“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” – Norman Maclean
*Originally hiked: March 25-26, 2022
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
Kern County
8.91 miles
741 feet
Out-and-Back
Permits, Directions & Weather
Permits: Permits are not required on this trail for overnight use. I would recommend making sure you tell at least 2 people where you are going and giving your itinerary to them.
Directions: The trailhead begins at the Johnsondale Bridge, east side of the river. Take the stairs down and there will be a sign showing the trail and notable sites to watch for.
Weather: The weather in the Kern Valley in the summers is very hot, make sure you check the weather before leaving as the area can have crazy winter conditions.
BeFree Katadyn Water Filter – The only water in the area is obviously the river and I recommend always filtering the water.
Garmin inReach Mini2 – there is no service here, good to have some source in case of emergency.
PackTowl Luxe Microfiber Towel – there are safe areas that you can get into the water but be careful as the waters are very dangerous here.
Hike Stats
Blabberings
We set out on Friday with puppy in toe to be able to get into the backcountry a little further. Unfortunately, the weather was much warmer than we anticipated, and we cut the trip short by coming out on Saturday.
muggy water, dry weather
We woke up early on Friday with everything packed and headed out for the short 3.5-hour drive from home to the trailhead. I say short drive because we drive up to 5-6 hours just to get a good weekend backpacking trip in. It was early spring and opted for the river trail, hoping it would be much crisper than it ended up being. I think we started around 11:00am, which is not the best time to start a hike as it is getting into the time of the highest heat of the day.
The water didn’t look as clear as we had seen on other trips on this trail, and it was running quite quickly, probably due to the storms that had just past a day or so before. At the trailhead there isn’t much parking especially at the time we arrived during summer months, but since it was spring and a Friday, we hit the jackpot and had no issues.
figuring out where to camp
We took several breaks along the river when there were nice sandy spots to do so. Summit our puppy was breathing heavily from the heat, so we made sure that we gave him all the water he needed! Early on just about a mile in there were some great campsites that you can drop down close to the water, even some nice sandy spots. There are several sites along the trail that are notable to look for: 7 teacups for instance. About 4 miles down the trail, check out Dry Meadow Creek where the waterfall and 7 teacups joins the Kern River. This is probably one of the best spots for swimming holes and fishing; it sure is a beautiful site.
We scurried on after this wonderous spot to go find a campsite for the night. After the 7 teacups the spots become scarcer, but before the turn up to the Rincon Trail we found a nice sandy area with shade and access to the water. We found a nice spot for the night and as soon as we arrived, we set up camp and relaxed in our REI backpacking chairs: Flexlite Air Chair (best buy in the world).
deciding to head back out the next day
I must say sleeping by a creek having that white noise, we slept pretty awesome. It was a quiet night other than when we heard some hikers passing by in the wee hours of the morning. All in all, we decided to head out a day early instead of doing the whole loop knowing that we weren’t going to be near a water source. We arrived at our car before 11am and couldn’t decide whether to camp another night at one of the campsites by the river or just head back home. After driving up almost all the way to Sherman Pass and a nice little lunch with a view, we headed back on the short drive home.
Hiking Oregon Book – I used this to find a lot of the hikes I went on when I was in Oregon these past two times. So much more to explore!
Hydrapak Flux Collapsible water bottle – I take this everywhere we go, lightweight and can even take 2 for a whole 2 liters. Recommended on this hike as it gets hot in summer and months and good to take extra water in case of emergency.
Hike Stats
Blabberings
What I liked about this trail a lot is it is dog friendly, so we were able to take our little guy on the adventure. From the parking lot we trotted down all the way to the Crooked River. You have to cross a bridge to get onto the trail that will take you straight up step after step to the top viewpoint. It was pretty miserable, and we dressed way too warm – better safe than sorry though.
Our little puppy was able to almost do all the steps except the very large ones. The viewpoint was pretty amazing, you could get a 360-degree view of the surroundings. After a quick break and some water, we decided to take a different loop back – this was nice because a lot less people were on that side of the trail.
view of crooked river and food truck
The last part of the trail after descent was along the river and shaded, which was quite enjoyable. All in all, this is a great hike for all levels and especially if you live close by great for training. There are some picnic tables once you return near the parking lot, which is perfect for an afternoon getaway and picnic.
We did not picnic instead we decided to go find a food truck to go eat at, which is quite popular in Bend from what I hear. What I liked about this place was that it had a brewing company and three different choices of food trucks. The place is called Crosscut – Warming Hut No. 5; we chose to eat from the Bluma’s Chicken and Waffles (or I should say, not chose because it was a Sunday, and it was the only one open). The food was so good even our puppy was happy to partake in eating what we got.
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below. Happy Adventures! Annette
Hiking Oregon Book – I used this to find a lot of the hikes I went on when I was in Oregon these past two times. So much more to explore!
Hydrapak Flux Collapsible water bottle – I take this everywhere we go, lightweight and can even take 2 for a whole 2 liters. Recommended on this hike as it gets hot in summer and months and good to take extra water in case of emergency.
Hike Stats
Blabberings
What I liked about this trail a lot is it is dog friendly, so we were able to take our little guy on the adventure. From the parking lot we trotted down all the way to the Crooked River. You have to cross a bridge to get onto the trail that will take you straight up step after step to the top viewpoint. It was pretty miserable, and we dressed way too warm – better safe than sorry though.
Our little puppy was able to almost do all the steps except the very large ones. The viewpoint was pretty amazing, you could get a 360-degree view of the surroundings. After a quick break and some water, we decided to take a different loop back – this was nice because a lot less people were on that side of the trail.
view of crooked river and food truck
The last part of the trail after descent was along the river and shaded, which was quite enjoyable. All in all, this is a great hike for all levels and especially if you live close by great for training. There are some picnic tables once you return near the parking lot, which is perfect for an afternoon getaway and picnic.
We did not picnic instead we decided to go find a food truck to go eat at, which is quite popular in Bend from what I hear. What I liked about this place was that it had a brewing company and three different choices of food trucks. The place is called Crosscut – Warming Hut No. 5; we chose to eat from the Bluma’s Chicken and Waffles (or I should say, not chose because it was a Sunday, and it was the only one open). The food was so good even our puppy was happy to partake in eating what we got.
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below. Happy Adventures! Annette
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
Terrebonne, OR
4.94 mi
1,013 feet
loop
There’s a good reason why they call this the Misery Ridge Trail, it’s strait up the first mile (1000 feet in 1 mile). The trail is located in Smith Rock State Park just north of Bend by 30 min drive. The area is usually busy with rock climbers, bikers, hikers and tourists.
Permits, Directions, Weather
Permits: The only way to access the park is to pay for a day use $5 fee, annual permits are available as well if you live in the area and will come often. Here is so more information about the fees and permits.
Hiking Oregon Book – I used this to find a lot of the hikes I went on when I was in Oregon these past two times. So much more to explore!
Hydrapak Flux Collapsible water bottle – I take this everywhere we go, lightweight and can even take 2 for a whole 2 liters. Recommended on this hike as it gets hot in summer and months and good to take extra water in case of emergency.
