High Sierra Topix

Hi, This is my first post. I am a level 4 backpacker comfortable with class 3 routes. I am taking my girlfriend, Level 2 comfortable with class 2/3 routes.

I am using the suggestions posted here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4205 for requesting trip advice

Looking for a three day, two night trip. Loop or out and back. Day two should be a layover, or short mileage. Weekend of 7/10-7/12

I am going to describe my ideal trip, which I know is a fantasy for a trip this short, but why not see what ideas it sparks

- If some of the trip was off trail or cross country, that would be cool.
- around 8 +/- miles hike in somewhere we can have a day to explore and fish, and then hike out
- fishing Tenkara. I have caught Rainbows and Brookies, would be interested in catching cutthroat or golden for the first time
- I love high basins with lots of lakes to explore.
- We will be coming from San Francisco, and need to leave at 8pm Thursday night, drive to trail head and sleep in car. Then we can't get home later than midnight on Sunday, so the length of the drive is an issue. Any more than 5 hours is pushing it.
- The less people we see, the better (plus this means less pressure on the fish!)

Places I have been in Sierras (I have loved all these trips)
- Lost/Sword Lake in Carson Iceburg Wilderness
- Kaiser Wilderness Loop past George Lake to small lakes above (campfire, college, jewel)
- North lake Loop: Lamark Col - Darwin Bench - McLure Meadows, Piute Canyuon - French Canyon Humphries Basin
- Loop to Madera Lake, Lillian and Chittendon Lakes East of Madera Peak
- Loop from Twin Lakes - Peeler Lake - Benson Lake - Matterhorn Creek, out Horse Canyon
- Gem Lake - Waugh Lake - Thousand Island Lake Loop
- Bear Lakes Basin loop in through granite park and out through French Canyon and Pine Creek Pass

Sleeping in the car at the trailhead eliminates the parks, as does the late arrival - no night drops, permits must be picked up in person during wilderness office hours.

Dinkey Wilderness from the Cliff Lake trailhead might be your ticket. Or, Saddlebag Lake loop, or Jennie Wilderness. I don't think you can sleep in the car at Saddlebag but there are campgrounds up and down the road, and just down Tioga Rd are more ... There are free campsites at Big Meadow near the Jennie trailhead as well (tho not for long, they are likely going to start imposing fees) and any pullout can become one until you're at Big Meadow. There are campgrounds at Courtright and several pullouts on the other side of the lake for free, or use any pullout on the road up to Courtright.

Jennie has no permit needed. Dinkey permits can be reserved and at your request left in the night drop at the Prather ranger station. Saddlebag you need a permit, which can be obtained at Tuolumne wilderness office (in Yosemite) or one of the Inyo NF stations (they have night drops).

Hi Asolthane,

Welcome to HST! When you get some time, please write us up an intro: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9329

Desolation Wilderness has lakes with good fishing and some with mediocre fishing. Short easy drive from SF, short hike, scenic. We just visited Island Lake out of Wrights Lake and that had a good population of mostly 8-10 inch brook trout with a some larger. Fish south shore areas. No place to camp there with normal tent sites as it is rocky but nearby Upper Twin Lake has flat bedrock expanse well away from trail with sites and has pan sized brookies too. With 2 days you won't have time to visit all the interesting things in that basin. Snow fields still above on Mt Price making good amount of fresh water everywhere. Early summer wildflowers are peaking now. Permits via recreation.gov that print out the actual permit online.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.86657,-120.19317&z=15&t=T

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/Spring_2015 ... 015-1.html

Emigrant wilderness will leave the permit in a after-hours box for you to pick up Thursday night. From there you can go to Crabtree trailhead. 8 miles in would be Gem lake or Wood lake if you took the lower trail. Wood lake has good fishing. Both have a ton of on and off trail lakes you can hike to and catch fish. I've only cought rainbows and brookies though. Gianelli trailhead starts a bit higher and the lakes are farther apart with a few being dead. From San Fransisco about a 2.5 hour drive that time of night.

jmyers wrote:Emigrant wilderness will leave the permit in a after-hours box for you to pick up Thursday night. From there you can go to Crabtree trailhead. 8 miles in would be Gem lake or Wood lake if you took the lower trail. Wood lake has good fishing. Both have a ton of on and off trail lakes you can hike to and catch fish. I've only cought rainbows and brookies though. Gianelli trailhead starts a bit higher and the lakes are farther apart with a few being dead. From San Fransisco about a 2.5 hour drive that time of night.

I had originally been looking at Emigrant, but read that there are still cattle grazing there, which contaminate the lakes and increase the bugs. That didn't sound very good. Is this a really a concern?

Other than that, yeah it seems an ideal place to go from SF, and I see from the map there would be a lot to explore near Wood Lake.

Asolthane wrote:

jmyers wrote:Emigrant wilderness will leave the permit in a after-hours box for you to pick up Thursday night. From there you can go to Crabtree trailhead. 8 miles in would be Gem lake or Wood lake if you took the lower trail. Wood lake has good fishing. Both have a ton of on and off trail lakes you can hike to and catch fish. I've only cought rainbows and brookies though. Gianelli trailhead starts a bit higher and the lakes are farther apart with a few being dead. From San Fransisco about a 2.5 hour drive that time of night.

I had originally been looking at Emigrant, but read that there are still cattle grazing there, which contaminate the lakes and increase the bugs. That didn't sound very good. Is this a really a concern?

Other than that, yeah it seems an ideal place to go from SF, and I see from the map there would be a lot to explore near Wood Lake.

Cattle, no. Contaminated lakes, no. Bugs, well the area is well known for its voracious mosquitoes, but by July they are much less of an issue and in August they are non-existent.

Asolthane wrote:I had originally been looking at Emigrant, but read that there are still cattle grazing there

That's Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, which some people think is part of Emigrant.

That didn't sound very good.

It's not pretty. I've camped along Weiser Creek where there was almost no place to put a tent that wasn't covered in manure.

SM wrote:

It's not pretty. I've camped along Weiser Creek where there was almost no place to put a tent that wasn't covered in manure.

That always adds a nice touch to ones wilderness experience.

I believe it's true that most of the Emigrant is cattle free, however Kennedy Creek/canyon/lake is heavily impacted by cattle -- lots of manure, lots of fences, lots of cow trails.