Backpack with kid - easy - high Sierra

[Eastside]

Looking for advice for a back packing trip with a 8 year old.
My wife and I are experienced backpackers who love the high Sierra (above tree line, big sky, granite)
It’s time to introduce our 8 year old to this high Sierra magic!
We have 3-4 days
Believe 5+/- miles a day is doable.
Would prefer easy access to water (River or lakes)
We prefer areas between Tahoe and Lone Pine.
We’re ok with a difficult pass or section if that’s what it takes to get up into the good stuff but it can’t be a sufferfest everyday.

Seems like there should be some good routes out there but we keep coming up short. Any advice?

[TurboHike]

Cottonwood Lakes would work. Maybe camp at the trailhead campground the night before to acclimate. Day 1, hike to one of the lower Cottonwood Lakes, about 5 miles, easy terrain. Day 2, explore the upper lakes, or hike to the pass to take in the view. Day 3, hike out.

[balzaccom]

I'd also look at Little Lakes Valley...lots to explore and see there, without big miles. Same is true of Green Lake Trailhead, with its collection of options. And for that matter, Sabrina and its neighbors.

With any kid, if you have water, you have entertainment...

[bobby49]

Also, for training purposes, fix up a backpack for the kid to wear around the home neighborhood. The pack could weigh only a few pounds initially, and then you gradually increase it to the target weight, probably no more than 25% of the body weight of the kid. Get them to walk one lap around the block, and then gradually increase that to a mile or more.

I was going northbound over Glen Pass one time, and a nine-year-old kid passed me. He was carrying a pack that was way more than 25% of his weight. I was impressed.

[oddtiger]

Here are some trailheads I have done with my daughters (6 and 7 as of today) and our dog (whenever it's allowed) during past 3 years, on the east side. Most trips are 2-3 days and we are always trying to push it on day 1, or do some late afternoon/night hiking on day 0, so that we could get to our "base camp" on day 1.

1. Cottonwood lakes. Pretty easy and there are river/creek side campsite available along the way up. That's our first family backpacking trip 3 year ago and our then 3yo made it in good spirit. Marmots and fishing were highlight.

2. Lakes along Kearsarge pass trail, and Robinson Lake. These are two different trails but share the quota of Kearsarge Pass Trail. Both are easy. Robinson Lake trail is a bit steep but very short, and that is actually better for young kids (also no crowd). They love challenge but will get bored on long, flat trail. There are a lot of wild onions you can forage along the trail. Maybe that's the reason it's called "Onion Valley"?

3. Bishop Pass Trail to Chocolate Lakes, Ruwau Lake and Long Lake (a loop with a little bit use trail for kids to explore). Highlight (for kids) is easy, stunted brookies and wild berries in the fall.

4. Sabrina Lake Trail to Blue, Donkey and Baboon lakes. You can go the other route to Hungry Packer for better view, but I did it with a 4yo so we settled at Donkey lake. Beautiful area.

5. Lamarck lake trail to Wonder Lakes and/or Upper Lamarck. Small waterfalls and a bit of cross-country hike are highlight in Wonder Lakes area.

6. Little Lakes Valley to Chickenfoot, Gem and Treasure lakes. One of family's favorite as it's easy and has a lot of options along the trail. We did it several times and the crosscountry hike from Gem to Treasure are kids' favorite. This could be crowded in holidays. We also tried Ruby lake and it's very nice.

7. Garnet and Thousand Island lake. Our latest trip last weekend. We did River Trail and picked up a steep use trail getting Garnet. There's also a use trail in the middle of Garnet's north shore one can pick to reach Thousand Island Lake. We did that to avoid JMT crowd. It's beautiful area but very crowded per our standard.

8. West Lake, Green lake, and East Lake in Hoover Wilderness. Good option in dry year as there is no quota in early June.

9. Tuolumne Meadows trailheads. There are many options. We did Cathedral, Sunrise and Nelson lake. The last one is marked as XC/off trail by Yosemite but it's mostly following established/use trail. Highlight is some unnamed lakes under Johnson peak we explored.

There are many more options (and also on west side) and I usually start with checking profiles in Caltopo for planning. Bug house, field guide, fishing pole, ponding net, hammock and inflatable raft are some extra gears I carry (or they carry) when I backpack with kids.

[paul]

Piute Pass. You can do a fairly easy first day up to Loch Leven, or if the kid is motivated to continue, up to Piute Lake. Next day over the pass and lots of easy terrain, on trail and off. Has your 8-year old done any backpacking anywhere else? Assuming she/he has at least done some dayhiking with you, you should have an idea of how motivated a hiker you have - that makes all the difference in where you can go

[LMBSGV]

We took our son on his first trip when he was 2 years 9 months and every year after that for at least one trip. Oddtiger’s excellent extensive list covers many of the places we took him.

To his list, I would add Piute Pass to Humphreys Basin. Cross-country travel is easy and once you get to the off-trail lakes, the crowds go away. Our son loved Mesa Lake with its sand beach. Also, he really liked the two trips we did out of Granite Creek in the Sierra National Forest to Joe Crane Lake and up the North Fork of the San Joaquin. I’m not sure how badly the Creek Fire affected that area.

From odddtiger’s list of the Virginia Lake/Green Creek, he liked Summit Lake and Virginia Canyon. Finally, Tuolumne Meadows trailheads offer many choices along with Cathedral and Sunrise.

The one bit of advice about traveling with kids we learned is let them bring familiar “toys.” Our son would bring a band-aid box full of duplo/legoes (his “guys”) and they would have adventures climbing the rocks, in the creek, and the sand/dirt around any campsite. Finally, we did at least one to two nights at a high altitude drive-in campsite before backpacking to acclimate him to altitude.

[Eastside]

Y'all are amazing! This another reason i love backpacking, like-minded people who are stoked to turn others onto the experience. Great community!

[rlown]

I'll add Saddlebag. Nice and flat for kids on the East side trail.

[schmalz]

Can’t recommend Matlock Lake enough.