R01 TR: Rae Lakes Loop High Route, July 21-26, 2024

[tchairman]

Hi all, relative newbie to this forum but have been hiking in the Sierras for 30 years. Had a great trip with two buddies earlier this summer and was inspired to share it here. Comments and thoughts welcome!

Trip Report, Rae Lakes Loop High Route, July 21-26, 2024

We planned and hiked this more challenging and interesting version of the popular Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon National Park - we’re calling it the Rae Lakes Loop High Route. All the best parts of the main loop, plus three more high passes, beautiful rarely-visited lakes, and lots of class 2 route finding. Turns out it’s very similar to Loop 3W of the King’s Canyon High Basin Route by Andrew Skurka, but with the added benefit of a few more lakes along the way. We found the most difficult part of this route to be descending King Col - RJ Secor says it’s class 2, but it was definitely at the edge of our comfort zone, and we would not do it again.

We took 6 days to do the 52 mile route, but thunderstorms every afternoon slowed us down. We probably could have done it in 5 without much trouble, and more fit hikers could likely do it in 4. We had 34 miles on trail, and 18 miles off trail, with 11,300ft total elevation gain.

Day 1: We drove from the Bay Area, so we arrived at the Road’s End Ranger Station around 1:30 to pick up our wilderness permit. We hit the trail by 2:30 and started climbing along Bubb’s. We passed good campsites at Sphinx Creek and Charlotte Creek, and made it 10 miles and 3000ft up to Junction Meadow by 8pm.

Day 2: We got a little bit of a late start, and found the hike up to Glen Pass to be harder than expected, as we didn’t really have our trail legs under us yet. We weren’t over the pass when the thunderstorms started around 2pm, so we waited them out in a crevice, trying to stay dry. After a few hours we went over the pass and down to Rae Lakes, camping at Middle Rae around 8pm. 10 miles, 4000ft up.

Day 3: Time to go off trail! We went a couple miles down to Arrowhead Lake, and then left the trail behind. We could see Basin Notch, but it was a little hard to discern the best route. We contoured a bit to the left, and ended up fairly high on the talus slope, needing to cross to the right to get to the notch. That wasn’t hard, but there probably was an easier way straight up the gut. Once through the notch the descent was easy to one of the Sixty Lakes. There we stopped for lunch and a relaxing swim. We followed the trail up the series of lakes and ponds until it turned hard left to go back to Rae Lakes, there we left the trail and started up toward Sixty Lake Col.

We didn’t have a good sense of which side of the big lake to traverse, although we could see the Col high on the right. We started on the left but soon turned around as we saw the cliff bands above us. Back around the lake on the right side, we kept having to climb to avoid getting cliffed out, and we worried that we were getting too high. However, the ledges kept going and we ultimately popped out on the talus field a few hundred feet above the lake.There the climbing was much more straightforward, and we powered up toward the last two lakes in the basin. Just as we got there, the thunderstorms started again, and we met a few hikers coming over Sixty Lake Col the other way. They gave us the intel that we needed to contour to the right to find the easiest way, and we told them to stay high over the lake. With the weather worsening, we decided to pitch camp early, and spent the next few hours in the tents or wandering around the general area, getting some great sunset photos. 7 miles, 1,100 feet elevation gain.

Day 4: We got up and made short work of Sixty Lake Col. Contouring to the right was easy, and then we followed the ledges back to the left to get over the col itself. We had a snack at the top, and headed down to skirt the shore of the first of the Gardiner Lakes, then contoured up and right over the saddle to the smaller lakes to the north. We followed the outlet stream down, eating lunch and soaking our feet along the way. Supposedly there’s a trail, but we didn’t find it, we just headed down to the lower lake at 10,200’.

There we debated: should we try King Col? Or at least get up to the high meadow we read about? With the weather worsening into thunderstorms again, and our reluctance to haul water up given the uncertain terrain, we decided to make camp early again. This time we day-hiked over the ridge to the south to see some more of the lakes, look down at our camp, and try to get a better view of the climb we had for tomorrow. 6 miles, 800ft ascent.

