High Sierra Topix

In mid-July 2024, my son and I took a three-day trip from the Bourland Meadow trailhead.

We stopped at West Fork Cherry Creek to enjoy the cascades. See also this post.

The segment along Cherry Creek is described in this reply.


Then we climbed the outlet of Yellowhammer Lake. The entire creek sometimes fit into narrow rock cracks. Estimated flow rate: 0.5 liters per second. We camped at Big Lake. The outlet was not flowing.


On the final day, we crossed the great granite bow west of Big Lake. The cascades were completely dry. We swam in Hyatt Lake.

We also stopped where West Fork was cascading over checkerboard cracks. As we ate there, we periodically submerged ourselves in the pools to cool down. The water was quite warm, and there was stuff floating in it.

Mosquitoes were present mostly near the trailhead and a little near Big Lake. No mosquitoes otherwise.

It was warm, even at night. Cherry Creek: 75°F in the evening, 68°F in the morning. Big Lake: 71°F in the evening, low 60s in the morning. We didn’t use puffy jackets at all. Even our quilt and sleeping bag seemed superfluous most of the time.

We met people at Cherry Creek, Big Lake, and Hyatt Lake.

I missed this one when you posted it. That sounds like a nice trip. I was in Emigrant last summer and it was unusually warm. I have been to the north end of Hyatt Lake, but it seemed quite brushy to reach the opposite shore, which looked better. Years ago, I met a trail crew who were camping at Hyatt Lake. It is a great route in a high snowpack year with more waterfalls.

Did you guys visit Camp YH? Also curious if you saw any fire rings around Big. I didn't notice any in the late last season, when I saw many years prior. Not sure if rangers came through cleaning things up or if it just see much use in '24.

Hyatt is interesting. I think it may be one of the most visited of all the large off-trial lakes I know. So many ways to come at it, but no trail to it. I think it was a bigger deal in years past.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 09, 2025 5:29 pm I have been to the north end of Hyatt Lake, but it seemed quite brushy to reach the opposite shore, which looked better.

Some years ago, something happened that littered that entire NE side with lots of dead trees and debris. Perhaps a log jam busting from Rosasco outlet? Would love to know exactly what it was, but accounts from the 90's (and Schiffrin's description) paint a completely different picture of what it is now. Depending on the time of year, it's a real chore to get through it.

We didn't go to Yellowhammer Lake this time. We ran out of time.

I don't remember seeing any fire rings around Big Lake.