughout the park. They are well marked and numbered, making cross-referencing on your Ohlone Wilderness permit (map) a breeze.

At about 2.3 miles you pass through a saddle and begin the first big descent into Williams Gulch. At the bottom, a season creek gurgles and cascades over moss-covered rocks. It’s a good place to collect and get ready for another big climb.

After climbing 1.8 miles up, you encounter an interesting rock outcrop. If you look closely, you’ll find a plaque identifying the point as Schlieper Rock. And you’re not done schlepping uphill quite yet.

At the 5.2 mile mark you reach the ridgeline. From here the climb tapers off for a bit, with gently rolling hills replacing the relentless uphill grind.

At about 7.5 miles, the trail turns right at marker #32 begins another descent. Skirting La Costa Creek and climbing another ridge, the south San Francisco Bay comes into view in the hazy distance.

At marker #31, the trail turns left and descends to Indian Creek. We refilled our water here, filtering it with a Katadyn BeFree water filtration bottle.

After Indian Creek, we had one last climb. At trail marker #29, we beared right toward Maggies Half Acre Camp – our destination for the night.

Maggies Half Acre sits on a bench just north and below Rose Peak. There are several campsites, a pit toilet and spring-fed water source (again, filter before drinking).

In the morning, we broke camp before dawn and hiked west to trail junction #28, then turned back east and up to Rose Peak. We made some coffee and enjoyed the sunrise from the summit.

Fully-caffeinated and ready to head home, we followed the trail east back to trail marker #29, rejoining the trail we came in on the day before. From here it was just a matter of retracing our steps back to Del Valle.

Our fresh legs carried us all the way to Williams Gulch, where we took our only break for the day and refilled our water one last time.

The climb out of the gulch felt much easier and shorter than we expected, and from the ridge, it was mostly downhill the remainder of the way.

When Del Valle Regional Park came into view, we knew we’d be on our way home soon.

We saw only a few other people on the trail on our weekday trip. The quiet and the solitude was peaceful. The terrain is deceptively gentle looking, and surprisingly challenging.

Without a doubt, this was the toughest hike in the NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks.

Rose Peak via Del Valle Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Ohlone Regional Wilderness Tips & Resources

• This route begins in the Del Valle Regional Park. There is an entrance fee of $6 per vehicle, and additional fees for overnight camping in Del Valle. Park hours vary by season, so check the website for the latest information.
• If you are day hiking, you will park in the Rocky Ridge Visitor Center parking area and begin on the Sailor Camp Trail. If you camp overnight at Del Valle at the family campground (as we did) you begin at the Vallecitos Trail. Both trails converge at the junction with the Ohlone Trail at the wilderness boundary. Be sure to sign-in on the register at the boundary.
• You must order a permit and carry it on this hike. It’s only $4 bucks at the time of writing, it’s good for a year, and includes a detailed map, trail descriptions, rules and other useful data. Each person in the party needs their own permit. This is probably the best idea I’ve seen for a permit. As long as you’re carrying a permit, you’ve got a map and all the details on the park.
• Overnight camping is at designated campsites only, and requires a reservation. Call 1-888-EBPARKS or 1-888-327-2757, press option 2 to reserve a campsite.
• Visit the official Ohlone Regional Wilderness website for the latest info on trail conditions, water availability, and regulations.
• Cell coverage via AT&T was limited on this hike. The best signal was near Rose Peak, where there is a line of sight with the south bay.
• As always, carry the ten essentials and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles.

Rose Peak is part of the NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. Join today!

Ohlone Regional Wilderness Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”94551″]

Originally hiked on January 29 & 30, 2018 with Jason Fitzpatrick.

One of the best way to enjoy the mountains of Southern California is on an overnight backpacking trip. I have hiked both San Bernardino Peak and San Gorgonio Peak both as day hikes and as overnight trips, but since many of the trailheads closed by the Lake Fire were reopened in 2017, I wanted to explore other options. These two peaks were the last two I needed to finish out my SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, and with only two days on my schedule to hike, I knew it would be a challenge.

Trail Details

Distance: 30.2 miles
Time: 2 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 5,770 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: June to November

In a nutshell, the plan was to follow the John’s Meadow Trail up to the junction with the main San Bernardino Trail that begins at Angelus Oaks, follow that to the summit of San Bernardino, then continue on the San Bernardino Divide Trail to camp. Early the next day, continue on to the summit of San Gorgonio, then descend via the South Fork Trail.

Getting to the Trailheads

You’ll need to either have a friend drop you off or, more ideally, have two vehicles. In our case, there were three of us, each coming from different places and arriving at different times, so we ended up with three vehicles. We parked the nicer two cars at South Fork, and the rental car at Forsee Creek. Why? South Park has nice, paved parking. Forsee requires about a 1/2 mile drive up a very bumpy, rutted dirt and gravel road. I was able to drive my sedan back there without incident, but if you have a Mini Cooper or a BMW sedan, you might not want to risk it.

Both trailheads are located off Jenks Lake Road, which is a partial loop that connects to Highway 38 on both ends. Driving up the mountain from Redlands, you’ll continue past Angelus Oaks, reaching Jenks Lake Road West on your right. The east end of  this windy, paved road reconnects with Highway 38 miles away.

The closest trailhead is Forsee Creek Trail. There is a sign for the turn-off to the right (south)  from Jenks Lake Road onto Forsee Creek Road. Note that this unpaved road is gated and may be closed during snow season. The dirt section is only about a 1/2 mile, so it could be walked. Get turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps.

The South Fork trailhead is on Jenks Lake Road East. There is a paved parking lot on the north side of the road, with the trail itself beginning on the south side. Get turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps.

The distance between the two trailheads is less than three miles, so if you only have one car, you could hike between the two.

Day 1: Forsee Creek Trailhead to San Bernardino Peak

At the Forsee Creek Trailhead, there’s a sign with a somber reminder that portions of this hike travels through area scarred by the Lake Fire in 2015. Dead trees still standing represent a hazard, as does hillsides with little vegetation to hold them together in a rain storm. Be aware of the weather and your surroundings, and be prepared to change your plans if conditions do not allow safe passage.

The trail climbs gradually for the first 0.5 miles, reaching the junction with the Johns Meadow Trail. Turn right (west) here. You’ll follow this trail for the next 5.7 miles with no other junctions.

The trail climbs gently for the first four miles of this hike, following the contours of the mountain while gradually climbing.

There are several small creeks near Johns Meadow Camp, so this would be a good camp option to do this route as a 2-night trip. Hike the easy 4 miles to Johns Meadow late on day one, and you’re well positioned for an early start on day two.

Once you pass Johns Meadow Camp the trail begins climbing quite steeply. The incline felt even steeper since we were carrying gear for overnight.

There are many places where the trail would be slippery with loose rock–easier to climb with trekking poles and much easier than going down. We all agreed that even though it was a steep climb, we were glad were weren’t coming back down this route.

At the 6.2 mile mark, you reach the junction with the main trail up San Bernardino, just a few yards from the rusted wheelbarrow that those who have hiked that route are no doubt familiar with.

From here, we followed a trail we had hiked before up to Limber Pines Spring, where we refilled all our water bottles and bladders. The water would need to last us up to San Bernardino, for cooking dinner and breakfast, getting us up to San Gorgonio in the morning and down to the next water at South Fork.

Note

There are a couple of springs downhill from the San Bernardino Divide Trail, but we didn’t relish the thought of going down to climb back up if we didn’t have to, and we had enough water storage to get us through.

As we neared the summit of our first peak, we took the short detour to checkout Washington Monument. We’ve been there before, but this historic point was used by surveyors in laying out many of the streets of Southern California back in the 1800s. To this day, it’s covered with benchmarks datum points, and an assortment of odd pins added by hikers.

After roughly 11 miles of hiking, we reached San Bernardino Peak. This was the perfect spot for a lunch break and socializing with other hikers, many of whom were hiking the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge.

From here, we followed the San Bernardino Divide Trail as it makes it’s way east along the ridge. The trail dips and climbs, but stays above 10,000 feet. There are several trail junctions along the way, all well signed.

The landscape is fairly desolate, but we still saw patches of wildflowers even late in September.

We considered hiking all the way to the San Gorgonio Summit Camp (our original plan), and we could have, but the spring in our step was gone and that goal didn’t sound so appealing any longer. We opted to camp at Red Rock Flat Camp, an ugly area at the edge of the fire-scarred forest, but with a beautiful view of the sunset to the west.

Day 1: Forsee Creek Trailhead to San Bernardino Peak Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Day 2: San Bernardino Divide to San Gorgonio and Down South Fork

On the second day, we hit the trail just as the first rays of sunlight hit our campsite. From Red Rock Flat Camp, the San Bernardino Divide Trail descends to Dollar Lake Saddle at 10,000 feet.

Several trails converge at this saddle, so be sure to follow the sign for San Gorgonio Mountain. The trail climbs the west-facing slope of the ridge with spectacular views.

Rounding the corner, Mount San Jacinto comes into view across the valley to the south. I was standing at the top of that just two days earlier.

Soon we reached the trail coming up from High Creek. This is one of the more popular routes, heading up Vivian Creek to High Creek, then up to the ridge and across to the summit. It was still early, so we didn’t run into any day hikers, but we did see several who had camped at High Creek Camp and were making their way to the summit.

It’s a great feeling to reach the ridgeline to the summit, and this route made it feel really easy. The skies were cloudless and we enjoyed a rare, windless day atop San Gorgonio Mountain.

On the way back down, we took the Sky High Trail towards Mine Shaft Saddle. This wraps around the east side of San Gorgonio and is used for both the Fish Creek Trailhead (still closed at the time of this writing) and to our destination – the South Fork Trailhead.

The trail skirts the aptly named Dry Lake, then begins a steep descent toward South Fork.

This area had the most burn damage for the 2015 Lake Fire. While there were still some trees that survived, the area won’t look the same in my lifetime.

Thankfully, there was still plenty of water running at South Fork, even in late September. We filtered water and refilled our bottles and continued the descent.

We descended over 4,400 feet on day two, logging 15.5 miles.

Day 2: San Bernardino Divide to San Gorgonio Peak Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Tips & Tricks for Overnight Trips in the San Gorgonio Wilderness

• Wilderness permits are required for both day hikes and overnight trips in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. At the time of writing, there are no quotas for day hike permits, and you can even fill out your own at the Mill Creek Ranger Station. For all overnight trips, there are quotas based on the camp site(s) and days you choose. For details, visit the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association.
• Water can be tricky. the camps at higher elevations typically do not have a nearby water source, so plan to either carry enough to get you through the night and next day until you reach South Fork, or taking a detour downhill to a spring (adding one or more miles and additional vertical gain).
• Cell coverage is unreliable on this route. There may be places where you can pick up a weak signal, but don’t rely on this.
• Carry the Ten Essentials, and practice the Seven Leave No Trace Principles.
• The San Bernardino Divide Trail is also the route for the Nine Peak Challenge. Instead of taking the trail alongside the various peaks, you scramble up to the top of nine peaks.

Alternate Routes

You can hike in and exit from any number of trailheads. The most popular alternate route would be the San Bernardino Peak Trailhead in Angelus Oaks, exiting either via South Fork or the Vivian Creek Trailhead.

You can also stretch this out into a 3- or 4-day trip to cut down the daily mileage and enjoy the journey a bit longer.

For example, camp at Johns Meadow, then Limber Pine, then San Gorgonio Summit for a four day trip that includes summit sunset and sunrise atop Old Greyback.

Be prepared for extreme fluctuations in weather. Mountain weather can be very different than what you experience in the valley. Check Mountain Forecast for a summit forecast on San Gorgonio.

Originally hiked on September 16 & 17, 2017 with Jason Fitzpatrick and Ric Serena of The Muir Project.

DAY SIX on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

We would celebrate completing the North Lake South Lake Loop today with another short day – up and over Bishop Pass and then down to the trailhead.  We woke up to another COLD morning with ice on the rain fly – and we would take our time getting warmed up as we only had a short hike to finish.

Bishop Loop Day 6 Details

Distance: 6.9 miles
Time: 4-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Gain/Loss: +658’/-2,119′
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

Before we left Upper Dusy Basin, we took some sunrise photos.  The ascent up to Bishop Pass would be about 650 vertical feet and pretty easy.  There were a couple of small snow fields to cross on the way up – and then we were there!  Bishop Pass – 11,972 feet – the entrance/exit to Kings Canyon National Park.

We took a few photos with the sign, and chatted with some rock climbers who were getting ready to climb Mt. Agassiz.  They asked us if we saw any snow in the western facing chutes, and I showed them my photos from the night before.  They were happy to see that it was clear, and we wished them luck on their climb.

The hike down the east side of Bishop Pass started with a few snow fields – similar to those on the east side of Muir Pass but not as steep.  We hiked down carefully and saw some HUGE bear paw prints in the snow!  We had heard of bear sightings in Dusy Basin, but had gone six days without even seeing a print.  Now, on our last day, in a snow field at 11,800 feet – there they were!  Crazy!

After the snow fields, the Bishop Pass trail goes straight down a granite face via a series of steep switchbacks that are VERY similar to the structure of the 99 switchbacks on the Whitney trail…except here there aren’t 99 of them.

Once down the steep switchies, the trail flattens into the beautiful basin that houses Bishop Lake.  Unlike the Piute Pass trail, this upper section of the Bishop Pass trail has a lot of brown/red clay soil – making the contrast with the gray granite, white snow, blue water, green grass and trees even more stunning.

The Bishop Pass trail winds downward past a series of huge gorgeous lakes – one after the other.  First Bishop Lake, then Saddlerock Lake, then Spearhead Lake, then Long Lake.  And yes, Long Lake is really LONG!

At this point, I wasn’t that excited about trying my hand at fishing again – but I should have been, because this is where all the fish were!  We passed one guy at Long Lake that had already caught three and thrown a few back.  We passed others that were on their way up to various lakes for fishing – and all of them said that the fishing was excellent.  Oh well – next year.

As it was Friday, there were a lot of backpackers starting their journey on the Bishop Pass Trail.  Many of them were looking for beta on Muir Pass conditions – and we were glad to give them the good news that everything is doable and they would be good to go.  It’s fun to create smiles and relief for hikers on their first day out.

Finally, we arrived at South Lake – the same place we had parked our car seven days earlier.  South Lake is as full as it’s been EVER – they were even letting water out of the spillway. It was just another function of this incredible winter that made the trail so green, so wet, so snowy and so wonderful for the past week.

As we took our finishing photos at the trailhead and looked back at the Eastern Sierra and Bishop Pass, we celebrated another epic adventure in these majestic mountains that we are so lucky to live near.

If you want to see some of the John Muir Trail’s most prized gems – like Evolution Valley and Muir Pass – but don’t have 2-3 weeks to complete the entire JMT, the North Lake–South Lake Loop provides an amazing one week option and 55 miles of absolutely spectacular Sierra scenery.

Get out there!

Upper Dusy Basin to South Lake Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on Friday, August 25, 2017.

DAY FIVE on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

For our fifth day on the trail we had a very short hiking day up to Upper Dusy Basin. We also knew it would be a pretty good 2,500 foot ascent over a pretty short distance.

Bishop Loop Day 5 Details

Distance: 6.3 miles
Time: 4-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Gain/Loss: +2,571’/-115′
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

From the Le Conte Canyon Ranger Station trail junction, the switchbacks head straight up the mountain to the east.  There are two long sets of steep switchbacks with a sort of semi-flat section in the middle of the canyon.  The first section is in the trees and the second section is much more exposed.  The trail is extremely well engineered, with lots and lots of granite steps.

This is the eastern edge of Kings Canyon National Park – and its beauty and trail building are consistent with the rest of this majestic park.  The second set of switchbacks crosses over a waterfall with a small wooden footbridge – certainly the coolest landmark on the ascent!

Finally you top out at a series of small streams and tarns at the western edge of Lower Dusy Basin at about 10,700 feet.  The views to the north, east and south as you look east are absolutely breathtaking.  In the distance you can see the four peaks that make up the Palisades and Bishop pass to the north.  The high country green grasses and water that are a function of this epic winter snowfall turned Dusy Basin into a paradise!

As it was a short day, I thought it would be great to go up as far as we could into Upper Dusy Basin to the last tarns / water sources so that we could be right at the base of Bishop Pass for the morning.  This turned out to be a great idea.

Off the trail about two to three hundred yards to the south were some beautiful tarns and streams at about 11,200 feet that made the perfect campsite for our last night.  Mark and Brian even found a little granite ‘island’ to camp on.

We took some amazing photos, pitched camp, had dinner, and then bundled up as it got really cold at high altitude again.  The close up views of the Palisades – Mt. Agassiz (13,893′), Mt. Winchell (13,775′), Thunderbolt Peak (14,003′) and North Palisade (14,242′) – were absolutely breathtaking!  It was like you could just reach out and touch them!  Any time you get to be that close to California’s 14ers it’s a good day!

