R03 TR: Dayhike to Mcgee pass 6/24 2021
Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 3:42 pm
I had been wanting to do this trip for quite a while, so I finally decided to day hike to McGee pass. This is my first TR so sorry if formatting is off.
The trail started out slow, in hot desert sun with a lot of horse manure. After 2 miles, I arrived at a green aspen section right by the major stream crossing. The stream was really low for june: only 9 inches deep at most, but it could still get you wet. The path to the log used to cross the stream was tremendously overgrown, so I never knew it was there (only found out about that on the way back). make sure to look for it!
After the stream crossing the trail meandered through low aspens and the views opened up till I arrived at the dry grass lake, which was just a swampy meadow in this dry year. Wouldn't advise staying here as it was filled with horse packers.
After grass lake the trail got really nice. Half a mile and one easy stream crossing later I got to a large and lush pine forest. After some hiking in this forest, the trail reached an amazing and green river gorge that was maybe 100 feet deep with mcgee creek running through it. It was awesome! Mosquito rating was a 4 though.
After climbing up through the gorge, I soon reached a super nice meadow that was maybe 1 acre, and then right above that an unnamed lake with awesome views of some red and gray peak. The lake was 18'' below, but nice, and completely mosquitoless. After the lake, some switchbacks brought me to an even bigger meadow at 10.5k feet, which soon became forested and then opened up to, once again, an even bigger and nicer meadow at about 6.8 miles in.
The huge meadow below mcgee lake was really green, but the streams throughout it were practically dry. It'll be interesting to see how long the grass will last. After the meadow I arrived at the dark mineral blue Big Mcgee Lake, which was too windy to sit at. It was one of the nicest lakes I've seen in the sierra though!
After big mcgee, the trail climbs around the northern shore and reaches yet one more meadow, with a huge 100-something foot waterfall in sight cascading down from mcgee pass peak. After this meadow, the trail climbs up to an awesome and steep scree-filled canyon, with a river running below. Take your time at the beginning of this canyon, since if you fall you could really hurt. Some switchbacks up the canyon take you to little mcgee lake, which has got to be the most desolate lake I've seen, since it sits in a 1000 foot deep bowl at 11k. After little mcgee the trail follows the deepening canyon up to a glacial lake at about 11.5k feet, which was still mostly frozen, with a lot of snow on top of it.
Right after this lake is the hardest part of the trail. You enter a huge bowl, and slowly switchback up the steep side of it (no snow luckily) until suddenly reaching mcgee pass, the coolest pass I've seen in the sierra! You can see the whole silver divide and down to the meadows of Tully hole.
Coming back took forever. The whole hike ended up being 21 miles, 4.3k gain, and 11 hours.
In the end it was the best sierra hike I've done, so I'm glad I did it.
The trail started out slow, in hot desert sun with a lot of horse manure. After 2 miles, I arrived at a green aspen section right by the major stream crossing. The stream was really low for june: only 9 inches deep at most, but it could still get you wet. The path to the log used to cross the stream was tremendously overgrown, so I never knew it was there (only found out about that on the way back). make sure to look for it!
After the stream crossing the trail meandered through low aspens and the views opened up till I arrived at the dry grass lake, which was just a swampy meadow in this dry year. Wouldn't advise staying here as it was filled with horse packers.
After grass lake the trail got really nice. Half a mile and one easy stream crossing later I got to a large and lush pine forest. After some hiking in this forest, the trail reached an amazing and green river gorge that was maybe 100 feet deep with mcgee creek running through it. It was awesome! Mosquito rating was a 4 though.
After climbing up through the gorge, I soon reached a super nice meadow that was maybe 1 acre, and then right above that an unnamed lake with awesome views of some red and gray peak. The lake was 18'' below, but nice, and completely mosquitoless. After the lake, some switchbacks brought me to an even bigger meadow at 10.5k feet, which soon became forested and then opened up to, once again, an even bigger and nicer meadow at about 6.8 miles in.
The huge meadow below mcgee lake was really green, but the streams throughout it were practically dry. It'll be interesting to see how long the grass will last. After the meadow I arrived at the dark mineral blue Big Mcgee Lake, which was too windy to sit at. It was one of the nicest lakes I've seen in the sierra though!
After big mcgee, the trail climbs around the northern shore and reaches yet one more meadow, with a huge 100-something foot waterfall in sight cascading down from mcgee pass peak. After this meadow, the trail climbs up to an awesome and steep scree-filled canyon, with a river running below. Take your time at the beginning of this canyon, since if you fall you could really hurt. Some switchbacks up the canyon take you to little mcgee lake, which has got to be the most desolate lake I've seen, since it sits in a 1000 foot deep bowl at 11k. After little mcgee the trail follows the deepening canyon up to a glacial lake at about 11.5k feet, which was still mostly frozen, with a lot of snow on top of it.
Right after this lake is the hardest part of the trail. You enter a huge bowl, and slowly switchback up the steep side of it (no snow luckily) until suddenly reaching mcgee pass, the coolest pass I've seen in the sierra! You can see the whole silver divide and down to the meadows of Tully hole.
Coming back took forever. The whole hike ended up being 21 miles, 4.3k gain, and 11 hours.
In the end it was the best sierra hike I've done, so I'm glad I did it.