Hike Stats
Blabberings
What I liked about this trail a lot is it is dog friendly, so we were able to take our little guy on the adventure. From the parking lot we trotted down all the way to the Crooked River. You have to cross a bridge to get onto the trail that will take you straight up step after step to the top viewpoint. It was pretty miserable, and we dressed way too warm – better safe than sorry though.
Our little puppy was able to almost do all the steps except the very large ones. The viewpoint was pretty amazing, you could get a 360-degree view of the surroundings. After a quick break and some water, we decided to take a different loop back – this was nice because a lot less people were on that side of the trail.
view of crooked river and food truck
The last part of the trail after descent was along the river and shaded, which was quite enjoyable. All in all, this is a great hike for all levels and especially if you live close by great for training. There are some picnic tables once you return near the parking lot, which is perfect for an afternoon getaway and picnic.
We did not picnic instead we decided to go find a food truck to go eat at, which is quite popular in Bend from what I hear. What I liked about this place was that it had a brewing company and three different choices of food trucks. The place is called Crosscut – Warming Hut No. 5; we chose to eat from the Bluma’s Chicken and Waffles (or I should say, not chose because it was a Sunday, and it was the only one open). The food was so good even our puppy was happy to partake in eating what we got.
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below. Happy Adventures! Annette
The miles you spend outside, only matter if you take it in and enjoy it
*Originally hiked: May 8-9, 2021
Well we needed another hard backpacking trip under our belts for training for the John Muir Trail and what better than to do San Gorgonio the tallest peak in Southern California. I believe the weekend we picked, the trailhead from South Fork had just opened.
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
San Bernardino Mountains
24.53 miles
4,675 feet
Out-and-Back
San Gorgonio Mountain sits at 11,000 feet in the San Bernardino National Forest. It’s the tallest peak in Southern California and is often hiked as a day hike from other trailheads. Via the South Fork Trail makes for the hike to be over 23 miles and there are many cool campsites along the way that one can stay at. Check water sources before your trip as it is very scarce.
Vlog on YouTube
Permits & Weather
*Permits are required to hike San Gorgonio all the time, whether you are day hiking or overnight backpacking.
Permits are required for both day hiking and overnight trips, but there is no cost (free wilderness permit). In order to obtain a permit for either visit the: San Gorgonio Wilderness Permits page. This page has information on trailhead, mileage, camping locations and water sources. Once you click MAKE (or cancel) A RESERVATION, follow the instructions on the form for the trip you’d like.
Weather:
I definitely recommend checking weather anytime and anywhere you go, especially when you’re going in higher elevations. Weather can change at any times. Here’s some links for the trailhead and the peak.
Tom Harrison San Gorgonio Wilderness Map – I know they have a lot of guides on phones out there these days, but I love taking an old school map wherever I go. Tom Harrison at least for local California ones is the best way to go in my opinion.
BeFree Katadyn Water Filter – The area doesn’t have much water, but it does have a spring that water can be collected at. Good to always take a water filter with you!
Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta – This is a long hike and Peak Refuel offers some of the best freeze-dried backpacking meals.
Garmin inReach Mini2 – recommend this for anyone who goes out into the backcountry!
Hike Stats
Blabberings
the start of a long day: south fork trailhead
The plan was to do as much mileage as possible on this day, so that we get used to long days for JMT training. Our day began early as we had a little over an hour and half drive to get to the trailhead. We started at the South Fork entrance, which had been closed for a while due to the fire in the area earlier this year. We kept checking updates as to which trailheads would open for us to be able to hike San Gorgonio! I recommend doing this hike if you are local for training for a larger hiker or any training hike!
The beginning of the hike you could see the devastation but thank you forestry for clearing everything up and making it safe for us to hike in the area. We passed over about 5 creeks it was nice to see so much water flowing, but it would be the last we would see other than a spring and Dry Lake up the way.
reaching Dry Lake and the springs
The reason why we picked this trail for training was the elevation we end up at and the elevation gain. It felt like never-ending uphill, but at this point we were in better shape as we had done a few other hard hikes the weeks before and had been training with a 30 lb vest. Honestly, I would recommend anyone getting out there training for big backpacking trips to use the vests in their training regimens.
We reached Dry Lake around 12:30pm and decided to go fill up as much water as we can from the spring nearby; the water from Dry Lake didn’t look to inviting. At this point, we decided not to stay near Dry Lake, but to forge onto a camp right before the last push to the top.
I haven’t gotten stopped many times by rangers to check for permits, but at the springs there was a ranger in the area asking those around for their permits. We showed ours and headed on our way – don’t go to the area without a permit; it is for your own safety to have one!
reaching camp, munchie and summiting
Our permit campsite was for Trail Flats and honestly, I liked how this turned out because before summiting we set up our tent, had a good lunch and headed up towards the summit. We were alone at Trail Flats, which was quite nice as I would have expected more people to stay at this site since it was closer to the summit. We at a good hot meal and set out with our lighter packs for the summit with water, extra food, headlamp and some warmer clothes to be safe and as comfortable as we could.
This part of the trail to the summit seemed endless. We only hit a couple patches of snow left, none of which was something we needed to worry about – but we did pack our micro spikes in case. At the summit we weren’t alone, but it was such a good feeling to finally have summited this mountain, tallest in Southern California!
quiet night, running speed downhill
After our running descent back to camp, we slipped into our tent and sleeping bags and fell right asleep as we had hit 16 miles. The night was so quiet, either that or we just fell deep into sleep from a long day on the mountain. We awoke pretty early the next morning, made some coffee with hot chocolate and headed back down to the car. We got down fairly quickly as there was no uphill on the way down, those are the way hikes should be right?
And guess how we got to finish our hike? We found a small cafe and had a nice breakfast/lunch with mimosas for the win. What a way to end a beautiful weekend.
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below.
another great training hike, via a non-common route
*Originally hiked: May 1, 2021
Followed by a great overnight training on Mt. San Jacinto, we decided to do the next tall peak as an overnighter too. Plans changed and we only did 1 day, but we packed like we were going overnight that helped with training with weight in our packs. Mount San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) via Bear Canyon Trail is a perfect training hike for those training for the John Muir Trail (which we were training for) or Mt. Whitney or any other hard hike they are about to embark on.
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
San Gabriel Mountains
16.01 miles
5,734 feet
Loop
Mount San Antonio sits at 10,066 feet in the San Gabriel Mountains/Angeles National Forest. It is the 3rd highest isolated peak in Los Angeles County. The peak is also referred to as Mt. Baldy, referring to it’s “bare fell-field” terrain visible from Los Angeles.
Vlog on YouTube
Permits, Direction & Weather
*No permit is needed to hike Mt. Baldy.
Parking permit needed: You will need a Forest Adventure Pass that costs $5 per day or if you’re a frequent visitor I’d recommend the Annual Pass for $30. Interested in finding a place that sells Adventure Pass click here.
Directions: Drive towards Mt. Baldy Village. The best address to put in in my perspective is 6777 Mt Baldy Rd, Mt Baldy, CA 91759. Find parking along the way, we actually parked up near Icehouse Canyon Trailhead as that was where we were going to end our trip.
I’ve hike Mt. Baldy twice already, but from different routes: via Ski Hut Trail and via Backbone Trail. They say this is the hardest route; but honestly they’re all hard!!!
