Best day hikes Eastern Sierra (I'll give advice about hiking in Chamonix, France)

[dbolland]

Hello Paul and thank you for these suggestions. I like when the landscape isn't only mineral. Will these ones have a mix of green, rocks and water?

[SSSdave]

Covers some of the areas I and others mentioned:

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_ ... 15-12.html

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2018_Trip_ ... 018-9.html

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2020_Trip_ ... 020-6.html

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2022_Trip_ ... 022-4.html

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2024_Trip_ ... 24-11.html

Rock Creek Little Lakes Valley:

(Right Mouse select "Open Image in New Tab")

[Wandering Daisy]

Now that you have many suggestions, we have a lot of trip reports on all of them. You can use the search function to find them.

If you do South Lake to Bishop Pass, you can come back on a less used trail through Chocolate Lakes, if there is time left. The best thing about this route is that it is very scenic almost from the first step.

Sabrina Basin is nice, but I think you need to get to Hungry Packer Lake to see the best of it. It will not get too scenic until you get up into the basin (Blue Lake and beyond).

Kearsarge Pass is also scenic from the first step but is now heavily used as a resupply point for the PCT/JMT. But if you do not mind sharing the trail with others, it is really scenic.

By August there could be smoke from wildfires that may be a factor on where you go. Check on this. There often is smoke in Owens Valley but once you get up to Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass TH) or the other high trailheads, the smoke is mostly gone. It tends to sit down on 395, so do not get too discouraged if you get into that. I really prefer to camp up at the trailheads instead of staying in towns- it can be REALLY HOT in the towns. At least Bishop has a public swimming pool.

It is another hour to get up to Mammoth Lakes. The Minarets are considered one of the most scenic yet easy to access areas in the Sierra. It is a bit complicated in that there are restricted hours that you can drive to the trailheads in Devil's Postpile National Monument. You need to check because this year road construction really limited things. I am not sure if this will still be a problem by August next year. It used to be that you could drive your car to Agnew Meadow TH before 7AM and after 7PM, otherwise you had to take a shuttle bus. You could do a long loop- Shadow Lake, side to Iceberg Lake, JMT to Garnet Lake, drop to the River Trail to come back.

A lot of people day-hike the Whitney Trail and it is very scenic but requires a day-permit and is well used. I personally like it, but many do not just because it is crowded and has the permit issues. You can go up to Trail Camp and back.

From Rock Creek you can also go up to Mono Pass and down to Trail Lake or Golden Lake and back.

[tomba]

Is the mosquito season over in August in the high Sierra?

In a normal snow year, mosquitoes are worst some time in July. In a high snow year, mosquitoes may be pretty bad in August. All the spring stages are delayed by about a month.

If you have enough time, in addition to day hiking in some of the mentioned areas, you could consider Twenty Lakes Basin, east of Yosemite. Take the ferry across Saddlebag Lake.

[Gogd]

Amazing reply Ed, thank you! The end of Big Pine Lakes seems too hard and complicated for me. According to you, if I want to walk not more than 4 hours from the trailhead, which lake can I reach on this hike? I don't run but I'm not slow neither.

The rule of thumb I've used to estimate time/distance requirements is 2mph, which sounds slow, but the way in is all uphill, and at altitude. Lake 3 is a bit over 5 miles from the car. If you think you can hike faster, Lake 4 is another 20 minute walk. In reality the walk back can be done 3+mph so if planning 8 hours out, you might even make it to Lake 5.

When I suggested the Big Pine Creek venue I was taking into consideration the long hours of summer daylight. Given what appears to be a choice not to take full advantage of the long daylight hours of summer time, the best of what North Fork Big Pine Creek offers remains beyond your time budget. So I believe the hike from South Lake to Bishop Pass offers more majestic viewing for time allotted. You'll travel past lots of scenic lake shoreline, be surrounded by impressive escarpments for the entire second half of the hike up, and be able to bag that lofty view from the pass. Additionally, the Bishop Pass hike has a great Plan B options, should you not feel up to the physical demands of hiking up to the pass. One alternative is hiking up to the last lakes at the top of the Bishop Creek basin, then turn back. This abbreviated tour will afford an additional 90 minutes more time to loiter and savor the moment. Another option would have you hike about 3 miles from the trailhead to the Bull Lake junction, then walk the loop trail clockwise around Chocolate Peak, passing by Bull Lake, the three Chocolate Lakes, and Ruwau Lake en route. These lakes are all pretty, but the added bonus is you'll get a close up and personal experience with the inspiring ramparts of the western face of the Inconsolable Range. If you still feel good when you reach the saddle between the Chocolate Lakes and Ruwau Lake, consider taking the 20 - 30 minute scamper up Chocolate Peak for a 360⁰ view of the upper basin of Bishop Creek. Don't fret over these options, they are all worth the effort, and take about 4 hours to attain before having to start back to your car.

Ed

[kpeter]

All these suggestions are excellent and similar to what I might give. But let me add one point. I would strongly recommend you acclimate a day or two at the start of the trip. It sounds as if you have never been as high as the Sierra before. Staying in Mammoth puts you at 7900 feet. Don't stay in Bishop which is significantly lower--you want the elevation.

