Advice: Bear Lakes Basin

[papercup]

Hello everyone.

I am preparing for my annual multi-night Sierra trip, and hoping that someday my life will be in a place where I can make more than one such trip every year. This time around I've got 5 days, 4 nights, and have permits for the Bear Lakes Basin area around Labor Day.

My info: Level 3/4 backpacker. For this trip, looking to stick to class 2 terrain (or fun class 3 with little to no exposure). Main interest is scenery, with secondary interests in photography and fishing. Everyone in the group is fit, but we're trying not to plan a death march-- we'd like to have some time to hang out at the nice places we see.

I have done my research and basically have this trip planned out already, and am mostly just posting as (1) a sanity check to make sure I don't have anything idiotic planned, and (2) to see if anybody has ideas for can't-miss campsites, good fishing lakes, slight modifications I ought to make for a more pleasant trip, etc. Feel free to PM if you don't mind sharing secrets but don't want to spill them all over the internet!

My thought was:

Day 1: From Pine Creek trailhead, up to Honeymoon Lake and a little beyond.

Day 2: Over Royce Pass to Royce Lakes, then over BeaRoyce Pass to Bear Lakes Basin.

Day 3: Leave camp where it is and go explore. Maybe out and back to Merriam Lake via Feather Pass, maybe make a loop of it using LaSalle Col or Ruskie Pass (although those seem slightly tricker than Feather), maybe just wander around Bear Lakes Basin.

Day 4: Over Dancing Bear Pass and Italy Pass. Pause, drop packs, climb Julius Caesar. Drop into Granite Park.

Day 5: Back to Pine Creek TH.

I was initially thinking of also spending some time in French Canyon, Humphrey's, etc. But I really want to see each of Granite Park, Royce, Bear, and Merriam, and I'd also very much like to climb Julius Caesar, so this route is what I came up with. Any thoughts, suggestions?

[giantbrookie]

Note that because of the unusually high amount of snow received this season there will still be a lot of snow hanging on east and north facing slopes as of Labor Day weekend. There is a high probability of steep snowfields blocking some of the passes on their north and east sides, so you should be prepare accordingly --you will likely need ice axe and crampons. If steep snow climbing is not to your tastes or experience then you need to be prepared to turn back and execute some sort of Plan B trip if you get blocked at a pass.

Merriam is not a bad place, but it is a fairly long hike and back from Bear Basin. Bear Basin, on the other hand has lots of really neat little sub-basins with many lakes, so if it was me, I'd spend my layover day dayhiking around Bear Basin and environs rather than taking the relatively long hike over to Merriam. Of course I put fishing a bit higher on my list of priorities and this should hint at the relative fishing merits of staying in the Bear Basin area vs spending a lot of time hiking to Merriam; many good fishing prospects in the Bear Basin area, to be sure. For the same reason, depending on how strong your group is and how early you start, I might be inclined to go into the Royces on day 1 depending on how your group feels when reaching the vicinity of Honeymoon.

[Lumbergh21]

Nice, I'm planning to explore some of that area myself August 13 - 16. My trip is much less ambitious as only August 14 and 15 will be full days. I'm looking forward to exploring Royce Lakes, Granite Park, then Elba, Moon, L, and French Lake before hiking out the morning of August 16. I hope You have a good time. Unfortunately, I doubt that I will have time to post a Trip Report before I head back into the Sierra at Horseshoe Meadow on August 17 for my "big" Sierra hike of 2017.

[Ska-T]

I agree with giantbrookie. You say you don't want a death march and you want time to hang.
a. Day 1 - Pine Creek is a steep trail and can be hot unless you get an early start.
b. Day 2 - involves two passes, although the first is very easy and the second not too bad in a regular year, but it is still two passes.
c. Day 4 - involves a couple of easy passes and a summit. That's a good day.
d. Day 5 - is exit and driving day.
My thinking is that Day 3 should be a time for exploring things that aren't too far away, by mileage or elevation gain/loss. Lots of lakes in the area.

[Flamingo]

@papercup It looks like a great trip! Good choice on Mount Julius Caesar; the climb is relatively straightforward and will be a fantastic capstone to your trek. Do not underestimate the heat when climbing from Pine Creek. Last July, I started hiking from Pine Creek at midday, and it was terrible life choice!

[papercup]

Thanks everyone! Helpful advice. So Merriam is probably out, which is fine.

From a snow perspective, BeaRoyce seems like it's probably the crux-- if we can get over that, we can probably get over Dancing Bear and Italy Pass, and even if we had trouble with those for some reason, we could always backtrack out over BeaRoyce again. That's handy, because we'll know early on whether we can proceed more or less as planned or whether we should audible and spend more time in Granite Park or French Canyon or something. Good options either way!

I've been staying away from Granite Bear in my planning because I assume that'll be snowier than I want to deal with.

[cgundersen]

My 2 cent addition would be to aim for Vee Lake on day 2. On prior visits, I've camped by the outlet of Vee, but last year, we settled near the point of the peninsula that gives the lake its name. It's a sensational campsite, made better by virtue of the route you're taking to get there. It has great head-on views of 7 Gables Peak (across the lake), and if you bother looking back toward Feather Peak, the view isn't so bad, either. I'll add a couple of teaser shots:

Feather & Royce from vee

7 Gables across Vee

if you need any further inducement, SSSDave posted some gorgeous photos from Vee a few years ago, and I'm certain there are many more.
Good luck!
Cameron

[Wandering Daisy]

Agree that there is plenty to do in Bear Basin without going to Merrium or LeSalle.

But if you absolutely want to go that way, then return via a loop over the pass south west of Feather Peak and then over the pass northwest of Merrium Peak. Sorry I cannot remember the names of these passes. It is not too much of a side-trip to drop down to Merrium Lake to camp. Some steep snow on the pass adjacent to Merrium, but I think the snow is actually easier than when it is melted out. Then drop to Honeymoon Lake from the northeast corner of Lake 11725. I assume given the passes you plan to use going into Bear Basin, you are experienced enough on snow to do this alternate return.

[Wandering Daisy]

Not to imply that there will be remaining snow on Labor Day, but it certainly is possible. I have done those passes and honestly, I think they are easier with snow (but then I like snow). When the snow melts you can get into a lot of nasty talus.

[SSSdave]

Our old friend Buck Forester who got married, had a son, and disappeared, twice brought his two dogs across that pass so it cannot be too bad although RS rating is as easy and class 1>2 reads suspect as a walk. The nature of storm cornicing will have created deep snows on the east side of the pass this year as will the same side of Granite-Bear Pass. The latter pass is difficult to cross without an ice axe until that considerable snow field melts. The topo shows rather steep sections on the east side of BR and that is why the sand has covered up the steep bedrock in those sections:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... lit=+royce

Check out his 2 images at the east side and top of the pass with the upper Royce Lakes in the background.

BF >>>
"One grunt of a 'pass' I do frequently is a untrailed loose sand/talus slug that goes from the uppermost Royce Lake to Bear Paw Lake in Bear Lakes Basin. It's a two-steps up, 1.5 steps slide back down pass, quite steep, but I love it! But it's exhausting. I'm always with my two dogs when I do this and even they look at me like, "what in the flying heck are we doing this for?". But I love Royce Lakes and I love Bear Lakes so I keep going back again and again.

Oh, SSSdave, I forgot to mention, on these photos I went up the slot on the right side of the "castle" thing, not the left. It's amazing how steep it looks in the flat light, but not so bad with the shadows of the lower light. It's really not too bad, but it's a huffer puffer, especially on the sections going up with the loose sandy talus where you don't make much ground with each backsliding step!

and what has Buck been up to?
David