Thousand Island/Garnet/Shadow Lake Day Hike

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DesertJones
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Thousand Island/Garnet/Shadow Lake Day Hike

Post by DesertJones »

Hello HST
My buddy and I are considering hiking this loop next week. We plan to start at 6 am from Agnew Meadows and take the High Trail as I hear the views of the Minarets and Mt Banner are terrific, especially around sunrise. Then return via Shadow Creek to the River Trail.

I am wondering if this loop is possible to do in a day.
What's the approximate mileage?
Is Shadow Lake worth the extra miles (if not we could return via Garnet Lake creek to the River Trail?)
Should we opt for an Ediza and Iceberg Lake hike instead and skip TI Lake altogether, perhaps save for an overnight trip so I can get that sunrise shot?

Photographic opportunities are very important.

We are both in our late 30's and in good shape. Level 4 Class 2.

Thanks!
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maverick
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Re: Thousand Island/Garnet/Shadow Lake Day Hike

Post by maverick »

Your route to High>1000>Shadow is 17.5 miles long, and yes it can be done in
a day. You will have to start earlier if you plan to get sunrise photo's, sunrise
is around 6:05 AM, and you have a climb and a few miles to hike in to get to
the best viewing areas.
Lake Ediza is considered the jewel of the Minarets, and the Iceberg, Cecile, and
Minaret Lakes route can be done as part of a great backpacking trip, and deserves
more time. With that said, so does the whole area, but if you have to choose
to do one of those areas as a day hike, do the first.

PS Welcome to HST!
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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rpb
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Re: Thousand Island/Garnet/Shadow Lake Day Hike

Post by rpb »

I agree with Maverick, it can be done in one day. I just did this same trip (I used the river trail instead of the high trail) and I spent 5 days doing it as I wanted to fish and relax. Going to Ediza will probably add 1.5-2 hours or so round trip from the trail head. Day hiking with not much weight to carry means you can move a lot faster then I was able to with the 35 or so lbs I was carrying. A lot of awesome views. One of my favorites was when you get to the top of the pass leaving Garnet Lake heading toward Shadow Lake. Once you get there, it is virtually all downhill from there. All in all, it is a pretty easy hike without many difficult climbs, imo.
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DesertJones
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Re: Thousand Island/Garnet/Shadow Lake Day Hike

Post by DesertJones »

Thousand Island it is.

Thanks guys
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