Suggestions for 3 day backpacking loop - August

[aml182]

Thanks again for all of the suggestions! I'm still reading about all of them but will let you know what we decide.
To answer WD/ Toms's question, we will be in CA for about 7 days. Our plan was a ~3-day backpacking trip, a couple day hikes, and other sightseeing in the area. We wanted to limit backpacking to 3-4 days since some of the group is relatively new to backpacking.

[Tom_H]

If you fly into LAX, there are some sights there and you could head to SEKI. If you go into SFO, there is a lot to see in the city and Tahoe is 4 hours away, Yosemite about the same or a tad more. Depending on how whirlwind you want to make this, you could see a little of SF, go to Tahoe-see the lake and backpack, drive US 395, enter Yosemite from east side, cross Tuolumne Meadows, see Yosemite Valley and a grove of Giant Sequoias, then back to SFO.

[creekfeet]

I second the idea for exploring Roaring River Country. Lost Lake is a personal favorite, and Beville, Ranger, Jennie, and Seville Lakes are really nice as well. Other than at Jenny Lake and maybe Ranger, you probably won't see too many people out there. If you're comfortable incorporating a little off-trail hiking, I would highly recommend heading south to Crescent Lake from Beville. It's an easy route to navigate; just follow the mini-ridge line that runs between the two lakes north of Crescent. The Sheep Camp Lake next to Lost is worth checking out as well. Someone above suggested beginning this route from Big Meadows, but it can also be done starting out from Lodgepole, which I prefer as it makes the spectacular view of Ranger Lake from below Silliman Pass feel more earned.