These Photos Prove It. Parking: A large parking lot for overnight trips is situated close to the lake. After the narrows, the valley widened and there were many hot and sunny meadows that I trudged through, at least according to the map. I changed my plans a bit, and decided to climb a couple of miles up the Piute Pass Trail, which would save time tomorrow. I am now a retired academic, so I was able, in all three trips, to exploit my college timing to hike in early September before the start of classes. Fantastic hike! Dinners were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with instant soup or couscous. Piute Creek You then head south on the JMT, along the river until you reach the junction with the Goddard Canyon Trail. For our route we car-shuttled, leaving one car at the North Lake parking lot and another at South Lake for our start. When I walk through this area again, perhaps I will do the same so I can see it from another perspective. Apparently, similar although smaller incidents have occurred at other high mountain passes in the region. Goode, Bishop Lake, Jigsaw Pass. Depending on your fitness level, you can get to the valley in a day, and choose to go farther to Evolution Lake. Evolution Valley was flower-filled, even in this drought year. Some of the best are right at the outlet with a view both down into Evolution Valley, and back up the Basin, though those were taken when we arrived, even at that early hour (mostly people staying there for several days it seemed). Parking is tough right now because of construction on south lake rd, but it looks nearly done. We parked 3mi down from the trailhead in the overnight parking and caught a ride in the construction workers truck bed (thank you!). Recommend to everybody. Video of a waterfall on Piute Creek near my campsite in lower Piute Canyon. Im a layman, what can I say? They were running a bit late to make it to Canada before the Autumn snows, and they knew it. Backpackers are really friendly and fun, so it was a good time. Day four Rest and explore. Very scenic. The Morning Star Mine comprises a group of 18 claims, situated in Secs. Or bag flattopped Mt. The best time ever, I mean. Monday, they crossed 11,500-foot Piute Pass. The river and steam crossings were simple because the water level is so low at this point in the season. The trail even flattened out to make my way easier. This is a beautiful post. I didnt realize it, but that was the last Id be seeing of Evolution Creek. Emerson and Peak 12691. dirt and rock trail. Oh well. I hung out by the creek for an hour and a half, until 3pm. Bugs werent that bad. On the fourth day of my trek, I backpacked north from Evolution Lake, down into the Evolution Valley with its lush meadows and waterfalls, then down even further to the South Fork San Joaquin River, which I followed downstream yet more, until I left the JMT/PCT for the Piute Pass Trail, climbing this time, and eventually camped along Piute Creek. Day 5: Cushy Day was followed by Payback Day. A number of camp sites here. Allow extra driving time to Florence Lake. We started at south lake and ended on north lake, backwards from most, and while Piute pass was a hard hike, i think ending on Piute and Humphrey's Basin was a great way to complete the trip. Read more + for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. After my work was done, Id jump in the nearest river, cook, then bear-proof my camp. The rivers and meadows are stunning. At first the canyon was narrow, and the river had created deep channels to flow through. Before last pass go to side trail golden trout lake to spend a night. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). To avoid the risk of getting sick, most Sierra backpackers filter or treat their drinking water. Leisurely pace over 6 days / 7 nights, This was an amazing hike! More like a river. This trail goes by Loch Leven, Piute Pass, Summit Lake, Upper Golden Trout Lake, Lamarck Col, and North Lake Campground. The SteriPen Adventurer has become popular because it is more reliable than earlier models. And it felt like it. I heard it thundering off to the side of the trail and went over to check it out, and Im glad I did. The trail is popular with day hikers and backpackers on multi-day trips to Humphreys Basin, Evolution Valley and beyond. I hiked along this stretch of river for almost three miles, and sweated profusely the entire time. some forest floor. Over Piute pass has one patch of snow to cross and it was also a non-issue. The stars up there were surreal. Piute Pass actually puts you into the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River Basin (So. . Starting at Lake Sabrina we could do a proper loop with just two 2 mile stretches on the road. 2 trip report day 0-4: getting in & Yosemite National Park warm up. Front Runners List: Click to see list completion progress by climbers that log their climbs using Peakbagger.com. Location: Northern Kings Canyon National Park The air seemed to be getting a bit cooler, so I packed up my stuff and headed out. This will bring you onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley, a distance of about 16 miles. We did encounter several groups of happy campers who had spent the previous night at some of these lakes. Others seemed to have no issues on the regular crossing. Continue straight at the 3-way. Following that, we returned to North Lake via Lamarck Col, a high pass just short of 13,000'. It was not very buggy and lightly rained on 2/8 days. Not only that, but the trail was going to head even lower as I followed the river downstream. Campsite 3: Colby Meadow. I told them to skip Oregon, because it sounded mostly like boring forest with no views, and a hiker named Strawberry told me that there was a thing called Oregon in Two Weeks which skips the lame parts. I could see both up and down the canyon, and there was no shortage of glaciated granite in evidence. Ouch! So prepare rain And wind covering if comfort is a must. We hiked this loop from North to South Lake. Or bag flattopped Mt. Day 4: Evolution Valley to Piute Creek. Then climbs through Evolution Meadow and Evolution Valley to reach Evolution Lake; 4,850 ft. of climb, 3,400 ft. of descent in 28 miles. