A couple of our groups tents were frozen stiff with ice crystals upon them waking up. 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 . Just finished the loop from south lake to north lake. Plenty of water along the trail and also plenty of places to camp. may have been made. There were only 2-3 times where I needed to use my AllTrails app to figure out the correct way to continue. 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. "Ridicule is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius. 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. Bridge at JMT junction Stream crossing below Goddard Canyon turnoff Bridge below Goddard Canyon Back across Goddard Canyon Log crossing below Evolution Meadow View up Evolution Valley Gould, Mendel, and Darwin Darwin to Huxley, the Evo traverse crux This is about the halfway spot. This great hike to scenic Piute Pass ascends beneath the multi-hued Piute Crags to a beautiful lakes basin tucked beneath Mt. Switchbacks up were very nice. After the narrows, the valley widened and there were many hot and sunny meadows that I trudged through, at least according to the map. One downside though: it's freaking hard. It often has waterfalls cascading from its outlet because of the abrupt drop off. Oh boy. The first day we stopped at the Florence lake bridge. Day Zero Travel day. Bugs werent that bad. Only done it North to South. Our payback day ended up being 13 miles, almost all uphill. It had taken me almost twelve hours, although I have to admit that I took several very long breaks. Okay, I need my camera again. On the way back, check out the Blayney hot springs - they are magical! . Lots of camping spots with water so you can make your day as long or short as you like. 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. Usually we did it in 7 days. The best sites we found are located on the east side of the trail directly after we crossed the stream that feeds the lake. By the time I was ready to hike I looked down at the tents below me on the shore of the lake and only one person had crawled out of their tent. It was cloudy for much of the way, but it only rained briefly. Campsite 1: Upper Golden Trout Lake. At night, Id comb through maps by headlamp, creating my ultimate ticklist for the parks. best of luck and make sure you are prepared. Multiple Ascents Grid: Click for a grid showing all of Chris Land High Sierra Trails website makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of any of its maps. As we got going again I was giving myself a pretty serious mental pep talk about taking it easy and giving myself the time needed to work my way up the 700 feet of rocky switchbacks. Highly recommend spending time in McClure Meadow if possible on this hike. Once we reached the pass at 11,955 feet, we were gifted with the sight of Muir Hut constructed in 1930 by the Sierra Club, with the intention of sheltering hikers that may find themselves caught in unsavory weather. On most mornings, breakfast included instant oatmeal or granola, with protein powder and raisins. The stars up there were surreal. The ferry is worth it if its running. They are past the Muir Trail Ranch. Grand views of the high sierra. A boat-taxi across the lake is available from the trailhead in the summer. We took the ferry both ways to save us some time and miles! This was fortunate, because I dont think we could have walked any further even if you told us there was free cold beer around the next bend served by Matthew McConaughey. No storms. This is one of my favorite trips of many in the eastern Sierra. The log cabin is located on the right side of the trail as you hike south a short distance before the Piute Creek bridge. One bite of the Evolution area is Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? From there, the trail traverses Humphreys Basin and reaches the splendid section of the Pacific Crest Trail known as Evolution Valley. From there we pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Piute Canyon. $3,395: Description Itinerary Resources The John Muir Trail is one of the finest hikes to be found anywhere in the world. Completed end of July 2022. 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. When I walk through this area again, perhaps I will do the same so I can see it from another perspective. Lets take a short geography break so I can explain what a hanging valley is: A hanging valley is formed from a side valley, which has a floor at a higher elevation than the main valley floor into which it flows. 11/10/2022 - Expect winter conditions. $4,995: August 6-11. Id see how I felt when I got to the the trail junction. The North Lake-South Lake loop is the famous "Rainbow Trail" and includes spectacular scenery visiting such areas as Dusy basin, Le Conte Canyon, Muir Pass, Evolution valley, and Humphrey's Basin. There were several wet crossings during the first three or four miles. It was desert like in the high alpine on that side. A switchback climb below the Piute Crags, followed by traverse leads to Loch Leven. It was quite dramatic. We headed over Piute Pass and into Humphreys Basin from the North Lake Trailhead. Lakes and rivers were full due to late snowmelt. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. 