It was our last night in Kings Canyon National Park and our last night in the Sierra – happy and sad. Tomorrow we would hike over Bishop Pass and out to the South Lake trailhead.

Little Pete Meadow to Upper Dusy Basin Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked Thursday, August 24, 2017.

Continue to Day Six: Upper Dusy Basin to South Lake

DAY FOUR on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

We woke early and it was cold at Sapphire Lake.  There was ice all over the outside of the rain fly and it took a few minutes for me to warm my clothes inside my sleeping bag before I wanted to put them on.

Bishop Loop Day 4 Details

Distance: 11.1 miles
Time: 6-9 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Gain/Loss: +936’/-3,104′
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

The gentle 500 vertical foot ascent to Wanda Lake was beautiful – the only thing slowing us down was a long wet crossing where we had to change shoes just below Wanda Lake.

At 11,426 feet in elevation, Wanda Lake is high and massive!  And, coming off this big winter made it even more so!  The peaks surrounding Wanda Lake were still spotted with snow, and the trail at the east end of the lake heading up past Lake McDermand to Muir Pass had several nice snow fields to cross, although the sun cups weren’t as big and high as they probably were a month earlier.

The anticipation of seeing Muir Hut for the first time doesn’t drag on – you can see it from a long ways a way as you slowly ascend from Wanda Lake.  It’s pretty cool to see it that far away and have it as an ascent target as you slowly make your way up the bowl and across the snow.

And just like that, there we were!!  Muir Hut at 11,955 feet!  Mountain pass #2 accomplished!  There were about 8 to 10 other people hanging out at the hut, and we got a nice girl to take our picture together.  We checked out the inside of the hut – and you would definitely appreciate having it if you got stuck on the pass in bad weather.

After a snack and some photos, we decided to chat with a few other folks as they got set to head down the east side towards Helen Lake.  There was a pretty large snow field and we wanted to make sure that we checked for the safest way down.  There was a good set of footprints well to the right of the main trail, and that appeared to be the snow path that everyone was taking.

The descent was pretty steep, but slushy enough to make microspikes not particularly helpful.  My wife put hers on – and it seemed to give her some good confidence.  We slowly made our way down the steep snowfield until it married up with the trail at the bottom after a bit of boulder hopping.  It was nice to get that out of the way!

The trail down to and past Helen Lake would be off and on snow fields and some partial route finding.  We used our GPS and kept our eyes open and slowly and safely made our way down and around.  We also encountered several wet crossings – some of which could be avoided with some bouldering, but for us it was easier just to put on the Tevas and plow right through.

A dozen or so hikers were coming up the other way, and we were glad to share our beta on the snow fields and Muir Pass.  As they were all going up, they would certainly have no problems with the snow.  As we continued down the trail, there were some amazing shots of the runoff melting away the snow – areas that were snow bridges and snow crossings a few weeks ago were now washing away fast.

Eventually we hit the tree line and started the long winding descent down into the gorgeous Le Conte Canyon.  It is really quite a spectacular and beautiful canyon, surrounded by majestic and jagged Sierra peaks on both sides.  Incredible waterfalls and water features – along with a few more wet crossings – followed us all the way down.

The first campsite at the north end of Le Conte Canyon features the famous Monster Rock – and so of course I had to take the obligatory photo in the mouth of the beast!

The next campground is Big Pete Meadow – but a group of backpackers had beat us to it, so we kept going in hopes that Little Pete Meadow would be empty.  Minutes later, we arrived at Little Pete – and it was all ours!  It was a great campsite with a great water source, a fire ring, and another family of deer to keep us company.

Little Pete is also just a short hike from the Le Conte Canyon Ranger station and the Dusy Basin / Bishop Pass trail junction – so again we had positioned ourselves perfectly for a morning ascent the next day up to Dusy Basin.

Our friends Mark and Brian arrived not long after us – and we shared a fire and dinner.  They were looking pretty beat up, and weren’t sure if they wanted to keep going all the way to Kearsarge and then Whitney.  We invited them to go out with us at Bishop Pass and they happily agreed.  Eleven days would be enough for them on their first backpacking adventure – and we were glad that we could help them exit safely and give them a ride back to Bishop.

Sapphire Lake to Little Pete Meadow Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

Continue to Day Five: Little Pete Meadow to Upper Dusy Basin

DAY THREE on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

The trail up to Evolution Valley starts off with a 1,000 feet of switchbacks that dig in right away!  The switchbacks follow the waterfall that is Evolution Creek flowing out of the valley – and some of the views are breathtaking.  As you top out, you then hike along the creek – watching your map to see how close you are to the famous “Evolution Creek Crossing”.

Bishop Loop Day 3 Details

Distance: 10.9 miles
Time: 5-8 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Gain/Loss: +2,696’/-135′
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

After hiking about two miles, we reached the crossing. The creek didn’t look too deep, but it was running a bit faster than we’d like.  There was a solo hiker camped about 25 years upstream, and where he was camped looked like a perfect place to cross.  We walked over and started to change our shoes, and had a nice chat with our new friend – he agreed it was a good spot.  Knee deep at the outset, and then quite easy after that – we were across in seconds!  Evolution Creek, done!

As the trail opens up and enters Evolution Meadow, it’s an incredible view!  And, the views just keep getting better and better as you approach McClure Meadow.  It’s hard to believe this hidden gem of a valley sits right in the middle of the High Sierra.  Absolutely breathtaking!

After you pass the McClure Meadow ranger station, the valley opens up to Colby Meadow – another spectacular view.  Evolution Creek continues to wind through the valley and our anticipation grows as we know that the climb up to Evolution Lake is coming – and that the views looking back as we climb will be incredible!

A series of switchbacks take you up and out the West end of Evolution Valley – and you have to stop every few minutes and look back over the expanse of the Valley.  It’s simply amazing.

Finally, you top out above the tree line at the west end of Evolution Basin and the huge expanse of Evolution Lake.

At 10,852 feet, this giant lake has a short round section on the northwest end and a long center section that runs west to east – the trail goes all the way around the north side of the lake – and it’s quite a distance.

This north side trail had several snow fields to cross and the beautiful blue sky began to give way to some pretty ominous monsoonal storm clouds.  At the southeast end of the lake is a great water crossing with large rocks that is really fun.

The trail continues to climb gently to Sapphire Lake at 10,966 feet.  By this time, we were feeling rain drops and small hail – so we felt that the additional 500 vertical foot ascent to Wanda Lake was out of the question for today.  It was time to pitch camp at Sapphire Lake before the big rain or hail would hit.

We found a flat spot off the trail with close access to lake water and we set the tent up quickly.  I wanted to try a few fishing casts, but the wind was too strong.  Soon after, the hail started to pelt us and we took shelter in the tent.

When the hail finally stopped, we hopped out and had a quick dinner. We layered up as it was pretty cold, and invited a couple of other hikers to join us at the camp spot we had found.  Mark and Brian were childhood friends from SoCal on their first backpacking adventure!  They were already 9 days in from Mammoth and looked happy to find some other folks to get them off the trail before the weather hit.

By the time we finished eating, the rain arrived.  We hunkered down in our tent for about an hour of pretty decent rain.  Everything stayed dry and soon it would be a calm, clear and cold night at Sapphire Lake.

In the morning, we would make our ascent of the iconic Muir Pass!

Goddard Canyon to Sapphire Lake Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked Tuesday, August 22, 2017.

Continue to Day Four: Sapphire Lake to Little Pete Meadow

DAY TWO on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

Our second day on the trail would be relatively short, and connect us with the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail with the Goddard Canyon Junction our destination. We awoke to another beautiful, clear morning and we headed southwest along Piute Creek towards the JMT junction.

Bishop Loop Day 2 Details

Distance: 8.8 miles
Time: 5-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Gain/Loss: +498’/-1,537′
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

The trail turned south and down a series of switchbacks, through manzanitas, and all the way down to 8,000 feet and the bridge that crosses over the creek and marks the junction of the John Muir Trail and the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park.

This just happened to be the morning of the full solar eclipse, but unfortunately cloudy skies rolled in and obscured our view and we never got to see it.

We took a few quick pics at the bridge, then crossed over and took a break in the campground on the other side.  Here it started to rain, so after a snack, we put on our rain jackets and covered our packs and headed southwest along the JMT.

This section of the JMT follows the powerful San Joaquin River southwest – past Muir Rock, then through Aspen Meadow, and then across another large bridge with some beautiful campsites on the other side.

We continued along the trail until just before the Goddard Canyon trail junction and bridge – where there was a great campsite along the trail with great access to water and a nice fire pit.  That was ours! The rain had stopped and it was camping time.

Although this was a relatively short 8.8 mile hiking day, it positioned us perfectly to climb up into Evolution Valley first thing the next morning – and that is always our strategy…try and set up the climbs for first thing each morning!  Climbing late in the day after a long day on the trail is no fun…at least for us.

Another family of deer joined us at the campsite, and we enjoyed their company by the fire during dinner until it was time for bed.  I suspect they slept nearby, as they were up and ready to greeting us first thing the next morning.

Hutchinson Meadow to Goddard Canyon Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on Monday, August 21, 2017.

Continue to Day Three: Goddard Canyon to Sapphire Lake

DAY ONE on the North Lake/South Lake Loop

Bishop Loop Day 1 Details

Distance: 12.1 miles
Time: 6-9 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,056 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

There are several early stream crossings using large logs, but nothing that required getting our feet wet.

About half way up to Piute Pass you reach Loch Leven, a beautiful lake at 10,743 feet.

After a series of gorgeous waterfalls and water features, you climb up to Piute Lake at 10,958 feet.

Finally, it’s a short ascent to Piute Pass at 11,423 feet.

There was one remaining snow field across the trail approaching Piute Pass, with some parts of the snow breaking away – so we used caution and took the safest route across the snow.

From Piute Pass, the views are spectacular to both the East and the West.  To the east, it’s back down Piute Pass trail from where you came.  To the west, it’s the vastness of Humphreys Basin.  We sat, ate lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous views.  There is also a side trail here that heads southwest towards Muriel Lake.

We then continued to head west down and through Humphreys Basin.  The expanse of the basin is truly beautiful.  After passing Summit Lake, there were a few wet crossings and some use trails heading south towards Upper and Lower Golden Trout Lakes.

Once below 10,800 feet the tree line starts again and you head through the forest towards Hutchinson Meadow.  On the west edge of Hutchinson Meadow are a series of wet stream crossings – about six to be exact – that come one after the other…so we left our water shoes on and banged them all out in order.

After the last one, there is a beautiful meadow on the south side of the trail, with gorgeous flat granite rock features – the perfect place to camp for night one.  We pitched our tent directly on the granite and the water source was super close and clean.

We got some beta on this campsite from a pair of backpackers coming the other way on the trail a few hours earlier – and their beta was spot on!  We pitched camp, and then I tried my hand at some fishing in Piute Creek.  No bites, but a beautiful place to cast a line and I had a family of deer as my audience. The bugs were probably the worst here of any night on the trail – so we used the head nets for a bit in the evening before climbing into the tent.

The elevation at Hutchinson Meadow is 9,500 feet – so campfires are allowed.  There was one camp site in the trees with a fire pit, but we chose to camp in the open meadow on the granite and forego a fire for this first night.

Piute Pass Trailhead to Hutchinson Meadow Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Originally hiked on Sunday, August 20, 2017.

Continue to Day Two: Hutchinson Meadow to the Goddard Canyon Bridge Junction

For those who have backpacked the famous John Muir Trail, Evolution Valley is often mentioned as one of the most beautiful and memorable spots along the trail.  But is there a way to get to Evolution Valley on just a one-week backpacking adventure?  The answer is YES – and the most popular of these routes is the North Lake – South Lake Loop.

The North Lake South Lake Loop is a 55-mile trail that begins and ends in the Eastern Sierra in the Inyo National Forest.  The trailheads – one at the North Lake Campground and the other at the South Lake day use parking lot – are just a 10-mile drive apart – and it is equally popular to start at either end.  If hiking as a group, it is very efficient to leave a car at both ends.  If hiking with just one car, there are various local shuttle services that can drop you off at either end.  There is also a public shuttle bus that runs from South Lake to Bishop multiple times a day during the summer months.

Trail Details

Distance: 55 miles
Time: 4-6 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 9,418 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Late July-Early October

The 55-mile route is epic!  It starts from the North Lake campground and heads west and up, climbing 2,000 vertical feet over five fairly gentle miles to the summit of Piute Pass.  Then the trail heads across Humphreys Basin and down along Piute Creek until it reaches the San Joaquin River and the bridge that crosses you into Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Trail.

Piute Creek

You then head south on the JMT, along the river until you reach the junction with the Goddard Canyon Trail.  From there, you head back west and up up up to Evolution Valley and then Evolution Basin – finally topping out at the summit of Muir Pass. From here, it’s west and south down and into the epic Le Conte Canyon.

Muir Pass

Then, its west and up up up as you depart the JMT and head back via Dusy Basin and the summit of Bishop Pass.  Finally, it’s down along the Bishop Pass trail, passed a half a dozen gorgeous lakes to the South Lake trailhead and done!

Three legendary mountain passes and a journey through Evolution Valley and Evolution Basin – it’s about as perfect as a 5-6 day backpacking trip in the Sierra can get!

North Lake/South Lake Loop Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Permits

Whether you start at North Lake or South Lake, the permitting process is the same.  You apply online at Recreation.gov for either the Piute Pass-North Lake trailhead or the Bishop Pass-South Lake trailhead as your entry point – up to 6-months before your entry date.  You will pick up your permit for either one at the White Mountain Ranger Station in Bishop, CA.  They will ask you how you are storing your food and they will remind you NO fires above 10,000 feet.

Once you have your permit – you’re ready to go!  AND, if you have time, don’t forget to stop at the world famous Burger Barn as you head out of town on Highway 168 – it’s worth the trip!

Six-Day North Lake–South Lake Loop Backpacking Itinerary

We decided on a pre-trip overnight at North Lake Campground followed by a 6-day trip – as we don’t like to hurry and LOVE to camp!  Our schedule would be:

• Day Zero – Travel day. Pick up permit, eat at Burger Barn, head to North Lake Campground and spend the night
• Day One – Piute Pass trailhead – over Piute Pass – down through Humphreys Basin to Hutchinson Meadow
• Day Two – Hutchinson Meadow – down Piute Creek to the JMT junction – down along the San Joaquin River to the Goddard Canyon Bridge Junction
• Day Three – Goddard Canyon Bridge Junction – Up to Evolution Valley – then into Evolution Basin and camp at Sapphire Lake
• Day Four – Sapphire Lake – up to Wanda Lake then summit Muir Pass – then down into Le Conte Canyon and camp at Little Pete Meadow
• Day Five – Little Pete Meadow up to Dusy Basin and camp at the highest tarns below Bishop Pass at 11,200 feet
• Day Six – Up over Bishop Pass and down to South Lake – Finished!

NOTE: We originally had planned this trip for July, but changed it to August due to the snow and water challenges that the 2017 winter had created.  We were glad we did!  Our conditions were near perfect!

Key Things to Bring

• Bug spray, head nets and Permethrin treated clothes – the mosquitos were still challenging in certain spots
• Microspikes – not really needed, but brought – my wife used them on Muir Pass and Bishop Pass
• Water shoes – we had no less than 14 wet crossings – we used Teva sandals with water socks
• Rain gear – we did have rain on three separate occasions – one night pretty hard with hail
• Map, compass and GPS – We used GaiaGPS for iPhone and the Tom Harrison “Bishop Pass North Lake South Lake Loop” map.

Bishop Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”93514″]

Note that this trail begins much higher than Bishop, and climbs. Compare with the forecast at 11,484′ on Mt Agassiz (near Bishop Pass) .

Originally hiked August 19-25, 2017.

Continue to Day One: Piute Pass Trailhead to Hutchinson Meadow

The Confluence Overlook Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park takes you away from the crowds and through a maze of slick-rock canyons to the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.

Trail Details

Distance: 11 miles
Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Spring or Fall

As it turns out, there are no established campsites along the Confluence Overlook Trail, and only one permit is issued per day for an overnight group. Because there are no established campsites, you are required to camp off-trail on slick-rock, where your impact is minimized. In other words, I would have the whole place to myself. I told her to sign me up!

Getting There

This route is in the North Needles area of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The nearest town is Moab–about 75 miles away. You’ll stop at the Needles District Visitors Center to pickup your permit–$30 at the time. Follow the main road from the visitor’s center to it’s end and you’ll be at the trailhead.

The Trail

This out-and-back route requires careful attention to cairns for navigation. The “trail” often crosses slickrock, climbs up and down improbable ledges that require some scrambling, and can be tricky to follow when you happen to miss a cairn. You could easily get lost back here if you aren’t mindful. It is a quiet, special place.

The trailhead begins just past the Slickrock Loop Trail–at the end of the paved road–and runs 5.5 miles to the edge of the canyon where you have a spectacular view of the confluence.

