Greetings Hikers,
Finally posting a TR for a late summer trip last year. Here is our route on Caltopo.com https://caltopo.com/m/71D4
The requisite Tenaya Lake photo... many memories of camping here as a kid.
Day 1: Pine Creek TH to Upper Pine Lake -
As other have experienced, we also walked around the pack station corral before spotting the entrance to the trail. We started late afternoon after doing the drive from the central valley. Our plan was to meet three other friends who left in the morning at Honeymoon Lake before continuing on to Royce Lakes on Day 2. Due to our late start (and the altitude fatigue), we ended up stopping at Upper Pine Lake, having hiked an hour or so in the dark. We set up camp and then woke up the next morning about 100 yards from our hiking companions, who had also stopped short of Honeymoon Lake earlier in the day. Our plan was still to rendevous with two other friends at Honeymoon before breaking off towards Royce Lakes. It was a hot climb up to Upper Pine Lake but thankfully it cooled down quickly once the sun set.
Day 2: Upper Pine Lake to Royce-
Our two additional friends joined us at Honeymoon Lake(bring group size to 7) and we started towards Royce Lakes about noon. The X-country travel up to Royce is pleasant, even for us flatlanders. Those of us who had spent the night at elevation did have a slight energy advantage over the two friends who hiked up from Pine Creek. There was no question about what direction to go...the peaks are quite obvious and striking. Arriving at Royce Lakes, we settled on the large sandy area at the NE corner of Lake 11725(Royce Lake #4?). The view here towards Merriam Peak is awesome! Just a large triangle peak centered perfectly over the barren lake. Seriously, not a tree in sight. Barely a shrub. It was windy, which made the evening cold and we were all in some form of tent/tarp by about 830pm. I stayed out and made some pictures, capturing the galactic core over Merriam Peak.
TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
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mpeters
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TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
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mpeters
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Day 3: Royce Lakes to Merriam Lake-
Initially the plan was to try and hike to Seven Gables/Vee Lake on Day 3. The plan was derailed by the beautiful, sandy, and solitary Merriam Lake. We followed the chain of Royce Lakes south, then headed down into French Canyon where a bald eagle watched us from his airy flight. Nothing particularly difficult, although it looks like it could get quite steep if you wait too long to desend into the canyon. There is an obvious use trail that breaks off of the French Canyon trail and heads towards Merriam. A nice climb, then a wide gentle valley, followed by a short scramble of to Merriam Lake led us to the east shore. A nice sloping granite bench invited a lot of sitting, and some swimming. Incredible sandy shoreline. It was approx 230 when we decided that we should either get moving again or stay for the night. In an example of backcountry diplomacy, we agreed that continuing up and over to Seven Gables Lakes didn't sound very enjoyable so we opted to stay for the night. This day had everything that makes the Sierra special... granite cliffs, clear water, and not another person in sight. Merriam treated us to a great sunset and sunrise.
Day 4: Merriam Lake to Granite Park-
Because we had already deviated from our planned itinerary, and we wanted to make it to Granite Park on Day 4, we decided to cut out the part of the trip to Vee Lake and instead headed up towards LaSalle Lake, with the intent to drop into Bear Lakes Basin and either head towards Italy Pass, or possibly go over the pass between Black Bear Lake and Granite Park. LaSalle Lake was beautiful, as clear and bright blue/green as a lake can be, with huge granite slabs resting just under the water. Or maybe they were way under the water but because of the clarity, they appeared to be near the surface. The scrambling wasn't bad and we aimed for the 2nd pass south of Feather Peak. We skirted the cliffs above Den Lake(there were a couple of hairy spots) and then an easy descent dropped us off in the small valley containing Bearpaw Lake. The effects of water and snow were evident here with huge areas of sandy deposits spread liberally about. After consulting our map and GPS, the mountain goat of the group(everyone seems to have one) suggested we just go up and over a small chute to Black Bear Lake. We agreed it was a decent idea, although it looked quite steep and away we went. It was an interesting choice, especially near the top when the soil was very sandy and difficult to get good traction. 4 point scrambling was needed to finish out the last 150 feet of climbing but we arrived unscathed. We may have been spurred to victory by the unusually lar ge crickets(?) that were hopping around our feet. A moderate sandy slog then took us to the top of Granite Bear Pass(please correct me if my naming is incorrect). The pass had a nice snow field but we were able to skirt it on the north side and hop down the large talus chunks. In retrospect, moving another 30-40 feet to the North would have made the descent easier because it was more sandy/small rocks instead of boulders. Next time. We set up camp near a small meadow/lake and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The chill arrived early due to the wind and high elevation and we were safely packed away soon after dusk.
Day 5: Granite Park to Pine Creek TH-
Uneventful trip back to the TH, but it it worth noting that the terrain in and around Granite Park is stunning. Feather Peak is visible much of the time and some of the other jagged peaks frame all of the little lakes in tremendous fashion. It looks like a place that one could spend several days getting aquainted with.
All in all, a great trip. 31 lbs, including 8 lbs of SLR/Tripod/Lens/Batteries. I'm getting better at this lightweight stuff but need to shave my tripod weight...it's a tough call between rigidity and weight. As is normal, I overestimated my food needs by about 3 meals. Thanks for reading.
