Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
sky00high
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:41 am
Experience: N/A

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by sky00high »

AlmostThere wrote:I'm a little surprised no one has brought up Saddlebag Lake and the 20 lakes basin. No quotas - walk in the Tuolumne Wilderness office on the way to the trailhead and get the free permit, rent a few bear cans, and go. There's a (expensive for backpackers) ferry if you want to make an easy hike even easier, to ride across Saddlebag. No fires, but gorgeous and the lakes have a variety of trout in them. I have easily pulled in three pound rainbows at the inlet of Saddlebag itself.

You could also play "trailhead roulette" - come in a Yosemite wilderness office around 10, and see if you can bag some unclaimed, formerly reserved spots on a trailhead out of Tuolumne. Young Lakes, Ten Lakes, something heading south to Ireland, Evelyn, Emeric, Merced ... if no luck hang out til 11. (I usually get first choice doing this.)
Thanks! Let me research saddlebag lake and 20 lakes basin.

I plan to reserve the chilnualna falls trailhead first as a backup plan since apparently this is the only place around have slots now.. So I don't jerk around and end up nowhere to go. Are those lakes you listed preferable compare to Buena Vista Falls you suggested?
User avatar
AlmostThere
Topix Addict
Posts: 2724
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:38 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by AlmostThere »

sky00high wrote:
Once again thank you very much AlmostThere. Your suggestion of go Chilnuana Falls for one night and a lake another night sounds particular good since I just checked the license and found out there isn't any reservation spot left for Glacier Point. But the idea of base camping at Ostrander Lake and fishing is also very interesting. Please allow me to ask some follow up questions:

1. How likely for us to get a FCFS license the same day of the hike?
2. We start backpacking at August 14th. If we don't have backpacking permit reserved, will we be able to find a place to stay around Glacier Point the night of August 13th?
3. What you said means I can't have a campfire at Ansel Adams Wilderness? Do they require backcountry permit?
4. Since King's Canyon is also a national park and some of the place can have campfires, does any trails you know from there fit my criteria?
5. Also is that possible you suggest a lake that you think is the most beautiful for us to stay if you decide to do the Chilnuana Falls - A lake in Buena Vista Loop route you suggested?

Thanks!
I missed this before.
1. It depends on the trailhead and time of the week. Ostrander and similar "not anywhere near Half Dome" trailheads in Yosemite are fairly easy to get. Trailheads on Glacier Point Road will get you access to places like Red Peak pass, and the surrounding area.
2. Bridalveil Campground is all FCFS. Coming in the morning during the week gives one a much better chance of getting a site.
3. All designated wilderness areas in the central Sierra require a wilderness permit from the local office with jurisdiction, with the exception of the Jennie Lake Wilderness (in Sequoia NF). National Forest areas outside those wildernesses do not. You need a free campfire permit to use a stove or build a fire (if allowed) - in the national parks, they consider your wilderness permit to be your fire permit also.
4. I would direct you to trailheads in Sequoia NP rather than Kings Canyon, not knowing your preferences for strenuous trips - most KC trailheads in the canyon proper climb a lot on that first day out, and lakes are farther from the th. A strong group of hikers might get to Junction Meadow and the two lakes upstream from it in a day - but that's a lot of uphill in open sun on granite.
The Lakes Trail does not allow reserved permits, and getting there at two pm the previous day is necessary to ensure success. No fires in that area, either, and that has always been the case.
Twin Lakes out of Lodgepole is nice - the views of the central valley are good, the lakes have fish.
Jennie Lake has rainbows and brook trout, needs no permit except the fire permit (for the stove) and is easy access.

Any trip with steep uphill at the start (many are) would be best with an early morning start. When I go up this September to head for Gardiner Basin, I'll probably be tackling Bubbs Creek trail at 4 am, before the sun rises. Chilnualna is one of those - there are a few lakes uphill from there, the ones after Grouse (which is off trail and boggy) are best for camping and fishing. You can have a campfire in Yosemite below 9600 feet and above 6000 feet, and those lakes meet that criteria.

