Aspens near Bridgeport?

[AnnieB]

Hi everyone,
I am looking for a quickie backpack for next weekend. Since I am coming from the Sacramento area I am thinking Bridgeport might be a good jumping off point. I want to drive down Friday afternoon/evening, stay in Bridgeport, go to some beautiful 4 - 7 mile backpack campsite, stay for 2 nights then hike out and drive home on Monday.
Any ideas?
By the way, some of you might know me from TT as pepperDog.
Thanks,
Ann

[Bearman]

When in the Bridgeport area, I am partial to the Green Creek Campground trailhead into the Hoover Wilderness. From the trailhead go up to East lake (eay 1 mile) and then up to West lake (semi tough 2-3miler) for a base camp and then day hiking to Par Value and Bergona lakes as well as some peak bagging.

If you want to stay low, continue past East lake toward Virgina lakes. Hope this helps.

[maverick]

Hi Ann
I would recommend driving to Twin Lakes from Bridgeport and taking the Robinson
Traihead to Peeler Lake (6 miles one way).
From there you can take a day hike to Robinson and Crown Lakes.
Its a 2400 ft climb from Twin Lakes to Peeler Lake so get an early start.
For some fall colors Lundy Canyon is just starting to show some color.
You could drive up to Lundy Lake and hike up into 20 Lakes Basin.
Both trips offer great scenery and beautiful lakes.

[SSSdave]

If one is interested in fall aspen leaves, one ought not consider backpacking of any length because most Eastern Sierra aspen groves are at or below trailhead elevations. For instance one will see aspen above the trailhead for the first couple miles of streamside but as soon as elevation climbs aspen quickly thin out. Generally most quaking aspen grow between 6500 and 9000 feet of elevation though one will find them up to about 10500 and down to 6000 feet occasionally. By time you go the higher elevation aspens are certain to be past peak and likely leaf less. About Bridgeport, one can see fine aspen groves along the road for a few miles below the Green Creek trailhead up to the first two miles of the Green Lake trail. There are large groves up the Summers Meadow Road and other groves in Virginia Creek just west of US395 approaching Conway Summit. From western Sierra trailheads there are some aspen groves one might backpack into like those up lower Mono Creek, lower Bear Creek and to Blaney Meadows. And crosscountry there is short offtrail backpacking one might do about Hope Valley ie Willow Creek that would end up amid aspen.

[JMat]

There's always Burt Canyon... About a mile south of Hwy 108 off of Hwy 395. It's a gorgeous hike through meadow and alot of Aspens When you hike to the upper end of the canyon you have a couple choices. Stay there or hike up to Anna Lake. This is some of the prettiest scenery around and you decide if you just want nice scenery and not too tough of a hike or if you want to kick it up a couple notches and make it tougher. Either way it 5 or 7 miles and easily do able in a day like you said you were looking for. I've included a link to a post from Ozark Flip from earlier this year. I ended up hiking in on a day hike to meet him and packmule and was amazed by the scenery.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3200&p=18967#p18967

JMat

[AnnieB]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. It looks like several good ideas.

[hikerduane]

I just got back from Yosemite. I was at Glen Aulin area yesterday and left this AM. Good colors in small groups. The big grove by Conway Summit is still green. The north end of it has some color. I have found, with the drought, some trees are brownish with some yellowing. Coming down from Tioga Pass, good color. The trees aren't dropping their leaves yet.

Were you at Winterfest a couple years ago at Shasta when we got snowed out?

[AnnieB]

thanks for the update, duane.
I was at Winterfest, sort of. I was moteling it with my friend Randy. His car had very inadequate (read: bald) tires. Were you the one who helped us as we spun out of control on the way up toward the trailhead? We joined the group for dinner but didn't socialize much beyond that.
I am now leaning toward Eagle Creek or Burt Canyon. I'm afraid my friends are dropping like flies - too cold, too much to do around the house, that kind of excuse. (I should be careful, they are likely to check in on this thread).
Any other suggestions?
Ann

[hikerduane]

No, I don't think I had to help anyone at Winterfest that year, you must have come up after me. I made it to camp, then we all decided we didn't want to walk to town when the roads wouldn't get plowed, due to, too much snow like Steve mentioned one time that he had to do. So many people at the Black Bear Diner, I didn't get to chat much, then I lost everyone when they headed to Lake Shasta.

I know about people not making it. Three people showed interest in my trip, then one after the other said no. It would have been nice to have had company in the snow and the extra eyes when trying to figure where the trail went. More experience and confidence for me.

Enjoy your trip, should be pretty. Another storm coming in?

[madeintahoe]

Hey there stranger..it's me Anita...How are the doggies doing? Nice to see you here.
It is suppose to be very cold this weekend more so on Saturday.
Some of the colors here have not changed yet..I have not yet checked out Hope Valley. Ann the Green Creek area is very beautiful...I don't know what the colors are going to be at in that area..we did a day hike out of there years ago and it was very beautiful..but a backpack would work too.

They are calling for a chance of snow tomorrow and saturday here at the lake.
You be careful if you do the backpacking thing...and I think deer hunting season is still going on in that area..but I am not sure when it gets over..just to let you know.
Have a great time and be safe
Anita..remember this picture
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1476 ... t=outdoors