Day 5: We got up early and started climbing. The climb was steep but steady and not particularly difficult for the first 800 feet or so, then we crested into a beautiful high meadow. There was a tiny stream trickling down, but although it was grassy it was still fairly steep, and we were glad we hadn’t tried to camp here last night. We were lulled into complacency, and made our own switchbacks as we strolled up the meadow, until Rob reached the top and cried “it’s straight down!”

We had reached the infamous King Col chute. The top had a cornice of snow, but fortunately it had melted at the side so we didn’t have to cross it. However, the rocks and sand were incredibly steep and soft, and a dislodged rock rolled and bounced an alarmingly long way to the bottom, ricocheting off the walls of the chute. We ate lunch and debated turning around, but decided to try it. After all, Secor says it’s class 2, right? Sure, it must get better just down there a little.

We started out basically sitting on our butts, digging in with everything we had - heels, palms, pack - to try to stay stable. The first 50 feet or so were just digging in trying to find purchase on anything. Even large rocks would shift easily - Rob dislodged one the size of a microwave oven that pounded and rolled down the chute hundreds of feet to the snow field at the bottom, starting a dozen rock slides along the way. After a bit we could hang on to the side of the cliff - we stayed to the left - and get a little bit more control. There were a few ledges we could rest on, and as the chute curved subtly to the left, hanging on the left wall and maintaining decent separation meant rocks from above went to the right of us - except the ones that bounced off the wall. Each of us took nearly an hour to get down the 300’ chute, and it was harrowing. All of us had holes in our seats, abrasions on our ankles and palms, and dry mouths.

Fortunately the rest of the day was easier. We made our way down the boulder field and talus to the small peninsula on the first of Col Lakes, and took a much-needed swim break. Then it was easy and spectacular walking down slab and talus and occasional meadow, alongside a half-dozen lovely cascades. The hike down just kept going and going, but it was not hard.

Soon we got into the last forested bit and bushwhacked our way to the river. It looked a little intimidating, so we bushwhacked upstream a bit to see if there was a better way across. We had intended to hike upstream the 1.5 miles or so to the JMT and use the bridge, but the undergrowth was thick. We probably could have gone up to the bench and made better time, but instead we spotted a place that looked fordable, with no hazards downstream. With our shoes on and poles out, we each made it across fairly easily and safely. We cruised down the Woods Creek trail for a couple miles and came upon a lovely camp site still a few miles above Paradise Valley, where we gratefully stopped and camped. 7 miles, 1,600 feet ascended but 4,100 feet down!

Day 6: We had an easy 12 mile hike out dropping 3000 feet on Woods Creek trail, passing lots of folks in Paradise Valley and day hikers (and bears) down near the ranger station. We had a final swim at Muir Rock, and jumped in the car for the ride home. What a great trip!

[scottmiller]

I love the "dry mouths" bit. I've definitely been there on some of the dicier situations.

[Shiker]

I went south over King Col in mid-July. I thought that the 30 feet or so bypassing the cornice to the west up near the top was unsafe. It was technically very easy, but you are on blocks that are very unstable and can easily give way. And a fall here could easily be fatal. It is like playing Russian roulette. Or like crossing a minefield--easy unless you step on a landmine.... I would not recommend the pass in its current condition to anyone. Maybe it is less treacherous when the cornice is gone, but I can't say.

[KT5519]

Your description of King Col brought back a memory! In 2001 I went up to the highest lake in Gardiner Basin with 3 friends (we had heard it referred to as Lake Alaska). We were 2 women and 2 men. Our next camp destination was the meadow area just below the Woods Ck bridge. The guys decided they’d go via King Col since it was “shorter”. My girlfriend and I went back on the trail, due to the Col’s reputation as steep and loose. We beat them to camp. When they arrived we heard a harrowing tale that sounded almost exactly like yours. I’d almost forgotten about that trip! Thanks for sharing!