TR: Onion Valley to Rae Lakes (7/4-6 2014)
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:07 pm
Hello all. I went up to Rae Lakes from Onion Valley over the 4th of July weekend. It was my first time out there, and I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone looking for wonderful landscapes. We saw maybe 5 other people around the the Lakes that weekend, and traffic along the trail was sporadic.
The original plan was to take 4 days / 3 nights with camping at Charlotte Lake, Rae Lakes, and Kearsarge Lakes. But once over Kearsarge Pass, we just continued on over Glen Pass to the lakes.
Day 1 (Friday): 10 miles, from the Kearsarge Pass TH to Rae Lakes
Day 2 (Saturday): 5 miles, day hike to Sixty Lakes Basin area
Day 3 (Sunday): 10 miles, out to Kearsarge Pass TH
On Friday and Saturday, it was blue skies, sunny, temps in the mid 70s and dry. Night temps probably dipped into the mid-40s. The air pressure began to drop around 3am on Sunday morning, and by 6am, the skies were a dark grey. At 8am, it began to drizzle as a weather system was moving in from the north. We left Rae Lakes as it began to rain, and by the time we reached Glen Pass, the rain had stopped and the sky was clearing up. The clear air and cloud cover created amazing lighting for photographs.
Below are some photos I took. The entire set is here:![](http://open.thumbshots.org/image.pxf?url=https://picasaweb.google.com/paco.rios/20140704RaeLakes03)
Sunrise from Grays Meadow Campground
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WT6TScxs9Uw/U-CKzFVkl9I/AAAAAAAAJrM/HVTY6HqT4JU/s912/20140704_001.jpg)
Hiking up to Kearsarge Pass
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WM-jgApEtHg/U-CK1ymTN5I/AAAAAAAAJrk/-yGq7ErSoRs/s912/20140704_004.jpg)
Rae Lakes, Black Mountain, Painted Lady
![Image](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jefi5J0T-6k/U-CLFi7BPrI/AAAAAAAAJtc/OYAYROa8R8E/s912/20140704_025.jpg)
Milky Way over Painted Lady
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MGocqEFZDZM/U-CLIJvQUgI/AAAAAAAAJt0/vSrtCue_bUQ/s912/20140704_028.jpg)
Mount Clarence King
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L1XVUUGbdho/U-CLL0n3wII/AAAAAAAAJuU/pQpc3a7Nqd0/s912/20140705_036.jpg)
Rae Lakes
![Image](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L8SLei0qu2c/U-CLPYJS54I/AAAAAAAAJu0/slRv4O_kJYA/s912/20140705_044.jpg)
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wEuvsY9SDRo/U-CLRBNsk7I/AAAAAAAAJvE/uq2DZTk7DeQ/s912/20140705_046.jpg)
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--E8wKynv3yE/U-CLTTw9etI/AAAAAAAAJvU/9gLPNGrTh08/s912/20140705_048.jpg)
Party on Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pYzfnIaTIYg/U-CLUAsu25I/AAAAAAAAJvc/oEBKbWALU60/s912/20140706_049.jpg)
no-name lakes north of and below Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vXcbZdHJSVk/U-CLVMsQyRI/AAAAAAAAJvk/LDngUHTOVh8/s912/20140706_050.jpg)
no-name lake south of Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jyrxsgRpn3s/U-CLYLQ4dJI/AAAAAAAAJv8/c-GZetfJyeI/s640/20140706_054.jpg)
Heart Lake
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KMy0kc6plGA/U-CLczM_3VI/AAAAAAAAJwk/wZPODsNmlME/s912/20140706_062.jpg)
Almost back at the TH
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uOCLmq71924/U-CLgmLqa6I/AAAAAAAAJxM/TqagtiYl_aM/s912/20140706_067.jpg)
fco
The original plan was to take 4 days / 3 nights with camping at Charlotte Lake, Rae Lakes, and Kearsarge Lakes. But once over Kearsarge Pass, we just continued on over Glen Pass to the lakes.
Day 1 (Friday): 10 miles, from the Kearsarge Pass TH to Rae Lakes
Day 2 (Saturday): 5 miles, day hike to Sixty Lakes Basin area
Day 3 (Sunday): 10 miles, out to Kearsarge Pass TH
On Friday and Saturday, it was blue skies, sunny, temps in the mid 70s and dry. Night temps probably dipped into the mid-40s. The air pressure began to drop around 3am on Sunday morning, and by 6am, the skies were a dark grey. At 8am, it began to drizzle as a weather system was moving in from the north. We left Rae Lakes as it began to rain, and by the time we reached Glen Pass, the rain had stopped and the sky was clearing up. The clear air and cloud cover created amazing lighting for photographs.
Below are some photos I took. The entire set is here:
Sunrise from Grays Meadow Campground
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WT6TScxs9Uw/U-CKzFVkl9I/AAAAAAAAJrM/HVTY6HqT4JU/s912/20140704_001.jpg)
Hiking up to Kearsarge Pass
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WM-jgApEtHg/U-CK1ymTN5I/AAAAAAAAJrk/-yGq7ErSoRs/s912/20140704_004.jpg)
Rae Lakes, Black Mountain, Painted Lady
![Image](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jefi5J0T-6k/U-CLFi7BPrI/AAAAAAAAJtc/OYAYROa8R8E/s912/20140704_025.jpg)
Milky Way over Painted Lady
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MGocqEFZDZM/U-CLIJvQUgI/AAAAAAAAJt0/vSrtCue_bUQ/s912/20140704_028.jpg)
Mount Clarence King
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L1XVUUGbdho/U-CLL0n3wII/AAAAAAAAJuU/pQpc3a7Nqd0/s912/20140705_036.jpg)
Rae Lakes
![Image](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L8SLei0qu2c/U-CLPYJS54I/AAAAAAAAJu0/slRv4O_kJYA/s912/20140705_044.jpg)
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wEuvsY9SDRo/U-CLRBNsk7I/AAAAAAAAJvE/uq2DZTk7DeQ/s912/20140705_046.jpg)
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--E8wKynv3yE/U-CLTTw9etI/AAAAAAAAJvU/9gLPNGrTh08/s912/20140705_048.jpg)
Party on Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pYzfnIaTIYg/U-CLUAsu25I/AAAAAAAAJvc/oEBKbWALU60/s912/20140706_049.jpg)
no-name lakes north of and below Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vXcbZdHJSVk/U-CLVMsQyRI/AAAAAAAAJvk/LDngUHTOVh8/s912/20140706_050.jpg)
no-name lake south of Glen Pass
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jyrxsgRpn3s/U-CLYLQ4dJI/AAAAAAAAJv8/c-GZetfJyeI/s640/20140706_054.jpg)
Heart Lake
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KMy0kc6plGA/U-CLczM_3VI/AAAAAAAAJwk/wZPODsNmlME/s912/20140706_062.jpg)
Almost back at the TH
![Image](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uOCLmq71924/U-CLgmLqa6I/AAAAAAAAJxM/TqagtiYl_aM/s912/20140706_067.jpg)
fco