ETA: You would not be disappointed in Saddlebag/20 lakes, if your priority is scenery. The fishing is not the greatest, however, the entire basin is gorgeous with no appreciable elevation gain - easy stuff. You'll get better bang for the buck there.
User avatar
sky00high
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:41 am
Experience: N/A

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by sky00high »

AlmostThere wrote:
I missed this before.
1. It depends on the trailhead and time of the week. Ostrander and similar "not anywhere near Half Dome" trailheads in Yosemite are fairly easy to get. Trailheads on Glacier Point Road will get you access to places like Red Peak pass, and the surrounding area.
2. Bridalveil Campground is all FCFS. Coming in the morning during the week gives one a much better chance of getting a site.
3. All designated wilderness areas in the central Sierra require a wilderness permit from the local office with jurisdiction, with the exception of the Jennie Lake Wilderness (in Sequoia NF). National Forest areas outside those wildernesses do not. You need a free campfire permit to use a stove or build a fire (if allowed) - in the national parks, they consider your wilderness permit to be your fire permit also.
4. I would direct you to trailheads in Sequoia NP rather than Kings Canyon, not knowing your preferences for strenuous trips - most KC trailheads in the canyon proper climb a lot on that first day out, and lakes are farther from the th. A strong group of hikers might get to Junction Meadow and the two lakes upstream from it in a day - but that's a lot of uphill in open sun on granite.
The Lakes Trail does not allow reserved permits, and getting there at two pm the previous day is necessary to ensure success. No fires in that area, either, and that has always been the case.
Twin Lakes out of Lodgepole is nice - the views of the central valley are good, the lakes have fish.
Jennie Lake has rainbows and brook trout, needs no permit except the fire permit (for the stove) and is easy access.

Any trip with steep uphill at the start (many are) would be best with an early morning start. When I go up this September to head for Gardiner Basin, I'll probably be tackling Bubbs Creek trail at 4 am, before the sun rises. Chilnualna is one of those - there are a few lakes uphill from there, the ones after Grouse (which is off trail and boggy) are best for camping and fishing. You can have a campfire in Yosemite below 9600 feet and above 6000 feet, and those lakes meet that criteria.

ETA: You would not be disappointed in Saddlebag/20 lakes, if your priority is scenery. The fishing is not the greatest, however, the entire basin is gorgeous with no appreciable elevation gain - easy stuff. You'll get better bang for the buck there.
Thank you very much for this very detailed reply!

Scenery is very important to me, I was half joking about the fishing part because I never done it before... Now I have to find some fishing equipment :P. Last time I hiked Twin Lakes and I think that will be the difficulty I am looking for.
User avatar
maverick
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 11823
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:54 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by maverick »

Called a friend who works at the Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center, they have 12 walk-in permits for the River Trail, and 12 for the Shadow Lake Trail, they said, on average they have 6-7 permits available in the morning for same day hikes available, but they also said, that their could also be only 1.
They advised that you call around 4:45pm (close at 5 pm), the day before your trip, and inquire about how many permits are left for walk-ins the next morning, and if they have enough, get there at least 30 min's before they open (8 am).
5 people really complicates things.

Another area you should consider is Matterhorn Canyon, out of Twin Lakes, hike to Crown Lake for the first night (7.2 miles), then stay at the lakes under Finger Peaks and Burro Pass, the views of the Sawtooth Ridge at sunset is spectacular, as are the view west from the lakes at Finger Peaks, but the "piece de resistance" are the views from the top of Burro Pass, looking down into Matterhorn Canyon is a Sierra classic that should not be missed!
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
User avatar
sky00high
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:41 am
Experience: N/A

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by sky00high »

maverick wrote:Called a friend who works at the Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center, they have 12 walk-in permits for the River Trail, and 12 for the Shadow Lake Trail, they said, on average they have 6-7 permits available in the morning for same day hikes available, but they also said, that their could also be only 1.
They advised that you call around 4:45pm (close at 5 pm), the day before your trip, and inquire about how many permits are left for walk-ins the next morning, and if they have enough, get there at least 30 min's before they open (8 am).
5 people really complicates things.

Another area you should consider is Matterhorn Canyon, out of Twin Lakes, hike to Crown Lake for the first night (7.2 miles), then stay at the lakes under Finger Peaks and Burro Pass, the views of the Sawtooth Ridge at sunset is spectacular, as are the view west from the lakes at Finger Peaks, but the "piece de resistance" are the views from the top of Burro Pass, looking down into Matterhorn Canyon is a Sierra classic that should not be missed!

