TR: Classic 4 day basecamp at Ediza
Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 9:19 am
Trip Report
Classic 4 day base camp to Ediza Lake
July 21-24
Purpose of the trip:
To introduce a friend to backpacking. He is fit and had done some hiking before but had never backpacked nor seen the high Sierra. I chose Ediza Lake as a relatively easy and spectacular destination for a beginner–and also one that would not feel too isolated for a person who has not experienced true solitude before.
Pre hike and approach:
We drove from the Bay Area across Yosemite and overnighted in Mammoth to help get the acclimatization started. Schat’s Bakery opens at 6, which permitted us to grab a breakfast pastry and drive into Devil’s Postpile before the gate closes to passenger traffic at 7am. On previous trips I parked at the ski resort and took the shuttle when it starts at 7:30 am, but this trip we wanted to park at Agnew Meadows trailhead. When you pass the gate early as we did you pay the $10 fee on the way out.
Day 1
Agnew Meadows Trailhead is at 8400', one of the highest trailheads in the eastern Sierra, making it an ideal starting point for people wishing to minimize their elevation gain. There is a horsepacker station there too, and a campground–although the campground is still closed after a serious windstorm blew down many trees in the area.
There were half a dozen groups that drove in to the trailhead before 7am, making the start something of a communal activity. It took a little sleuthing to find the trail since there is more than one parking lot, but we were soon on our way.
The meadows themselves were blanketed with mist as we started. The trail works its way briefly on the level through meadow, piles of deadfall, and forest until it gets to the east side of the canyon of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin. It gradually descends the sunny manzanita clad canyon wall and passes little Olaine Lake on its way to a bridge over the river. From the west side of the bridge the trail takes a long switchback up the sunny canyon wall and then follows Shadow Creek, cascading with falls, up to the outlet of Shadow lake.
Shadow Lake is a pretty, forested lake perched at the top of the canyon rim, and has been so popular that it is now off limits for camping. It is at 8750 and only 3.5 miles in, but since you lose some elevation coming down into the canyon from Agnew Meadows it represents a bit more of a climb than it might seem.
From Shadow Lake, our trail continued upstream along Shadow Creek, which I believe is one of the most picturesque mountain streams anywhere. It slides through granite pools, cascades over falls, and snakes through green meadows and forests. As we paralleled Shadow Creek, we briefly joined the JMT where it comes in just upstream from Shadow Lake and left it behind when it departed at an intersection bound for Garnet and the north.
Just below Ediza the trail crosses a leveled log that serves as a bridge. It was a little intimidating for a beginner, but we wound up crossing it repeatedly over the next few days with greater confidence each time. Then, after a switchback and a trail blasted though granite, the trail comes to Ediza at 9300 feet and 7 miles in.
Camping at Ediza on its east side (the side with the official trail) is prohibited, although we met violators while we were there. When the trail gets to the grassy SE corner of the lake it comes to an intersection, with the official trail continuing on to Iceberg Lake and a very good use trail going across the southern shore towards the inlet streams. There is a colony of fat marmots near the intersection.
On the advice of helpful members of this board--especially Mav and SSSDAve, we started across the southern shore and looked for use trails that led upstream to find a campsite. There are many excellent sites within a couple of hundred feet of elevation from Ediza to the south and southwest, many with penthouse views of the lake and proximity to the inlet streams and the meadows that feed them. We settled in to such a site by 1pm and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon exploring our nearby meadow and viewpoints. The clouds threatened but did not rain, but the breeze kept the few mosquitoes at bay. It made for a colorful sunset and sunrise the next morning.
Classic 4 day base camp to Ediza Lake
July 21-24
Purpose of the trip:
To introduce a friend to backpacking. He is fit and had done some hiking before but had never backpacked nor seen the high Sierra. I chose Ediza Lake as a relatively easy and spectacular destination for a beginner–and also one that would not feel too isolated for a person who has not experienced true solitude before.
Pre hike and approach:
We drove from the Bay Area across Yosemite and overnighted in Mammoth to help get the acclimatization started. Schat’s Bakery opens at 6, which permitted us to grab a breakfast pastry and drive into Devil’s Postpile before the gate closes to passenger traffic at 7am. On previous trips I parked at the ski resort and took the shuttle when it starts at 7:30 am, but this trip we wanted to park at Agnew Meadows trailhead. When you pass the gate early as we did you pay the $10 fee on the way out.
Day 1
Agnew Meadows Trailhead is at 8400', one of the highest trailheads in the eastern Sierra, making it an ideal starting point for people wishing to minimize their elevation gain. There is a horsepacker station there too, and a campground–although the campground is still closed after a serious windstorm blew down many trees in the area.
There were half a dozen groups that drove in to the trailhead before 7am, making the start something of a communal activity. It took a little sleuthing to find the trail since there is more than one parking lot, but we were soon on our way.
The meadows themselves were blanketed with mist as we started. The trail works its way briefly on the level through meadow, piles of deadfall, and forest until it gets to the east side of the canyon of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin. It gradually descends the sunny manzanita clad canyon wall and passes little Olaine Lake on its way to a bridge over the river. From the west side of the bridge the trail takes a long switchback up the sunny canyon wall and then follows Shadow Creek, cascading with falls, up to the outlet of Shadow lake.
Shadow Lake is a pretty, forested lake perched at the top of the canyon rim, and has been so popular that it is now off limits for camping. It is at 8750 and only 3.5 miles in, but since you lose some elevation coming down into the canyon from Agnew Meadows it represents a bit more of a climb than it might seem.
From Shadow Lake, our trail continued upstream along Shadow Creek, which I believe is one of the most picturesque mountain streams anywhere. It slides through granite pools, cascades over falls, and snakes through green meadows and forests. As we paralleled Shadow Creek, we briefly joined the JMT where it comes in just upstream from Shadow Lake and left it behind when it departed at an intersection bound for Garnet and the north.
Just below Ediza the trail crosses a leveled log that serves as a bridge. It was a little intimidating for a beginner, but we wound up crossing it repeatedly over the next few days with greater confidence each time. Then, after a switchback and a trail blasted though granite, the trail comes to Ediza at 9300 feet and 7 miles in.
Camping at Ediza on its east side (the side with the official trail) is prohibited, although we met violators while we were there. When the trail gets to the grassy SE corner of the lake it comes to an intersection, with the official trail continuing on to Iceberg Lake and a very good use trail going across the southern shore towards the inlet streams. There is a colony of fat marmots near the intersection.
On the advice of helpful members of this board--especially Mav and SSSDAve, we started across the southern shore and looked for use trails that led upstream to find a campsite. There are many excellent sites within a couple of hundred feet of elevation from Ediza to the south and southwest, many with penthouse views of the lake and proximity to the inlet streams and the meadows that feed them. We settled in to such a site by 1pm and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon exploring our nearby meadow and viewpoints. The clouds threatened but did not rain, but the breeze kept the few mosquitoes at bay. It made for a colorful sunset and sunrise the next morning.