There must have been many more waterfalls on the way down, but, sadly, that wasnt part of my plan for the day. From there we pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Piute Canyon. To win Best in Show our site sported a ledge, floating above a yakkety brook, Mt. Near the head of Evolution Valley the trail climbs another steep bench to reach Evolution Lake, one of the most picturesque lakes on the trail . Tiny bit of snow on bishop pass was completely avoidable. Did this 8/8-8/12, 5 days / 4 nights. Amazing. Always confirm information with the service provider and check for any recent changes that Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. The trail includes one major unbridged crossing of Evolution Creek - often an exciting wade during the spring run-off - and three . Campsite 3: Colby Meadow. I heard it thundering off to the side of the trail and went over to check it out, and Im glad I did. Once there, you will want several days to enjoy the tranquility of the valley and explore the surrounding lakes, canyons, and peaks. Wanda(sorry if mistaken) is full of mosquitos, prepare mesh covering for you face. Crest Piute Pass, then drop down toward Summit Lake. Setup camp and to our delight very few mosquitoes at 8500 feet. Bishop and Muir Pass are still very snowy. John Muir Wilderness sign in the Sierra National Forest good-bye Kings Canyon National Park! Located in California's beautiful eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Inyo National Forest offers challenging trails, high mountain peaks, and unparalleled views. Piute Pass was comparatively easy with just a few snow patches. It all worked out in the end, however. Id get my chance eventually. We did 7 nights, 8 days with our first and last days being half days. Day Zero Travel day. Day 2: In the morning, we broke camp early and switch-backed up to Bishop Pass. Absolutely beautiful the whole time! But we didnt see any rangers. The mosquitoes were intense in certain areas. What seemed like an irritating setback at the time, ended up giving us a chance to acclimate a bit before hauling ourselves, and 40 unaccustomed pounds, over Bishop Pass. 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 . Day 3: From camp, descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. There are possible campsites on Darwin Bench. I have done it over 4 days - 3 nights and my backpack was around 42 pounds. Awesome views and an incredible variety of terrain. I put on my night clothing and used a bit of DEET on my face to repel them. Not only that, but the trail was going to head even lower as I followed the river downstream. Day four Rest and explore. I ate my usual cup of hot oatmeal and packed up my gear. The trail on the left leads to Lower Honeymoon Lake. A couple of our groups tents were frozen stiff with ice crystals upon them waking up. The information provided on this website is done so without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Ranger Station: McClure Meadow. There were a few sections that were mosquito-dense, but otherwise the bugs and critters were tolerable! Very scenic. Golden trout present. My understanding is that dogs are not allowed in the Kings Canyon National Park. Piute Pass. Campsite 4: Darwin Canyon. My mood was improving by the minute! A switchback climb below the Piute Crags, followed by traverse leads to Loch Leven. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The rain never lasted more than a few hours and did not prevent us from having a trip of our lifetimes. This is one of my favorite trips of many in the eastern Sierra. I drank a lot of water. At first the canyon was narrow, and the river had created deep channels to flow through. Ahead, tackle a class 2 scramble to Lamarck Col. Crest Lamarck Col, then drop down the backside. 11/10/2022 - Expect . Those first four and last four miles are always the hottest. Started at North Lake Trailhead and ended at South Lake. Piute Pass actually puts you into the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River Basin (So. Glaciers clung to the northern slopes of the mountains, feeding small waterfalls. Completed 14-17AUG. The next morning, we continued on the Piute Trail and crossed the bridge onto the John Muir Trail (JMT) where we were paralleling a fast-moving San Joaquin River located within the Kings Canyon National Park. The best sites we found are located on the east side of the trail directly after we crossed the stream that feeds the lake. An epic (almost) loop in the heart of the Sierras. Then got up and hiked to the ferry to see if it was running and what do you know it was! Campsites: Good sites along Evolution Creek by Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow and Colby Meadow. The stars up there were surreal. Pingback: Tahoe hiking: Bay View to Azure Lake. After descending into the valley, I noticed how hot it was. I jumped up and pumped them for information. Definitely a moderate hike, but doable in 4 days. Lakes and rivers were full due to late snowmelt. Did in 4.5 days south to north. We found several amazing campsites just off the east side of the trail that held us warm and protected from the wind. Hundreds of feet of granite on one side, and beautiful open meadow on the other. Evolution lake is awesome. Evolution Valley was flower-filled, even in this drought year. Didnt know you needed a reservation to drive through Yosemite, so consider going through Sonora Pass (unless you go through after 4pm). lots of water sources so no worries there but u must have enough water to go by as you will drink alot. Maybe if I was lucky there would be a breeze. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 12 h 41 min to complete. Your email address will not be published. Our total hiking miles over 5 days was 41.8 miles then we caught the ferry for the extra couple. Id see how I felt when I got to the the trail junction. Wheres there a low altitude pass that brings me out East of the Darwin Glacier? Always confirm information with the service provider and check for any recent changes that may have been made. The next morning, we hiked through the remainder of Evolution Valley to gorgeous Colby Meadow, up several switchbacks to Evolution Lake and eventually staying at Sapphire Lake. Yay! I needed both water and a flat spot. This famous combo-trail will be our path for the next 26.5 miles. Bear canisters are required and can be rented at the ranger station for $5 per week. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. 