A large sign provides an overview of the trail and marks the start of the trail, which begins by winding down into a small canyon, following cairn to cairn. No sooner do you reach the bottom than you begin climbing, quite literally. Sections of this trail require careful hand-over-foot scrambling that make it unsuitable for small children or anyone squeamish about heights.

Climbing up the opposite side of the first canyon, you reach this window-like view over Canyonlands.

The trail continues in this same manner, climbing down, across, and up out of one canyon, then another. Sometimes you’ll have a ladder to assist you. Cairns are carefully placed along the entire route to help keep you on track. In many places, the trail is difficult to see without them.

At the 1.5 mile mark, you enter a sandy wash that you follow for almost a mile before climbing again over slickrock.

Climbing up and down can be tricky. Some of the sections are steep with rock-hopping and light scrambling required. At the 4 mile mark, you reach a meadow. The trail crosses a jeep trail and continues through the meadow for a mile, reaching a junction with Cyclone Canyon Trail. Keep right to rejoin the jeep trail, which you follow to the left (west) for 1/2 mile. At the end of the jeep trail you’ll find a rare bit of shade, a pit toilet and a picnic table. And you’re almost to the overlook.

Climbing the final 1/2 mile to the overlook the terrain began to fall away and the views open up.

And finally, you find yourself standing 1,000 feet above the Colorado River.

[vr url=https://socalhiker.net//wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Confluence-Overlook-360.jpg view=360]

Soak in the views and the energy, and prepare for the trip back. In my case, I was going to be sleeping out here. I had to  backtrack across the jeep trail and at least another 1/2 mile past that. As there are no established campsites (thankfully!),  you find a flat space atop the slickrock where you are less likely to cause harm to the fragile environment. I ended up hiking about nine miles to a section of slickrock, then climbed up and off trail. The views extended for miles in every direction.

Pitching my tent, boiling water for dinner (vegetable korma from Good To-Go; highly recommended). Watching the sun set, and the stars pop out.

[vr url=https://socalhiker.net//wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Camp-on-Slickrock-360.jpg view=360]

I awoke before sunrise, and the sky was already light. It was cold, but not freezing, and I sat in my sleeping bag and watched the light show, purple and pink, yellow and blue hues changing by the minute.

I fired up the Jetboil and heated water for Starbucks Via and drank it all in.

The 2-mile hike back to the trailhead went quickly in the cooler morning air with a lighter pack (with less food and water).

This was a short trip as far as backpack trips go, and could have easily been hiked as a day hike. But experiencing this place in the afternoon, evening, stillness of night, and the first light of morning, was well worth the time.

Confluence Overlook Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Confluence Overlook Trail Tips

• This trail has no shade to speak of. Wear sun protection and be mindful of the weather forecast.
• There is no water on the trail. I carried four liters, for both drinking and cooking, with another two gallons in my car.

More Canyonlands National Park Resources

• I carried and recommend the National Geographic Illustrated Map for Canyonlands National Park
• Canyonlands National Park – official website

Canyonlands National Park Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”84532″]

Giant old-growth redwood trees, lush forest, babbling creeks and beautiful waterfalls–there is plenty to love about this nearly 11 mile loop hike to Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Big Basin Redwoods is California’s oldest state park, and features the largest stand of coastal redwoods south of San Francisco. These are tall trees–some more than 300 feet tall and 50 feet in circumference–and they date back 1,000 to 2,500 years old.

Trail Details

Distance: 11 miles
Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,364 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Year-round
Trailhead Directions

Berry Creek Falls is actually a series of four waterfalls deep in the park. This route will take you down a section of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to the Berry Creek Falls Trail, then return via the higher Sunset Trail to complete the loop. You’ll start and finish at the park headquarters.

From the parking area, I took the Redwood Loop Trail past the amphitheater and took the bridge over Opal Creek, where it joins the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail.

On the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, the trail climbs about 400 feet to Middle Ridge Road−a dirt fire road. The trail crosses the road and from here nearly all the way to Berry Creek Falls it’s all downhill. Of course means that you’ll be doing a lot of climbing to get back. Be sure you save some energy for the return trip!

The basin is lush, with mossy trees, soaring redwoods,  ferns and clover carpeting the forest floor.

It had rained the previous night, and moisture clung to every leaf. The trail itself was in great condition, though there were a few slick patches where trekking poles would have been handy.

As the trail descended the canyon along Kelly Creek, I spied a variety of flora and fauna, including my first sighting of a banana slug in the wild!

Banana slugs are brilliant yellow and rather large slugs that are quite common in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In fact, the lowly banana slug is the official mascot of US Santa Cruz. On this hike, I ended up counting twenty-four banana slugs in total.

Given the lush foliage, it’s easy to imagine how quickly these trails could be lost if they weren’t maintained. Fortunately, that’s not a problem. The trail is easy to follow with great tread, well marked signage and steep sections like this cut with steps to curb erosion.

Four miles into the hike I reached the double bridge over Waddell Creek. These are considered seasonal bridges that are removed when the creek runs high, but there was no issue for me at the end of October.

Another 100 yards further and the trail reaches a junction with the Berry Creek Falls Trail toward the right. I took it, and was soon rewarded with an amazing view of the biggest of the falls on Berry Creek.

There is a great viewing deck near the base of this waterfall, with benches that make a perfect spot for a break. I chatted with the first two hikers I had seen on this Monday morning−a pair of backpackers that had spent the night up the trail at Sunset Camp. We swapped hello’s and shared a bit about our respective adventures, and I continued up the trail.

The Berry Creek Falls Trail is a real gem, with a series of beautiful and different waterfalls as you ascend. The trail climbs about 500 feet in a mile, finally terminating at the junction to Sunset Camp and the Sunset Trail−the final trail in this loop.

The Sunset Trail is 5.3 miles of rollercoaster trail; lots of up and down. It runs well above the canyons in sections, giving you views out over the redwoods.

Along the way you’ll pass junctions with the Timm’s Creek Trail and a connector with the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail before finally crossing the Middle Ridge Road and the final descent to finish the loop.

Take your time as you walk through these ancient groves. Think about the centuries of history they have lived through. You and I and the others who have passed these trees through the millennia are connected through this shared experience.

Back at the trailhead, stop by the museum for a look at the history and the research that continues at the park. Be sure to check out the intricate wood model of the park that shows the topology and the distribution of the various kinds of trees in the park.

Skyline to the Sea/Sunset Trail Map and Elevation Profile

Berry Creek Falls Tips

• The bridge crossing Waddell Creek is removed when the creek is running high. Check with the ranger for current conditions. You can call the park to check before you go at (831) 338-8860.
• Hike this loop in a clockwise direction (as described) for the best views.
• The trail can be slippery. Wear trail shoes with good traction.
• There is a $10 per car day use fee, but no permits are required for day hikes. You will be given a slip of paper to note your planned route and time of return and leave on your car dashboard. Fill it out. The day before I hiked this, a mother and her two young children got lost in the park. They huddled under a redwood in the rain until (fortunately) the rangers found them.
• You can also backpack this loop, camping overnight at Sunset Camp (near the midpoint). Permits are required.

More Big Basin Redwoods State Park Resources

• Big Basin Redwoods State Park − Official website
• Driving directions to Big Basin Redwoods State Park − Google Maps
  21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA 95006
• Berry Creek Loop − Redwood Hikes

Big Basin Redwoods State Park Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95006″]

I hiked this trail solo on October 31, 2016. 

Grand Teton National Park frequently shows up on lists of favorite backpacking treks, and in particular the 32-mile Teton Crest Trail. Last week I traveled to Jackson, Wyoming for a conference, but before the work — I met up with another attendee who travelled from Germany and together we spent four days backpacking this beautiful national park.

We had originally planned to hike the Teton Crest Trail, which most people start from the top of the tram above the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, then loops around the west side of the range, crossing four passes and exiting east through Paintbrush Canyon. We knew that there had been snow the week before, but as you can see from the view above, the snow didn’t look too bad.

Monday morning, I met my hiking partner Carsten for breakfast, made a stop at Teton Mountaineering to pickup bear spray (there are grizzlies up here) and a fuel canister, then headed to the visitor center in Moose, WY to pickup our permit. Right off the bat, the ranger informed us that the tram which whisk us to the top of the mountain and give us an easy, mostly downhill first day had stopped running the day before, shutting down until ski season started up in December.

So we went with Plan B. Starting at Granite Canyon and hiking up from the bottom. The ranger warned us that the snow was “probably” deep, but we figured we’d see for ourselves. And so we did.

The trail started out as we expected–pretty dry. The creek running down Granite Canyon had plenty of water, the forest shaded us from the bright sun. And then we ran into a bear. 

It may not show clearly in the photo above, but there were berries on those bushes. The ranger had warned us that bears were especially active, looking to load up on calories before going into hibernation for winter. I was leading the way, and hear the quick rustling in the brush. Carsten saw the blur of fur, and we both turned and quickly headed back down the trail to put a bit of distance between us. We didn’t run (never run from a bear) but we did get out of the way.

After retreating about 50 yards, we stopped and listened. Apparently the bear was as startled as we were, because after we waited about five minutes and made our way back up the trail, the bear was gone.

As we continued climbing up the canyon, we encountered more snow. There was plenty of evidence of wildlife, but only one set of footprints.

By 8000 feet, we were hiking through about 12″ of snow. Travel was not bad, and we hoped for the best. As we reached 9,000 feet, the snow was 24″ deep, and we were post-holing and breaking the trail. We knew that we had several passes over 10,000 feet. It wasn’t going to get better. We had set an aggressive schedule for the Teton Crest Trail, and with the snow level, there was no way we’d be able to make that mileage.

So we went from Plan B to Plan C. We camped our first night on the snow (my first time) and hiked back down Granite Canyon the next morning. Instead of the Teton Crest Trail, we’d be backpacking on the Valley Trail.

Being the shoulder season, the crowds were non-existent. We saw occasional day hikers (being not-too-far from the trailheads) but only a few other backpackers. We had our pick of campsites, including our Tuesday night camp at Phelps Lake and Wednesday night at Bradley Lake.

We finished at Jenny Lake. The skies had cleared and Grand Teton towered majestic above us. Plan C worked out pretty well. Though I’ll be back to hike the Teton Crest Trail another time.

Hiking with Carston was a pleasure. You never know when you hike with someone for the first time. All I knew about him was that he was into ultralight backpacking and had hiked the PCT. As we talked about our hiking background, I asked him if he had seen “Tell It On The Mountain” — the documentary about the Pacific Crest Trail that I reviewed here on SoCalHiker a few years ago. As it turns out, “Sauerkraut” (his trail name) was featured prominently in the documentary, and I had even written about his story! No wonder it sounded familiar.

I’ll be sharing detailed trail information in November, but wanted to give you a sense of what the trip was like.

Originally hiked October 10-13, 2016. 

Backpacking the High Sierra Trail takes months of planning and preparation, but it’s also a lot of fun. Reviewing the maps, planning your itinerary, plotting your campsites and filling out your gear helps build the anticipation. Here are a few essential resources that will help make your thru-hike on the High Sierra Trail a success.

A good guidebook can be a great start to your planning. Plan & Go | High Sierra Trail provides great details on how to get permits, how long it takes to hike, when to get a permit and the tricky transportation options. It’s available in both paperback and a Kindle version.

You should also get these two Tom Harrison maps:

• Mineral King
• Mt Whitney High Country

The Tom Harrison maps are waterproof and durable, and provide mileage between junctions and major landmarks. Between these two maps, you’ve got what you need to hike the High Sierra Trail as well as plenty of interesting side trips.

Even though I carry a GPS device, a paper map never runs out of power and shows you a much bigger area, much faster. You should always have a paper map when you’re in the wilderness.

That being said, I highly recommend GaiaGPS. I use it on my iPhone–it’s also available for Android–and it’s indispensable. With GaiaGPS, you can download the GPX files for any of our hikes here on SoCalHiker–including the High Sierra Trail–and the associated maps for the area you are hiking. With your phone in Airplane Mode, the GPS will still track and GaiaGPS will show you exactly where you are and which direction you’re heading.

These are the planning and navigation resources that I recommend for thru-hiking the High Sierra Trail. If you’ve discovered other resources that you think should be included here, please leave a comment and let me know.

We were in no hurry to get up and do this last 5 miles or so down to the portal – but when you’ve got Whitney hikers coming up all night long with headlamps blasting, you tend to not get the week’s best sleep. We finally got going at 8am and headed down.

HST Day 8 Details

Distance: 3.8 miles
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 0 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

By 10:30 or so we were down – and the trip was over.

There was only one thing left to do – and that was to sample the food at the Whitney Portal Store. If that wasn’t the best Bacon and Eggs I’ve ever had, I don’t know when I’d had better!

High Sierra Trail: Outpost Camp to Whitney Portal
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

High Sierra Trail – A Recap

A week on the High Sierra Trail really felt like we were stepping back in time – experiencing the park the way Ranger Stewart and all of those from the 1920s and 1930s wanted us to see it. That is why they decided on no roads way back them – the park was to be seen on foot, from West to East, using a trail purposely built for just that. They had put 5 long years into creating that trail, and all I wanted to do was go back in time and thank each and everyone one of those hard working men who built that trail so we could enjoy the park still today.

From our ascent of the Great Western Divide and into the Big Arroyo, to our journey up the mighty Kern River, to our summit of the Eastern Sierra and the highest point in the lower 48, the High Sierra Trail packs an incredible Sierra journey into one epic week. The John Muir Trail? Epic, no doubt. The baby brother High Sierra Trail – shorter but still epic in its own way.

Hike the High Sierra Trail. You won’t regret it.

Next up?

• Go back to Day 7 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY SEVEN on the High Sierra Trail –We decided to get up at 4:30 a.m. and begin hiking between 5:30 and 6 a.m. at sunrise. We had no interest in hiking in the dark and trying for the summit at sunrise – for our first time up, we wanted to see everything. We hit the trail at 5:40 a.m. We had heard the boy scouts leaving in groups earlier, and had seen many headlamps going up from midnight until we got up.

HST Day 7 Details

Distance: 9.8 miles
Time: 9 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,842 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

The first mile out of the tarn is actually quite steep and you gain a ton of altitude getting to the actual switchbacks that lead to Trail Crest. Once up that steep section, the Hitchcock Lakes come into clear view.

There are essentially seven long switchbacks that take you up the face of the Sierra to Trail Crest–and from the tarn at 11,600 to Trail Crest at 13,500 is just those long rocky switchbacks. All of it–like the rest of the High Sierra Trail–is incredibly well engineered – in fact, we would often stop and look down and around and just think wow–how did they build this? Again, time to watch that documentary video again.

As we climbed, we passed two of the three groups of boy scouts who were taking their time and resting quite a bit. How good did that make our old bones feel? We were killing it!

When we arrived at Trail Crest, there were already 20 or so backpacks lined up from those who had gone for sunrise or early ascents. We dropped our packs and pulled out a day pack and loaded it up with lunch, jackets and water.

Then it was time to take on the ridge – 1.9 miles that would test my fear of heights even more than the Hamilton Gorge did. We took it slow and steady, and I didn’t spend too much time hanging out in the “windows” – those spots on the trail between jagged peaks where you can see straight down on both sides! My wife had no pack, I had the day pack – boy did we feel like Supermen!

As the hut at the top of Whitney came into view, we encountered a snow field. The trail had been mostly plowed down but it was slippery and we used caution – and had to climb over some boulders in a few spots to avoid ice. After the snowfield, we followed the trail east to the summit.

We made the summit in 3 hours 20 minutes from the tarn at Guitar Lake, which I was very satisfied with for our first time. The wind was calm, the weather warm, and we never had more than a long sleeve shirt on the entire time at the summit. The rest day at 11,600 feet had empowered us and the ascent was really pretty easy – no problem at all. Great views, great photos, signed the book – mission accomplished.

After about 25 mins on the top, we headed back down. I thought the ridge going down might impact my heights fears more, but in fact it was quite easy and we got back to Trail Crest quickly.

We strapped back into our heavy loads and did the quick climb up to the other side for our first trip down the infamous 99 switchbacks. Like the Kern River descent a few days earlier, going down is just not our favorite gig – and this one with heavy packs is a long slog.

We thought we might stay at Trail Camp, but the things we had read about it were sort of correct. The water source looked sketchy and there were a lot of people and it was sort of loud and not especially pretty. We opted to keep going down a few more miles to Outpost Camp.

That last two or three miles from Trail Camp to Outpost Camp was hard on the legs – I won’t lie. My wife was getting pretty miserable – and the sight of Outpost Camp was a welcome one. It’s a really nice spot and the waterfall was going full tilt. We found a spot, pitched our tent – and just sat and relaxed with a dose of ibuprofen and a cold drink!

This would be our last night in the forest with just a short walk out to Whitney Portal the next day.

High Sierra Trail: Guitar Lake to Mt Whitney and Outpost Camp
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 8 on the High Sierra Trail, our final day on the High Sierra Trail.
• Go back to Day 6 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

HST Day 6 Details

Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1,023 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

The trail meanders up a canyon and then past a beautiful fish-filled lake called Timberline Lake. That morning the fish were literally jumping out of the water all around the lake.