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. In other words, I was probably dehydrated. Video of a PCT hiker butt-sliding under the bridge. Starting at Lake Sabrina we could do a proper loop with just two 2 mile stretches on the road. Plan a late summer trip to avoid the worst of them. This was a beautiful scenic area with decent camping and a gorgeous small lake (Loch Leven). . Diego, the 11-year-old Lab mix, was struggling; the family carried him part way. Also a ton of mosquitos. I am now a retired academic, so I was able, in all three trips, to exploit my college timing to hike in early September before the start of classes. In addition, The John Muir Trail may be accessed via Piute Pass from North Lake which is only 10 miles from the resort. . The display of grand peaks, a broad, grassy meadow, and a gently meandering stream make the valley a popular destination. Slightly brutal at times-especially for a beginner- but the views are unmatched. This site had been used for years, and there were several flat spots. What a sight! Wished we could have camped at Evolution Lake as it's sooooo beautiful but it didn't work out for us. I wished her well. You can learn more about her travels with her husband, Mitch, on CruisingSailors.com. She was seriously considering it. Those first four and last four miles are always the hottest. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 12 h 41 min to complete. However, on the way back from Forsyth, I had some time to think about it while dealing with trail miles.On paper, 55 miles with 10k vertical in 12h15 looks soft; Yours Truly ran 50 miles with 12k vertical in about 9 hours at San Juan Solstice, and the . Was it this heavy yesterday? Pictures posted. Tehipite Valley Trail: Begins at Wishon Reservoir. Did this a decade ago and want to do it again! No rain. this trail is definitly one of the top 5 trails in sierras. Just as I was pondering what to do, a couple came down the trail! My sincere thanks to the fire fairies who set this up for us. My two recommendations. Pick up the trail on the eastern edge of Upper Lamarck Lake. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. I did a backpacking trip over the 4th of July weekend over 4 days, starting at Florence Lake, going up to Evolution Lake. 4 days 3 nights 2 passes had a great time. Here is a brief summary of our route: South Lake Trailhead - Bishop Pass - Dusy Basin - LeConte Canyon - Muir Pass - Evolution Valley - Puite Creek Canyon - Humphrey's Basin - Piute Pass - North Lake Trailhead. Piute Pass: Begins at North Lake. But that suited me fine. It follows the south fork of the San Joaquin and Evolution Creek nearly all the way. Privacy Policy, Learn about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. On our way back down we hike about 13 miles and set up camp for the last night. Heres how I did it: Day one Take the Piute Pass Trail from North Lake Campground, 20 miles west of Bishop, and hike six miles gaining 2,000 feet to make camp near Upper Golden Trout Lake (no camping within 400 feet). Day four Rest and explore. Evolution Valley Ascension, Kings Canyon National Park and John Muir Wilderness, California Sierra Club Outings Trip | Backpack More Photos Highlights Traverse high mountain passes including Piute and Muir Hike among lush green meadows full shallow tarns Enjoy a layover day to explore or relax Includes Im a layman, what can I say? We had it easy in September, but Ive heard that earlier in the season hikers should be prepared for more difficult fordings. Day four Rest and explore. Day 1 South Lake over Bishop Pass to Upper Dusy Basin: 7.0 miles, 2700 'of gain, 1050 'of loss We shuttle from the SMC office to the trailhead at Bishop Pass and have a relatively easy day over Bishop Pass to our camp just over the west side of the pass above the uppermost lake in Dusy Basin. Mosquitos were bad, but not horrible. Push to camp spots near the McClure Meadow ranger station; you will be rewarded with the best breakfast scenery the next day (night 2). Here the trail climbs 700 feet of switchbacks to
I had descended 2500 feet and climbed another 1000 feet to get up here. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. One way for an adult is $15, round-trip $28; children 12 and under are $7 and $13. I woke up before dawn, as usual. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. The river and steam crossings were simple because the water level is so low at this point in the season. The trail even flattened out to make my way easier. I climbed upward for two miles without seeing a single decent campsite, either. Me either, until we exited the forest at about 11,000 feet and monster granite views appeared. Perfect! It was breathtaking up there. This is a popular trailhead for approaching the Palisades. I like bridges; what can I say? Since we stopped for lunch here and the lake has no name I guess Ill call it Lunch Lake. Permits issued from the White . More like a river. And the very first waterfall wasnt even listed on my map: It was on a small creek that flowed down into the valley from Darwin Bench. Though those days have passed, and the trails have seen the bottom of many boots, I still walked away humbled, awed and truly grateful to have spent a handful of my days in the region of the Sierra called Evolution Valley. It was high noon, I realized, and there wasnt any shade at all on the trail with the sun beaming straight down between the trees. Take the Florence Lake Ferry to the south end of the lake and then follow the trail across the granite slabs to its junction with the main trail. Next time will have to aim to go under 30 pounds. Did it South Lake to North Lake so the slog at Muir Pass was real and all trails GPS offline helped me navigate through snow/now visible trail, Did it in equiv of 4 days. Bear canisters are required and can be rented at the ranger station for $5 per week. John Muir Wilderness sign in the Sierra National Forest good-bye Kings Canyon National Park! Evolution Lake was beautiful! Evolution Basin. Ooops! Started at North Lake Trailhead and ended at South Lake. Leave the JMT, and follow the drainage up to Darwin Canyon. We are slow hikers. I set up my tent and got my gear situated inside. Parking: A large parking lot for overnight trips is situated close to the lake. 