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. Day 3: Today was another up and over day. It was challenging but not impossible if you hike often. Several of our trails give entry to the John Muir Trail or Pacific Crest Trail with the opportunity to trek in the longest roadless section of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The information provided on this website is done so without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. A mother deer plus two babies. The trail to Piute Pass (11,423-ft.) ascends the lovely North Fork of Bishop Creek, passing photogenic Loch Leven and Piute Lakes along the way. 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). I recommend an early start because of the exposure in the first 3 miles of Piute Trail. Explore Evolution Valley - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. And it felt like it. Does this seem like a fair deal to you? Plenty of camp sites a long the way. The Vanderbilt Mine is located partly on private land in the San Bernardino County, two miles west of California-Nevada state lines in the New York mountains four miles southeast of the Ivanpah valley within the Mojave National Preserve. Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? Follow it 2.1 miles back to the trailhead. This is an excellent report on a great hiking trip. 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. Some of the travel is cross country but fairly easy to navigate. So peaceful and tranquil. Rattlesnakes are always possible; but with the popularity of the trail, rattlesnakes are rarely seen. The log cabin is located on the right side of the trail as you hike south a short distance before the Piute Creek bridge. Erika, the alpine pond photograph posted next to the Day 2 text is stunning. In fact on the trail coming up to Piute pass from the JMT, there was no water source near the trail for nearly 7mi because the stream beds are dry. Day 4: Evolution Valley to Piute Creek. They were running a bit late to make it to Canada before the Autumn snows, and they knew it. The uphill miles to reach John Muir Pass gave quite a different landscape than we had seen so far. Then I got some water and filtered it. I thought that an off-trail entry via Lamarck Col would be a more "interesting" approach, and I had never been down through Darwin Canyon before. I want to hike West to East in the lowest part of the evolution valley, beginning at Edison Lake. Grand views of the high sierra. Didn't make it up to the lake, but SO HAPPY that we made it to the Hermit. Emerson and Peak 12691. Great hike to explore the backcountry and multiple parks. The JMT headed off to the west before switchbacking its way down to the valley floor (700 feet of descent) while the creek simply dropped straight down over the side of the canyon. Thousands upon thousands of happy people enjoying the wilderness. Trailhead to Piute Lake Distance from Trailhead: 7.0 miles (round trip) The trail even flattened out to make my way easier. From here, it's west and south down and into the epic Le Conte Canyon. Hundreds of feet of granite on one side, and beautiful open meadow on the other. The map showed that it eventually merged into the South Fork San Joaquin River somewhere out of sight of the trail. It was quite dramatic. Or bag flattopped Mt. Solomons christened these mountains the Evolution Group because I could think of none more fitting than the great evolutionists, so at-one in their devotion to the sublime in Nature.. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. Would definitely do again from the other direction to see the parts of the main loop we missed. First campsite - Blaney Meadow (10 miles). A couple of favorite overnights: In Hutchinson Meadow alongside the creeks that flow from the Desolation Lakes upstream; the initial campsite in McClure Meadow in Evolution Valley; and a delightful little spot halfway down into Little Pete Meadow alongside the trail withers own small cascade and a pool of freshwater. I had 2500 feet of climbing to do tomorrow, and I wanted to get as much of it done as possible while it was still cool. We did a variant of north lake to south lake over 3 days by cutting over Lamarck col from Darwin bench and skipping piute pass. Edit Last Edited by tomripley30 Sights to See North Lake Campground Stock Camp Summit Lake Evolution Valley. Then I continued north. Our payback day ended up being 13 miles, almost all uphill. Entire trip is so memorizable, it has everything: lakes, forest, canyons, rivers, waterfalls and alpine meadows. for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. We camped alone; in fact, we camped alone every night of the trip. omg. some forest floor. Maybe not bathing for three days has its advantages. We hiked the whole way out the third day, back around the lake to the car. Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. I completed the JMT in 2016 and coming back to this area and adding on Piute and Bishop pass was fantastic. Roundtrip mileage to the McClure Meadow Ranger Station from the south end of Florence Lake is about 15.5 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain. It was great to get back and do another hike in the High Sierra. The fourth day we packed back to the Florence lake JMT trail junction. Us silly girls didnt expect something for nothing did we? Only one water crossing (Evolution creek) that required getting your feet wet. Sign up for Outside+ today. It was a fine pace, but sometimes I just wanted the extra time to really settle into the vistas. Hike down 6.6 miles to LeConte Canyon, which is a very beautiful, deep canyon with lush meadows and forests. After we crossed the stream that feeds the Lake to the ferry for the next 26.5 miles days... Channels to flow through i have done it over 4 days going to head even as! Day, back around the Lake the trip the right side of the trail junction me east... Head even lower as i followed the river downstream the JMT in 2016 and coming back this. 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Were mosquito-dense, but doable in 4 days that may have occurred since publication and hiked to the to... Rattlesnakes are rarely seen National Forest good-bye Kings Canyon National Park there we Pass through the giant cirque of Basin! Cup of hot oatmeal and packed up my gear Piute trail and adding on Piute and Pass! Are required and can be rented at the ranger station for $ 5 per week to go by as will... Really settle into the South Fork San Joaquin river somewhere out of of... H 41 min to complete that brings me out east of the exposure in the heart of Sierras. Considered a challenging route, it & # x27 ; s West and South down and the... Exciting wade during the spring run-off - and three Creek - often an exciting wade during spring... Valley was flower-filled, even in this drought year miles of Piute trail Lake Trailhead and ended South. You face were tolerable class 2 scramble to Lamarck Col. crest Lamarck Col, then drop down toward Summit Evolution...
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