There’s no camping there, so it’s super clean and beautiful. As you continue towards Guitar Lake, you realize you are now truly at the base of the Eastern Sierra with Mt. Whitney looming over you – what a sight!

Guitar Lake was rumored to sometimes be a bit ‘ghetto’, but we thought it was very clean and nice. We had also heard that the little tarn above the lake was a good place to camp, with great views of Guitar Lake, Mt. Hitchcock, Whitney, Mt. Hale etc. And those facts were correct – that little tarn was an awesome place to spend the day.

We got the sweet spot right in front overlooking Guitar Lake, with the little stream that runs out of the tarn and down giving us a super fresh water source. We did laundry, lounged around on the rocks, chatted with hikers going up and down Mt. Whitney, and just had an amazing day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. doing nothing but relaxing at 11,600 feet – the byproduct of which was a nice little acclimation period at our highest altitude yet! That extra day would most certainly make our assault on Mt. Whitney the next day easier.

We met a great military vet and professor from Branson, MO who was on the PCT. We met a retired man in his 70s who remembered camping at that very same tarn with him family 50 years earlier! We helped him re-create the photo he still has of his mom there. We met people going up and down – giving us their round trip times and words of encouragement for the next day. We were invaded by three different groups of boy scouts who all intended to get up before sunrise and try for the summit early.

If you decide to hike the HST (or the JMT for that matter), I highly recommend a long day at the tarn above Guitar Lake – just a great place to camp and enjoy your last day in Sequoia National Park.

High Sierra Trail: Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 7 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake.
• Go back to Day 5 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY FIVE on the High Sierra Trail

The 9+ mile climb from Junction Meadow to Crabtree is really gorgeous! All five of us hiked together, which was the first day my wife and I had company on our hiking day. It was fun to have one day to hike as a group.

HST Day 5 Details

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,795 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

It’s a gorgeous hike up the canyon to the East, with the Kaweah’s and the Great Western Divide to the West. It was great to look back and see where we had come from and what we had accomplished over the past 45 miles.

Once at Wallace Creek, we immediately saw more people than we had seen in the previous five days, as we were now sharing the HST with the John Muir Trail. The solitude was gone, but it was sort of fun to meet some new people.

From Wallace Creek, you climb up to about 10,900 feet – the highest we had been so far – before descending a bit into the Crabtree Meadow and Crabtree Ranger Station area. We even passed a man-made rock marker that said “200” – denoting mile 200 of the JMT.

Crabtree is a huge meadow – known to be a major camping spot for thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Of course, being mid-July most of the PCTers were long gone – but there still ended up being about twelve tents there by dark. There’s a beautiful creek that runs past it – and because we arrived early, it was a great place to hang out.

Most hikers on the High Sierra Trail will go on to Guitar Lake, and then summit Whitney the next day. We decided to turn what could be a six-day trip into an eight-day trip by relaxing at Crabtree all afternoon and following up with another easy day to Guitar Lake the next day. My wife and I love “camping” – so we felt no reason to rush over the Eastern Sierra with all this beauty surrounding us and a Saturday-to-Saturday schedule. We had hiked hard the first three days on a six-day completion schedule so we could ‘earn’ these wonderful camping days – and now we were enjoying the payoff!

We lunched by the creek with some JMTers and then walked up to the Crabtree Ranger Station to introduce ourselves to the ranger. Nice guy again – everyone in Sequoia NP is great!

We crashed early after dark and didn’t hurry the next morning as we only had about three miles and change to Guitar Lake for another easy day with rest before climbing Mt Whitney.

High Sierra Trail:  Junction Meadow to Crabtree Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 6 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Crabtree Meadow to Guitar Lake.
• Go back to Day 4 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

DAY FOUR on the High Sierra Trail we hiked straight north up the Kern River – a gorgeous 10 mile, 2,000 vertical foot,  gentle-but-steady ascent from 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet.

HST Day 4 Details

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 4-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 2,169 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

Heading up the east side about two miles up the trail you arrive at Kern Hot Springs – an actual hot spring with a concrete tub that allows for 110-120 degree bathing! When we arrived early morning, the campground was pretty full with a big group of fly fishermen. The tub was occupied and there was a waiting list – so no hot bath today. Kevin and his gang stopped there later and said it was marvelous!

The hike up the Kern valley was gorgeous, varying from rocks and sand to heavy ferns and big trees. As we got higher and closer to Junction Meadow, there were a number of challenging stream crossings. I slipped and got a shoe wet on one, and then we both had to cross with shoes on during another deep and fast one. Good thing it was a warm day, where we could dry the shoes out later at Junction Meadow. We always took the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach with stream crossings. If it looks hairy, plow straight through!

We arrived at Junction Meadow about 1:30 p.m., and the campground sits right on the junction of the Kern River and another stream (Wright Creek I think). Anyway, gorgeous spot – we even had a solo hiker come in and do some fly fishing there. The early arrival gave us a chance to do some clothes washing (4-day stink was getting noticeable) and dry out our shoes.

Kevin, Amber and Bart arrived around 4:30.  We made a fire, ate dinner together and entertained visiting deer. The sound of the Kern was a great way to doze off later that night.

Spending the day hiking up the Kern River valley was a great reminder of how big and important that river is – and how much water it pushes through the park to eventually become Lake Isabella and hydrate a big chunk of California.

Back at 8,000 feet, we prepared to do another almost 3,000 feet of climbing and join the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail the next day.

High Sierra Trail:  Upper Funston Meadow to Junction Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 5 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking from Junction Meadow to Crabtree Meadow.
• Go back to Day 3 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

HST Day 3 Details

Distance: 13.5 miles / 21.7 km
Time: 6-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1027 ft / 313 m
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

We ascended up over 10,000 along the ridge as we made our way South and East towards Moraine Lake – a beautiful and large alpine lake with a nice campground on a spur trail off the High Sierra Trail.

Moraine Lake is a short detour off the official High Sierra Trail, but a worthwhile one.

When we arrived there, there was nobody there and we enjoyed a beautiful lunch on a warm sunny day. The trail out from Moraine Lake back to the HST hadn’t had any maintenance in a while, and we were forced to climb over and under a number of fallen trees and get a bit dirty in the process.

Once back on the HST, the trail begins its steady descent into the Kern River valley – first with gentle switchbacks and then the last section with relentless switchies that really take their toll. This, other than coming down from Whitney to Whitney Portal, is the only big descent on the trip – and not our favorite day – but still beautiful in every way.

At the bottom, the mighty Kern River reveals itself. Upper Funston Meadow is not the most well developed camp site on the trip – in fact, most people choose to go another 2 miles north up the Kern to the Kern River Hot Springs site. But we were tired and like the solitude, so it was Upper Funston for us.

Upper Funston campground is mainly for people with stock – it has a fence to keep stock in, and a beautiful meadow. There were a couple of testy water crossings to get down to the campground. The water source is a bit more challenging to dip into, but no problem really. More bugs than other spots, but a campfire helped chase them away.

We met up with Kevin Muschter, his girlfriend Amber and their friend Bart. Kevin is the publisher of the Plan & Go | High Sierra Trail – a must have book if you intend to do this hike. It was great to camp with them after three big days and about 35 miles of trail. After that long descent, we were ready for a good night’s sleep.

High Sierra Trail:  Big Arroyo to Upper Funston Meadow via Moraine Lake
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 4 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking up the Kern Canyon to Junction Meadow.
• Go back to Day 2 on the High Sierra Trail. 
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Day Two on the High Sierra Trail is an epic adventure that includes some of the most legendary sights and sounds of Sequoia National Park. It’s a solid 12-13 mile journey, but worth every single step.

HST Day 2 Details

Distance: 12.5 miles
Time: 6-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,654 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

The HST drops down a set of switchbacks to a crazy bridge over Lone Pine Creek that gets you to the other side of the canyon. Below the bridge are the ruins of a previous bridge long since washed out via an avalanche.

Once across Lone Pine Creek, then you begin the long ascent over the Great Western Divide.

The first target is the Hamilton Lakes basin – a gorgeous lake surrounded by the mountains of the GWD. Crystal clear water and incredible scenery make this first ascent very worth it! On the way hike along several waterfalls and water crossings – some reasonably large. It’s good stream-crossing practice for more to come later.

Big Hamilton Lake is a great place for a quick rest – and even a swim if you’re so inclined. The campground there is quite popular – both for HSTs on a slower schedule or folks who are just doing an out-and-back from Crescent Meadow. Just simply a gorgeous alpine lake!

After a brief rest and photos, the time had come to ascend the Great Western Divide – our target, Precipice Lake followed by the Kaweah Gap at 10,700 feet. The next 2,000 vertical feet would be challenging and awesome! First, switchbacks up the Northern side of Hamilton Lake – very well constructed and very fair in their ascent degrees.

The first epic landmark on the ascent is the Hamilton Gorge – an incredibly steep gorge that runs down into Hamilton Lake. From the YouTube documentary on the HST overview, we were looking for the left over steel cable and cement pedestals that once held a crazy suspension bridge.

Today, a tunnel is blasted through solid rock and a thin single track leads you around the gorge. We were lucky that all the snow and ice had melted off just a few weeks before – as this gorge is impassable if the ice is still covering the trail–unless you are equipped for mountaineering.

Once across the gorge, the trail heads east and up, up, up…until you finally reach the epic Precipice Lake. This lake – made famous in Ansel Adams photos – sits at about 10,400 feet and creates an incredible two-way reflection.

On our day, a few clouds and remaining ice/snow didn’t give us the “Adams” view, but it was still gorgeous and a perfect lunch spot. And it was fun to navigate through some snow that covered parts of the trail – soft enough to not need microspikes but deep enough to warrant just a bit of caution while navigating. We even got to see some melting ice over the lake drop off and explode into the water!

After lunch and a break, we ascended the last 300 or so vertical feet to Kaweah Gap – the official pass over the Great Western Divide. That last bit of trail included quite a bit of water-on-trail runoff and another nice snow field. We even encountered three trail runners who had left Whitney Portal the night before and were already 50 miles in to a 40 hour HST East to West run – WOW!

When we reached the gap, it was truly one of the most epic views in all of Sequoia National Park – and perhaps the Sierras! The Big Arroyo opens up to this incredible view to the South – like something out of a grand Western Hollywood film. On the base of Mt. Stewart to the North is a plaque commemorating the first director of Sequoia National Park and the driving force behind the creation of the HST.

From Kaweah Gap the trail gently descends through the Big Arroyo for approximately 3 miles – one of the most beautiful descents of the entire trip. Nothing but gorgeous scenery, grass, rocks and trees in every direction – with an incredible stream and beautiful water features all the way down. There are several small crossings, but as you get close to the Big Arroyo campground, there was one large crossing – one where we simply couldn’t figure out a safe place to cross. It was deep, there were few rocks to step on, and the water was moving pretty rapidly. So, we headed down stream another 50-100 yards or so and found a much flatter, calmer flat rock area to cross – where by simply taking off our shoes and switching to sandals we could shuffle across safely and rejoin the trail on the other side.

From there, it was a short hike to Big Arroyo campground – a nice spot next to the river with a bear box, near an old ranger cabin that has been preserved as a historical landmark.

A northern wind dropped the temperature down to below freezing that night – so we got a bit of frost on the rain fly and our backpack drinking reservoirs froze up! But in the tent we were warm and toasty.

High Sierra Trail: Bearpaw Meadow to Big Arroyo Junction
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 3 on the High Sierra Trail, hiking to Upper Funston Meadow.
• Go back to Day 1 on the High Sierra Trail.
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Day One on the High Sierra Trail we hiked 11.5 miles east-bound, from Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw. Starting at the giant forest, we followed the edge of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River – a super deep canyon with stunning views to the south, west and east towards the Great Western Divide. This section of the High Sierra Trail only gains about 1,000 vertical feet from start to finish, there is actually about 1,700′ total vertical climbing as the trail climbs up and down over the 11+ miles.

HST Day 1 Details

Distance: 11.5 miles / 18.2 km
Time: 7.5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 1,692 ft / 516 m
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept.

There are several campground sites along the way to Bearpaw Meadow, including Mehrten Creek, Nine Mile Creek and Buck Creek. Each presents a water crossing, along with some smaller crossings. Rangers warn that some of these creek crossings may be hazardous early in the summer, but none were problematic for us in mid-July, and all were fun to navigate.

Our one and only bear sighting the entire trip came just 10 minutes into our trip – right off the side of the trail spotting a mother and two cubs. We were glad they were a safe distance from the trail!

About one mile in, you reach Eagle’s View, our first great view of the 7,000 foot deep canyon that is the Kaweah River’s middle fork and the Great Western Divide – our eastern ascent target for day two.

We lunched at Mehrten Creek – a beautiful rock formation with water and a wonderful rest spot halfway to Bearpaw Meadow.

After crossing the Buck Creek bridge, there is one final steep set of switchbacks to get up to the ridge where Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp and Campground are located. They even have t-shirts that say “Bearpaw High Sierra Camp – The Last Mile” – and they aren’t kidding – it’s a slog at the end of a long day.

The campground is situated off the ridge from the high sierra camp, and has lots of campsites, several bear boxes, water spigots and fire rings. It’s not the most picturesque of campgrounds on the High Sierra Trail, but serviceable for our first night.

We were the first group into the campground that day, and met Ranger Matt there. He was super nice and even showed us the best camp spot. And there were plenty of local deer coming to visit throughout the evening and the following morning.

Be sure to walk up the hill and check out the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp, a $200-$300/night tent resort with fancy meals and a gorgeous deck overlooking the canyon and the Great Western Divide. Unfortunately by the time we rolled in (after setting our camp) they had sold all the backpacker beer and brownies – oh well!

High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow
Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Next up?

• Continue to Day 2 on the High Sierra Trail, climbing over the Great Western Divide at Kaweah Gap and descending into Big Arroyo.
• New to the High Sierra Trail? Get the big picture with our HST overview.
• Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

Lesser known than the famous John Muir Trail, the High Sierra Trail (HST) is in many ways just as historically significant as it’s longer and more famous brother. In 1928, Sequoia National Park was expanded from the western section famous for the giant Sequoia Grove all the way to the Eastern Sierra and Mt. Whitney. At that point, park officials had to decide how to travel from West to East, as there were currently no trails or roads. The decision was made not to build roads, but instead to build a trail. This project – the High Sierra Trail – would be a grand five-year national project of incredible engineering and trail building…one of the last such projects ever.

It is incredibly well documented in a short video done by a retired Sequoia National Park Ranger:

If after watching this video, you don’t want to immediately go backpack this trail, watch it again!

Trail Details

Distance: 72.2 miles
Time: 6-8 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 13,303 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: July-Sept

Why hike the High Sierra Trail? It’s a great way to get views like these!

Expansive Big Arroyo

High Alpine Meadow

Guitar Lake

Climbing Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states.

High Sierra Trail Map & Elevation Profile

Here’s what the route looks like. You can click and zoom or expand the map to full-screen to see additional detail. You can download the GPX file for use with your GPS app.

Getting to the Trail

As with all Sierra thru-hikes, the first challenge is figuring out transportation. With the High Sierra Trail, you start at Crescent Meadow on the Western edge of Sequoia National Park in the giant tree grove. You finish at Whitney Portal. The two locations are a six-hour drive apart.

Here was our solution:

• Rent a car from Enterprise – one-way rental – to Visalia, CA airport.
• Take the Sequoia Shuttle ($15 for two people/one-way) to Sequoia National Park.
• Pickup our permits at the Lodgepole Visitor Center (open 7am to 3:30pm daily) and stay the night in Lodgepole Campground. Reservations are recommended and campsites run $22 per night.
• Take the free in-park shuttle the next morning from Lodgepole to the trailhead at Crescent Meadow (the first shuttle leaves at 8 a.m.).
• Use Eastern Sierra Shuttle to take us from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine hotel upon completion.
• Get our son to come pick us up in Lone Pine and drive us home to Los Angeles (the KEY element).

We departed on a Friday, spending the night in Lodgepole. On Saturday morning at approximately 9 a.m.we began our 72-mile adventure to Mt. Whitney across the entire width of Sequoia National Park.

Eight Day Itinerary for the High Sierra Trail

The HST is the perfect length for a week-long trip with nine days (five weekdays and two weekends). Here is our itinerary:

Editor’s Note: Detailed photos, maps and narrative for each day will be published, one-per-day. As each day goes “live” the itinerary below will link to it. 

• Day 0 – Travel to Lodgepole, pick-up permit
• Day 1 – Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow
• Day 2 – Bearpaw Meadow to Big Arroyo Junction
• Day 3 – Big Arroyo to Upper Funston Meadow via Moraine Lake
• Day 4 – Upper Funston Meadow to Junction Meadow
• Day 5 – Junction Meadow to Crabtree
• Day 6 – Crabtree to Guitar Lake
• Day 7 – Guitar Lake to Trail Crest to Mt Whitney to Outpost Camp
• Day 8 – Outpost Camp to Whitney Portal

When to Hike the High Sierra Trail

The high passes on the High Sierra Trail hold snow sometimes even year round. In the spring, they can be practically impassable. Most HST trips are taken in July and August, but you’ll find smaller crowds in September after school starts.

