3 day hikes in the Sierras

“This summer I have my work schedule set to have 3 consecutive days off a week. I work from Friday afternoon through Monday mourning. This will give me the opportunity to take a few 3 to 4 day trips to the Sierras.

Does anyone have any sugestions of 3 to 4 day backpacking trips I should try. Most will be solo, and they can be strenuous.

Thanks
ThinAir”

“Thin Air, from your previous post it looks like you are familiar with the area around the Sonora Pass. Good 3 or 4 day trips abound in this area. Try Kennedy Meadows to Kennedy Lake or to Emigrant Lake via Brown Bear pass. Back down hwy 108, you could use Gianelli Cabin or Crabtree Camp trailheads to get into the Deer Lake/Wire Lakes area.

Go over the Sonora Pass to Leavitt Meadow and go to Tower Lake or Dorothy Lake. Go further still and hit Bridgeport and take 395 south. Enter the Hoover Wilderness from Green Creek or Twin Lakes. All these trips are excellent and I envy your schedule. If any of these sound interesting let me know and I will post more details.”

“Take a look at Dinkey Lakes.
Then there is always Yosemite.
Ritter Range / Banner Peak out of Devils Postpile.
That should give you something to think about until the weather warms up.

Happy Trails”

“Last summer I went up Rodrigues Flat trailhead just east of Walker off 395. Lovely high desert to start, then more traditional Sierra type terrain. Not a sole to be seen.”

“ThinAir, you're in Fresno, right? Take 168 all the way to the Kaiser Pass road, then take that to either Lake Florence or Lake Edison, and you've got a ton of 3 day hikes in the area. From Edison you can go up Mono Creek, up to Mott Lake, over Silver Pass or Goodale Pass, or up Bear Creek. From Florence you can go up to Lost Lake and (cross-country) Red Rock Basin, up Goddard Canyon, up to Evolution Valley, or toward Sally Keyes Lakes and Selden Pass. Bring a friend or two and another car and you can work out a shuttle from Florence to Edison (or vice-versa).

Off 180 in KCNP, the Monarch Divide offers some great (very strenuous) hikes. You could also head south up to Sphinx Lakes, east up Bubbs Creek, or northeast to Paradise Valley (these last two are pretty crowded).

Head up to Giant Forest/Lodgepole and you can work out some good short trips in the Tablelands.

Then there's Mineral King, with lots of great lakes not too far from the trailhead. You could do some spectacular 3-day loops, if you don't mind some very strenuous days.”

“Hey thanks, Sonora Pass is a little out of the way for a 3 day hike, but that was a great idea anyway. I should have mentioned I live in Fresno. Anyway, I was thinking about that area near Florence and Edison. Tehipite, I was reading your trip report about tehipite, and was wondering how many miles and elevation you were doing each day? That sounds like a great place to visit.

I think my first hike this year will be to Dinkey Lakes. That will give me a warmup, and I'll probably go before all the snow is gone. Hopefully in late May after finals.”

“Tehipite is awesome, but 3 days would be a real deathmarch. It's 18 miles in, and there's a 3,700' drop (and climb back out) that's a killer. If you're in really excellent shape you might be able to do 1 day in and 2 days out, but that doesn't leave much time to hang out in the valley. If you can get 5 days, then go for it--2 days in, 2 days out, and 1 day to hang out and explore the valley. Let me know if you do think you're going to do it--I can give a few tips that might be helpful. Explorer has been there too (under less than ideal circumstances), so he probably has some good advice.”

“Too bad you're over in Fresno.
I could give you some killer three/four day hikes over here on the East Side.”

“Here are some pictures from the Bear Creek to Florence Lk trip I took a few years ago. Pictures”

“Woo Hoo, my first attempt at HTML worked.”

“Hey those were some great pics Dunk! And how do you do an HTML? I'm a little new at that.”

“Ditto to what tehipite said -- tehipite valley would be best as a 5-day hike. I'd like to go back in a couple of years and make it a 6 day hike, actually, 2 days in, 2 days in the valley, and 2 days out. (My trip report is probably still available on TT: search for "Explorer's Incredible Adventure.")

There are plenty of great 3-day possibilities from trailheads in that area, though.

My advice is to get the Tom Harrison maps, open them up, and drool over the possibilities...”