Usually when I hike locally, I like to wake up super early at 4am to beat the crowds and be able to get parking near the trailhead. For some reason I wasn’t feeling very well and decided to sleep in till about 530am and only got to trailhead by 730am. With that said – we just needed to get parking near Mt. Baldy Village as that is where the start of the trailhead is.
through the town and up the back way for a training hike
After we parked a little up the road from the turnoff to Icehouse Canyon (we were going to come out that way the next day); we proceeded to town and made a right straight across the street form the restaurant. First part of the hike you find yourself amidst some exquisitely designed homes; that lead behind them to a small trail called Bear Canyon.
To be honest, the most I remember from this is hike is that I wanted to give up many times. Once you get onto the the trail it is an uphill battle, sometimes ranging in a 30 degree vertical; there were many many breaks. I really enjoyed the views and looking down to see how far we have come up during the insane uphill switchbacks. I’m pretty sure we even took a nap, once we reached the ridgeline.
quick trot through the snow and summiting
Before we hit the summit there was a short time that the trail did not have any elevation gain, which was such a nice break from the morning crazy climb. Once we got close to West Baldy, there were a couple patches of snow; nothing that warranted us using microspikes (even though we packed them in case). Once we reached the summit it was extremely windy, we didn’t spend much time at all there. We raced down the the ski lift where our next water source would be and we ended up making the decision to take the ski lift down to the parking lot and walk back to the car and call it for the day.
Ski lift and pavement walk/hitch to car
I think it was a good decision, puppy was being babysat – we had already done about 14 miles. The chairlift is $24.99 for roundtrip and since we were only taking it one way I think we paid about $15 at the restaurant bar. Once we got done with the windy chairlift ride, we slowly trotted along the paved road to where our car was parked. It was much longer than we thought it would be, so I did something I’ve never done before and put my thumb out for a hitch. A nice couple with a truck picked us up and took us down the the car; it was pretty awesome hanging out in the bed of a truck getting a ride after such a long hard day. Thank you friendly couple who took care of us!
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below.
In March earlier this year, we got permits to hike the John Muir Trail in June. It was time to train and the only way to do so, was to hit as many hard hikes locally as we can over the weekends. Our first 10,000 peak to hit was San Jacinto Peak.
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
San Jacinto State Park
19.10 miles
5,234 feet
Out-and-back, loop
Mount San Jacinto sits at 10,834 feet above Palm Springs. There is a rather strenuous hike that one could do called Cactus to Clouds from Palm Springs (desert floor) to the summit, climbing 10,700 feet. This trail doesn’t have any water sources until 8,500 feet once almost hitting the Mountain Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Respect the climb and make sure you are ready for it. Read more about my hike in November 2016 here: Cactus to Clouds.
Permits: It is very simple to get a permit for day hiking as there is no quota for these. There are several places you can fill out the form including: State Park Headquarters in Idyllwild, Long Valley Ranger Station and Stone Creek Campground. Once you fill out make sure you keep a copy of your permit at all times while hiking.
As for backcountry permits, since this is a popular place, you will need to plan ahead as the established wilderness area campgrounds fill up pretty quickly. To apply for the permit you can find the permit on the Mount San Jacinto State Park website; fill out the Wilderness Permit Application online and submit by mail with $5.00/person. Check or money order only, no cash. Don’t forget when sending the permit to include a self-addressed stamped envelope for you to receive you approved permit.
*Note: no dogs allowed in the wilderness.
Directions: The trailhead we started at – Deer Springs Trailhead. We picked up our permits at the San Jacinto Ranger Station in Idyllwild since we didn’t apply in advance and knew this wouldn’t be an issue as it was dead of winter. The park entrance is N on the 243 about 0.8 miles from the Ranger Station.
Weather:
Since this trail is a 5,000 foot climb, you will definitely experience different types of weather varying from 80 to 30 degrees easily during the winter. Make sure you check the weather and plan packing appropriately.
It was time to get serious about our training for the John Muir Trail. First of 3 big mountains in Southern California were to be tackled, Mount San Jacinto to begin with. Since no doggies are allowed, we dropped puppy off at my sisters house early around 5:00am. Before you head up, you need to make sure you pick up your permit or have it. In our case since it was off season we headed to Idyllwild just a mile passed the trailhead where we were to begin. Filled out a self issued overnight wilderness permit at the headquarters, as the time we arrived the office was closed.
We began at Deer Springs Trailhead which took about 5 minutes to drive from the ranger station. There is no warm up for this hike, it goes straight uphill from the beginning; hence using this as a training hike.
The weather difference from where we started and where we ended up was almost a 50 degree difference. On the way up I passed by a group and there was a girl that had a cardboard sign of Mt. San Jacinto Peak on it and I just randomly blurted out that was a good idea. She then followed with are you headed up there? Do you want to take it? And proceeded to give it to me. I thanked her, put it on my pack and trotted on. Cool moment 🙂
Reaching camps
Once we got up to Round Valley, the camp spots were mostly covered in snow and didn’t look inviting. Instead, we skirted straight up to get close to the summit. It got very cold and windy and we decided that we would just get up in the morning the next day to summit without our full packs for sunrise. When we made the decision we had our eyes on a small open area no ice/snow that was perfect to put up our tent. There was no water source the entire way other than fresh snow, hence the reason we situated ourselves near a big patch or more.
To have water to make dinner and water for the night and the next morning we had to melt the snow in our jetboil. Weather was coming in and we quickly put all of our belongings we could on while we took care of our camp tasks, but especially melting snow for water. Dinner was Peak Refuels Beef Pasta Marinara, first time trying it and it did not disappoint. We obviously went into the tent to have our dinner after having enough of wind and it starting snowing lightly.
The night was restless and very windy, very hard to sleep; 5am we had enough, got up packed up everything headed straight for the summit and back down. It wasn’t the most pleasant at the summit due to the wind and cold, but a few tears later from my eyes because of this we dashed down to our backpacks to scamper down to our car.
The way back down
We took a different route back to be able to make this trip a loop. I honestly think I liked this route better, not because there was more snow, but the views that were granted to us by the landscape that was many many many years older than us. I particularly enjoyed that we got to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail and being able to see some new camp areas I would have never known in the area if I didn’t hike it. It was quieter as well on this part of the trail, which obviously if you know me it’s non unusually odd for me to appreciate.
After a couple hours into the trail down back to the car, a coffee was in order of course with the usual hot chocolate mix that we routinely have on the trail. I might of snuck in some Peak Refuel Breakfast Skillet during our break for some energy.
The trail down honestly sucked; I’ve been having an issue with my knee in the past and the downhill/mileage brought that issue up again. Needless to say, the hike down took a little bit longer than downhills should take; not much longer I’ll keep telling myself – but I was ecstatic to get to the car.
I hope you enjoyed this write up and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to write comments below.
Happy Adventures! Annette
Check out others who have written about Mt. San Jacinto
Before I picked this hike, I went ahead and tried to figure out the hardest longest routes. Aside from doing Cactus to Clouds which I did in May of 2016, this seemed like a really good option as a training hike for the John Muir Trail. I took a look at these few sites for inspiration. Enjoy!
