Use Trails? W. Fork-W. Walker River & Fremont Lk to WFWWR

[Tom_H]

The topos show that the West Fork of the West Walker River has a maintained trail along its upper reaches and through Walken Meadows until it reaches the P.C.T. at Kennedy Canyon. No trail appears on the map from that confluence onward downstream. Is there a use trail from that point downstream to the confluence with the main fork of the West Walker, SSW of Lane Lake? If so, what are the trail conditions like? If not, has anyone gone XC through there and what were the conditions like? What were the fishing and mosquitos like?

Also, the topo shows a maintained trail along the upper west side of Fremont Lake, but it comes to an abrupt end. Is there use trail from the mouth downstream to the confluence with the West Fork of the West Walker? If so, what are the trail conditions like? If not, has anyone gone XC through there and what were the conditions like? What were the fishing and mosquitos like?

We are planning to go in at Leavitt Meadow next summer and do a loop up the main fork and back down the west fork. Thanks in advance.

[Wandering Daisy]

A trail shown on a USGS topo map was only a trail at the time the map was made. Look at the date on the map. USFS maps show the actual current maintained trails.

I traveled x-country from the PCT to Cinko Lake this fall. The terrain has a lot of small cliffs not shown on the map a lot of swampy meadows. As long as you are patient and willing to backtrack once in a while you should be able to get about anywhere x-country. It is NOT really easy open travel as you get at higher altitudes in Yosemite. You have to really work at it. If a x-country route does not save me at least an hour of travel (based on 1 mph x-c vs 2 mph trail), I usually just take the longer trail route. If you do off-trail a GPS is useful - the timber is thick enough that it is easy to get disoriented.

I personally did not like Fremont Lake. Long Lakes (upper and lower) are nicer. Chain of Lakes not so nice. Fremont Lake is way over-used, the water is really dirty and it is not that scenic either. Cinko Lake is really nice and worth the trip, as are all the lakes (many off-trail) east of Dorothy Lake. And for comparison, I liked Emigrant Lakes/ Buck Lake/ Maxwell Lakes better than anything on the West Walker.