Getting Permits for the HST

About 75% of the permits can be reserved in advance, with the remainder reserved for walk-in permits. You can check for permit availability here. Permits cost $10 plus $5 per person (so a permit for two people would cost $20). It’s important to remember that your permit reservation is not a permit. You’ll still need to pick it up at the Lodgepole Visitor Center either the day before you begin your hike (after 1:00 pm) or on the morning you begin your hike (before 10:00 am). To get a permit reservation, you will need to fax your application following these instructions.

High Sierra Trail Weather

Weather on the High Sierra Trail can be difficult to predict. If you’re hiking in the summer months, expect some cold nights and warm days. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Sierra Nevada, and you can even get a surprise snowstorm.

Your best bet is to check with the ranger before you pack for your trip for the latest forecast and conditions. For planning purposes, use Mountain Forecast. The high point on this trek is Mt. Whitney, so it’s a good reference point for the weather extremes.

Ready for More?

Next up: Day One on the High Sierra Trail.

Got questions about the High Sierra Trail? Join our HST discussion forum.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with a list of ten great overnight backpacking trips. Most of these trips can be modified to make them easier or more challenging, depending on what you’re after. But they all provide a taste of outdoor adventure that can be enjoyed by anyone with a free night.

1. Crystal Cove State Park

Most people don’t realize this, but Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County has several backcountry camps that you can use — and they have sweeping ocean views! The trails are busy during the day, but you can hike up and setup your camp after work and still have time to cook dinner and watch the sunset. And as the sun goes down, the day-hiker (and mountain biker) crowds go with it, leaving you with a pretty sweet view.

Why this trip rocks? My friend Tracy uses this park for what she calls a “gear shakedown” before any bigger trips, testing new gear in a relatively low-risk situation. It’s a great way to dip your toes into backpacking without traveling far.

2. Santa Cruz Trail

This is a longer, more strenuous out-and-back trip in the Santa Barbara backcountry that’s best done in the spring (it gets a bit too hot in the summer). Hike 10 miles in with 2,500′ vertical gain, setup camp by a stream under the shade of 100-year old oaks, and hike back the next day.

Why backpack this? The distance and elevation gain are an almost perfect match for a typical day on the John Muir Trail (although at a much lower altitude). It’s a good way to see how your body responds to the climb and the distance. Time it right, and you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular wildflower show.

3. Barker Valley in the Palomar Mountains

Fellow hiking blogger Scott Turner has a super guide to this great little overnight trip to Barker Valley in the Palomar Mountains in northeast San Diego County. It’s what I call an “upside-down” hike, meaning you go down 1000′ feet to the river, camp overnight, then hike up 1000′ to get back to the trailhead. But at 6.5 miles round trip, it makes a gentler introduction to backpacking.

Backpack this for… meadows, a river and a waterfall. And it’s dog-friendly. Woof!

4. Santa Anita Canyon

You can stay at Hogee’s on Winter Creek, or Spruce Grove on the Gabrieleño Trail. And if you’re feeling ambition in the morning, you can bag Mt Wilson — one of the Six-Pack of Peaks. Here’s a guide to a grand loop up Gabrieleño to the summit and down via Winter Creek. You can hike it either direction, or modify it to suit you time and energy.

I love this overnighter for… a healthy dose of LA’s hiking history. Hoagie’s and Spruce Grove campgrounds date back a hundred years. And these lush canyons feel like a world away from the freeways and traffic jams.

5. Cucamonga Peak

Joan and I backpacked to Cucamonga Peak and spent the night for our Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge (that’s her silhouetted in the setting sun en route to the summit. Pack in all your water (I took six liters).

Hike this for… the sunset. And the sunrise. And the stars and city lights in-between. We even saw the Disneyland fireworks from the summit! Did I mention this hike is also dog friendly? Woof!

6. Mt Baldy

Full Moon hike up Mt Baldy

Camping on the top of Mt Baldy is an experience. You have to pack in all your water. It’s cold, windy and exposed. But oh those sunrise and sunsets! And it’s dog friendly.

7. San Bernardino Peak

Photo: Mitch Barrie

The San Bernardino Trail goes all the way up to San Bernardino Peak (and beyond). But you can stop at Limber Pine Flat and camp overnight.

Why on earth? For views like the one shown above. Says it all.

8. Catalina Island

Camp at Parsons Landing

You don’t have to hike the entire Trans-Catalina Trail to enjoy overnight backpacking on Catalina. Take the ferry from San Pedro into Two Harbors, and you can day hike to either Little Harbor or Two Harbors to Parsons Landing. Each is on a different side of the island, and each has it’s own distinct vibe.

Why backpack here? Are you serious? If you live in SoCal, you must do this at least once!

9. San Gorgonio

Most people hike up San Gorgonio — the highest peak in Southern California — in a single day hike. But they would be missing out on views like this one, from my High Creek campsite in 2013. Another great option is Halfway Camp (supposedly halfway to the summit from the trailhead). And once you’ve spent the night, you don’t have to continue to San Gorgonio. But you probably will.

Why backpack San Gorgonio? Because it’s the tallest damn mountain in SoCal, and you should make the journey last as long as you can.

10. San Jacinto

San Jacinto is my personal favorite! I’ve been backpacking on this mountain since I was a teenager, and I’ll never tire of it. You can hike in from Idyllwild or take the tram up. I took my daughter up there on an overnight backpack trip before she even was walking!

Why is San Jacinto my favorite? Options to bag San Jacinto, or just go check out Wellman’s Divide. Beautiful alpine meadows, and peaks that remind me of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Here’s a peek at our overnight trip from the Tram to the summit of San Jacinto.

Wrapping Up

All of these overnight these overnight trips include some bureaucracy, usually in the form of a wilderness permit obtainable from the local ranger station.

Those are some of my top picks for short overnight backpack trips all over Southern California. Leave a comment to share your favorites. 

After starting the trail yesterday with a short 4.5 mile early evening hike, I woke up early to make breakfast–Oatmeal Unleashed washed down with Starbucks Via–and broke camp. We were hoping to potentially meet our friends Craig and Joanne who were hiking the same route but in the opposite direction.

Trail Details

Distance: 14.5 miles
Time: 5-7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain (loss): 3,673′ (1,373′)
Dogs: No
When to go: July-September

We started off from our junction and headed up the trail. The grade was fairly easy, but climbed steadily. We soon discovered that this section of the trail had quite a few trees downed in winter, and no trail crews had been through here to clear the trail. I counted roughly 16 downed trees on this stretch of trail. In spite of that, the trail was well marked and easy to follow.

Early on we ran across a group of six college-age backpackers headed to the Clark Range, but once we passed them, we saw no one else the entire day. We were right in Yosemite National Park, and yet it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The gradual climb grew a bit steeper, and we stopped at mile 7.4 to take a break beside a scenic stretch of Illilouette Creek. We had already climbed over 1,700′.

Our original goal was to reach Upper Merced Lake, then reassess. If we felt good and the weather cooperated, we would press on over Merced Pass, getting as close as we could for tomorrow’s climb over 10,175′ Fernandez Pass.

At 8.1 miles, we had another boots-off creek crossing. The blue skies were turning cloudy, and those clouds were turning ominous.

We pressed on, stopping to don our rain shells and finally reached the junction with an unsigned use trail to Upper Merced Pass Lake. This was a short side trip to a scenic little lake.

We found one poorly chosen campsite that looked like it had been flooded by rain and hail recently. You could see areas where someone had pitched a tent in the past. Today’s storm had turned it into a small creek.

We stopped here for lunch and decided that the weather was looking better. We continued on.

Merced Pass is the epitome of anti-climactic passes. At 9,295′, we had gained over 3,000 feet in elevation and hiked 10.8 miles, but there is no sign or marker, nor even a view to reward the accomplishment. The “pass” felt more like a saddle, but it made no difference.

This pass was a non-event. No views.

Being at the pass meant one thing: we had some downhill ahead of us.

Two miles downhill we reached the junction to Buck Camp, but stayed left toward Fernandez Pass. This section of trail was pretty dry. There were some small pools of water and a few rivulets trickling across the path, but no really good water sources for several miles.

We resolved to stop at the first promising camp area with good water.

At 14.5 miles, we came across a beautiful site along the Middle Fork of the Merced River. There weren’t any established campsites that we could find, but we found spots to setup camp not far from some beautiful cascades with pools filled with trout. A fisherman’s dream, no doubt. Too bad I don’t fish.

We camped near here on the Merced River, with deep, trout-filled pools and roaring cascades. And other than us, absolutely no people.

Day Two By the Numbers

This was a long day for me. We hiked 14.5 miles, and climbed a total of 3,673′ vertically. Much of the trail was shaded, and the weather was perfect for hiking — a bit on the cool side. When we finally found a place to camp, we ate, filtered water, and went to bed early.

Tomorrow we would be climbing over Fernandez Pass. It would be my friend Will’s first time climbing above 10,000 feet.

Theodore Solomons Trail Map – Miles 4.5 to 19

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.

Tips for Miles 4.5-19

• Up to Merced Pass, there were fairly regular creek crossing and opportunities to refill our water bottles. After Merced Pass, there was a stretch of nearly four miles with only a few trickles that might dry up. Be sure you’ve got at least a liter of water before you hit the pass.
• Established camp sites are few and far between. Don’t setup a campfire unless it’s in an established fire ring.
• Prepare for solitude. After we passed the one party of backpackers early on, we saw no one else all day.

More Resources

• Download a map of Yosemite trails currently cleared of downed trees (PDF)
• Download the GPX file for Day 2, Miles 4.5-19

Yosemite National Park Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95389″]

The Theodore Solomons Trail is an epic alternative to the immensely popular John Muir Trail. It’s roughly 270 miles in length, and runs largely parallel to–and west of–the JMT. The TST was conceived back in 1974 to help alleviate the crowding on the JMT (yes, even back then). Unlike the JMT, the TST is not an official trail, but a route stitched together from existing trails. Some of those trails are no longer maintained, and many of them are rarely travelled. My goal is to hike the entire trail in sections and assess the viability of the route as an alternate to the JMT.

Trail Details

Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain (loss): 652 ft (1,448 ft)
Dogs: No
When to go: June-October

This hike was a short, sweet start to the first section of the Theodore Solomons Trail. We had swapped cars with friends who were starting at Clover Meadows and hiking north. Our permit was for a Saturday start, but we arrived at the Wawona Ranger Station around 3:30 PM Friday and were lucky enough to get a walk-in permit for Friday. Permit in hand, we drove to Glacier Point, took the requisite photos of Half Dome, Nevada and Vernal Falls, and at exactly 5:06pm we started hiking down the Panorama Trail.

The trail here is difficult to detect, because it actually starts over the granite directly next to this sign.

The Panorama Trail is a beautiful route that leads down to the top of Nevada Falls. We followed it down to the junction towards Illilouette Falls, and then stayed right to follow Illilouette Creek upstream.

Look closely and you can see a glimpse of Illilouette Falls. Our destination was in the distance.

Our trail descended nearly 1,000 feet over the first 2.5 miles, stopping only when we reached the granite channel which Illilouette rushes through. Here we followed the gentle ascent along the creek, with beautiful views and the sounds of cascade.

At 3.8 miles we crossed a tributary feeding Illilouette from the north, and promptly began our first decent climb. We ascended over section of forest scarred by a past wildfire, with new growth sprouting everywhere among the charred and branch-less trunks standing watch over the mountainside.

Up until this point, we had only passed a few day hikers heading up toward Glacier Point. We didn’t encounter any other backpackers on the trail. Finally, at 4.2 miles, we reached a junction with a trail from Mono Meadows in the north, and saw several small groups of backpackers camped near the creek. This was the general area where we planned to camp on this short day — having started late.

We took our boots off to wade across Illilouette Creek — the first of many such “boots off” crossings — and hunted for a suitable campsite. Up the bluff on the south side of Illilouette was another junction, and not far upstream an established campsite that we would call home for the night.

Will crossing the Illilouette

A few notes — the area of these two junctions (one on either side of the creek) is the first place where you can camp when backpacking. It’s also the last place on this trip that we saw other backpackers camped. The remainder of the 25.5 miles did not see a single occupied camp, and we saw a few people. It felt “busy” here at our first night’s camp (even though our campsite was far away from the others), but the remainder of the route felt very “wild” and highly travelled.

Also, the National Park trail signs claimed it was 3.5 miles, but my GPS clocked it at 4.5 (even after cleaning up the noise on the route). As with most things in life, the truth probably lies somewhere between.

There was plenty of water in Illilouette Creek, though the ranger warned us not to rely on small tributaries. We didn’t see any problem there, either, but there had been thunderstorms for two days prior to our trip.

We built a campfire and unwound. Today’s mileage was a bonus. Miles in the bank, so to speak. We effectively had a 4.5 mile head start on tomorrow’s hike towards Fernandez Pass.

Glacier Point to Illilouette Creek Trail Map

Photo Gallery

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Additional Tips

• If you hike this as a shuttle, note it is a LONG drive from Clover Meadows to Glacier Point including many miles on a bumpy gravel road.  Allow sufficient time and fuel.
• When parking at the trailhead, do not leave anything with any scent in your car (including air fresheners, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.). This is bear country, and they have ways of “opening” your car that you might not appreciate.
• Trail conditions where great throughout this section, which was not surprising given the number of occupied camps seen that night near the creek.

More Resources

• Wilderness permits are available up to 168 days in advance on a first-come, first-serve basis. Glacier Point is a popular alternate starting point for the John Muir Trail and for folks doing short overnight trips to Half Dome, so plan ahead as much as possible.
• As of this writing, the entry fee to Yosemite National Park is $30 per car.
• Get driving directions to Glacier Point via Google Maps
• Download the GPX file or view my raw tracking data from GaiaGPS.

Yosemite National Park Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95389″]

My first experience using the DeLorme inReach Explorer was along the John Muir Trail last summer. Not only was it reassuring to know that if I needed emergency care or evacuation, I would have dependable communication with search-and-rescue (SAR) but it proved useful in many other ways.

The DeLorme inReach Explorer can provide you with real time weather reports. Last summer was a little wet in the Sierra, to say the least. Storms cropped up almost every afternoon, but with the inReach Explorer, I was able to send a text to a specific address, and the free service sent back the weather forecast for the current time as well as for the next few days. That proved to be exceptionally helpful as we tried to plan our days around rain, sleet, hail and lightning storms. You can send an unlimited number of any of the three pre-set messages with any plan (Safety, Recreation, Expedition, Extreme). So by defining “wx now” to “+17204632647” as one of your pre-set messages, these messages will never count against your message quota.

There were also a few fires last summer engulfing sections of the the JMT in smoke. It was a little worrisome because we didn’t know if the fire posed a viable threat or if it was a safe distance away. With the DeLorme inReach Explorer, I was able to use the two way texting capability to text friends and family to find out if we needed to turn back or keep going. This information was also helpful to other hikers we met along the way who didn’t have any means of communication outside of the trail. Needless to say, everyone was greatly relieved to hear that there was no real risk of fire crossing our path and that the fire was many miles away and relatively under control.

The DeLorme InReach requires that you enroll in a subscription plan in order to receive service however, you can suspend your service at any time. Suspending your service simply puts your service on hold until you choose to reactivate it. This allows you to use the InReach for either a month at a time or year round. Plans range in price from the Safety Plan at $11.95 per month to The Extreme plan at $99.00 per month.

For the latest details on subscription plan options, check the DeLorme website.

Of course there are other excellent satellite rescue devices on the market including the SPOT Gen3 and the ACR Personal Locator Beacon, but I chose the inReach because of its two way texting capability. The SPOT is a great device if two way texting is not a priority for you and it can track your hike. It also follows a subscription model. The ACR Personal Locator Beacon is probably one of the best rescue devices out there. It does not provide tracking points or any other bells and whistles, but if you need rescuing, it does that flawlessly without having to pay for a monthly subscription.

There are a couple of things to be aware of with the remote possibility that the DeLorme inReach Explorer stops working. Fear not, there are a couple of solutions to this problem. First you can reset the device, and most of the time this rectifies the situation and you will be back on trail. If an inReach exhibits an issue powering on, pairing to a companion Android or iOS smartphone, or acquiring a GPS fix, you can perform a soft reset to attempt to resolve the issue.

Performing a Soft Reset

1. Power off the inReach and disconnect it from any power source.
2. Press and hold down both the X button and the Down button of the directional pad simultaneously for 60 seconds.
3. Release the X button and Down button and power the device on normally.
4. Test the inReach Explorer to confirm the issue has been resolved.

Also, make sure that you use the original cable that came with the inReach. I made the mistake of substituting a longer usb cable that I had lying around the house, but the quality of the cable didn’t carry enough bandwidth to power or charge the device. I had to have the original cable shipped to a resupply location and lost days of tracking, and peace of mind.