Thank you very much for doing this for me. This gives me some hope. I also called the visitor centre although they give me more disturbing news. They said the walk-in permit for Friday is likely to be exhausted at Thursday 11am when they will have a lottery for all the people lined up (wow). I will definitely try to call them at Thursday at 4:45 like you suggested since the thousand lake trip is optimal as many said. Otherwise my hope is people get sick and don't show up so I can get their permit at 10am (omg I am a horrible person). Its good I have some backup trips around that area and one of them ( 20 lakes basin) doesn't even have quota.

So for the trip you suggested in Twin Lakes should I get the permit from the same place as the river trail? And suggested I basecamp at crown lake and go clock-wise on the loop to checkout the burro pass in the middle day? I think we can't finish the whole loop since its 50 miles long. I got my information at a post called NORTHERN YOSEMITE – HOOVER WILDERNESS 50 MILE LOOP
User avatar
maverick
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 11823
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:54 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by maverick »

So for the trip you suggested in Twin Lakes should I get the permit from the same place as the river trail? And suggested I basecamp at crown lake and go clock-wise on the loop to checkout the burro pass in the middle day? I think we can't finish the whole loop since its 50 miles long. I got my information at a post called NORTHERN YOSEMITE – HOOVER WILDERNESS 50 MILE LOOP
You will have to pick up your wilderness permit in Bridgeport, it belongs to Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Your entire mileage is approx 12-13 miles from the trailhead to Burro Pass. Personally, I would get up there early, pick up a permit in Bridgeport, hike in as far as you can get, comfortably, then get up early Sat morning, hike to the lakes near Burro for the night. Your packs should be very light with only 3 days (2 nights worth of food). Get up early and hike back to the trailhead on Sunday.

The Northern Yosemite Loop is a 4 nighter, at least, more for most.

Just keep this trip in mind if the 1000 Is Lake trip is a no go, but if you would rather desire something more relaxing, maybe less stressful, but quite beautiful too, stick with 20 Lakes Basin, the Conness Lakes are real gems (no camping), Mount Conness is a beautiful peak, and the upper lakes in 20 Lakes Basin are very picturesque.
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
User avatar
maverick
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 11823
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:54 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by maverick »

Check your PM Terry.
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
User avatar
markley
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:18 am
Experience: N/A
Location: Mills River, NC

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by markley »

It appears that there are 11 reservable permits available for the Shadow Creek TH for Sat. Aug. 15.
User avatar
SSSdave
Topix Addict
Posts: 3523
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:18 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Silicon Valley
Contact:

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by SSSdave »

markley wrote:It appears that there are 11 reservable permits available for the Shadow Creek TH for Sat. Aug. 15.
You will also note all other dates in August are reserved (except 1 slot one day). So why are there 11 on a Saturday no less? Because a large group apparently just CANCELLED freeing up reservations. As soon as others find out it will quickly be gone. So IF you have an interest act quickly TODAY. The same day walk up permit information you received directly on your visitor center phone call is reality.

Although 20 Lakes Basin is a superb scenic destination with easy hiking, it is also very popular with both dayhikers and backpackers without reserved permits so one will not have much privacy having to put up with other people and groups. In any case a good backpack choice without complications. You cannot get a reserved permit for that area but rather only via walk-up permits at either the Mono Lake Visitor Center or the Tuolumne Meadows Backcountry Office.

Crown Lake with 2700 feet of uphill and 7.5 miles would be a stiff hike for many. East Lake is half that in vertical and mileage while also being as scenic. It is however at the end of several miles of a dusty though easily driven dirt road.

David
User avatar
sky00high
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:41 am
Experience: N/A

Re: Request a 2-nighter trip in Sierra that have lake camps

Post by sky00high »

markley wrote:It appears that there are 11 reservable permits available for the Shadow Creek TH for Sat. Aug. 15.
SSSdave wrote: So IF you have an interest act quickly TODAY.
Thank you for telling this in this timely manner markley! I was actually checking daily for River Trail and didn't know this pop up first. I have reserved the permit. Good thing about online reservation is they can be canceled if needed. Seems like my pray is working, I will try harder.
SSSdave wrote: Crown Lake with 2700 feet of uphill and 7.5 miles would be a stiff hike for many
I will mail out the application for permit for Crown Lake and East Lake, as the secondary location, today. 7.5 and 2700 feet should be manageable. My humble opinion is, food is more delicious when you are hungry, scenery will feel better if it come at a price.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 157 guests