This one was a good one about 2 years ago, right before a snow storm hit the area, we got one last backpacking trip in to a lake that is named after us. Ok it’s not named after us, but I do have a twin, so I enjoyed the trip to twin lakes with my twin.
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
Sequoia National Park, CA
14.56 miles
2,800 feet
Out-and-back
Permits, Directions & Weather
*permit is required year-round for this hike
Permits: To get permits for Twin Lakes trailhead it defers during the off-season (non-quota) months vs. quota months. During the summer months you can now get permits on recreation.gov website. Once you put in your permits you can pick them up at the Giant Forest Museum ranger station. During off-season months you can drive to the Giant Forest Museum and fill out a self-issued permit form. Make sure you have your permit on you when you are out in the backcountry.
Directions: To get to the trailhead from Giant Forest Museum, go about 4.3 miles and turn right onto Lodgepole Rd. Parking is very close to the trailhead and there are bear boxes to put any extra food, scented items that you will not be taking into the backcountry.
In addition some cheese and salami would go well with some of the below, if you fancy a cheese plate.
Hike Stats
Blabberings
My sis and I decided last minute due to a weather window and wanting to do one last backpacking trip before it became a snow trip! I feel like a lot of the time we don’t end of doing any hikes on the Sequoia (west side) of the Sierras. I finally got around to looking at more hikes in the area and found that there are just as many lakes that could be our destination
stayed at Sequoia Campground and Lodge Friday night
We drove up Friday night, so we can start the hike early on Saturday morning. Stayed the night at Sequoia Campground and Lodge in Three Rivers, which was really nice because we had some soup for dinner by the fire and put up our summer tent on a grassy area as that is how the campsites are set up. Book here.
Being that we would arrive in the dark, this was the best option not to have to do the windy road up past Three Rivers into the park in the dark. Something I would note as well, is that during winter months this way in is sometimes closed and you will have to enter from highway 180. It was a nice and quiet campground; something I would recommend if someone decides to do a similar itinerary to ours.
permits, coffee and up we go
Before we picked up our permits we picked up coffee from Sequoia Coffee Co. located in Three Rivers; such a good decision and so glad that they were open. It just looked so inviting and hit the spot as we both were craving lattes for our drive up to pick up our permits. I particularly liked the sign that said “A DAY WITHOUT COFFEE IS LIKE…. JUST KIDDING, I HAVE NO IDEA”.
It takes about another hour or so to get to Giant Forest Museum and the trailhead. The museum was closed, but since we were hiking outside of quota season we filled out the self-issue permit form. It is located just to the right of the museum on a free standing small kiosk; I learned that they never have pens or pencils, so we always bring one from the car. Place the permit in the box and keep your copy as you need to take that on the hike.
no views until Cahoon Gap
The first 4.6 miles up to Cahoon Gap are mostly through meadows and trees. At about 2.6 miles you pass Cahoon Meadow and at this point of the year it wasn’t very green, but you could see the large meadow and feel the cooler air going by it. a little before the gap there is a small creek that you pass (Clover Creek) where you can pick up water if it is running; when we went you could still get water out of it – we just didn’t need any as we both packed about 3L for our way in since it was just the weekend.
Just before the Gap there is a clearing in which you can see the Meadow and the beautiful surrounding scenery of trees galore. We stopped at Cahoon Gap as this was a perfect place to rest and eat something we were both starving since we had only the latte in the morning.
snack break, reached camp, fishing and a dip in the water
Cahoon Gap was the perfect place for a rest stop; there’s a nice open area we put down everything and sat down and chilled. If you scroll up I put a list of items that we took as snacks and foods; might be good ideas for your next trip. I think we spent an hour there and wanting to get to camp soon since we had our fishing poles we packed up and headed out. We got to the lake after another hard climb around 3pm, which still gave us time for sunlight, but not that much.
We quickly set up the tent and our sleeping stuff; made a wonton soup for a snack and to get warm. After cast out and first cast caught a small little trout. We weren’t going to cook any of the fish, just catch and release.
I made myself get into the water without getting my hair wet, but it was when the sun was still out of course ha ha.
Dinner and next morning
Before dinner got quite the show from the duckies going across the lake, the perfect reflection across the lake and the sun shining through the trees. Tried to get some stunning shots to share with the world. Soup again for dinner and hung outside until it got unbearably cold where we needed to hide away.
The next morning woke up and the tent was frosted. Weren’t in a huge hurry but we did have a 5 hour drive and about a 3 hour hike still.
Headed home
I always hate this part of our trips because we know it’s over the day you wake up and know you are on your way out. After our lovely coffee routine, packed up everything and cast our lines out a couple more times with luck.
The way back down was all downhill and went much quicker than we thought. On our drive out there was a little traffic and it was because a guy stopped in the middle of the road stopping traffic just to take a shot of a little bear. Question is where was it’s mother? That guy would have been in trouble along with other travelers!
Till next time mountains!
Check out others who have written about Twin Lakes
Some more hikes in the area that I’ve written about: Sequoias.
I love to read other blogs about hikes before I go out on the trails I’m going to backpack, hike, etc. to get all the information I can. Here are some more reads if you’d like to take a look.
I have a confession to make. I don’t usually like to do the same trail twice because there is just so much more trails out there to see. But, this year I have returned a few times to the same trails, Convict Lake Backcountry being one.
Convict Lake is a beautiful alpine lake just south of Mammoth Lakes, CA a premier ski resort in the Eastern Sierras. Convict Lake offers swimming, fishing, boating, weddings, etc. The landscape is something different and if you can make your way out, you will love it!
*Originally hiked: September 2018 & July 2014
Convict Lake
Location
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Type
John Muir Wilderness
23.2 miles
2,600 feet
Out-and-back, loop
What’s in this Guide
Background – Fun facts, trailhead info, things to know, map of hike.
Directions – how to get to the trailhead.
Weather – The weather isn’t always predictive, always check it before you head out for your hike.
Backcountry Permits – *Permit is required to hike in this area overnight.
Itinerary Ideas – Some ideas following 1-3 day options for you to choose from.
Maps, Books and Gear Recommendations – A source for important maps that you should take on the hike, some reading material before the hike and some recommendations on gear items that would be great for the hike.
My Babblings – Just in case you want to just hear my story and see some pictures that I like to share with you guys. Be sure to check out my rambling and photographs in this section.
Check Them Out – More fun reads by other authors that you can check out
Background
Convict Lake sits at 7,621 feet; furthermore it’s name originated from an incident that occurred back in 1871. A party of convicts escaped from the Carson City prison and went into this area right behind the lake. Above the lake there is a mountain named after Deputy Sheriff Robert Morrison, Mount Morrison, who was killed in an encounter when he led a group to find the escaped convicts.
Convict Lake Resort
One of the nice things about this lake other than easy to get to is that it has a resort that includes lodging, a marina, dining and a small shop. Not only does it offer that, but the chance to have a wedding with the beautiful backdrop of the lake and the towering mountains around it. To read a little more about it’s history take a look at the Convict Lake Resort About page.
To get to the Convict Lake Backcountry from Bishop:
Take 395 N for 32 miles. Turn left onto Convict Lake Rd. Drive about 1.6 miles and you will see a hiker parking area, turn right. Drive till it dead ends into a parking lot. You missed the trail if you ended up to the lake; turn around and make a left onto the road that shows hikers parking area. The trailhead is on the west side of the lot.