Although I didn’t use the GPS features, the inReach Explorer keeps the primary inReach function set, adding a full suite of navigation features to eliminate the need for a separate GPS unit (in theory). Let me note that the GPS functionality is not delivered on a large screen and lacks a lot of detail due to the small screen, but it does include a very simple map view that allows users to navigate with routes, waypoints and tracks. This is great functionality if you are hiking off-trail. The unit also includes a digital compass, barometric altimeter and accelerometer, adding extra navigational functionality while tracking speed, elevation, distance and more.

The Bottom Line

Overall I’m very happy with the DeLorme inReach Explorer. It has provided me, my family and friends with assurance that all is well on the trail as well as the peace of mind that help is just a button press away, if necessary.

The DeLorme inReach Explorer lists for $379.95 and the inReach (without navigation) lists for $299.95. You can find them for less on Amazon.

The author on her thru-hike of the John Muir Trail

I admit it. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Sierras.

I fell in love with the Sierras on my first backpack trip there back in 1978. The first time I thru-hiked the John Muir Trail in 1980, it was official. I was hooked.

Earlier this spring I attended the first ever JMT JAM event in the Santa Barbara backcountry. There were a number of people who were JMT alumni as well as folks getting ready for their first trip this summer, and dreamers looking forward to hiking it in the next few years. And while I knew I couldn’t do a third thru-hike this year, I did start thinking about a way to stay connected — by bringing some trail magic to JMT thru-hikers.

Trail Details

Distance: 43 miles
Time: 4 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 7,650 ft
Dogs: Yes, outside of Kings Canyon NP
When to go: July-September

Our plan was to hike in over Bishop Pass, down into LeConte Canyon in Kings Canyon National Park. If all went well, we’d hike up to Muir Pass and cook up some tacos at the Muir Hut, then hike back down to camp and back out over Bishop Pass the next day. It was a tall order. 

Day One – South Lake to Bishop Lake

The first day, I drove up the 395 to Bishop and picked up the permit. My co-horts in this adventure, Derek and PD, arrived the night before and struck out earlier in the day, so I would be hiking solo until I caught up with them.

I was starting out with a much heavier-than-normal pack weight. With water and food, it weighed about 50 pounds. Ugh.

I started out at the South Lake trailhead west of Bishop. South Lake itself is a water source for Bishop, and due to drought conditions was shockingly low. Fortunately the other lakes upstream are not drained for water and still looked healthy.

I was climbing in the heat of the day, but there were some spots of shade along the way. When I reached Long Lake, I dropped my pack for a short break and a snack.

Recharged, I hit the trail. There are a lot of beautiful lakes along this trail and some interesting spur trails to places like Treasure Lakes and Chocolate Lake. I made a note that this would be a great place to explore in more depth sometime in the future.

After 5.5 miles, I reached Bishop Lake. Now to see if I could find Derek and PD. I dropped my pack and clambered up the highest nearby hill to get a better view, and saw the campsite they had found on the south side of the lake.

The view from my tent was not too shabby.

The sun soon dropped below the mountains, casting long shadows and a golden glow across the way.

Day Two – Bishop Lake to Little Pete Meadow

In the morning, I setup my GoPro to record a little time-lapse video of the sunrise as we cooked breakfast and fueled up for the day.

PD making his way across the inlet to Bishop Lake

From Bishop Lake, we had a fairly short (but steep) climb to Bishop Pass.

Bishop Pass is just under 12,000 feet, but we weren’t feeling any ill effects of the altitude. In some years, there can be snow up year through the summer, but this was a dry year with low snowfall. It looked more like a moonscape.

From the pass, it was all downhill to LeConte Canyon. We cruised through Dusy Basin.

Like an amphitheater for giants, Dusy Basin is dotted with lakes and a few clumps of trees, but ringed with rugged, craggy peaks.

Finally we dropped down below 10,000 feet and under the tree line, and began the final series of switchbacks into LeConte Canyon.

At the bottom, we finally reached the junction with the John Muir Trail. We had descended nearly 3,600′ — and Derek’s feet were feeling it.

Down in LeConte Canyon, we followed a relatively gentle trail up the Kings River to Little Pete Meadow — just a mile, mile and a half further. Our campsite? Pretty perfect. We were able to take a cold plunge in the snow-fed river to wash away the grime and sweat from a long, hot day on the trail, as deer meandered through our campsite, paying no attention to us whatsoever.

The best part? Being below 10,000 feet, we were able to have a campfire to keep us warm through dinner and well into the night.

Day Three: Tacos y Cerveza

Our plan for day three was to hike 7 miles and over 3,000 vertical feet up to Muir Pass, where we would cook up some carne asada tacos, share some beer and then hike 7 miles back down to camp. We wouldn’t have to carry all our gear, but it would still be fairly heavy (in case you’re wondering, a single six-pack weighs in just over 5 pounds).

Derek’s foot was still a little touch-and-go, so we played it by ear. We headed out, knowing that we would have to stop and turn back by 11am.

As it turned out, we made it within about a mile of Muir Pass. Derek’s foot was hurting. He offered to hang out while PD and I continued on, but we did the smart thing and stayed together. What was originally a #MuirTacoHut adventure was now simply the #MuirTaco adventure.

We headed back down toward Little Pete Meadow, keeping a eye out for the “Whale” we had heard and seen photos of.

We had been looking for it on our way up, but somehow hiked right by it. It’s clearly visible from the trail, and in fact there’s a nice campsite at the spot. Fortunately, we spied in on our return and decided that this would be our kitchen for our pop-up taco stand.

I brought out 3 lbs of marinated carne asada, corn tortillas, fresh cilantro, fresh grated cheddar cheese, two ripe avocados and hot sauce. After cooking up the meat, I used a little olive oil in a fry pan to soften the tortillas. Derek and PD took our cans of beer and found a clever way to cool them in the ice-cold stream.

Soon, we were handing out hot tacos and cold beer to ecstatic JMT thru-hikers.

Thankfully, we had enough for ourselves, too.

After cleaning up, we headed back down to our camp. We had decided that rather than hike a long 14 miles out on the fourth day, we’d make our way up towards Dusy Basin as far as we could.

We ended up camping just below 10,000 feet — allowing us to enjoy a campfire again but cutting Day Four’s climb to just 2,000 vertical feet.

Day Four: Back Over Bishop Pass and Home Again

Our final day was a long, slow climb up Bishop Pass. We had to climb over Bishop Pass, hike down to our cars, and make the drive back to SoCal — all in one day.

Most of the trail through Dusy Basin was exposed, and the sun was shining brightly.

We stopped for a snack at Bishop Pass, where another hiker suggested we try the Burger Barn in Bishop.

Our appetites properly whet, we hoofed it back to our cars at the trailhead.

Post Script

The first #MuirTaco Adventure was an experience I’ll never forget. Was it a little crazy to carry all the tacos and beer so many miles? Maybe. But it was worth it. In fact, I’m already at work planning the 2015 #MuirTaco Adventure.

Who’s in?

Bishop Pass to Little Pete Meadow Trail Map

Photo Gallery

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More Bishop Pass to LeConte Canyon Resources

• I hiked this trail with Derek from 100Peaks.com and his friend PD. Be sure to check out Derek’s trip report for a different perspective on the trip.
• A lot of people like to stop at Schatt’s Bakery in Bishop, but I have to say, Burger Barn really hit the spot — and we didn’t feel out of place even with a couple days of trail grime.

South Lake Trailhead Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”SOUTH LAKE CABIN NEAR BISHOP 16S CA US”]

Mt. San Jacinto was one of the first big peaks I bagged as a teenager and I’m still drawn to it many years later. This route starts at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram — a treat in itself — and although it’s the “easiest” route it’s by no means easy. This out-and-back trail travels 11 miles round trip with 3000 feet of vertical elevation climbed. At an elevation of 10,834 feet above sea level, Mt. San Jacinto offers amazing 360-degree views and an alpine environment that surprises first-time visitors.

Trail Details

Distance: 11 miles
Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3020 ft
Dogs: No
When to go: Summer

Why bother backpacking this what you could hike in a day? Why not!?  It’s a beautiful setting for sleeping under the stars, and gives you a chance for an early morning start to the summit of San Jacinto. And it’s a great way to dip your toes in the waters if you’re new to backpacking, or just trying out some new gear.

Getting to the Trail

Start by driving to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, about a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. There is free parking at the tram station. Buy your tram ticket and get ready to ride to the top!

The tram itself is pretty cool. It’s one of the largest rotating trams in the world, and climbs nearly 8,000 feet in the short 20 minute ride. At the top is the Mountain Station, replete with gift shop, cafe, restaurant, lockers, restrooms and yes, tourists aplenty. Many people ride the tram just for the experience or to escape the heat of Palm Springs below. Most of them don’t go far from the tram station.

Trail Description

Exit the tram station, walking down the concrete switchbacks to Long Valley and follow the signs for Round Valley. If you’re here for a day hike, you can stop at the seasonal Long Valley ranger station and get your self-issued permit. If you’re here overnight, you’ve already got your permit in hand, right? Yep, you’ll need to apply in advance, and by snail-mail. Here’s the details (PDF).

Continue past the ranger station, paying close attention to the trail signs. The trail mainly follows a seasonal creek up the valley. In the spring, it’s lively and bubbling. With the current low rain levels this year the creek was bone dry.

A few weeks after we backpacked here, some friends were hiking this as a day hike. As shown here, it was bone dry on their way up (and the skies were blue and cloudless). Before they reached the summit, the weather had changed with a vicious monsoon thunderstorm. Not only were they forced to cut their hike short, but this creek had become a raging torrent. The lesson? Be prepared for changes to the weather, including cold, rain and (depending on the month) even snow.

Continuing on the trail, you’ll pass a couple of junctions, but the trail is well-marked. Stick to the signs towards Round Valley (or the summit) and you’ll be in good shape. Soon, we got our first glimpse of the meadow in Round Valley.

At 2.3 miles, you’ll reach the far end of the Round Valley meadow. There is a seasonal ranger station as well as a water source. Be sure to filter or purify the water from this source.

The campsites in Round Valley are well spaced to provide a sense of privacy, but you’ll see and hear other people. It’s not complete solitude. There are also several pit toilets that serve the area, but BYOTP (bring your own toilet paper).

Why backpack this trail that most people hike as a day hike. Because we were able to sit back and enjoy the quiet beauty of this wonderful valley. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, drank some boxed wine, and gazed at the stars above. And in the morning, we had a great breakfast and still were on the trail before the first tram reached Mountain Station, giving us fewer people and cooler temperatures for the climb to the summit.

Round Valley to the Summit of San Jacinto

We left our campsite setup and slack-packed to the summit. Start by retracing your steps to the trail junction at the Round Valley water source, then take the trail up the valley towards Wellman’s Divide. This trail climbs steadily on a well-engineered trail for a mile, finally reaching the stunning southern vistas of the divide.

There is a junction at the divide marked by a trail sign. Be sure you head north towards San Jacinto Peak.

The trail runs diagonally across the east flank of Jean Peak, pausing briefly at a flat cleft at 10,000 feet before continuing north on the east side of San Jacinto. The trail have very little shade and direct sun all morning. Sun protection is essential.

One more mile in this direction and the trail switches back, heading south west for .3 miles to Saddle Junction. Here the trail meets up with the Marion Mountain Trail that starts outside of Idyllwild, and turns north again for the final push to the summit.

We paid a visit to the hut on San Jacinto, then boulder-hopped the remaining 100 yards or so to the 10,834′ summit of San Jacinto. Distance from the tram to the summit: 5.5 miles. But because we had backpacked to Round Valley first, it was only 3.5 miles for us.

We were one of the first groups of hikers to reach the summit, but soon after the first hikers off the tram started arriving, and a steady stream began to arrive.

From here, we retraced our steps down to Round Valley. On our way down, we were stopped by SoCal Hiker reader Josh — who thanked us for the site and shared how he was in the process of completing the Six-Pack of Peaks.

A bit further still we ran into Oshie (@purpleosh— another friend of SoCal Hiker that we knew through Twitter. She was training for a big Sierra backpack trip.

We reached our camp, packed up and headed to the tram. By the time we got there, the day had warmed up considerably. We were thankful for our early start.

This route up San Jacinto from the tram is a very popular hike, both as a day hike or as an overnight backpack. I’ve done it both ways, many times, and really encourage you to give the backpacking option a try.

Overview of the Trail from the Tram to Round Valley to San Jacinto Peak

Mount San Jacinto via the Tram Trail Map

PRO TIP: I track all my hikes using GaiaGPS. It’s the best solution for staying on the right trail, it works even when you don’t have cell service, and there are versions for iOS and Android. The app is free, and you can get a discounted membership for maps here.

Mt San Jacinto Photo Gallery

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Mt San Jacinto Hiking & Backpacking Tips

• If you want to camp overnight, you’ll need to get a permit in advance from the ranger station in Idyllwild. Call the station with the dates you’re interested in, fill in the the downloadable permit application, then mail in your check with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Yes, it’s all done by mail, so allow sufficient time.

More Mt San Jacinto Resources

• Looking for an even more challenging route to the summit of San Jacinto? Try the Marion Mountain Trail which starts near Idyllwild.
• The tram runs year round, and makes a great intro to snowshoeing in the winter.
• Weather at Mountain Station (at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram)
• GPS user? Download the GPX file.

Cooper Canyon Falls is a beautiful waterfall that flows almost year round, but roars in April-May as the spring snow melts. The falls can be spectacular when you time your hike right, and I’m surprise more people don’t talk about this trail.

This hike includes a side trip to Cooper Canyon Campground — a wilderness campsite right on the Pacific Crest Trail — making this an easy hike to modify for an overnight backpacking trip. It’s not long, but it it has some great features and makes a great shake-down trip for testing your gear and getting comfortable with your pack weight before a longer trip.

Trail Details

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 907 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Spring to Fall

Getting to the Trailhead

The trailhead is found at the very back of the Buckhorn Campground, about 33 miles back from La Cañada-Flintridge off Highway 2 in the Angeles National Forest (Google map).

Trail Description

Start at the Burkhart Trail and head down. Yes, this is one of those trails where the elevation gain is all on the way out. Some people prefer to get the vertical out of the way first, but that’s not really an option for this trip. But it’s worth it. 

The trail descends down a mostly shady canyon with a babbling creek at the bottom. The Buckhorn Campground provides car camping, and a lot of people were exploring and playing in the creek not far from the trailhead. We soon left them behind as we traveled further down.

I was surprised to see a number of redwood trees — an unusual site in southern California.

At the 1.2 mile mark, the trail reaches a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. The falls are to the right only  a few hundred yards down the trail. You’ll have to scramble down the embankment to reach them, and there was a handy rope to make getting down (and back up) a bit easier.

Look for the steep scramble down to the base of the falls.

I was surprised to see fairly decent-sized fish swimming in the pool below the falls! The waterfall and creek were beautiful in spite of the drought. In wetter years as the snow melts, Cooper Canyon Falls are spectacular.

Here’s a shot from Kolby “The Hike Guy” Kirk taken during his 2011 hike on the PCT:

Doubling back to the junction, we took the PCT toward the Cooper Canyon Campground. This was about 1.5 miles up another canyon, and we ran into a group of PCT thru-hikers headed the same way. The campground itself feels quite developed, even though you have to hike back there. There are two pit toilets, picnic tables and plenty of area for tents — making it suitable for groups. And the creek runs just behind the camp area, providing a water source.

Personally I wouldn’t choose this camp for a quiet getaway, but for a group looking for an easy way to test the waters and give backpacking a try, this could be ideal. And it gives you a chance to actually backpack a section of the epic Pacific Crest Trail.

Cooper Canyon Falls Trail Map

Cooper Canyon Photo Gallery

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Cooper Canyon Tips

• No permits are required for the Cooper Canyon Camp. There are six, first-come, first-serve hike-in sites.
• Water is typically available from the stream at Cooper Canyon Camp, but should be treated. Flow may be low or non-existent in dry years during the height of summer.
• An Adventure Pass is required to park at the Burkhart Trailhead.
• After the hike, grab a burger and a beer at a favorite biker destination — Newcomb’s Ranch on your way back.

Cooper Canyon Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”93553″]

Join me this Thursday, August 28th at 3pm PDT when I’ll be co-hosting the weekly #trailtime tweet chat. The topic? Ultralight backpacking.

It’s not just about drilling holes in your tools or snipping the labels of clothes to shave ounces, but a practical discussion about how to have more fun, go further, and feel better carrying a little less weight on the trail.

How to Participate

All you need is a Twitter account to join in. You can search for the hashtag #trailtime and watch for the questions. Many people find it easier to use a computer rather than a phone, and tools like the Twitter app, Tweetdeck or websites like twchat.com can make it easier to follow the chat. When you’re ready to answer a question, just prefix your tweet with “A1:” (for Answer #1) and include the #trailtime hashtag so others in the chat will see it.

