Sierra Nevada 3 day backpack

“I'm going with the family to California in early July, driving from Boise. It appears we can fit in a 3 day backpack on the way down. We have an 8 yo and a 13 yo, and they can hike 5-6 miles in a day. I was thinking of hiking in to 1000 Island Lake, or the Palisades lakes. I don't really remember how long those hikes are, though, and I don't want to be too ambitious for the kids. Any suggestions on these or other hikes from the Owens Valley that would be spectacular and not too hard for kids? Are permits needed in advance for these hikes these days?”

“Snow Nymph and maybe Wingding are probably your best bets for info on Eastern Sierra hikes. I have taken my son (now 8.5, backpacking since age 3) several places in the Western Sierra - if you're interested in "this" side, let me know....”

“We're leaving for Mammoth in the next 1/2 hr, so here's a cut/paste of 1000 Island Lake trip report from my website. Most of the trips should have trip reports with elevations/mileages under the thumbnail ( Snow Nymph site )

Photos from 1000 Island Lake backpack:
Part 1 Thousand Island Lake Loop
Part 2 Thousand Island Lake loop (you might want to go to Ediza Lake instead, 7 mi each way . . . photos are on the Ritter & Banner thumbnails from 2002)

Trip report: 1000 Island Lake

June 28-29, 2003

We didn't get to Mammoth til 4am, so we slept in. We drove to the Mammoth Mountain Inn, got our Starbucks expresso drinks, then took the shuttle bus to the trailhead.

Our trip started from Agnew Meadows 8,508'and up the High Trail around noon, temps between 75-80 degrees, and bugs were threatening to go up my nose or in my mouth. We stopped for one hour at a beautiful spot overlooking Shadow Lake and its outlet, with the Minarettes, Mt Ritter and Banner Peak behind it. SnowDude showed me how to use a map and compass and we went on and on about future trips. We hiked a total of 10.2 miles to Thousand Island Lake (9,833') which included a 1/2 mile side trip to Badger Lakes and a 1/2 mile hike to the west side of Thousand Island Lake. Badger Lakes was Snowdude's first backpack ever, so he wanted to go back to see it. We saw 4 small groups on the High Trail during the day, some horse packers leaving Thousand Island Lake, and 5 tents. We set up camp, filtered water, washed up, ate dinner, and sat in the dark listening to coyotes howling and frogs croaking. There was a breeze, so the bugs left us alone. We didn't get to see the "Thousand Island Lake bear petting zoo" that we heard about on the trail. We finally got to sleep around 11:30pm.

Sunday we hiked to Emerald Lake, where we saw a lot of boy scouts, 4 blow up boats and 6 tents. The snow covered the trail, so we lost it, went through their camp, and found the trail again. Then we hiked around the north side of Ruby Lake, over a 10,000'+ ridge, and had quick lunch at the Garnet Lake outlet. We followed a use trail, then skiid down a snow chute to the trail. Somehow we missed the San Joaquin crossing and were hiking on the wrong side of the river, probably while fighting the mosquitos (no trail on the map, and the use trail kept disappearing). We found a log crossing, but it was slick so we straddled-scooted on our butts to get across, then crossed the rest of the way over a log jam. From there we bushwacked (dead ends/down trees/trees growing close together)til we found the trail. The river trail was kinda boring once we got away from the San Joaquin. (3.5 hrs in the trees without much of a view). I wanted to do the Shadow Lake trail (even though I've done it a million times) because its so pretty. We both had not done the Garnet outlet, and I had not done the River Trail. So we got some new trail in this weekend, a total of 9.7 miles for second day, 19.9 miles for the weekend.

We sat at the shuttle stop for 10-15 minutes before the first bus came along. He told us another bus would be by in 10 minutes, going to the parking lot. We had enough of the bugs, and opted for the longer bus ride which took 1 hr 15 minutes. We went back to the condo to shower (we're getting soooo spoiled!) and didn't leave Mammoth til 9:30pm. Monday was a long day!