Perhaps on your first day you drive over to Bristlecone Pines and do a light stroll around the visitor center. That is at 9800 feet and there is an easy 4.5 mile loop hike through the world's oldest trees. Then after spending a couple of nights at elevation you will be a little more prepped to do your more serious hiking to Sabrina Basin or Little Lakes Valley or Bishop Pass, all of which start at a higher elevation than you have hiked before.

In addition to the previous suggestions, I could add that last summer I dayhiked with my 74 year old brother from Mammoth to Duck/Pika Lakes and back. Another classic--very beautiful with a manicured trail.

You might be in good enough shape, on your last day, to day hike to Lake Ediza and back. Shadow Lake along the way would be easy and you could turn around there if necessary. But Ediza is thought by some (though not all!) to be the most beautiful lake in the Sierra and was a favorite of Ansel Adams, even if it would be a pretty long day for a medium strength hiker.

[Wandering Daisy]

I also would not stay in Bishop. Mammoth is the best if you want both a town and higher altitude and if you do not plan to take car-camping gear. Even just as a town, Mammoth has more to offer than Bishop. Mammoth hotels are expensive. There are motels up at June Lake that are not as expensive. It is about 20-minute drive north of Mammoth. Not always, but in August, Bishop is often 100 degrees F. Not sure you are accustomed to that kind of heat.

Not sure what your financial situation is, but there is a nice Lodge up at Rock Creek that is also a higher altitude. I think it may be expensive. There is a pack station also, but not sure that is available unless you use their horse services.

There also is a lodge ?or two up at South Lake at higher altitude. Also, Parchers Lodge- again a pack station but I think PCT hikers use that too. It may be difficult to get a room. They are very popular.

If you stay in a hotel or motel you really need reservations.

[papercup]

Lots of good answers from others here. Just a few descriptions of some of the trails mentioned:

Mammoth / Minarets area: Good one. Hiking to Shadow Lake and beyond to Ediza Lake is likely doable and very pretty. It would be possible to head north to some of the other well-known lakes (especially Garnet and Thousand Island), but doing that as an out and back is longer and you'd want to think about whether you're up for it. Trails are well maintained.

Little Lake Valley / Rock Creek: Also a good one and the easiest hike available that will get you great eastern Sierra views. Even if you don't go up to Mono Pass, the side trip up to Ruby Lake might be worthwhile. Actually I probably would not go up to Mono Pass; the pass itself isn't that interesting, only what's above and below it.

Piute Pass: Of the actual passes that cross the main crest, this is the easiest, and the trail is very well built. Wide open views from the top, and it's a gentle descent on the other side so you could potentially do a bit of wandering in the area of the pass.

Bishop Pass: Excellent hike as described elsewhere, modestly more challenging than those above.

Big Pine Lakes: Also a good one. The start isn't the most exciting but the lakes themselves are great. Also one of the few places in the Sierra where you can get lakes composed of that beautiful teal glacial water.

Kearsarge Pass: One of my favorites. A bit shorter and steeper than Bishop Pass. Probably the best view from the pass of any of the hikes in this area, and also takes you to the highest altitude. If you go down the other side, Kearsarge Lakes are beautiful, but descending to the lakes and then coming back up and out might be longer than you want to do on a day hike.


View from Kearsarge Pass

[giantbrookie]

Amazing reply Ed, thank you! The end of Big Pine Lakes seems too hard and complicated for me. According to you, if I want to walk not more than 4 hours from the trailhead, which lake can I reach on this hike? I don't run but I'm not slow neither.

The highest Big Pine Lakes, say Sixth and Seventh are about 6.5 miles and 3000' of elevation gain from the trailhead, so, based on your hiking times you list, it seems to me that you will reach these lakes in less than 4 hours (with a daypack). The appeal of the Big Pine Lakes trail is the views of the eastern flank of the Palisades which are among the most rugged and impressive of any of the high peaks of the Sierra. On the east side of the range, I think only the Ritter Range (including the Minarets) is comparable. The west side of the Palisades are impressive, too, but it requires a bit more hiking to get over the crest of the range (say at Bishop Pass) to see some of the cathedral-like ridges and such of the western flank of the Palisade. Bishop Pass itself is not too bad, though, at about 6 miles and 2200' or so from the trailhead and you don't have to go too far over the pass before you see that west flank of the Palisades.

In an earlier post on this thread you mentioned Kearsarge Pass. That is about 5 miles and 2500' of elevation gain from the trailhead and the views westward from the pass are impressive indeed. Another hike with amazing views is the High Trail in the Agnew Meadows area in the Mammoth Lakes area, where you get treated to non-stop views of the Ritter Range/Minarets. The advantage of this hike is you don't have to hike very far to experience the stunning view. A disadvantage is that to reach the outstanding scenery of Thousand Island lake requires 9.5 miles of one-way hiking. A temporary issue that is like to be solved in time for your 2026 or 2027 visit is that with road repairs, access to the trailhead was tricky and limited (in terms of times) in 2024.

Regarding one of your earlier questions about mosquitoes, in most years and at most places in the Sierra Nevada, August is post-peak, but mosquitoes have not gone away. In detail, this tends to be dependent on the weather on the day or your hike. If the day is warm and there is minimal wind, mosquitoes can be really bad. The key is getting a consistent breeze which, of course, is impossible to predict more than a week or so in advance.