3 nighter in mid-July

[bethmitchell]

Hi!
My super awesome mom (76 years old!) and I do an annual mother-daughter backpacking trip in the Sierra. Dates are non-flexible: July 13-16 (leaving in 2 wks). I have a permit for Thousand Island Lake area (High Trail from Agnew Meadows), but am realizing that's not realistic this year due to conditions. I'd love alternate suggestions.

First - if you think I'm wrong about Thousand Island being doable, please let me know!

We're Level 3 hikers. Prefer fully or primarily on-trail. Three nights/four days, ideally ~25-30 miles total.

I really want to avoid conditions that will sketch my mom out (stream crossings that are anything other than easy, slippery snow fields, etc).

We'll only have one car. Preference for lollipop or loop of course but I know we need to be flexible.

Looking for mountain scenery (top interest) and lakes (second). Ideally Sierras but I know that elsewhere may make sense this year.

Max 5 hr drive from Oakland.

Thanks for any ideas!!!

[wildhiker]

Consider the Carson Range on the east side of Lake Tahoe, specifically the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park backcountry, starting at Spooner Lake. As per the Sentinel Hub satellite imagery, this area is already almost entirely snow-free except for patches on the highest ridges, and wildflowers should be going by mid-July. The main attraction of this area is outstanding long views of the Lake Tahoe basin and that gorgeous blue lake. This area is not a true wilderness, but it feels remote and wild, especially late in the day after all the day users are gone. Many of the trails are fire roads with occasional park ranger trucks. Most trails are open to mountain bikes. The state park has a few backcountry campgrounds that as far as I know are simply first come-first served and don't get a lot of use. Be sure to check with the park to make sure the campgrounds are open and to verify facilities.

My wife, adult daughter, and I did a nice two night trip there in mid-June of 2010. We started at Spooner Lake and hiked the Marlette Lake trail (no bikes on the trail - they use the nearby fire road) to Marlette Lake, then up the fire road from there to the Marlette Peak campground. This campground has a well for water supply (they recommend filtering or treating the water), picnic tables, "bear proof" food storage lockers, and vault toilets. We camped there two nights.

On the intervening day we did a long day trip north on the Tahoe Rim Trail to "Twin Lakes" (just puddles that year) and then looped back via the famous Flume Trail to Marlette Lake and then back to the campground - about 12 miles. The Flume Trail clings to the very steep slopes of the mountains with outstanding views of Lake Tahoe. It is popular with mountain bikes, riding south to north. A shorter day-trip to the north would be on the Tahoe Rim Trail to Twin Lakes (be sure to take the short Christopher's Loop side trail to an overlook that seems to be perched directly above Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoe) and then loop back to Marlette Peak campground on the east side via the Red House Flume trail and the Hobart fire road.

On our last day, we hiked south on the Tahoe Rim Trail over Snow Valley Peak (no bikes on this section) and then took the short connector trail back down to North Canyon and Spooner Lake. One evening, we did a stroll just before sunset on the trail around the south side of Marlette Peak and then scrambled up to the top for amazing views over both Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe, like this photo:

P1010982.JPG

To make a 3 night trip, you could move your camp on the third night a short distance down to the Hobart Campground on Hobart Reservoir and then explore Little Valley and the fire roads that run on the east side of the ridge with views out over the desert. I haven't done that part.

-Phil

[giantbrookie]

Whereas Thousand Island etc are not thawed yet, they may be by July 13-16 especially with the summer belatedly warming up. So I wouldn't look for an alternative unless the conditions are still looking bad a few days before you leave. An advantage of the High Trail is that it is a west-facing exposure, so you probably don't have to worry about much snow over the trail by July 13-16 if the thaw accelerates as predicted. An alternative to have in your back pocket would be some sort of trip in Desolation Wilderness, where most of the lakes will be thawed and trails largely snow free by July 13-16--there aren't any dicey stream crossings in Deso, either. A west flank destination that will probably be OK by July 13-16 would be the western part of Ansel Adams Wilderness out of the Norris or Fernandez trailheads. On the other hand, I figure if western Ansel Adams Wilderness is OK so too will be the High Trail and Thousand Island, so I think the failsafe Plan B is still Desolation Wilderness. Great that you're taking your 76 year old mom up. I hope my daughter still wants to do a daughter-father trip when I'm 76.

[Wandering Daisy]

July 13 is just two weeks from now. Given recent reports on snow conditions in the Minarets, I doubt the road down to the start of the trail will even be open or free of snow. If the gate is closed you would have to walk this road. It is in trees and shadows. If you reach Thousand Island Lake, it will likely be total snow. I did the High Trail in 2021 mid-June but it was a low snow year. There were numerous side creeks. Also did a trip out of Rush Creek in last week of June in 2010, a higher snow year, and it was total snow above Waugh Lake.

With all the snow this year, the melt season will likely produce high flows. The High Trail is part of the PCT and a few have walked it or will soon, so do a search of PCT websites and you may get some information. There also was a "conditions" report of that area posted yesterday (posted in wrong sub-forum so it may be deleted or moved). Check that out.

[bethmitchell]

Thanks everyone! Wandering Daisy, I saw that report about JMT from Red's Meadow - that was the one that made me switch from "hmm, maybe..." to "this seems like a no." I'll check PCT websites too though; hadn't thought of that.