Other trips (check these thumbnails, some have trip reports under):
Chicken Spring Lake (~ 5 mi)
McGee Creek (don't have to go all the way to Big McGee ~7 mi)
Onion Valley to Matlock Lakes (one of the guys from Wild Ideas said its his daughters favorite, been meaning to get there)

Cirque Peak & Langley (just go to Cottonwood Lakes, ~ 5 mi)
Palisade Glacier or Big Pine Lakes thumbnail: Third Lake is ~ 5 mi in, we did a loop trip in 3 days
Mt Lamarck (take the kids as far as upper Lamarck, ~4.5 mi)
Jul 4 xctry backpack - can go to Loch Leven (2.5 mi), Piute Lake (3.5-4?), or over Piute Pass (5 mi)
Llamarama (lots of lakes near Mammoth)”

“Snow Nymph, I have looked over your site, and love it. I especially looked at the Palisades lakes one.

How about a trip where you start pretty high, and have a 6 mile or less hike to awesome country, without a huge amount of elevation gain? Onion Valley? Kearsarge Pass? My perception of these places from when I was 17-22 years old is pretty misleading now that I'm 53.”

“A group of friends and I will be taking almost this exact same trip towards the end of July. Are the bugs really as bothersome as you imply? The reason I ask is that I'll be taking my 'rookie to backpacking' girlfriend along and she hasn't fared well with the bug element in the past...

Thanks,

-t72”

“The Little Lakes Valley area is beautiful and you start so high there isn't much elevation gain to conquer in order to get back to some great spots :)”

“Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to the lakes.”

“BearCrossing, where is the Little Lakes Valley? Do we have to get permits in advance in any of these destinations?”

“Looks like we'll be hitting the Sierra on July 9-11, and Cottonwood lakes sounds great. I remember Muir Lake in that area was spectacular. From the old guide book I got on ebay, it looks like one of the easier Sierra hikes, and I know its spectacular. Is there any good fishing in the lakes up there?”

“The fishing for golden trout in Cottonwood Lakes can be fantastic, or it can completely suck. Most of the times I've fished these lakes I have done well with flies, but a couple times the fishing was tough. It's a beautiful area, that's for sure. If you have time, pop over one of the passes (Old Army or New Army) and hit Soldier Lakes and if you're feeling ambitious, hike to Sky Blue Lake. Miter Basin is spectacular. If you like hiking up 14teeners, Mt. Langley is the southern-most 14teener and the views are incredible. I encountered a herd of bighorns up there once, it was a great experience! You can pee over 2,000' off the west side of the peak, but watch for updrafts. Muir Lake is a nice place to camp and the calm morning reflections are beautiful. Muir Lake itself has some nice sized goldens but the fishing there seems a little trickier. South Fork Lakes seem to be filled with smaller easy-to-catch goldens, and I've done well at Long Lake too. I've never had much luck at Cirque Lake or High Lake. Long Lake can be pretty good.

Here's a site about fishing Cottonwood Lakes if you're interested.

Fishing Cottonwood Lakes”

“Thanks, Buck. Are permits required in advance of such a trip?”

“You will need a permit to backpack into the Cottonwoods Lake area. No permit is required for dayhiking. The most popular lake to fish at is Lake #3, some maps have it listed as Lake #4. It is located next to a metal building. It is a great area, I go up there 2 to 3 times a year.

Links:

http://community.webshots.com/album/58736061WRSelk

Link #2

http://community.webshots.com/album/34641214VeAdrV


Link #3

http://community.webshots.com/album/42785600QqvkuW

Link #4

http://community.webshots.com/album/82452438hVXGqc


Have fun! By the way, there is a maruading bear up there now. So do not eat near your tent, use a bear canister and leave your fishy smelling clothes in another location, far from where you are sleeping. It is only a matter of time before it becomes toooo aggressive.”

“So where do I get a permit? I hope I can do it by phone or email?? Thanks!”