For the photo people -- Canon 5D, 17-40L, Olumpus OMD-10, Tripod with RRS ballhead.
Mark
Initially the plan was to try and hike to Seven Gables/Vee Lake on Day 3. The plan was derailed by the beautiful, sandy, and solitary Merriam Lake. We followed the chain of Royce Lakes south, then headed down into French Canyon where a bald eagle watched us from his airy flight. Nothing particularly difficult, although it looks like it could get quite steep if you wait too long to desend into the canyon. There is an obvious use trail that breaks off of the French Canyon trail and heads towards Merriam. A nice climb, then a wide gentle valley, followed by a short scramble of to Merriam Lake led us to the east shore. A nice sloping granite bench invited a lot of sitting, and some swimming. Incredible sandy shoreline. It was approx 230 when we decided that we should either get moving again or stay for the night. In an example of backcountry diplomacy, we agreed that continuing up and over to Seven Gables Lakes didn't sound very enjoyable so we opted to stay for the night. This day had everything that makes the Sierra special... granite cliffs, clear water, and not another person in sight. Merriam treated us to a great sunset and sunrise.
Day 4: Merriam Lake to Granite Park-
Because we had already deviated from our planned itinerary, and we wanted to make it to Granite Park on Day 4, we decided to cut out the part of the trip to Vee Lake and instead headed up towards LaSalle Lake, with the intent to drop into Bear Lakes Basin and either head towards Italy Pass, or possibly go over the pass between Black Bear Lake and Granite Park. LaSalle Lake was beautiful, as clear and bright blue/green as a lake can be, with huge granite slabs resting just under the water. Or maybe they were way under the water but because of the clarity, they appeared to be near the surface. The scrambling wasn't bad and we aimed for the 2nd pass south of Feather Peak. We skirted the cliffs above Den Lake(there were a couple of hairy spots) and then an easy descent dropped us off in the small valley containing Bearpaw Lake. The effects of water and snow were evident here with huge areas of sandy deposits spread liberally about. After consulting our map and GPS, the mountain goat of the group(everyone seems to have one) suggested we just go up and over a small chute to Black Bear Lake. We agreed it was a decent idea, although it looked quite steep and away we went. It was an interesting choice, especially near the top when the soil was very sandy and difficult to get good traction. 4 point scrambling was needed to finish out the last 150 feet of climbing but we arrived unscathed. We may have been spurred to victory by the unusually lar ge crickets(?) that were hopping around our feet. A moderate sandy slog then took us to the top of Granite Bear Pass(please correct me if my naming is incorrect). The pass had a nice snow field but we were able to skirt it on the north side and hop down the large talus chunks. In retrospect, moving another 30-40 feet to the North would have made the descent easier because it was more sandy/small rocks instead of boulders. Next time. We set up camp near a small meadow/lake and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The chill arrived early due to the wind and high elevation and we were safely packed away soon after dusk.
Day 5: Granite Park to Pine Creek TH-
Uneventful trip back to the TH, but it it worth noting that the terrain in and around Granite Park is stunning. Feather Peak is visible much of the time and some of the other jagged peaks frame all of the little lakes in tremendous fashion. It looks like a place that one could spend several days getting aquainted with.
All in all, a great trip. 31 lbs, including 8 lbs of SLR/Tripod/Lens/Batteries. I'm getting better at this lightweight stuff but need to shave my tripod weight...it's a tough call between rigidity and weight. As is normal, I overestimated my food needs by about 3 meals. Thanks for reading.
For the photo people -- Canon 5D, 17-40L, Olumpus OMD-10, Tripod with RRS ballhead.
Mark
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kpeter
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Great trail report! Nice photographs. Brings back fond memories of Royce. The rest of your scramble was a revelation to me.
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maverick
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Thanks for the great TR and pictures.
As a professional landscape photographer, I would never carry a subpar tripod just to save weight, it is one of the most important pieces of gear a serious landscape photographer should always carry, it's worth its weight in gold, my Gitzo comes everywhere with me.I'm getting better at this lightweight stuff but need to shave my tripod weight...it's a tough call between rigidity and weight.
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
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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windknot
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Cool route and great photos, thanks for sharing! This is beautiful country.
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mpeters
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Very true. Which is why I keep lugging around the large one!maverick wrote:Thanks for the great TR and pictures.
As a professional landscape photographer, I would never carry a subpar tripod just to save weight, it is one of the most important pieces of gear a serious landscape photographer should always carry, it's worth its weight in gold, my Gitzo comes everywhere with me.I'm getting better at this lightweight stuff but need to shave my tripod weight...it's a tough call between rigidity and weight.
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Harlen
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Nice! Your photo "Evening at Royce" is fantastic! .... and did you notice that waterspout about to touch down on the lake in the next photo- "Shores of Merriam?!
Thanks for the Trip Report.
Thanks for the Trip Report.
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SNOOOOW
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Great report, awesome photos. I will be exploring this region a bit in late August but coming over Piute Pass instead. You just made me that much more excited with your great photos!
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mpeters
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Re: TR: Royce, Merriam, Granite Park - Aug 30-Sept 4, 2016
Glad you enjoyed it. Good luck with your trip.SNOOOOW wrote:Great report, awesome photos. I will be exploring this region a bit in late August but coming over Piute Pass instead. You just made me that much more excited with your great photos!
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