Weather
Check that weather before you go, even if it’s a summer trip. Even if it’s summer, the weather changes in the mountains. In our case we have very nice warm days, but at night it got down into the mid-30s with some frost on our tent; not to mention the wind. Convict Lake – 8,804 feet Mount Morrison – 12,241 feet: Mount Morrison is one of the higher peaks in the area, good to check the highest especially if you’re going to climb one of the peaks in the area.
Backcountry Permits
If you are day hiking permits are not needed, but if you decide to do an overnight trip backcountry permits are required.
*Note: Please make sure you get a permit, you will get fined if you don’t have one and it is always good for the forestry service to know where you are especially if you are out for a long time.
Itinerary Ideas
One/Two Day
I would definitely recommend more than one day in this area, but if you only have one day there are a couple lakes that you can make it to. You could do any of these in two nights by sleeping at the lake of your choice.
Hike ~4.25 miles one-way; 2,200′ elevation gain – Convict Lake to Mildred Lake
Hike ~5 miles one-way; 2,700′ elevation gain – Convict Lake to Dorothy Lake, pass Mildred Lake along the way
Hike ~4.8 miles one-way, .6 miles off trail; 3,000′ elevation gain – Convict Lake to Bright Dot Lake, pass Mildred Lake along the way (strenuous)
Hike ~6 miles one-way; 2,700′ elevation gain on the way up, 400′ on the way out – Convict Lake to Genevieve Lake (strenuous)
Three/Four Day
Taking 3 or 4 days is definitely what I recommend for the Convict Lake Backcountry. You can shorten as needed, but here is a sample 4 day itinerary that we did.
Day 1: Convict Lake to Mildred Lake
Day 2: Mildred Lake to Lake Wit-So-Na-Pah
Day 3: Lake Wit-So-Na-Pah
Day 4: Head back to reality
Maps, Books and Gear Recommendation
Mammoth High Country Topo Map – Tom Harrison maps are awesome. I definitely recommend buying this either in advance or at the visitor center when you are picking up your permits.
GoPro Hero – I recommend one of these on every trip you go on.
Take a look at my “What’s in My Backpack?” page for more ideas on what to take on your backpacking or hiking trips. I think I have a little updating to do on this one.
My Babblerings
How we ended up picking Convict Lake
I always can’t wait to get to this part of the write-up because I get to daydream about the whole trip. We decided late that year in 2018 to do a Labor Day hike as we were supposed to do the John Muir Trail, but ended up cancelling it due to the fires. If you want to read a little on “Why We Opted Out of the JMT“, I’ve written a few excuses up to read through. But guess what we actually finished the trail last summer June of 2021 (more to come on that). Either way, the cancelling of that trip meant we would have some time to do a Labor Day trip.
As most hikers/backpackers know, getting permits are difficult for weekends like this and we kept checking every day. I was able to grab a couple permits for Friday departure on the Convict Lake Trail, but we still needed one.
permit pick up time
We arrived at the permit place (Eastern Sierra Agency Center) exactly at 8:00am on Friday morning. Our friend was coming from up north, so he as well stopped at the permit place up in Mono County. I was lucky enough to pull #11 out of a hat, which meant I would be helped 11th in line. It doesn’t really matter what time you get there; at around opening time they come out and count everyone put those numbers in a hat and one by one you pick them.
Be patient as you may not get onto the trailhead until a later time if you are starting that day. They called me up and I was able to secure one more permit. 3 permits to the lovely Convict Lake Backcountry. I had been here 4 years before, but I was ecstatic to see more and explore more of the area.
After crossing the river
Campsite on first night
41 lbs
Mildred Lake
Just below Lake Constance
starting out at convict lake trailhead
We arrived at the trail around 10:00am with only about 8 cars parked there. This honestly isn’t the best time to start a hike because mid-day it gets the hottest, but it is what it is. Our goal was just to get up to Mildred Lake that day and find a good spot to base camp from. Usually on these hikes we pack up everything and go camp somewhere else, but this year we decided to stay in one spot and do day hikes from there.
It’s about 0.3 miles downhill until you reach the lake from the hiker’s parking lot. Mt. Morrison’s view above Convict Lake always ceases to catch my attention. Mt. Morrison rises 12,276 feet above the lake, towering with it’s metasedimentary rock. About another 0.9 miles to get to the other side of the lake where the road forks to either go up to Mildred Lake or turn left to go around Convict Lake. I still have yet to do the 3.0 mile loop around the lake- perfect for a quick family hiking trip.
We continued up the trail alongside Convict Creek; the weather was absolutely perfect. About 2.7 miles into the trip there is a creek crossing you can maneuver jumping rocks or hike up a bit to an easier area to go over the creek. I remember 4 years ago we did this creek crossing in the dark and with much more water we had to just take our shoes off and wipe off after. In this case a lightweight easy drying towel is indeed the best option: Sea to Summit DryLite Towel.
Lake Constance
Lake Wit-So-Nah-Pah
Lake Wit-So-Nah-Pah
Lake Dorothy
Fish in Lake Genevieve
Lake Genevieve
Finding a campsite at mildred lake
The way up was pretty tough, it’s over a 2,000 foot climb from Convict Lake to Mildred Lake. After crossing the creek the terrain is much more difficult on loose tallus and rock; take caution while hiking this portion of the trail. After a good 3 or 4 hours we finally reached the sandy area just under Mildred Lake. Just a quick scramble of 50 feet and Mildred was right there in front of us. You can go around it’s south side or it’s north side.
We opted to take the north side and cross the creek/waterfall over a bridge to continue alongside the lake. We passed by a group that we saw on the way up a few times; they were going up to Lake Dorothy, which meant we would have Mildred potentially to ourselves.
We ended up finding a spot in the meadow on the west side of the lake. The sun was inching away and our campsite was about to be in the shade, so we quickly filled the Lifestraw Gravity Filter and set up our Big Agnes UL tent for the first time.
Lake Genevieve
Convict Creek: waterfall coming out of Lake Mildred
Dorothy, Bighorn, Wit-so-Nah-Pah, Constance adventure loop of lakes
Day 2 was going to be a longer loop of the area, I have been to Dorothy, Bighorn and all the way up to Constance, but the goal today was to potentially take back a route that we made for ourselves. We headed up to Dorothy, the path is quite steep from Mildred up to Dorothy. It is only about 1 mile till you view the beautiful Dorothy Lake. We walked all the way around to it’s south side to fish for an hour and relax.
We found an area with boulders where we could jump from, fish and lay. The water was freezing, but was the most amazing crisp feeling after jumping in. I’m not sure if the time of day was right, but we were catching fish pretty easy. We released all of them as we still had a long hike back ahead of us. We decided just before 11am to head up to the lakes above Dorothy. Bighorn was the first lake in our path and we opted to take a route less travelled which proved to be quite difficult.
We continued onto the next lake Wit-so-Nah-Pah. I thought this an interesting name and looked it up on the book called “The Story of Inyo” states that it is a Piute influenced name meaning “to spring up to save life”. I went ahead and bought the book “The Story of Inyo” on Amazon.
