High Sierra Topix

As always, WD, your pictures are fabulous and depict the environmental conditions perfectly. I would have loved to have been there.

WD - Enjoyed the pictures. Not only are they beautiful, but they convey what the conditions are like. I was at Kennedy Lake last June 25th and there was a similar amount of snow on the surrounding mountains and it was tremendously wet and boggy everywhere within a half a mile of the lake. It will be very different this year by the end of June...

cahiker wrote:WD - Enjoyed the pictures. Not only are they beautiful, but they convey what the conditions are like.

Agreed. I'm actually planning a 2-night trip out of Kennedy Meadows (never been) right now and your pictures/report are very helpful. I'm trying to decide if I should head towards Kennedy Lake and explore upper Kennedy Creek or should I head towards Lower Relief Valley and possibly explore the area towads Iceland Lake for day 2. Anyone care to weigh in? Thanks.

Iceland Lake is more spectacular, in my opinion however it looked to be still covered in snow when we went. So it depends on when you are going. The remaining snow is degraded and you will post-hole through it. Depending on your route, you may have to climb some steep slabs to get to Iceland lake and the slabs could be wet and difficult until the snow melts. The down side of Kennedy Lake is all the old cow poop. It has been heavily grazed and still shows the damage. Fishing was fairly good at Kennedy Lake, if that is important to you.

Wandering Daisy wrote:Iceland Lake is more spectacular, in my opinion however it looked to be still covered in snow when we went. So it depends on when you are going. The remaining snow is degraded and you will post-hole through it. Depending on your route, you may have to climb some steep slabs to get to Iceland lake and the slabs could be wet and difficult until the snow melts. The down side of Kennedy Lake is all the old cow poop. It has been heavily grazed and still shows the damage. Fishing was fairly good at Kennedy Lake, if that is important to you.

Thanks for the info. I'm definitely leaning towards Lower Relief Valley and beyond. The more I study the map, the more I wished I had taken Monday off too. If I had one more day (4 days, 3 nights) I could put together some awesome loops. With 3 days/2 nights, the options are more of a hike in, spend a day exploring the general area and hike out, kind of trip. Regardless, it's good to get out, but I'm sure you understand. Anyways, thanks again for the photos and report.

Feetfirst, you might want to consider hiking up Summit Creek to the fork with the outlet from Lewis Lakes. On the south side of Summit Creek, just a bit up the outlet are some nice camping spots as well as a few nice spots to fish. From there it's a pretty easy hike up the granite to Iceland and Ridge Lakes. I did a 3-night trip in this area June of 2009 and it was great.

Carne_DelMuerto wrote:Feetfirst, you might want to consider hiking up Summit Creek to the fork with the outlet from Lewis Lakes. On the south side of Summit Creek, just a bit up the outlet are some nice camping spots as well as a few nice spots to fish. From there it's a pretty easy hike up the granite to Iceland and Ridge Lakes. I did a 3-night trip in this area June of 2009 and it was great.

Thanks! Ironically, I just finished reading some trip reports that describe this exact route for Iceland Lakes. From the map, it looks like the topography is more foregiving coming in that way. I think this is the plan, but it's all contingent on conditions when we're out there. From what I've read, this area has caused problems, and a death, in the past.

Thanks OP for this TR.

Me and a couple of buddies hiked this trail inspired by your TR pics. It was great a trip 5/27 - 5/28. One of the most beautiful places I have ever visited (I am a fan of meadows...)

The only downside was that it was in the low 30's at night, so none of us could sleep because we were freezing.

The first uphill mile was tough, but the rest of the way was not too bad.

If you want to enjoy this beautiful meadow, without the hike, you could rent a pack horse at the trailhead and it will carry you and your gear up to Kennedy Lake.