“call the reservation office of the rangers on the Erastern Side

1(760)873-2483

Call before 5 pm pacific time. It is $5.00 per spot on each permit. Have your favorite CC handy.”

“Make that Eastern side of the Sierra”

“Mt. Whitney Ranger Station

Hi Idaho Bob! Here's a link to the website. I'd call the phone number listed for the process. It seems to get more complicated on how to get permits each year, so I usually call about the process. I've spent many nights sleeping in front of the ranger station to get a permit. With determination, fortitude, and luck, you still might fail. Keep your options open, even if it means you hafta start your hike in Mexico.”

“Oops, WLD beat me. WLD, QUIT BEATING ME!”

“Another area to consider is the Saddlebag Lk area near Tioga Pass. Trailhead is about 10200 with dozens of lakes within 5 miles. Easy crosscountry possibilities, beautiful scenery and not too much elevation change unless you want to do some peak bagging.”

“I always fax my application. If quota is full, they will call to let you know.

Dunk,
If you do peak bagging in that area, I am interested! Interested in Dana and Conness. And if you ski it (next spring), I would be really really interested!”

“Both good ideas, Dunk and Snow Nymph. I think we visited Saddlebag Lakes when we started the JMT from Tioga. It would be nice to start high. Does someone have a topo software program that they could send me a topo of the Cottonwood and Saddlebag hikes?”

“Try Topozone on-line.”

“SN, I must admit, I'm interested in Conness, Dana and Tioga's legendary spring skiing. Dana's been on my want to do list for years. It's not on my calendar this year, but who knows! If it works into my agenda, I'll let you know.”

“ Topozone

I use this all the time and print the map so I can READ what's on it.

Dunk, Our friends have skiid it these past two years, and we missed the trips, so those are on the "to do" list. We did Bloody Mtn Memorial Weekend, and it was FUN! Even the 4wd road was an adventure! If you want to do Bloody next spring, we'll probably do it again.”

“topozone is cool! Thanks!”

“So you can drive in to Saddlebag lakes. Is there a boat ride across the lake, and then what are good lakes to go to?”

“We did a 5 day trip from Twin Lakes (Bridgeport) and ended at Saddlebag Lake. We took the boat back the last few miles.

We climbed the unnamed saddle on the 4th day and saw this view Tons of lakes to go to!”

“SN, that is a great view! Do you shoot digital or film? I assume premits are needed in this area also?”

“Snow Nymph, my friend has wanted to take me to Saddlebag Lakes for years, and it never quite happens. After seeing your photo, it's moved to the top of my list. Fantatstiac photo and view! Thanks.”

“That photo was taken with my Canon Rebel 2000 (SLR). I've gone thru 3 digital cameras since. Got my newest in Feb, the Canon Powershot S50 5.0 megapixel digital. SnowDude is using my Canon S45 now. Thinking about the Canon Rebel like Windwalkers.

The view from that unnamed saddle was awesome. So many lakes!”

“Snow, I just got the Canon EOS 10D and the Tamron 28-300 XR -- a huge splurge and a fair amount of weight. But I think I will love it. It's still in the box. I think I'm a little scared to get it out.”

“The Saddlebag lake trip might have the advanatage of being far from population centers, thus less likely to be crowded. ANyone know what Ranger station to call for a permit?”

“I'm not 100% sure this is up to date info, you know how Ranger Stations tend to change their phone numbers often, but here's where I'd start:

Lee Vining Ranger Station, P.O. Box 429 , Lee Vining, CA, 93541, Phone: 760-647-3000, TTY: 760-647-3016

If it were me, and this is just my opinion, if I were driving all the way from Idaho for a High Sierra trip, I wouldn't backpack the Hoover Wilderness. It's pretty, to be sure, but there are so many grander places. Hiking in from Saddlebag Lake puts you into a lot of cool lakes quickly (within a couple miles), but with all the other options, it would be a ways down my list.”