Cross Country back to camp
After checking out Constance Lake the last of the lakes, we opted to take a more difficult route back to camp. There seemed to be a tiny trail that we took by Convict Creek, the trail then disappeared after about a mile or so and we were cross country bound. After a quite difficult downhill, we reached the valley floor following Convict Creek back to camp. There were points where we had to jump the creek and one time I didn’t make it to the other side. I decided to just walk through the creek, not thinking that my boots would not be dry the next morning.
Dorothy Lake one last time
The last day we went up to Dorothy, but not till afternoon because we had to wait for my shoes to dry up. We fished Dorothy, but because of the wind our trip was short lived and we headed back down to Mildred. We jumped in the water, fished and cooked the fish for dinner. Next day we headed back out to the cars. Till next time Dorothy!
I hope you guys enjoyed my blabbering’s, tune back for the next few days as I finally gather my thoughts and such for this trip.
Day 3 I woke up with barely a voice; this always happens in the backcountry especially when we are so tired, but we did have a pretty long day the day before summiting Mt. Whitney and all. We ended up staying below Guitar Lake for the night as it was more enclosed and we wouldn’t have to worry about the wind. This day was one of our easier days in elevation gain being the same up as down.
Highlights for the day
Bighorn Plateau: reaching this point was pretty cool because we could see Whitney from the other side and it’s this wide open space with 360 degree view of the mountains surrounding us.
Wallace Creek: dipping our feet into the small creek and taking a break for lunch.
Reaching Tyndall Creek: Although a little crowded; reaching the site and crossing Tyndall Creek was amazing. When we reached the site, we set up camp right away and headed to fill up water for the night and dinner and do the camp clean thing and rinse off quickly in the creek.
Marmots we’re definitely used to people as they were just coming up to us 5 feet away easily.
To be honest, I was more nervous about this day than I was doing Mt. Whitney. Forester Pass is the hardest pass on the entire trail. I get tired just thinking about the elevation gain and loss on this day. It was a very cold windy day and definitely wore me out and couldn’t wait to get into an enclosed area with trees to get out of the wind and relax a little. The trail up to Forester was unique and very steep; I can’t explain it as good as the pictures do, but the pictures don’t do it justice. It was such a cool pass! Once we passed over Forester, my initial thought was, wow I’m glad I didn’t have to come up this way; the trail seemed much tougher to climb from the North.
Highlights for the day
Forester Pass: Obviously climbing the hardest pass of the trail felt amazing once we had finished, but we had a lot of work to go on the downhill.
Nap by the creek: One of the best quick naps I took was along the creek after the crazy long downhill stretch.
Deer: running into a small herd of deer on our way close to camp.
Passing by many campsites: I thought it was very interesting on this part of the trail there were so many campsites lined up along Bubbs Creek. I kept saying, let’s stop here, let’s stop here, let’s stop here. We decided to get all the way to the junction to where we would hit Kearsarge Pass junction the next day as than we had an early climb up to Glen Pass.
I hope you guys enjoyed my blabbering’s, tune back for the next few days as I finally gather my thoughts and such for this trip.
can’t wait to get out there with some of these items?
2021 has been quite the year; I hiked the John Muir Trail, something I’ve wanted to do for over 10 years and was fortunate enough to make it work with my job, no fires, no forest closures. I noticed in the past couple years that many people have turned to the outdoors for fun and enjoyment, activity, something to do and/or even a little therapy. I do want to reiterate that there is the Leave No Trace practice that us outdoor folk adhere to. I wish that everyone practices this. We are the fortunate ones to live on this earth and fortunate enough to enjoy it. This in turn means we should take care of it like we would take care of our own children!
Anyway, enough ranting on this subject and let’s get to what I wanted to share with my readers. I spent a little time picking out my favorites that would be great gifts for anyone who is into the outdoors. I hope you take a look and find something that you could buy for your loved one this year.
*Note: there are affiliate links below, if a purchase is made from my recommendations this will in turn help pay for the expenses that keep this blog up and running.
I don’t actually own this exact one, but my buddy who we go backpacking with just upgraded his to this one. I ended up just buying a coffee press that goes with the current Jetboil I have. Either way, this is a good one for camping and hiking/backpacking.
I bought this mainly because it’s hard not to have a chair to sit in when backpacking especially for multiple days. I used to use my Thermarest Z-Lite pad, which I would also use for sleeping. This was probably one of my favorite; I even took it with me when I went to a lake just to fish.
One of our camping trips our friend brought this for us as a surprise. I have never had so much comfort in the kitchen on a camping trip then when using this item.
We’ve had this for many years now, different versions of it and this by far has been a blessing. The best because we can check in with family and they can follow us. There were two hikes where we were able to have family check with the Rangers on what to do. I recommend this for safety for anyone who goes out into the backcountry.
I used it and think it’s perfect to put away in the camping box or even take on our backpacking trips (especially in the cold). I’m sure you know someone who will love this.
Recommend this one for anyone honestly. It’s perfect to use at home too; it stuffs into a small bag, so easy to pack and take on trips with you and it’s quite warm.
Perfect bag for any type of travel including camping or even flying for vacation. I think what I like best about it is that there are various ways you can carry the bag itself.
My sister and I have a side business we are working on. We have neck gaiters available including the one in the photo on the left, which is of a graphic we did of Hume Lake.
One of the best gifts someone gave me, I even use it at home. Who wouldn’t want a hammock to relax in at home or whatever trip they are on. And guess what, it stows away very simply in a small stuff sack.
This pillow another item that is perfect for any road tripper whether it may be going camping, backpacking or just road tripping. Easy to pack away and very lightweight.
Everyone who loves the outdoor deserves one of these. I still have my GoPro from years ago the Hero4. And it still works amazing, wouldn’t mind the newest one, has better sound quality, etc.
String these lights anywhere you want on any trip. I’ve even took them backpacking and used a portable charger that I use to charge my phone with. I like how it’s not too bright.
That small object you can take on your backpacking trips or camping trips. Apparently it gives an 8 and half minute shower, which make sense because between 2 of us we were able to quickly get in our “shower” outdoors. Might not be quite the winter item, but definitely good for sring/summer/fall trips.
We actually own the 3 person one, mostly because we wanted something for our backpacking trips where we could put all our items in the tent with us instead of leaving stuff outside. You have to be very careful with the material, but man does it compress into a tiny spot in your backpack. Very easy to put up as well, so it wouldn’t matter if you had to put it up in the dark.
The best of the the headlamps I’ve owned. I pack it whenever I leave the house on any type of trips, a simple day hike, day at the beach, bike riding, etc. Always good to have one in case of an emergency.
This has been one of the most used cups I’ve had during my adventures. It is so lightweight I’m ok with bringing the lid for the mug to it to keep my coffee warm for longer. It is made out of titanium and packs very easily not taking up that much room.
My sister bought me this for my birthday one year and we have used it to make multiple items: quesadillas (still need to write about this), Tacos at 10,000 feet and grilled cheese sandwiches all during our backpacking trips. I would recommend buying some GSI Outdoors Pivot Tongs to go with it, the cooking is endless with it out there.
Like the name says it in itself, good for the weekends. What do people do on weekends? Go do something outdoors; this would be a great seat to pack up and take on your next adventure.