The good folks over at Sierra Trading Post host #trailtime every Thursday at 3pm Pacific. It’s a great way to connect with other people who love outdoor adventure.

See you on Thursday, and if you’re not already following me on Twitter… do it now!

Today was our fourth and final day on the Lost Coast Trail. The last day of any backpacking trip is always bittersweet. We looked forward to sleeping in a bed and eating a meal that wasn’t rehydrated. Yet we want to linger and savor the sense of peace and connectedness we’ve enjoyed on the trail.

Trail Details

Distance: 10 miles
Time: 5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 75 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round

Our tide chart told us that high tide peaked at 7:45am. We broke camp in the morning mist and headed south down Miller Flat. One mile south of Big Flat Creek, the terrace ends and the trail heads down to the beach. We arrived a bit early, and the surf still lapped the rock outcrops. We dropped our packs and enjoyed the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves crashing. The cobbled beach stones chattered as the surf pushed and pulled them down the beach.

Soon we were joined by two other groups of backpackers. The first — an older group of four brothers and their father; the second a group of three twenty-somethings — one hiking barefoot. One by one each group started back down the Lost Coast as the tide began to recede. We unconsciously created space between each party, so we still had the sense of having the trail mostly to ourselves.

The entire Lost Coast Trail is beautiful and surprisingly diverse. But this 4.5 mile section from the south end of Miller Flat to Gitchell Creek may have been my favorite section of the trail. You walk on the beach. The mountains and the forest drop precipitously down to the beach itself. At high tide, the surf meets the forest.

The close proximity of thick forested hills provides hiding spots for the deer, bear and other creatures whose prints you will often see in the sand. It’s odd to think of a bear or a deer on the beach, but here its quite normal. And who can blame them!? The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

Along this section are two popular camp areas at Shipman Creek and Buck Creek. These often fill up, which was one reason we stayed at Miller Flat.

The next mile beyond Gitchell Creek shows signs of signifcant erosion — a reminder that the sea is continually reshaping the coastline.

At mile 8.2 there are two significant boulders on the beach. When you reach these, you’re in the home stretch. Beyond these rocks the beach widens, and on a clear day you can pick out a few homes on the bluffs of Shelter Cove two miles away.

The Black Sands Beach trailhead parking is on a bluff between Telegraph and Humboldt Creeks. Continue past Telegraph Creek, then head up the north side of Humboldt Creek and you’ll see the walkway.

Lost Coast Trail: Day Four Trail Map

Day Four on the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

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After the Hike

We stowed our gear and I put on a fresh shirt that I left in the car, then headed for lunch in Shelter Cove. From there, we drove the long, windy road back to the 101 and turned south. Our destination? A civilized finish to the trip with a stay at the Glendeven Inn in Mendocino. Highly recommended.

Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95589″]

The Lost Coast Trail

Overview of the Lost Coast Trail

• Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch
• Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
• Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat
• Day 4: Big Flat to Shelter Cove – You are here

The Lost Coast Trail has several sections which are impassable at high tide, and it is essential that you bring a tide chart along to avoid becoming trapped in one of these spots.

Trail Details

Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 4-5 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 100 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round

I was the first one up, and took some time to play with my Olloclip macro lens for an early morning micro-adventure, cataloguing the various wildflowers right at our campsite. It never ceases to amaze me how brilliant and beautiful the world is, and often hidden in plain sight.

No more than half a mile down the trail we passed another Lost Coast cabin further down Spanish Flat, looking well-kept and lived in.

At the one mile mark, we crossed through a shady thicket of low trees at Oat Creek. The fog kept the temperatures perfect for hiking.

At two miles, we crossed Kinsey Creek, and marveled at how many creeks there were running this late in summer during a drought. You are never far from fresh water sources on the Lost Coast. In southern California, we’ve grown accustomed to carrying all the water we’ll need for a hike, and it took us while to realize that no, we don’t need to carry three liters of water. One will do.

At three miles, the ancient jeep trail we’d been following on Spanish Flat disappeared — a victim of erosion and the ever-changing coastline. We dropped down to the beach and started hiking on cobbled stones that crunched under our boots.

At 3.6 miles we paused and took a break at Big Creek. Someone had built a rather elaborate structure out of driftwood. This practice is frowned upon by the rangers, as it runs counter to the leave no trace philosophy.

It was at Big Creek that we also saw our first sign of other people in almost two days. A tent was setup at a campsite not far away.

We picked our way down the coast. Hiking on these rocks was difficult and slow, so we tried to stick as close as possible to the base of the bluffs where the ground was at least a little bit more solid.

At 4.6 miles, the trail climbed atop a terrace. We had reached the northern limit of Big Flat. The trail begins to climb, reaching the highest on our trail — a mere 100 feet or so above sea level — through thick, twisted pine trees.

When we finally emerged we came down to the broad terrace of the flat. The trail travels straight through grassy fields. We were wary of rattlesnakes and ticks, but had no problems with either.

The trail widens from single track to double track, eventually becoming a makeshift dirt air strip at mile six. We had heard about this air strip, and it was interesting to finally see it. Not much more than flat, straight dirt road that passed right by the nicest cabins we’d seen yet. The one was definitely inhabited, with solar panels for power and at least one person working in the yard. What a life.

Deer grazed nearby, and one young fawn passed in front of us, completely unfazed by our presence. Not far past the cabin the trail turns abruptly 90 degrees and heads straight toward the ocean before turning to follow near the top of the bluff.

At 7 miles, we reached Big Flat Creek. It’s a big creek, and there are a number of good camp sites on both sides of it. We dropped our packs and scouted out the best. I had my eye on the tall forest of trees on the south side of the creek on Miller Flat, and found an idyllic spot out the hot afternoon sun.

While there really isn’t a bad campsite on the Lost Coast, this was the most comfortable. It was a fitting site for our final night on the trail.

We were the first in the area to set up camp, but we were not alone. Over the next few hours several other small groups of backpackers showed up. It was the most people we had seen yet, but even so we were spread out. Sitting on the beach watching the sunset we saw other people, but back in our camp we had solitude and privacy.

Lost Coast Trail: Day Three Map

Day Three on the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

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Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95589″]

Come back tomorrow for Day 4 on the Lost Coast Trail!

The Lost Coast Trail

Overview of the Lost Coast Trail

• Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch
• Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
• Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat – You are here
• Day 4: Miller Flat to Shelter Cove

I woke up to the early morning light. Outside our tent the air was thick with fog and heavy with moisture. Large drops of condensation clung to our rain fly, and everything that wasn’t covered was damp.

Trail Details

Distance: 7 miles
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 120 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round

We refilled our water bottles in the creek at the bottom of Sea Lion Gulch, then started down the beach. This section of the Lost Coast is notable for the bowling ball-sized boulders. We had to pick our steps slowly and carefully, making progress slow.

Half a mile down the coast, the trail heads overland. The distant balancing rock you see in the photo below is the visual cue: this point is impassable at all tide levels. Turn inland up the wash and look up the hill for signs of a trail.

The sign for this overland detour is easy to miss. It’s high on the bluff, perched on a rock. As you’re hiking down the beach, you’ll find that the rocks and the water seem to be squeeze out the beach. Look for that balancing rock and then find the overland detour.

We headed into the gully and found the trail as it detoured around the point.

The sign for the LCT detour sits high on the bluff, well away from the beach.

This rocky spine marked the high point of the overland detour, which offered sweeping views of the coastline in both directions.

On the downhill side of the detour are the remains of another old cabin and a junction with the Cooskie Creek Spur trail. This junction is tricky, as the sign for the LCT is on the opposite side of the post — pointing in a non-obvious direction.

This minimalist approach to trail signage is a recurring theme on the Lost Coast. I had a conversation with one of the rangers who explained that it is quite intentional. The theory is that this land is wilderness, and they have attempted to keep the human touch light. I like that approach, but it means you’ll have to use your navigation smarts to keep yourself on the right trail. When you see a sign or even a trace of a junction, pause for a moment and look around. Make sure you’ve taken the right fork in the trail.

This cabin has seen better days, but just imagine the view someone once enjoyed. Actually, you don’t have to imagine. Hike the Lost Coast Trail and this view can be yours.

Back down on the beach, we picked our way among the cobbled stone and coarse black sand, around the rocks and ahead of the waves. Beach hiking here is tough and slow. By this time the sun had burned off all the fog and morning haze, and it while the breezes were still cool, we were working up a sweat.

At mile 5 we reached Randall Creek, which marks the north end of Spanish Flat. This grassy terrace gave us a welcome break from the tough beach hiking. Hiking on solid earth is bliss! We stopped here for lunch and setup our fly for some shade.

Just two easy miles later, we stopped to camp just south of Spanish Creek. We had the beach entirely to ourselves, and the time to enjoy it. We kicked our boots off and even took a little nap on the black sand beach. There were no emails or text messages to reply to. There were no updates to post. Just two people enjoying the sun on the Lost Coast.

Lost Coast Trail: Day Two Map

Day Two on the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

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Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95589“]

Come back tomorrow for Day 3 on the Lost Coast Trail!

The Lost Coast Trail

Overview of the Lost Coast Trail

• Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch
• Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat – You are here
• Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat
• Day 4: Miller Flat to Shelter Cove

Trail Details

Distance: 5.4 miles
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round

We made it to the Mattole Trailhead by 5:30pm. The shuttle service provided us with a great King Range map and a tide chart that I actually preferred to my own (we were prepared, of course). We filled out and filed our permit at the self-service station and decided that we’d start hiking tonight and leave the car campers behind.

The Lost Coast Trail starts out in the soft, dry sand dotted with ice plant. Hiking in soft sand is an interesting experience. You have to shorten your stride and slow your pace. The best advice I heard was to try not to use your toes. I’m not sure why, but it seemed to help as we plodded along. The views were beautiful. The beach strewn with driftwood, seaweed and all sorts of interesting shells and artifacts.

Soon sand gave way to wave-smoothed pebbles and rocks that crunched under our boots. Hiking the Lost Coast Trail is an art. Most of the time there isn’t an established path — except on the flats — and along the beach your challenge is to find the most efficient surface for hiking. Sometimes that’s the freshly wet set near the surf. Other times its nearest the bluffs where the dirt, stone and sand provide some semblance of stability. Overlaid on a map, our GPS tracks might make us look like drunken sailors, but there was a method to our madness.

When you’re lucky there are bits of real trail on solid ground. Take them. They may not last, as the coastline and the bluffs are constantly in flux, but enjoy them when you can. Every time we made the transition from sand to solid ground, it felt like we turned the turbochargers on.

Our first obstacle was the point up ahead, right at the 2.5 mile mark. We knew had to make it around that point before high tide, when it becomes impassable. No problem. We had our tide charts, had planned ahead and knew we could walk right around it.

As we neared the mouth of Four Mile Creek, we spied our first of several private cabins on the Lost Coast. It’s surprising to see a cabin out here where there are no roads, no power lines or utilities.  They private cabins are all rustic and weathered, and most are no longer habitable — long overtaken by the combination of neglect and the harsh wind, rain and weather of the Lost Coast. Not surprising when you consider that this area often receives over 100 inches of rain per year. 

This particular cabin looked to be in pretty good shape, with an outhouse that had a half door, so you could enjoy the view from your throne. This is as close as we got. These cabins are all private and as curious as we were, we didn’t want to trespass or infringe on their privacy.

We continued on, and soon spied the famous Punta Gorda lighthouse. This historic light house was built in 1910 after a number of fatal shipwrecks on the rocks off the coast. It’s unique in that it’s on the mainland, and it’s short, squat lighthouse. It remained in operation until 1961, when new technology replaced the need for the lighthouse.

We were able to explore the lighthouse and climb up the rusty iron spiral staircase to the top. It’s in remarkably good condition even  a century later.

The Punta Gorda Lighthouse is 3.75 miles from the Mattole trailhead, making it a great day hike destination for campers. Starting late in the day as we had, we say one other couple who were returning from the lighthouse. These would be the only two people we saw on the trail today.

The sun was dipping lower, and we were aiming to reach Sea Lion Gulch for our first night’s camp, about 1.25 miles further down the coast.

We found a campsite on the bluff overlooking the gulch.

Sea Lion Gulch is so-named because sea lions and seals frequent the rocks just off the coast. Indeed, there was a cranky old sea lion with is deep wails and the barks of the seals to confirm that we had arrived.

Our campsite gave us a great view down the coast. The next four miles of the trail were impassable at high tide, so by starting here, we could time our entry as the tide was receding and make sure we didn’t get caught by the incoming tide.

Lost Coast Trail: Day One Map

Day One of the Lost Coast: Photo Gallery

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Lost Coast Trail Tips

• You can camp anywhere on the Lost Coast, but use previously established campsites whenever possible, to minimize impact on the environment.
• Carry a tide chart and know where the impassable sections are! While in those sections, keep an eye on the ocean. A rogue wave can sneak up at any time, and unsuspecting hikers have been swept out to sea.
• There is zero cell phone reception on the Lost Coast Trail. You’ll have to use backcountry smarts to handle any emergency that arises. Of course, you’re carrying the Ten Essentials, right?
• Be sure to start at the beginning, with our Overview of the Lost Coast Trail.
• We didn’t have any rain on our trip (July is historic a low-rainfall on this otherwise very wet trail). Even so, we had to use our rain fly every night. Anything that wasn’t covered got soaked with condensation from the fog. So cover up!

Our first day on the Lost Coast was memorable. We felt the solitude of the trail, and the beauty and history of this rugged coastline. We drifted to sleep serenaded by the waves crashing on the rocks below.

Next, read Day 2 on the Lost Coast Trail: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat.

Shelter Cove Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”95589“]

The Lost Coast Trail

Overview of the Lost Coast Trail

• Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch You are here!
• Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
• Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat
• Day 4: Miller Flat to Shelter Cove

We arrived at Mattole Beach early in the evening. The trailhead has a scattering of car campsites, which we were eager to leave behind. We donned our backpacks, hit the trail, and promptly lost ourselves in the vast beauty of the coast. It feels somehow primal; the convergence of sea and land on this solitary, rugged section of the Northern California coastline. There are no roads on this section of the coast–the terrain is too rugged. There is no cell phone coverage. And we saw very few people. We were disconnected from the modern world, and reconnecting to the land, the sea and ourselves.

I breathed in deeply, the moist, salty air filling my nostrils and renewing my energy with each step. We were off the grid in the best way possible. We were on the Lost Coast Trail. 

The Lost Coast is so named because this section of this section of land was too steep and rugged to build a road. Big Sur was tamed by Highway 1, but not the Lost Coast. Highway 1 veers inland 20 miles around this remote section of coastline. There are no roads or cars. Just getting to the trailhead is a journey in itself.

Trail Details

Distance: 25 miles
Time: 3-4 days
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous multi-day
Elevation gain: 50 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round

We hiked the Lost Coast Trail over four days and three nights — a comfortable pace that allowed flexibility in our hiking schedule to accommodate the high tides. We started with a rough itinerary, but with the exception of the third night, changed every planned camp location. Have a plan, but plan to be flexible. The Lost Coast demands it.

An Overview of the Lost Coast Trail

The first day on the trail we started out about 5:30 PM, and hiked an easy 5-1/2 miles. Along the way, we stopped by the beautiful and historic Punta Gorda Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1910 after numerous fatal shipwrecks off the coast, and was in operation until 1961, when it was replaced by more advanced navigation technology. There used to be a number of beautiful cottages and out buildings, but these were tragically burned down by the forest service in the early ’70s. Today, only the concrete structures of the lighthouse and the fuel house remain.

The trail, such as it is, mainly involves following the coastline. The terrain often is soft sand that slows down your pace to a slog, or rocks that force you to carefully choose each step. There are two large flats along the route that offer solid ground–a welcome respite from the rocks, sand and gravel.

Water is never far away. Even in a dry year like this, we met sources of fresh water every mile or less along the trail — from small rivulets to full-fledged creeks.

Note: in storms and during the rainy season, these creeks can swell to waist-high depth and crossing can be treacherous. 

Where is the Lost Coast?

The Lost Coast Trail in the King Range National Conservation Area is about five hours north of San Francisco. To get to Shelter Cove, take the Garberville exit off Highway 101, heading west on Shelter Cove Road. Right right on Beach Road, and continue about a mile to the Black Sands Beach parking lot. Get Google Maps directions to the Black Sands Beach trailhead.

To reach Mattole Beach on the north end of the Lost Coast, take Lighthouse Road west from Petrolia, all the way to the end. Get Google Maps directions to the Mattole Trailhead.

Note that the drive to either of these trailheads takes patience. It can take 1-1/2 hours to drive from the 101 to Shelter Cove, and the road can be harrowing. It’s all part of the adventure.

