2 night 3 day trail Recommendation

[jgshal2385]

My last trip in the Ansel Adams wilderness was amazing in late July 2022 I took Agnew Meadows to Ediza Lake via Shadow creek trail. I am actually doing a much longer trip to that same location the end of June because of the road closure and now slightly concerned about the snowpack and how bad the mosquitos will be and hoping it's enjoyable this time around. I am also in search for a 2 night 3 day loop or out and back trail that has a good amount of forested area and alpine lakes with good water sources throughout for another trip this season. Doesn't have to be Ansel Adams just anywhere from Yosemite and down. Rae Lakes loop looks extremely intriguing just maybe slightly longer of a trip than I am looking to do. Fires allowed would be an added bonus but not a requirement.

[balzaccom]

You might look at some of the trails of Beasore Road out of Bass Lake. Chain Lakes are nice, or drive up to Jackass or Granite Creek and hike north into the lakes there.

Or further south, look at Jennie Lake and the trails out of Rowell Meadow to Jennie, Twin, Ranger Lakes, etc. Depending on the season and the snowpack, you will have issues with both mosquitoes and snow, but that's true everywhere in the Sierra.

We have reports on all of those trips on our website---in my signature line

[rlown]

+1 on the Chains..

[c9h13no3]

I mean, I could ask you all the usual questions (what do you like, how far you wanna walk, where you driving from, ect.).

Just off the top of my head:

- The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne from Glen Aulin as an out & back. Turn around at Return Creek, side trip to Wildcat Point.
- Rae Lakes is 11 miles from Onion Valley, a totally reasonable 3 day/2night trip.

[grampy]

You might look at some of the trails of Beasore Road out of Bass Lake. Chain Lakes are nice, or drive up to Jackass or Granite Creek and hike north into the lakes there.

Another yes vote on this. However, last year there were some issues last year with road closures/restrictions in the areas around these trailheads last year. You could easily get to Chiquito Trailhead from Beasore Road, but you couldn’t continue much further along Beasore due to a washed-away bridge (at the spot where it crosses Norris Creek). So, trailheads like Fernandez and Mammoth could only be accessed from Minaret Road (also out of Bass Lake).
Just check the road conditions ahead of time, and plan accordingly.

[Gogd]

Fourth Recess Lake, from Rock Creek, via Mono Pass. (Note there are two passes named Mono Pass; this is the one furthest south, above Ruby Lake.) Pack UL style and this is a good trip for the time allotted, but can be a schlep with a more thoroughly equipped kit if you are not in top condition. You will have some company at the lake, but it is huge, with plenty of suitable sites, so it is easy to find ample elbow room. Most of the route passes through alpine terrain, but Fourth Recess basin has good forest cover, and is very pretty. It has a very nice sandy beach near the outlet, suitable for sunning, with a shallow bottom just offshore for wading and swimming. Fisherman will find opportunities at Fourth Recess Lake, as well as several lakes passed en route. Not to difficult to get a permit for this trip.

Table Mountain traverse. This trip visits two lake groups: Tyee lakes and George Lakes. Both lake groups have trout. Trailheads are at Lake Sabrina, and the west side of South Lake Road, about about 1/2 mile down the road from Willow Campground. The trailheads are only a 15 minute drive apart. We had no trouble finding someone to help us with the logistics a point-to-point shuttle hike typically presents. Parcher's Camp and the nearby pack station are good places to find a willing individual to help shuttling a car for a reasonable fee. Or you can just hitch hike, that works surprisingly well in this area. On the map this trip looks meh, as it doesn't get near the Sierra Crest, but don't let that fool you, the lakes are pretty, and the trail crosses a 11,500+' pass. The forest is subalpine so not too dense; after all you are camping at 10,000"+. But there still are enough trees to slake your craving for conifers. This trip doesn't draw crowds due to its understated appearance on the map, so this venue only books solid when most of the other trails of the region have met quota. It was pretty late in life that I finally gave this trail a try - I would totally go back if my favorite venues in the area were quota'ed out.

Graveyard Lakes, via the Vermillion Campground trailhead, out of Lake Thomas Edison. The entire hike is in the forest. The lowest lake in the Graveyard chain has nice forest cover along its eastern shore, despite being just below tree line. There are fish in several of the lakes. The downside of this venue is the long drive deep into the Sierra along a fairly rustic road, required to reach the trail. Never had a problem securing permits for this trip, perhaps due to the drive issues.

Ed

[balzaccom]

I am just going to suggest that Mono Pass and others at that elevation are likely to have quite a lot of snow in June, even late June this year.

[Love the Sierra]

Will Beasore road be open as early as june with all of this snow?
Also, was it there fire damage just a couple of years ago?

[grampy]

Not sure the OP is even checking back on any input, as they haven’t signed on since the day after they joined.
Also note that they didn’t say when they were planning to do the trip they are inquiring about, only that they are doing a different trip (eastern Sierra) sometime late June.

Will Beasore road be open as early as june with all of this snow?

Good question. But I’d be just as concerned with the state of Forest Road 5S04 (the final leg of drive to Chiquito TH, which is graded dirt/gravel) as I would about Beasore Road itself.

Also, was it there fire damage just a couple of years ago?

I was there last summer; this didn’t seem like an issue. And yes, the Chain Lakes are very nice.
>> edit: I forgot about the 2022 “Fork” fire … this was after my trip. But looking at the damage zone map, it looks like it got close to the Bass Lake community, but didn’t affect the Beasore Rd / Chiquito area.

[Love the Sierra]

Thanks Grammy!!!
Maybe I will do a trip out there this year. I just hope that the roads are not badly damaged from the storms.