Last but not least, my other idea is grab a few little items and put them in a bag and hand it to them for their present. Check out some of my recommended items.
Once upon a time in a land far far away, beyond where most Los Angeles dwellers would go, where the leaves rustle with the simplest of winds, where the lakes glisten when the sun hits them perfectly, where the wildflowers bloom after the snow melts, where the only sound you hear are the birds chirping, where taking a dip in it’s lakes is the #1 rule of our adventures, where life is simpler. Ok, I’ll get to the point, the place is called the Eastern Sierras.
Ever since about 10 years ago when backpacking and hiking became part of my life, I’ve traveled a lot to the Eastern Sierras. You might ask, why not go into the local mountains here in Los Angeles and I have my reasons, but mostly because the Eastern Sierras have a certain beauty that is unmatched to anywhere else I have been. The mountains are more or less untouched by civilization and it better stay like that because it is hard to find places like this! One of the biggest reasons I like to adventure here is the abundance of lakes, water and mountains that can be explored.
The Eastern Sierras are located in California on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. The gateway to its dramatic scenery of desert floor to mountains is U.S. Route 395. I know this highway like the back up my hand now and wanted to share some of my favorite lakes that I have been to, whether it be hiking or just driving to (I’ll warn you, most of these lakes are hiking adventures and the occasional backpacking trip).
Personally, I’d like to see every single lake in the area. By no means is this the list of all the lakes in the area. I noticed that when I reminisced about each of these lakes, they all had their own stories to tell, the experience, meeting certain individuals, experiencing failure or accomplishments, etc. I put together a map of these lakes on google if you feel the desire to get out and explore one of them. Check them out here: Eastern Sierra Lakes.
Since I drive from Southern California, the list is in order of South to North not by map, but by trail head.
If you haven’t already check out my YouTube channel for some of my adventures. Beyond Limits on Foot YouTube Channel.
Chicken Spring Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Lone Pine
Hike
9.0 miles (round trip)
1,302 feet
Sitting at 11,242 feet, to reach Chicken Spring Lake you begin your journey at Horseshoe Meadow. About 4 years ago, I did this trail as a solo day hike to train for climbing Mt. Whitney. I had planned on it being a training also for a half marathon I was supposed to do in Mammoth Lakes. Well, I’m going to own it and say I overslept and didn’t make my bus to run the half marathon (I will one day I promised myself). The trail to Chicken Spring Lake other than the elevation is fairly easy after the first climb to Cottonwood Pass. I had the honor of meeting some hikers who were exiting the JMT (John Muir Trail) through Horseshoe Meadow. Read more about my solo trip here: Chicken Spring Lake – Golden Trout Wilderness. Overnight permits required.
Cottonwood Lakes
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Lone Pine
Hike
4.3-8 miles (one way)
~1,000 feet
Each Cottonwood Lake sits above 11,000 feet; there are 6 lakes and they each have their different back drops which makes a perfect backpacking destination. Choose from 1 of 6 lakes below. These lakes are great for if you are willing and ready to summit Mt. Langley a 14,000 foot peak in the area. The Cottonwood Lakes is a great area to go fishing. Overnight permits required.
We attempted Mt. Langley a couple years ago, and when I say attempt, we were 3 miles away from the summit, 1 mile from where we set up camp. It was going to be dark and we had started the lake hike considering we couldn’t drive up till that morning and had to wait till 8:00 am to pick up our permits. We probably made the right decision to just go back and camp and honestly I was ok with this decision because we swam a little, fished and relaxed the rest of the night. (We will come back for you Mt. Langley, I promise!)
Consultation Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Lone Pine
Hike
12 miles to the overlook (out and back)
3,300 feet
Consultation Lake is a lake you only find yourself at if you feel like you want to venture off and take a freezing dip after the summit of Mt. Whitney the highest peak of the lower 48. Both times I hiked Mt. Whitney we stayed the night above Consultation Lake and were able to sit perched above the lake under the stars in our sleeping bags until we fell asleep. Our first time up Mt. Whitney we ended up falling asleep outside and woke up at midnight to get into tent. There is something magical about sleeping under the stars and the view we had of Consultation Lake was breathtaking. Overnight permits required.
I had the pleasure of visiting this place twice, once in the summer and another time in the summer with snow (yes you heard it right, us Californians have snow in the summer too)! The first time in the area, we actually hiked up to the Third Lake because there were so many people at the Second Lake. Warning, this is a very popular trail and if you are looking for solidarity, you will not get it here unless you go further to the upper lakes. The reason why Second Lake is visited often is due to the view seen in the picture above; during the summer the water is fine turquoise with the sun being out and the backdrop is Temple Crag, one of the most beautiful crags. Overnight permits required.
Long Lake sits peacefully at 10,758 feet, just 2.0 miles from the trail head. It’s literally a Long Lake that you will pass on your way up to Bishop Pass or it can be made your destination by taking the Bishop Pass Trail from South Lake. We set eyes on hiking to Bishop Pass, which is 5.5 miles from the trail head, but neither of us in the group were feeling that great with lack of sleep and a hard week, so we decided to find a camp spot at the end of Long Lake and relax on its banks. Another adventure that didn’t go as planned, but hey we got some fishing in (did not catch anything, probably related to the time we fished) and relaxed in the outdoors. Honestly, I want to come back and get up all the way to Bishop Pass as there are approximately 4 other lakes you can hit. A side trip to Chocolate Lakes on the way back would be in order as well.
Blue Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Bishop
Hike
3 miles
1,350 feet
To get to Blue Lake, you begin your journey on the banks of Sabrina Lake. On our way into the Sabrina Basin, it was a beautiful fall day and we got to experience the most abundant colors of fall. The road up to Sabrina Lake would have been just enough to put a smile on my face, but hey why not throw in a hike. Blue Lake sits at 10,400 feet with towering walls of granite slopes surrounding it.
With just a little over 3 miles to hike to the lake, this is a perfect destination for day hikers. We opted to backpack to the lake and slept on the west banks high above the lake, which amounted to great views from above and less mosquitoes to bother us. I was hoping to hike further in, but the mosquitoes were unbearable and we spent some time in the tent to get away from them.
I remember reaching our camp spot and before we did anything else all of a sudden I heard a huge splash in the water. Of course my boyfriend didn’t tell me the course of action he was taking and jumped from the ledge into the water. I wimped out and did not do the jump mainly because it felt like there would be some rock climbing I was not ready for.
Ruby Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Bishop
Hike
5.23 miles
899 feet
Ruby Lake is also a great spot for a day hiking destination. Ruby Lake sits just above Rock Creek Lakes an area known for it’s fly fishing and abundance of water and lakes. Just remember certain times of years the mosquitoes can be brutal here. We opted to stay the night at Ruby Lake to fish and tan and relax. We may have also jumped in as that is our #1 rule, it was freezing, but felt amazing to cool off! Great way to spend a quick weekend away from the city. Read more about this hike: Ruby Lake via Mosquito Flats: John Muir Wilderness.