“And yes, you can take a boat shuttle across Saddlebag Lake, but heck, it's only a couple miles walk regardless. Since 20 Lakes Basin is less than a mile beyond Saddlebag, no need for the shuttle unless you're doing a big loop trip and coming out somewhere else. Doing what Snow Nymph did would be pretty cool.”

“So Buck, what do you suggest? I'm looking for relatively high elevation, low elevation gain, easy trip for a 13 and 8 year old. Cottonwood is also high on my list.”

“Hmmm... if you're looking for high elevation, low elevation gain that's really easy, then the 20 Lakes Basin is probably your best bet. It's a pretty area that's very easy to get to. I didn't realize you were seeking this kind of trip, I guess I should've payed more attention. Another option for getting into spectacular High Sierra country with very little elevation gain would be going in to Little Lakes Valley from Mosquito Flat. You can actually drive to 10,000. I think it's the highest trailhead you can drive to in all the Sierra and the country is stunning. But it's very popular and bear canisters are required and no fires are allowed. You even have to pack out your farts. Cottonwood Lakes is spectac as well. Cottonwood Lakes obviously have goldens, Little Lakes Valley has lots of lakes filled with easy-to-catch brookies, and 20 Lakes Basin has brookies, rainbows, and goldens. Decisions, decisions.”

“I think we're going with Saddlebag lakes. It looks like Mt. Conness is close if I get ambitious, and the Conness Lakes might be pretty nice. I've climbed the Matterhorn, which is a bit north of there, but have never been in the Saddlebag area. Good fishing would be an added bonus. I'm packing our packs now, and we have a reservation in Lee Vining at a motel for the night before the hike.”

“Hey, Bob, You might be interested in my trip report and pics from about a year ago. To make a long story short, we camped about a quarter mile in from the parking lot near the walk-in campground (that area immediately west of Saddlebag is a day-use area only). Our goal was to bag Conness, but we (well, OK, I) chickened out when we got up to about 12,000'. We had lots of fun, and the part that we did hike would be perfectly do-able for kids (I'm considering taking my 8.8-year-old son there sometime soon). Lots of great scenery.”

“BounderMan, thanks. I've climbed Dana, but never Conness. Did you see Conness Lakes? You think the bugs will be bad there, being so high? That would not sit will with the wife.”

“When we were there, the mosquitos were pretty bad (note the bug regalia in the photos). We did see Conness Lakes (I think) when we peeked over the East Ridge to the north. Unless my geography is screwed up, the Conness Glacier (1st or 2nd largest in the Sierra?) is at the head of that valley. Really spectacular scenery - oh, and there were no mosquitos up at 12,000'!”

“OK, we'll take net headgear.”

“My buddy got chewed up pretty bad - I didn't because I just put my rain jacket on and they couldn't bite through that. He just had a fleece top on.”

“Anthrax works good on skeeters too.”

“Aw, shut the buck up! hee hee...”

“Bowlderman, I think Palisade is the biggest.

Bugs were bad at Mosquito Flat trailhead (10,300'). We camped at 12,000' at Mono Pass and no bugz! We didn't see them again (just a few) til Ruby Lake (~11K). Near the creek I dropped my pack and put my shirt on as fast as I could. We were running towards our vehicles near the trailhead. Yeah, bring mosquito headgear! And the Preparation H!”

“Anyone know whats wrong with the Lee Vining Ranger station? I have been calling them for 5 days, and get a busy signal every time.”

“It's a gov't operation, if it's only been 5 days, they're still on break.”

“I'd try the Mono Lake Visitor Center (you can get permits there too), or perhaps the Mammoth Lakes Ranger Station, or the Lee Vining Chamber of Commerce to see what's up.”

“Oh, sorry, you are talking about a place, not the brewer. Shoot. It's happy hour time and I'm at work! Let me out! Let me out!”

“I am with ya Pixie. I want outta here too. Not off for another hour. By then happy hur is over =(”

“I think they have moved the public-oriented operations completely to the Mono Lake visitor center. They probably couldn't afford to change the phone number so just left it off the hook.”