High Sierra Topix

I'm departing on a 5 day 4 night hike from the Pine Creek trail head (up through Italy pass into the bear lakes basin and surrounding areas in a loop) and while I know to expect a difficult trip up, what I'm wondering is what the trail head is like. Mainly, would we be able to camp there somewhere for the night to acclimate? We are driving up from Roseville which is 300ft above sea level and a 6 hour drive so we arent starting the hike the same day.

Thanks for any info!

There's FS or BLM campgrounds just down the road from the trailhead. Just find a spot and spend the night. Trailhead is at the pack station, so I doubt you want to camp there!

Ok thanks for the info, good to know. Actually just realized we are taking my buddy's truck so we could just sleep in the back, but we'll see...

Last time I was there (which was, blissfully, quite some time ago), plenty of people slept in the area by the trailhead. The pack station is a little ways up, so not an issue. I have to say, though, that this is my least favorite entry trail in the Sierra (especially coming down).

I haven't been on it but from what I see its a pretty crappy entry point and I know I'm not going to be enjoying the first and last day of the trip. I just couldn't find a better way to hit Granite Park, Italy Pass, the Bear Lakes Basin AND French Canyon... Could have started from Piute pass to do it but that would add another day or two...

I just returned from doing that trip and I think the Pine Ck. trail gets a bad rap. The tread is sandy but firm, the grade easy, the lakes picturesque, the geology more interesting than normal. I don't mind the old mine, as a geologist I'm used to that. The water-bars are not as bad as giantbrookie remembers them. The pass itself has a nice vibe. Like all east side TH's getting an early start is a good idea. Compared to say Taboose, it is a piece of cake.

I think the biggest rap on this route is that it doesn't really take you anywhere, except perhaps access to Granite Park and Merriam Lk. It ends at beleaguered, beaten-down Hutchinson Meadow, a place I try to avoid.

millertime wrote:p. I just couldn't find a better way to hit Granite Park, Italy Pass, the Bear Lakes Basin AND French Canyon

Miller, Did you look at going in from the west? Going in through Bear Diversion and up Bear Cr. is not a bad way in. Also, from Roseville, maybe not as far a drive. I was there a couple of years ago and did two trips. One out of Florence and we basically circumnavigated Seven Gables and the other one out of Thomas Edison where we circumnavigated the Mono Divide. We reached the areas you mentioned except Granite Park.

Millertime.
I agree with Mokelumnekid. I have never heard of any bad reputation in regards to it, but I found it to be interesting. the climb up above the mine is hot, exposed(I always start early-so I maybe missed the real hot exposure that would surely come with doing that at a later time of day) but I enjoyed seeing some of t he old remnants of mining stuff up there-and looking down on the mine etc. and soon enough you hit the lakes-after maybe no more than 5 miles or so- and then from there the climb up into Granite Park is really nice. I found the top of the pass to be kind of cool with small pools and good views-but the climb down to Honeymoon Lake was probably the most boring portion of the trip for me(I did a very similar loop through Bear Lakes Basin)this year I will return via the Westside-from Florence- as cmon4day mentions. I don't go until September so if thats before you-i'll give you some beta.

I like Pine Creek trail. It is an old road, so it is well graded and there are even nice water sources. Early season, the hardest part is crossing Pine Creek. I have always left about 7AM from Fair Oaks, at trailhead about 1PM and walked up to Pine Lake the first day, eliminating need to car camp. Last trip I camped before the crossing of Pine Creek, waiting for lower early AM water levels. How about camping the night before up at one of the campgrounds on Rock Creek? The elevation is higher (cooler). The big campground down by Tom's Place has lots of first-come sites. There is an overflow campground across Rock Creek Road, so you would be able to get a spot without reservations.

I love reading 9 year old threads.