The Lost Coast Trail Map

Lost Coast Trail Tips

• Bear canisters are required throughout the King Range National Conservation Area. While we didn’t see any signs of bears, two guys we shared the shuttle with had seen bear tracks on the beach on their last day of the trip. Yes, there are bears on the Lost Coast. Fortunately, you can rent canisters from the ranger station for $5 per canister, per trip at these three locations.
• Where to go when Nature calls… This one blew me away, but the rule on the Lost Coast Trail is to dig a hole on the beach below the high tide mark and make your deposit right there. Everywhere else I’ve ever hiked the rules typically have you do this well away from water, but in this case, the rangers want you to do it in the ocean. In fact, its right on the permit.
• Rangers will check and fine for violations. Violations include not carrying a bear canister, not carrying a permit, or not following the rules regarding campfires. Read the rules, and follow them. We met a ranger on our fourth day, and he checked our permit and canister and actually quizzed us to make sure we read the rules.
• Which direction to hike? North or South? This one is easy. Hike from north to south. The prevailing winds will be at your back. Start at Mattole Beach and head south to Shelter Cove.

Permits

Permits are required to hike the Lost Cost Trail. Check availability at Outdoor Status.

Lost Coast Resources

• Getting to the trailhead is a challenge in itself. You could plan a yo-yo (out-and-back) trip, but that turns it into a challenging 50 mile hike. Most people plan to take a shuttle. There are two shuttle companies that serve the area: Lost Coast Shuttle and Lost Coast Adventures. We used Lost Coast shuttle and were super-pleased with the service. We drove to the Black Sands Beach trailhead on the south end of the trail in Shelter Cove, where the shuttle met us and drove us up and around to the north end of the trail — a windy hour and a half drive. The benefit to this approach is that when you get to the end of the trail, your car is waiting for you, rather than you waiting for the shuttle. The shuttle is pricey, but understandably so since each round trip takes about four hours total. Keep in mind that the more in your group, the lower the overall cost of the shuttle–as long as your group fits in one shuttle.
• GPS user? Download our Lost Coast GPX file.
• Download the King Range Wilderness Map  (8.5 MB PDF)
• Monthly weather averages. Note: it gets wet here during much of the year.

Should you hike the Lost Coast Trail?

Follow the links below for my day-by-day trip report and guide for our Lost Coast backpacking trip. I highly recommend this trail to anyone with a sense of adventure and a love of rugged wilderness.

• Day 1: Mattole Beach to Sea Lion Gulch
• Day 2: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
• Day 3: Spanish Flat to Miller Flat
• Day 4: Miller Flat to Shelter Cove

If you’ve got questions about the Lost Coast Trail, let me know in the comments below.

I love my Buff. It’s the multi-purpose headwear that can be a neck gaitor, a face mask, a headband and a about a dozen other configurations. I’ve worn my Buff on the Trans-Catalina Trail and the John Muir Trail. But not until a recent backpacking trip did I learn that a Buff could also become the perfect backpacking pillow.

I had been using a Thermarest fleece pillow case. It’s fairly small and light, and you can stuff your jacket inside. But when you’re backpacking, you want every piece of gear you bring to do as much as possible, so you have less weight to carry. Curt Cragg — the organizer of the JMT JAM 2014 shared his awesome tip for using a Buff as a pillow case.

Here’s how it’s done:

What You Need

You’ll need a Buff and a jacket. I’m using my Marmot fleece.

Steps 1-2

Fold your jacket up into a rectangular bundle and insert it into the Buff. The stretchy material of the Buff helps hold everything in place.

Sleep Well!

That’s really all there is to it! It’s a quick and easy tip that’s more comfortable than a nylon stuff sack, and more efficient than a separate pillow case.

The Buff might just be the perfect backpacking pillow.

Got any other great Buff tips? Share them in the comments below.

Backpacking in Santa Barbara? Usually when people think of Santa Barbara they think of Stearns Wharf, the beach, the shops on State Street or the wild college scene near UCSB. But what you might not realize is that the Santa Barbara backcountry takes you into the expansive Los Padres National Forest, with deep canyons, soaring ridge lines and clear, cool streams. This two-day backpacking trip on the Santa Cruz Trail provides a weekend escape and an introduction to Santa Barbara’s real wild side.

Trail Closure In Effect

January 6, 2017 Update: Major sections of this trail were closed due to the Rey Fire in Santa Barbara County. It has since reopened, but early reports are that the trail is “a mess.” We will update with details as soon as we get them.

Trail Details

Distance: 21.8 miles
Time: 2 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,000 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Fall-Spring
Download the GPX

Getting to the Trailhead

This trail begins at the Upper Oso Campground off of Paradise Road, which can also be a good staging camp for Friday night. Campsites are available for reservation for $20/night, and you can get driving directions here. There is trailhead parking for free with an Adventure Pass (though currently up in the air, I’d recommend using one for now).

Trail Description

From the trailhead, head north and into the hills. The trail begins as a dirt road running parallel to the creek and labeled as Camuesa Canyon Road on the map. At 0.7 miles, we reached a bend in the road. Here our trail broke away from the road, continuing into the canyon.

Be sure to stop here and sign the trailhead register. There are no permits required for camping back here (although you do need a campfire permit if you plan to have a campfire), but signing the register will help the rangers keep track of who is in the backcountry. With the drought conditions we’ve had this year, it’s a worthwhile precaution.

Off the dirt road, the trail becomes much more enjoyable. The single track trail runs beside the creek under the shade of old growth oak trees. At 1.8 miles, you’ll see a junction to Nineteen Oaks Camp heading uphill to the right.

Just beyond this junction our trail crosses the creek and begins a steady climb out of the canyon. In late April, the hills were covered with wildflowers. I saw Mariposa (pictured below), Lupen, California Poppy and many more that I couldn’t name. The trail is also mostly exposed and quite relentless in it’s climb.

The Santa Cruz Trail is remarkably engineered, with a steady grade that makes the climbing easy. There are surprisingly few switchbacks, which sometimes makes this trail feel very long.

Most of the terrain has full sun exposure, except when crossing through the canyons. The plant life ranges from agave to manzanita to chaparral to grassy knolls.

At 5.5 miles, I reached the Alexander Saddle. At 3,950 feet above sea level, it’s the high point of this trek (which started at 1,191 feet). That’s a respectable climb with a backpack.

Here’s a panorama from the Alexander Saddle, looking back on the trail.

This is a great place to stop for food and rest. Soak in the views. We actually spied some snow on the mountains further north from the rain the night before. Be aware that this saddle is also a junction. There is another trail that turns and heads up the ridgeline to the right. This is not the Santa Cruz Trail! Read the sign carefully, because the next segment of the trail is not as obvious.

At 6.3 miles there is a sign for Little Pine Spring. There is a fairly reliable spring here and a campsite, but the trail was completely overgrown difficult to even locate.

The Forty Mile Wall

At 7.2 miles you cross the canyon and begin a long traverse on what is affectionately referred to as The Forty Mile Wall. In reality, it’s just under 2.5 miles, but it does at times feel like the trail will just go on and on. This section of the trail follows the southwest face of a steep ridge dotted with splashes of brilliant orange poppies.

Finally at the 9.5 mile mark, you round the ridge and begin a descent into the wooded canyon via a series of switchbacks. At the bottom, the trail crosses the creek and turns east. About a quarter mile further lies the Santa Cruz Station.

There is a pit toilet not far from the station, and there are several good campsites nearby with picnic tables and a masonry cooking area. The stream is close by, providing a good source for replenishing your water (be sure to filter or treat it first).

There is an open grassy area as well as a number of beautiful spots to pitch a tent under old growth oak trees.

Sunday morning, we broke camp and headed back the way we came. Our total mileage: 21.8 miles.

In the End

The Santa Cruz Trail was a beautiful trail, particularly during the spring. This trail made for a great weekend excursion and excellent shake-down hike for the hikers in the group who were training to thru-hike the JMT this year. Being my first excursion in the Los Padres National Forest, it whet my appetite for more. I’ll be back to explore more of this area in the future. 

Santa Cruz Trail Map

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.

Tips for Hiking in the Santa Barbara Backcountry

• This is a 3-season trail best hiked in fall, winter or spring. It can get dangerously hot and dry during the summer.
• If you’re planning to have a campfire, be sure to first get a campfire permit. They are free, and you can get it online here.
• After your hike, stop in at the Cold Spring Tavern on Stagecoach Road. It’s on your way back into Santa Barbara, and famous for their tri-tip sandwiches, live music and people watching on the weekends.

More Santa Barbara Backcountry Resources

• Upper Oso Campground – Trailhead car campground
• Santa Barbara County Hikers – a great Meetup group with regularly scheduled hikes in the area
• Guidebook: Hiking and Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura by Craig Carey
• Official website: Los Padres National Forest

Santa Cruz Trail Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”93105″]

It was our second day of a 22-day thru-hike on the epic John Muir Trail. I was the ring-leader — I had organized the trip, recruited three willing hikers, obtained the permit and got us to Yosemite Valley a couple days earlier. I had been to Yosemite many times. I had even hiked the JMT before — 30 years earlier.

Outdoor Mistakes

Part of a series on Outdoor Mistakes where other bloggers share their outdoor mis-adventures. Be sure to check out all the posts over at Sierra Social Hub.

The young guns — Jeffrey and Hari — got an early start. The plan was to meet at  Sunrise Camp. If they got their early, they could snag the best campsite for our little group.

Joan and I took our time. As we were getting ready to break camp, we spied a bear ambling towards the campground, hoping to find an inattentive or lazy backpacker with their food improperly stored. We shot a few blurry photos from a safe distance, even as a family with children raced toward the bear to get a closer look. But that’s an outdoor mistake for another story.

We checked our gear and headed up the trail.

After 1.3 miles of climbing, we reached the junction to Half Dome. We had hiked here yesterday, so this part of the trail was still fresh in our memory. We took the right branch toward Sunrise, and hiked on.

Just 1/4 mile further we reached our next junction. Our map showed our trail continuing along the north side of Sunrise Creek, but the trail ahead looked to be heading toward a campsite. The trail to the left was much more travelled, and after a quick survey of the area, I headed up to the left.

We trudged along, climbing higher and higher. The sound of Sunrise Creek grew more and more faint. My girlfriend Joan began to question my navigation skills. “Didn’t you say this trail ran near the creek?”

I brushed off her question and reassured her that this was the right trail. “Sometimes the scale of a map can be deceptive.” Hah. We continued to climb. I was beginning to question my decision as well, but at this point, the thought of backtracking was unappealing.

One of the great things about backpacking is the community of the trail. When encountering other hikers headed in the opposite direction, it’s common to shout out a cordial “Hi! Where you headed? Where you coming from?” I used this to my advantage here. We encountered our first group…

“Hi! Where you coming from?” I asked hopefully. I wanted confirmation that we were on the right trail, and that we wouldn’t have to backtrack, and that the miles of uphill hiking weren’t in vain.

“Sunrise” came the answer. YES! I thought to myself. I turned to Joan and told her it was confirmed. I had basically doubled down on my commitment to this trail.

Still, we were climbing higher and higher. Soon we could see Half Dome. This didn’t smell right.

Then next group of hikers came heading down the trail. “Where you coming from?” I asked again. “Sunrise Lakes.” Uh-oh. Sunrise LAKES?! Could that have been what the other group meant when they said “Sunrise”?

We stopped to check our map. Yes, it was certain we were on the wrong trail. We were en route to Clouds Rest and on to Sunrise Lakes beyond. I was eating my words.

It looked like we wouldn’t meet up with Jeffrey and Hari tonight. We went with Plan B. We bagged Clouds Rest and what are probably the best views of Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley. We resolved to hike on until we could find a good campsite, then we would start early tomorrow and meet up with Jeffrey and Hari at Tuolumne Meadows.

Jeffrey and Hari were self-sufficient. We had planned to stick together in pairs, and had food, fuel and shelter to do just fine. And yes, on day three we did meet up again in Tuolumne Meadows.

So while it wasn’t a disaster, it was a heaping serving of humble pie. And it was also the only wrong turn I took on the entire John Muir Trail.

What I Learned From My Mistake

I was over-confident — maybe even borderline cocky — about my choice at the junction. I should’ve taken time to check my maps and even break out my compass to make sure we were on the right trail. Being skilled and experienced doesn’t help you if you get a little cocky.

On the bright side, while we ended up doing way more vertical gain than we had planned, we were equipped and prepared physically to deal with it. We had the supplies we needed and were in no real danger. And we had a plan to rejoin our friends at Tuolumne.

Although a popular trail like the JMT is well-marked, take time to use your map and navigation skills. And skip the humble pie.

Outdoor Mistakes TweetChat

On Thursday, March 27, 2014, Andy Hawbaker from Sierra Trading Post will be hosting an #STPLive tweetchat at 3pm PDT. Fire up Twitter and point it at the #STPLive hashtag to join in!

Day 22 on the John Muir Trail…

Technically, this day begins at the end of Day 21. We went to bed early last night, sleeping lightly for a few hours and waking to our alarm at 11:30 PM. We ate Clif Bars and packed up our sleeping gear and tent. Donning our headlamps, we made one final check to make sure nothing was left behind. We headed up the John Muir Trail towards the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states — Mount Whitney — 14,505 feet above sea level.

John Muir Trail Day 22

Distance: 16 miles
Cumulative Distance: 222.23 miles
Total Ascent: 4,201 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 60,597 ft
Harrison Map Sheet 1

Our headlamps did a great job of illuminating our steps. As we climbed higher, we could see other headlamps down below, bobbing up and down as other hikers started out in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought to get a very early start on Whitney.

We hiked along, our heads down and our eyes on the trail for several hours. Our pace was slow, but steady. Suddenly, I practically walked into the Whitney Trail Crest junction sign!

We were shocked! The climb went by quickly. From here we thought we would wait for sunrise, then hike the last 2 miles to the summit in daylight.

We dropped our backpacks and pulled out our sleeping bags. It was cold up at the crest, especially since we had stopped hiking. We sat there and tried to sleep, but it wasn’t going to happen. Soon, we had hikers who were coming up from Whitney Portal marching past us in the darkness. We decided if they could handle the trail in the dark, we could too. Besides, we weren’t going to sleep.

So we packed our sleeping bags and left our backpacks near the junction. We took a fanny pack and water, slack-packing to the summit. And along the way there, the sun rose.

Turning around, I captured this view looking west toward the sun-kissed mountain tops.

The trail was treacherous, but we took our time to be safe. By the time we reached the shelter on the summit, we no longer needed our headlamps at all. We headed for the true summit, and greeted a few other hikers who arrived just before us.

Our thru-hike on the John Muir Trail was complete! We hiked the entire JMT, from Yosemite to Whitney. We were standing on the summit of the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states. We learned new things about ourselves and each other, and expanded our understanding of what we were capable of.

Our mission was complete. But our journey was not yet over. We still had to hike 10.6 miles down to Whitney Portal, where we had parked our Xterra three weeks earlier.

Summit Register?

I have one regret about our summit of Mt. Whitney… we forgot to sign the summit register! We had seen the aluminum “desk” next to the shelter, but I didn’t realize that the top opened. And so we never signed the register. Doh!

In our original itinerary, we had planned to stop at Trail Camp below Mt. Whitney, but before Whitney Portal. This would leave an easy six mile hike out on the final day. But we had opted to shave some miles off previous days, so to stick to our original exit schedule, we were hiking all the way out to Whitney Portal.

First, we headed back to the Whitney Trail Crest. Our packs were waiting for us, undisturbed by other hikers. In fact, a number of other backpackers had also left their packs here, since you have to come back this way in any case.

We hoisted our packs one more time and began the descent.

As we hiked down, we passed what seemed like a hundred people hiking up to Whitney. There were some solo hikers but most were in groups of 2, 3 or 4. Most of them carried day packs rather than backpacks. We wound our way down the infamous 99 switchbacks, including an icy patch with a handrail for safety. There was no snow on the trail though.

Looking back, it was hard to believe that we were “up there” just a few hours earlier. Wow.

Descending from Mt Whitney with a full backpack was challenging, even though we weren’t carrying much food at this point. We descended 6,300 feet over those last ten miles. It took a toll on our bodies. Our feet were swollen and sore. Our joints creaked and ached. But the thought of a cheeseburger and beer at the Whitney Portal Store kept  us moving.

Finally we could see the Whitney Portal parking area. We must be close. We placed bets on how long it would be before we were there. “30 minutes!” I announced confidently. I was wrong by about an hour.

That last stretch winds down along the longest, slowest switchbacks ever designed. There were times when I swore we were actually moving further away from our destination. Like a desert mirage, it tantalized us with promises of greasy food and cheap calories, but we never seemed to get any closer.

Finally we saw a sign of “civilization.” Ironically, it was a sign declaring (to those hiking in the upward direction) that they were now entering the John Muir Wilderness. But for us, it meant we were getting closer to civilization.

We made it to Whitney Portal. We ate that cheeseburger, and drank that cold beer. And it was good.

Trail Map: Guitar Lake to Mt Whitney to Whitney Portal

The John Muir Trail official ends on the summit of Mount Whitney, but we still had to hike down to Whitney Portal where our car was parked. This map details the route up to the top of Whitney, as well as down to Whitney Portal.

JMT Day 22 Photo Gallery

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