Trip Report: Bear Basin lollipop via Pine Creek (August 2019)

[iainmacdonald]

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a trip report that I wrote covering a hike around the Granite Park / Royce Lakes / Bear Basin area in August of this past year (2019). This was a four day trip that was shortened somewhat from our original plan to spend some more time fishing and exploring each of these areas. We used a few of the passes mentioned on the HST map: Croft Col, BeaRoyce Col, Dancing Bear Pass, and Italy Pass.

You can find the report, including many photos of this area, here: https://www.iain-macdonald.com/bear-bas ... rip-report

Enjoy!

[sekihiker]

I enjoyed your report and photos for this beautiful area. Thanks for posting.

[kursavwilage]

Thank you for the great report and the great pictures!

[Wandering Daisy]

Your photos are outstanding! It looks like you hit the peak flower bloom. The lingering snow may have presented some challenging travel but it sure made the mountains look better. Your route has been part of several of my longer trips and have done all the passes except Royce-Bea (instead have taken the longer route over the pass between Merriam and Royce peaks and then over Feather Pass). Thanks for the photos and your observations about that pass; I just may use it this summer. As for your original route, I thought that it was not possible (either washed out road or private land) to come down that mining road from Rock Creek. I have been down the road to fish the upper lakes, but not all the way to Pine Creek. I have gone down the drainage from Chalfant Lakes to intersect the trail just above Honeymoon Lake, and it really was not brushy at all but had to cross two creeks.

[SirBC]

Great trip report! I was planning on being in Bear Lakes Basin when you were but didn't like how the snow looked on satellite imagery leading up to Dancing Bear Pass, which would have been my route in and out. Looks like it wasn't an issue after all.

I thought that it was not possible (either washed out road or private land) to come down that mining road from Rock Creek. I have been down the road to fish the upper lakes, but not all the way to Pine Creek. I have gone down the drainage from Chalfant Lakes to intersect the trail just above Honeymoon Lake, and it really was not brushy at all but had to cross two creeks.

I haven't been down that trail but was planning on doing so in 2017, but in the early summer rangers had posted that a section of the trail was washed out in a landslide that wasn't passable. I haven't heard if that was repaired.

[davidsheridan]

Excellent TR! Thank you for making such a nice one.

[Bishop_Bob]

That was a great report. I was a little south of you during that same time period. I agree - it was hot!

[tlsharb]

Absolutely great pics. love the whole report. Thanks much for sharing.

[mckee80]

Great report. Loved seeing the Chalfant Lakes pics. We were up on that ridge when we were in Granite Park and I was wondering what it was like down there.