High Sierra Topix

easy. and then you can descend the lonely lake outlet down to the elizabeth pass trail, which i've done in the opposite direction.

Thanks frozen! As an aside, your TRs have been a great source of ideas. Inspiring routes, amazing photos!

Crescent Meadow permits are hard to get. You can also loop both in and out through Tablelands. As of a few years ago there was also a "pass through" permit for Pear Lake (have to camp up in Tablelands above Pear Lake first night). There is also a permit for Alta Meadow?? - anyway the one that you use to get to Moose Lake.

Although I have not done Circle of Solitude, some people I met on the trail were a bit disappointed that it did not have much "solitude".

If you go up to Big Bird Lake (highly recommended) you can go directly to Tablelands- not hard, just tricky route finding. It works well with entering Tablelands to Longly Lake, then drop down to the HST. I can link a trail report if you are interested.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 11:31 am There is also a permit for Alta Meadow?? - anyway the one that you use to get to Moose Lake.

Alta permit has a note:

This entry point does not allow travel on the High Sierra Trail between the Sevenmile Hill Trail and Kaweah Gap; to do so select a "High Sierra Trail" entry point instead.

Thanks for the information about the Alta Trail. I wonder if the Pear Lake pass-through has the same restriction. If it does, then a really nice alternate route is to go up to Tamarak Lake and then Lion Lake, over Lion Lake Pass and drop into upper Nine Lakes Basin. You would miss Hamilton Lake but it is a short walk down to Precipice Lake for a side trip.

What about reversing your loop and come out Crescent Lake? I think that permit may be easier to get.

Another possibility is to go out over Silliman pass and either skip Colby or just go up part way to big wet meadow or Colby lake. Then up deadman canyon with some opportunity for exploring big bird / lonely /tamarack lakes before taking HST back to Crescent

Thanks wanderingDaisy! And yes, I’ll happily read any relevant TRs

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 5:32 pm I wonder if the Pear Lake pass-through has the same restriction.

It does not have a restriction on it for continuing on to access the High Sierra Trail.

This is not one of the options you discussed, but if you consider a Mineral King loop there is a delightful one week loop available. Here is my trip report on a 7 day loop out of Mineral King. I loved this trip save for one day, and the permits out of Mineral King were not too hard to get. If my trip is too easy for you there are many opportunities to expand it along the way. And it let me see the most spectacular portion of the HST along the way.

viewtopic.php?t=16533&hilit=mineral

Thanks kpeter. I did something really similar last year but in reverse, and taking lost canyon / sawtooth between big 5 and mineral king. MK to Bearpaw was a slog, but the rest was wonderful.

Are you comfortable doing XC alone?

If so, a loop I have done twice gets you into some really nice country.

Crescent to Bearpaw, over Elizabeth, down Deadman, up Cloud over Colby. When you get to just below Gallats Lake, cut up to the lake at the bottom of the Picket Creek drainage, then over the divide and up Kaweah Basin, over Pyra-Queen Col to Nine Lake Basin, where you catch the HST back to Crescent.

If you can't get a permit out of Crescent and can work out the transportation, start at Rowell Meadow or Marvin Pass, go to Cloud Canyon via Sugarloaf.