TR: Emigrant Wilderness, Gem Lake (5/23 - 5/25 2015)
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:11 am
Hello. I went up to Gem Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness over the Memorial Day weekend.
Day 01 - 9 miles to Gem Lake
Day 02 - 5 mies RT day hike to Long Lake
Day 03 - 9 miles to the TH
Car camped at the Crabtree TH on Friday night to get an early morning start on Saturday. The rain was slow but steady pretty much from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon when we were on the trail. On Saturday night the sky opened up a bit, and there was some starlight and moonlight lighting up the ground. Temps through the day might have been in the 50s, and low 40s at night. Along the way, we passed Camp Lake, Lilypad Lake, Piute Meadow, and Piute Lake. All of the creeks were flowing steadily and most crossings were at least knee-deep. Thanks to the recent storms most likely.
On Sunday we day hiked up to Long Lake, staying on the marked trail up to Deer Lake. From there up to Long Lake, we followed the creek up to Long Lake. There is no official trail, but the terrain is fairly easy to travel on, and there were many footpaths indicating previous traffic to the lake. Beautiful panoramic views along the way. Temps were in the 60s with clear skies and sunny.
On Sunday we headed down to Buck Meadow Creek. Crossing Cherry Creek at the trail was a bit more challenging than the other creeks on Saturday. The water flow was fast and furious, and the water was very cold at 10am. We continued on to Grouse Lake which from a distance looked like a pond covered in lilypads, and were expecting clouds of mosquitoes. But when we reached the lake, and were able to walk to an open area on the shore, it wasn't that bad. There were a few bugs but nothing irritating. We found a spot along the shore clear of lilypads and even jumped into the lake for a quick clean refresher moment. Then, continued up the hill to Crabtree TH.
This was my first time in this area, and I must say I was impressed by the views. I think I'm fortunate I went at this time of the year, because I get the feeling that later year, it would either have been dry with no water in the creeks except the lakes, and/or full of mosquitoes wherever there used to be running water.
Enjoy the photos below, and here is the complete set.
Crabtree TH
Dark-eyed junco, Oregon variety
Piute Meadow down in the distance
Piute Meadow
Gem Lake
Jewelry Lake
Deer Lake
Long Lake
Green stink bug
Sierra granite
Where Cherry Creek meets Buck Meadow Creek
Cherry Creek
Canyon west of Groundhog Meadow
Grouse Lake
Day 01 - 9 miles to Gem Lake
Day 02 - 5 mies RT day hike to Long Lake
Day 03 - 9 miles to the TH
Car camped at the Crabtree TH on Friday night to get an early morning start on Saturday. The rain was slow but steady pretty much from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon when we were on the trail. On Saturday night the sky opened up a bit, and there was some starlight and moonlight lighting up the ground. Temps through the day might have been in the 50s, and low 40s at night. Along the way, we passed Camp Lake, Lilypad Lake, Piute Meadow, and Piute Lake. All of the creeks were flowing steadily and most crossings were at least knee-deep. Thanks to the recent storms most likely.
On Sunday we day hiked up to Long Lake, staying on the marked trail up to Deer Lake. From there up to Long Lake, we followed the creek up to Long Lake. There is no official trail, but the terrain is fairly easy to travel on, and there were many footpaths indicating previous traffic to the lake. Beautiful panoramic views along the way. Temps were in the 60s with clear skies and sunny.
On Sunday we headed down to Buck Meadow Creek. Crossing Cherry Creek at the trail was a bit more challenging than the other creeks on Saturday. The water flow was fast and furious, and the water was very cold at 10am. We continued on to Grouse Lake which from a distance looked like a pond covered in lilypads, and were expecting clouds of mosquitoes. But when we reached the lake, and were able to walk to an open area on the shore, it wasn't that bad. There were a few bugs but nothing irritating. We found a spot along the shore clear of lilypads and even jumped into the lake for a quick clean refresher moment. Then, continued up the hill to Crabtree TH.
This was my first time in this area, and I must say I was impressed by the views. I think I'm fortunate I went at this time of the year, because I get the feeling that later year, it would either have been dry with no water in the creeks except the lakes, and/or full of mosquitoes wherever there used to be running water.
Enjoy the photos below, and here is the complete set.
Crabtree TH
Dark-eyed junco, Oregon variety
Piute Meadow down in the distance
Piute Meadow
Gem Lake
Jewelry Lake
Deer Lake
Long Lake
Green stink bug
Sierra granite
Where Cherry Creek meets Buck Meadow Creek
Cherry Creek
Canyon west of Groundhog Meadow
Grouse Lake