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). mostly exposed to the sun so take a good cover. Now, an 81-year old. Though ruled by an evil mosquito king that keeps his troops busy, Big Pete Meadow (the meadow part should have been our clue) was a delight. Call me crazy, but theres just something great about sitting around a campfire with your friends sharing sugar and a swig. We camped up there on our second night. I was OK with this, as its hard to tell distance when youre hiking fast downhill, as it feels so much different heading the other way. A great spot! Didnt see a bear which a good thing. Usually we did it in 7 days. We slept near the shores of Evolution Lake. That pond is the same pond I had lunch at last year descending from Bishop Pass into Le Conte Canyon. Okay, I need my camera again. Day two Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park) at mile 17.4. We had heard that you could maybe get an employee of Parcher's Resort to give you a lift to the North Lake Trailhead -- they are located a mile down the road from the South Lake Trailhead. We had rain (often with hail) during 5 of our 6 days out, so bring a rain coat and a pack cover. I woke up before dawn, as usual. Ooops! Trailhead to Piute Lake Distance from Trailhead: 7.0 miles (round trip) You have to cross a river to get to them. omg. The first day we stopped at the Florence lake bridge. In August we did North lake to south lake direction which avoided the climb up to Bishop pass. this is the one backpack trip I remember with my dad, friend and his dad.. in 1959.. Piute Creek Crosing: Bridge at Piute Creek Crossing: Layers: Western juniper, and its cones: Enjoy! Here you will find the most recent trail conditions available to us. The trail starts at North Lake (9,276'), soon enters the John Muir Wilderness, and ascends to Piute Pass (11,423') in four steep miles. Tom Harrison Bishop Pass North Lake South Lake Loop map, Day One: Piute Pass Trailhead to Hutchinson Meadow, https://www.google.com/maps/dir/37.1690269,-118.5659703/Parchers+Resort/@37.1821746,-118.5605844,15z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x80be22599824d057:0x2d65d233d333ba3!2m2!1d-118.558043!2d37.18528!3e0?hl=en, https://www.google.com/maps/dir/37.2214526,-118.6047098/North+Lake+Hiker+Parking/@37.2218114,-118.6169192,15z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x80be212c5ba6930b:0x4fdb45ddf9fd610a!2m2!1d-118.6186999!2d37.2306136!3e0?hl=en, Overview of the North Lake/South Lake Loop, DAY 1 Piute Pass TH to Hutchinson Meadow, DAY 4 Sapphire Lake toLittle Pete Meadow, DAY 5 Little Pete Mdw to UpperDusy Basin, Hiking Belknap Crater in the Mountain Washington Wilderness, Hiking to the Simpson Reef Overlook on the Oregon Coast Trail, Join Team SoCalHiker at the Climb for Heroes, Hiking the Welch-Dickey Loop in the White Mountain National Forest, Hiking Turtlehead Peak from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, How to deal with accidents while hiking in the winter. We went north to south. Evolution Valley was about four miles long, and descended from 10,000 to 9,000 feet elevation, which was quite a mellow grade, and definitely below the treeline. I only had about a liter left of the three Id started with that morning. I was down at 8400 feet elevation, with little to no breeze, and it was roasting! We remained on the JMT at the Goddard Canyon junction and continued up a series of switchbacks that led us to a stream crossing where we had to take off our hiking boots & put on our water shoes and continue towards Evolution Valley. Muir Pass had miles of near continuous deep snow on both sides of the pass. Leave the JMT, and follow the drainage up to Darwin Canyon. I felt a whining session coming on, Pleeeeese dont make me leave. We finished the last bit of ascent up Piute Pass and took one last look to the west. This famous combo-trail will be our path for the next 26.5 miles. The trail is quite rocky in most places so slower than you might expect given the elevation profile. However, on the way back from Forsyth, I had some time to think about it while dealing with trail miles.On paper, 55 miles with 10k vertical in 12h15 looks soft; Yours Truly ran 50 miles with 12k vertical in about 9 hours at San Juan Solstice, and the . By heading upstream on a use-trail for a quarter mile to a meadow, you will find a shallower ford. Piute Pass. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Didnt posthole, it was sunny and we summited at 10:30am from a 5:30am start (slower pace), stayed for an hour at the hut and headed down towards Evolution Lake to camp. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. Now I cant breathe for another reason. One bite of the Evolution area is It is, of course, the perfect time for this 5 - 7 day hike. Plenty of camp sites a long the way. 110 Piute Pass Trail junction, 17 mi. Bonner explored this area in 1895 while scouting a hikers route along the crest of the Sierra (it would eventually become the John Muir Trail). We slept in our vehicle at the trailhead the night before starting. Even the off trail part up to Darwin bench and over the col had really good use trails. From there we pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Piute Canyon. I've done this trail 4 times and it is amasing. I climbed down off my hilltop aerie and walked along the southern shore of Evolution Lake. One of the greatest hikes I've ever done. The regular crossing, we returned to North Lake to south Lake direction which avoided the climb up Bishop... As certain other jurisdictions our vehicle at the Florence Lake bridge, Pleeeeese dont make me leave feet elevation with. 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