High Sierra Topix

What level of backpacking experience do you have?
Level 3 backpacking/level 4 day hiking

What terrain are you comfortable/uncomfortable with?
Comfortable with all, would like to keep it on trail for this trip due to snow/desire to cover more miles

What is your main interest?
Scenery/and decent chance of less than lethal mosquito pressure

When is your trip?
Last weekend July 2023

How many days/nights is your trip, not including travel to trailhead?
3N/4D, I can also sleep at the trailhead of necessary (thurs-sun on trail)

How many miles did you want to do a day, any layovers?
unlimited per day


Do you have a route logistics preference: loop, out and back, point to point
loop or lollipop

Is there a particular area in the Sierra that your most interested in (Yosemite, SEKI, western sierra start or eastern start ect.)?
Thinking about Benson lake loop coming in from Hoover, otherwise, open to suggestions

Live in Tahoe, would not like to drive more than 3-4 hrs. What are the most realistic non quota/easy permit trips along the eastern side or somewhere on the west slope that's not desolation you'd recommend?

Permits are usually easy to get for the Hoover Wilderness trailheads.

Sierrasnob wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2023 1:23 pm Thinking about Benson lake loop coming in from Hoover, otherwise, open to suggestions

Are you thinking of the loop from Twin Lakes, up past Peeler Lake, down Kerrick Canyon, then on the PCT over Seavey Pass, down, down, down into the hole of Benson Lake, then up, up, up to Smedberg Lake, over Benson Pass down to Matterhorn Canyon, then leave the PCT to head up Matterhorn Canyon and over Burro and Mule Passes and back to Twin Lakes? That seems like an excessive amount of hiking to squeeze into a 3 night trip, even with no snow and dry trails. Even back in my twenties, I took 6 nights to do this loop.

Here's another suggestion in that same area. Start at the Buckeye Creek trailhead north of Twin Lakes. If you have two cars, leave one at Twin Lakes, where this loop will terminate. Otherwise, you can hitch-hike from Twin Lakes back to Buckeye Creek. Usually a fair amount of traffic because there are hot springs on Buckeye Creek, which you can enjoy when you finish your hike! Look for the cars parked downstream from the campground. There is also a very nice and large Forest Service campground at the trailhead on Buckeye Creek to spend the night before to acclimate.

Hike up the Buckeye Creek trail. You have to ford Buckeye Creek about 5 miles up - could be large flow still in late July. On our last trip up this trail in 2009, we had difficulty following the trail for a few miles past the Buckeye Creek crossing due to numerous meandering cow paths (yes, they still graze cows here), but the trail improved once we got out of the cow-grazed meadows and to "The Roughs". The short loop is to continue all the way up Buckeye Creek to Buckeye Pass, then over to Peeler Lake, then down to Twin Lakes trailhead. But there are numerous interesting side trips and extensions, depending on conditions.

Where the North Fork Buckeye Creek joins the main stem, a side trail takes you up to Kirkwood Pass, which has outstanding views of the West Walker drainage, including Tower Peak, and good camping at the little tarn on the pass just north of the trail. If snow is mostly melted, you can do an easy cross-country return to Kerrick Meadows and Peeler Lake, by ascending the ridge south of Kirkwood Pass about 1/2 mile until it tops out on the broad upper basin of Thompson Creek. Walk down this broad meadowy basin a couple of miles until you see a low saddle on the left (east) ridge. Contour over to it, and then work your way down east to Kerrick Meadows. This pass has little cliffs and gullies you have to work around, but it is easy class 2.

Another extension would be to head south from Kerrick Meadows, rather than east to Peeler Lake, and take the side trip up to Rock Island Pass. Just before the pass, you can contour south on benches to a low pass and down to scenic Rock Island Lake in its broad meadowy basin. Back down from Rock Island Pass to Twin Lakes, there are campsites on the north side of extremely scenic Crown Lake, with massive Crown Point looming over it.

As far as mosquitoes go, I think you will find them everywhere in late July this year! Just try to find open, windy campsites, preferably on granite.

-Phil