Pine Lake sits just under the 10,000 foot mark at 9,942 feet. To get to Pine lake is just under 2 miles, therefor we decided to hike in later after work on a Friday to get to the first lake on the trail at least. We got there in the dark, so we didn’t get to see the beauty of the lake until the next morning and the way down. We went on to explore more of the trail doing both Italy and Pine Creek Passes; the back country in this area has an abundant amount of lakes. I really cannot wait to come back here. On our way out back to the cars is when we caught Pine Lake’s perfect serenity; the water was absolutely calm and we could see the mountains and trees, the landscape around, reflection in it.
Big McGee Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Bishop
Hike
15.4 miles round-trip
2,950 feet
Big McGee Lake is over 7 miles in from the trailhead, sitting at 8,131 feet. We did this trail in the early season and were lucky enough to see the area flourished with flours in the meadows especially. It’s a great
I put these 3 together as they were a backpacking trip we’ve done twice and they are all worth it to see. If you’re not a backpacker, go check out Convict Lake; lots of things to do there: hike around the lake, get on a kayak on the lake, fish, etc. There’s a campground also
that you can reserve ahead of time that’s right by the lake and very convenient if you love the lake.
I never normally do the same trail twice backpacking, but that has changed over the years as I noticed that going back to the same place twice isn’t so bad; it gives you more opportunity to explore more of the area honestly. One of our first major backpacking trips was in this area and we went back 8 years later. It was epic both times and I love the fact that there are so many lakes in the area, great for lake hopping and base-camping at one.
Convict Lake – 7,850′ feet; Mildred Lake – 9,850′; Lake Dorothy – 10,350′.
Thousand Island Lake
Thousand Island Lakes
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Mammoth Lakes/June Lake
Hike
6.3 miles
2,900 feet
Thousand Island Lake (9,850 feet) is a well-known destination (no camping near the lake) amongst backpackers and honestly permits to get here have been very scarce because they go so fast as soon as they are open. It is one of the largest high-country lakes and of course was named because it literally does have thousand lakes. It’s regarded as one of the most astounding lakes in the Eastern Sierras with Banner Peak sitting above at 12,936 feet.
I was given the chance to see it again when we hiked the John Muir Trail. My first time up at this lake we hiked up from the June Lake Area side from Rush Creek Trailhead near Silver Lake. Spent a night at Waugh Lake then headed over Island Pass to find it’s jaw dropping beauty below as well descended down. I wish we could have camped there, but trekked on further after a nice lunch view/spot because of the restrictions.
My second time was on the John Muir Trail, I wanted to stay at this lake, but it was just a little too far for one of our days and we were given the chance to see the mighty Banner Peak from Garnet Lake. I didn’t put this lake on my list, because if you visit Thousand Island Lake, you are less than 2 miles away from Garnet and can make the side trip.
I picked June Lake because it’s a hidden gem above the well-known Mammoth Lakes and it’s worth a visit especially if you are in the area. We’ve been to June Lake several times and for different reasons: to snowboard, to fish, to try something at the brewing company, to camp before backpacking, to backpack, to have an amazing burger after backpacking and just to drive the scenic loop which includes other lakes in the area as well. Great vacation spot if you want to stay in an area that is less populated than Mammoth Lakes. I’d take a weekend getaway here anytime.
Lake Mary
Lake George
Crystal Lake
Barney Lake
Pika Lake
Closest City
Type
Mileage
Elevation Gain
Lake Mary
Drive
Drive
N/A
Lake George
Drive
Drive
N/A
Crystal Lake
Hike
3.0 miles round trip
900 feet
Barney Lake
Hike
5.0 miles round trip
1,090 feet
Pika Lake
Hike
10 miles round trip
1,390 feet
The Mammoth Lakes area is definitely a favorite of mine to visit throughout the year weather it’s for snowboarding, fishing, backpacking, hiking, etc. The top 2 lakes that I would go to if we were driving or camping are Lake Mary and Lake George. Lake Mary is nestled perfectly in the valley and has awesome boating activities. We stayed once at a nearby campground and got up early to rent a boat for fishing; awesome lake for that. Lake George is our go to spot to fish on the side of the lake, there’s even an awesome jump that we did from a rock; we paddled out climbed it and jumped in and paddled back. Only offset of these two lakes are they are very popular because you can drive up to them. Parking is difficult in summer months.
As for the other 3 lakes that I picked for this article they are all accessible by foot only. Crystal Lake is a good climb and along the way up, the views get more and more spectacular. This place is a good day hike for families; we opted to carry our paddleboards up and use them on the lake. The other two lakes we did as one of our Labor Day Backpacking Trips: Barney Lakes is on the way to Pika Lake, so you can hit both at the same time. We didn’t sleep at Barney Lakes, we ended up going more into the backcountry and on our last night out, found a nice spot hidden away at Pika Lake.
Get out there
I just wanted to share all the amazing places that I’ve been to and my hope is that I at least gave you the reader the ambition and inspiration to get outside and explore what this amazing place has to offer. I love the Eastern Sierras; honestly these aren’t all the lakes I’ve been to, maybe I’ll compile a whole list in the long run – but these were my most memorable. Please if you have any questions, comment below and I’d be happy to reach back out to you! Hope you enjoyed!
On my wish list. It’s a propane camp stove and oven; I’ve always wanted to be able to have something like this for comfort camping.
We’ve had this for many years now, different versions of it and this by far has been a blessing. The best because we can check in with family and they can follow us. There were two hikes where we were able to have family check with the Rangers on what to do. I recommend this for safety for anyone who goes out into the backcountry.
Cooler that keeps everything cooler for much longer than other simple coolers.
used it and think it’s perfect to put away in the camping box or even take on our backpacking trips (especially in the cold). I’m sure you know someone who will love this.
Recommend this one for anyone honestly. It’s perfect to use at home too; it stuffs into a small bag, so easy to pack and take on trips with you and it’s quite warm.
I own just a solar charger blowable one, but this would be a good addition to my gear. Having a charger for the lantern as well. Check it out.
A bowl that’s easily packable in your kitchen box for camping or if you want to take it on a backpacking trip.
This pillow another item that is perfect for any road tripper whether it may be going camping, backpacking or just road tripping. Easy to pack away and very lightweight.
If you have a camper friend that loves to grill at home, this would be a perfect gift for them as they can use it wherever they go.
String these lights anywhere you want on any trip. I’ve even took them backpacking and used a portable charger that I use to charge my phone with. I like how it’s not too bright.
That small object you can take on your backpacking trips or camping trips. Apparently it gives an 8 and half minute shower, which make sense because between 2 of us we were able to quickly get in our “shower” outdoors. Might not be quite the winter item, but definitely good for sring/summer/fall trips.
We actually own the 3 person one, mostly because we wanted something for our backpacking trips where we could put all our items in the tent with us instead of leaving stuff outside. You have to be very careful with the material, but man does it compress into a tiny spot in your backpack. Very easy to put up as well, so it wouldn’t matter if you had to put it up in the dark.
This item is good for the adventurer, but also good for someone who needs a coffee mug. It keeps things hot or keeps things cold.
This has been one of the most used cups I’ve had during my adventures. It is so lightweight I’m ok with bringing the 
My sister bought me this for my birthday one year and we have used it to make multiple items: quesadillas (still need to write about this), 
Chicken Spring Lake
Cottonwood Lakes
Big Pine Lakes – Second Lake
Long Lake
