High Sierra Topix

I do not think Steelhead Lake is in the same league as Tully Lake or Grinnell Lake. I was quite disappointed when I went there a few years ago.

If you just want a quick tour of the area, and come back later, I think your original plan may be fine, although quite rigorous.

If on the other hand you want to focus one area, for example, Tully Lake and surrounding lakes (Hortense, Cotton, Isaac Walton, Red and White) and come back out. You could even do a day-hike to Rosy Finch, Bighorn and perhaps Grinnell. Advantage of this is that you only carry your pack over McGee Pass which has a trail. Then you can do all sorts of off-trail as day hikes. You could also go up to Lee Lake and the other lakes up that drainage. You could quickly walk out from Tully Lake in one long day.

Or just stay at Big McGee Lake. Most scenic camping is above the inlet in a grassy meadow. From there you could day-hike up Hopkins Pass, day-hike over Corridor Pass to Constance Lake, or even day-hike to Tully Lake or Red and White Lake. You would have to figure out the mileage and see what is feasible.

Jane,

If I only had three nights and four days for this trip, here is how I would approach it — set a goal of making it over Hopkins Pass on the first day. The viability of that goal depends on your conditioning and acclimation to the elevation, but I would think it is doable for you or you wouldn’t even be contemplating this trip.

So get an early start and make it to Big McGee Lake by early afternoon. Take a nice rest break on the inlet side of the lake. Then hike a couple more hours over Hopkins Pass and camp down the other side as far as you have energy to go.

Day 2, you should have no problem making it down to Mono Creek and up to the Laurel Creek valley by midday. Then you would have an idyllic afternoon meandering up the valley to Laurel Lake and then to Grinnell Lake.

Day 3 you would have plenty of time to revel in the Grinnell Lake scenery for a few hours before heading over the two cross country passes slowly and carefully for your third night in the Tully Lake environs, wherever you decide to stop.

I think the key is making it over Hopkins Pass on day 1. If you can do that, that gives you breathing room for the rest of the trip, which will moderate the difficulty of days 2 and 3 and make the rest of the trip more relaxing and enjoyable.

Oh to be young enough to do this trip in four days. I would need at least a week now!

Ara

Be aware that as of summer 2023 a very large avalanche debris field fills the valley of Hopkins Creek, completely blocking the trail just below where the trail separates for lower and upper Hopkins lakes. As of late August 2023 the debris field -- several tens of acres of tree trunks broken and jumbled like matchsticks, 20 feet deep or more mixed with large layers of snow -- is impassable. It may be possible to find a way around on the west side of this massive jumble. USFS was not aware but has now been informed.

When we were in that area a few weeks ago we bumped into a pair of people who said they were able to work their way around the debris by going to the side of the debris field opposite of the slope from which the slide came down.

Yes, that would be the west side of the valley at that point. Lower Hopkins Lake is on the west side, although well above the valley floor at that point.