Sierra Nevada Backpacking Trips
Disclaimer: the author is not responsible for the accuracy of any information reported on this page. Distances in particular are very rough estimates, and conditions vary from year to year.
Clickable
overview map with links to clickable maps of all the hikes
Clickable
overview map with links to photos of all the hikes
Kings Canyon
-Kings Canyon National Park
-September 2007
-7 days, ~50 miles, ~6700ft elevation gain and loss
-Road's End Trailhead (5050ft), Paradise Valley (6650ft), Woods
Creek/JMT (8550ft), Rae Lakes (10600ft), Sixty Lakes Basin (10900ft)
-route map,
detail map with clickable arrows
Hell For Sure Lake &
Bench Valley
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 2007
-6 days, ~40 miles, ~6000ft elevation gain and loss
-Courtright Reservoir Maxson Trailhead (8100ft), Disappointment Lake
(10350ft), Hell for Sure Lake (10760ft), Hutton Pass (11480ft),
Schoolmarm Lake (10800ft), McGuire Lakes (10000ft)
-note that the part from Hell for Sure Lake via Hutton Pass to Filly
Lake was cross-country,
and there was at least one place where it wasn't class 2 as advertised
-route map,
detail map with clickable arrows
Rae Lakes & Sixty Lake Basin
-Kings Canyon National Park & John Muir Wilderness
-September 2006
-5 days
-Onion Valley (9140ft), Kearsarge Pass (11823ft), Kearsarge Lakes
(10900ft), Glen Pass (11978ft), Rae Lakes (10570ft), Sixty Lakes Basin
(10600ft)
-route map, map with clickable arrows
Sabrina Basin
-John Muir Wilderness
-September 2006
-3 days
-Sabrina Lake Trailhead (9000ft), Blue Lake (10450ft), Baboon Lakes
(10976ft), Midnight Lake (10988ft), Hungry Packer Lake (11071ft)
-route map, map with clickable arrows, combined clickable map from all 3 Sabrina trips
Fallen Leaf Lake to Emerald Bay via Dicks Pass
-Desolation Wilderness
-October 2005
-5 days, ~22 miles, ~4700ft elevation gain and loss
-Fallen Leaf Lake Trailhead (6550ft), via Lake Aloha
(8200ft), Heather Lake (7900ft), Susie Lake (7800ft), Gilmore Lake
(8300ft), Dicks Pass (9450ft), Dicks Lake (8450ft), Fontanillis Lake
(8300ft), Middle Velma Lake (7950ft), and Eagle Lake (7000ft), to the
Eagle Falls Trailhead at Emerald Bay (6570ft)
-note that the trail from Lily Lake to near Triangle Lake is officially
an "unmaintained trail", in reality not even a "use trail" in places - at
least we didn't see any cairns on the rocky/bouldery/talusy parts...
-also did day hikes up Mt Tallac, to Half Moon Lake, and around Upper
Velma Lake (partly cross-country)
-route map, map with clickable arrows
-elevation profile
Seven Gables
-John Muir Wilderness
-September 2005
-7 days, ~40 miles, ~7000ft elevation gain and loss
-Florence Lake Trailhead (7400ft), Selden Pass (10800ft), Upper Bear Creek Meadows (9587ft), Ruskie Pass (12050ft)
-note that the stretch from below Seven Gables Lakes to
French Canyon is cross-country
-also note that Ruskie Pass unexpectedly had a short class 3 stretch at
the top on the Eastern side,
and also (at least this year) a long steep
snowfield that was easy enough to go down but which might be problematic
coming up:
definitely not an "easy class 2 gully" as described in (at least our
edition of) "The High Sierra - Peaks, Passes, and Trails"
-complete
route map, detail map with
clickable arrows
-elevation profile
Lake Italy
-John Muir Wilderness
-September 2004
-6 days, ~35 miles, ~6000ft elevation gain, ~6500ft elevation loss
-Pine Creek Trailhead (7400ft), Italy Pass (12400ft), Bear Creek
Trailhead at Kaiser Pass Road (7000ft)
-note that the stretch over Italy Pass is cross-country
-complete
route map, detail map
with clickable arrows
-elevation profile
Big Pine Lakes
-John Muir Wilderness
-September 2003
-5 days
-Big Pine North Fork Trailhead (7600ft), Sixth Lake (11100ft), Palisade Glacier (12200ft)
-note that parts of the day hikes are cross-country
-map with clickable arrows
Ansel Adams
Wilderness
-August 2003
-6 days
-note that the day hikes are cross-country
-map with clickable arrows
Bishop Pass to Taboose
Pass
-John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park
-September 2002
-6 days, ~35 miles, ~6000ft elevation gain, ~10300ft elevation loss
-South Lake (9800ft), Bishop Pass (11980ft), Lower Dusy Basin (11100ft),
Knapsack Pass (11680ft), Barrett Lakes (11440ft), Potluck Pass (12120ft),
"Glacier Creek Lake" (11670ft), Cirque Pass (12000ft), Lower Palisade Lake
(10590ft), Mather Pass (12073ft), "Lower Upper Basin" (10420ft), Taboose Pass
(11352ft), Taboose Trailhead (5380ft)
-note that the stretch from Dusy Basin to Palisade Lakes is cross-country
-map with clickable arrows
Duck Pass to McGee Pass
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 2002
-5 days, ~30 miles, ~4500ft elevation gain, ~5800ft elevation loss
-Lake Mary Trailhead (9120ft), Duck Pass (10797ft), Duck Lake
(10482ft), Purple Lake (9930ft), Lake Virginia (10388ft), Tully Hole
(9515ft), Tully Lake (10400ft), McGee Pass (11895ft), Big McGee Lake
(10472ft), McGee Creek Trailhead (7870ft)
-map with clickable arrows
Sabrina Basin
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 2001
-5 days
-note that the day hikes are cross-country
-map
with clickable arrows, combined clickable map from all 3 Sabrina trips
Humphreys Basin via Piute
Pass
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 2000
-5 days
-map with clickable arrows
Rock Creek to McGee Creek via Hopkins
Pass
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 1999
-4 days, ~22 miles, ~4000ft elevation gain, ~6200ft elevation loss
-Rock Creek Mosquito Flat (10300ft), Ruby Lake (11300ft), Golden Creek
(10400ft), Mono Creek (9300ft), Hopkins Pass (11520ft), Big McGee Lake
(10472ft), McGee Trailhead (7870ft)
-note that the stretch over Hopkins Pass is cross-country
-map with
clickable arrows
Evolution Basin
-Kings Canyon National Park
-August 1998
-7 days, ~38 miles, ~8200ft elevation gain, ~7700ft elevation loss
-North Lake (9255ft), Lamarck Col (12960ft), John Muir Trail (10640ft), Muir Pass (11960ft), Le Conte Canyon (8800ft), Bishop Pass (11980ft), South Lake (9768ft)
-note that the stretch from Lower Lamark Lake to Evolution Lake is cross-country
-map
with clickable arrows
Sabrina Basin
-John Muir Wilderness
-August 1998
-Sabrina Lake (9128ft), Dingleberry Lake (10489ft), Echo Lake (11602ft)
-map with
clickable arrows, combined clickable map from all 3 Sabrina trips
Yosemite
-October 1997
-map with
clickable arrows
Ansel Adams Wilderness
-August 1996
-map with
clickable arrows
Favorite Backpacking Pictures:
1996-2001 (Film),
2002-2003 (Digital)