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). They were running a bit late to make it to Canada before the Autumn snows, and they knew it. Oh well. All in all, it had been another great day in the High Sierra. Fill up on gas at Prather or Shaver Lake. The next morning we discovered more good sites at the west end of the lake. Campsite 4: Darwin Canyon. Piute Pass Trail - North Lake Beginning in lodgepole pine and quaking aspen, the trail follows the creek at the foot of Piute Crags and Mount Emerson. Campsite 2: Just past the footbridge over Piute Creek, set up camp on these designated pads. It was a fine pace, but sometimes I just wanted the extra time to really settle into the vistas. The hike up to Evolution Lake is steep, but reasonably graded. Evolution Valley elevation: 9,500 feet
The next morning, we hiked past beautiful Wanda Lake and up to Muir Pass where we briefly went into the Muir Hut (built in 1930). Hwy 168 accesses both trailheads west out of Bishop and there are many signs so even the most directionally challenged can easily follow the breadcrumbs. Front Runners List: Click to see list completion progress by climbers that log their climbs using Peakbagger.com. Imagine youre traveling on a moonscape in the protection of narrow corridors of granite with the imposing presence of two mighty peaks, Langille Peak and Black Giant, in your view. I needed both water and a flat spot. Or bag flattopped Mt. That was about 8 miles, we had wanted to camp at the meadow but was beat so made camp a couple miles sooner. I have done it over 4 days - 3 nights and my backpack was around 42 pounds. The metal bridge over Piute Creek marks the border between Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness. 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. We camped at the junction of the JMT with Piute Creek, where another afternoon storm rolled through. Though cooler than July, day-wear was still shorts and t-shirts and nights two layers and a puffy jacket. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. I took off my shoes and let my damp feet dry out in the breeze. From here, it's west and south down and into the epic Le Conte Canyon. Day five Leave the JMT, taking the switchbacks above Evolution Lake to access Darwin Canyon and a class 2 scramble up and over Lamarck Col to Upper Lamarck Lake, 2,100-feet below. The long circuitous way, but entirely on trails, from this trailhead goes over Piute Pass (11,423 ft.) descends through Humphrey Basin along Piute Creek to the John Muir Trail (at 8,000 ft.). Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. Day 6: In the morning the sun popped over Piute Pass and we were instantly warmed and reluctant to pack up and head back out into civilization less than 7 miles away. Great trail, not all of it is technically dog friendly since you enter Kings Canyon NP for the 2nd half. Enjoy! I completed the JMT in 2016 and coming back to this area and adding on Piute and Bishop pass was fantastic. You could do a quick trip, via Echo Col in both directions, in about 4 days. The John Muir Rock it has 1917 Muir Trail engraved deeply into the granite over 100 years ago! Then back to camp and packed up everything continuing on JMT . Oh well. That was a big mistake. The best hike of my life. Continue straight at the 3-way. For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page, For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page, Dawn alpenglow over Evolution Lake as I packed up all my gear for another big day of hiking, Dawn color in the clouds above Evolution Valley to the north, Waterfall on the creek that descends from Darwin Bench, after the JMT descends into Evolution Valley, Crossing the creek below the waterfall it was very wide with many small crossings, The Hermit (12328 feet elevation), standing alone and shining bright, at the upper end of Evolution Valley, View up Evolution Valley, over McClure and Colby Meadows with Evolution Creek on the right, and The Hermit, center, The McClure Meadow Ranger Station and the notices outside near the trail, View over McClure Meadow in the morning light, Still water on an curving stretch of Evolution Creek, down in the flat section of Evolution Valley, This is the lower ford of Evolution Creek, where the PCT-JMT crosses this could be dangerous in Spring, The first of several powerful waterfalls and cascades on Evolution Creek down at the lower end of Evolution Valley, One waterfall after another on this section of the creek, Wide-angle GoPro shot looking down into the worn granite where Evolution Creek tumbled downward, One last view of Evolution Creek as it churned down a granite chute on its way out of Evolution Valley, Mount Henry (12196 feet) peeking out between two glaciated granite domes above the South Fork San Joaquin River, The wooden bridge where the JMT-PCT first crosses the South Fork San Joaquin River, Aspen and pine forest at a much lower elevation it was HOT, The metal bridge where the PCT-JMT crosses the South Fork San Joaquin River, View from the metal bridge looking north (downstream), The South Fork San Joaquin River as I hiked north on the John Muir Trail in the sun, The river goes through a steep gorge down below a talus slide. 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