Conditions are continuously changing and wilderness hikers need to plan for inclement weather. Meanwhile, I got to hang out along the river and watch some crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute Creek. I have done it over 4 days - 3 nights and my backpack was around 42 pounds. This is an excellent report on a great hiking trip. Jackass Meadow and Ward Lake campgrounds are located near Florence Lake. Yay! Once over Bishop Pass, we descended down approximately 5-6 miles to South Lake where we ended our journey. One bite of the Evolution area is Emerson and Peak 12691. We had rain (often with hail) during 5 of our 6 days out, so bring a rain coat and a pack cover. They were hustling right along. 6 days / 5 night. Crest Piute Pass, then drop down toward Summit Lake. Head out on this 30.7-mile out-and-back trail near Lakeshore, California. The contradiction lies in the amount of water all around. Very nice hike, lots of scenery. Building anything out here must be quite the challenge. Pass along rocky shores of Evolution Lake JMT092 Location: 37.054474, -118.501686 Start of the Golden Staircase, last section of the JMT to be completed. Beyond Huntington, the road narrows and in places is steep and windy as it climbs over 9,184-foot Kaiser Pass and descends to Florence and Edison lakes. GoPro video as I forded Evolution Creek, just north of Evolution Meadow. Scale: 1:47,520 or inch representing 3/4 mile. Theodore S. Solomons and E.C. Layover at Sapphire Lake while weather passed. Saw plenty of deer, and other hikers saw a few bears in the meadows. Overnight temps didn't drop below 40 F. I like the big vistas so I think I would do the Lamarck Col Route from the North Lake Trailhead to Evolution Lake next time and skip Piute Canyon. But the point is we were beat! Ahead, tackle a class 2 scramble to Lamarck Col. Crest Lamarck Col, then drop down the backside. 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. We fell about 2 miles short of the destination endpoint with loss of daylightlesson learned, if this is a short weekend excursion, you need to get there early and push through hard. Soon the trail crossed Evolution Creek, which was quite large at this point. it has all the beauty you can think of, in fact you will get a beauty intake overdoz lol. It was challenging but not impossible if you hike often. We started at 8,200 feet and camped at 11,200 feet. Piute Pass. Then I ate some dinner and took photos and videos of the waterfall that was just downstream from my tent. Hike up Muir Pass, down to Le Conte Ranger Station. We put in about 11.5 miles but it was almost all downhill or level deep-forest hiking. We slept near the shores of Evolution Lake. Evolution Lake was beautiful! Day four Rest and explore. Along the way I came across the Muir Rock which I had seen on the topo map. I would head up the trail. Lunch at Evolution Lake. A switchback climb below the Piute Crags, followed by traverse leads to Loch Leven. The North Lake-South Lake loop is there High Sierra at its very best! After descending into the valley, I noticed how hot it was. Bishop Pass Trail to John Muir Trail to Piute Trail. 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. Well, yeah, maybe then. Day Zero Travel day. Either way takes you over 3 high mountain passes and through incredibly beautiful terrain throughout. Map Mono Divide High Country ($10, tomharrisonmaps.com). I climbed down off my hilltop aerie and walked along the southern shore of Evolution Lake. First campsite - Blaney Meadow (10 miles). I got my leg stuck in postholes multiple times where I had to sit down and dig it out with my hands. 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 4: Rest and explore. 27, 28, 33 and 34, T. 15 N., R. 14 E., S. B. M., on the east slope of the Ivanpah range of mountains, in Mescal Mining District, 8 miles north of Cima. There were several wet crossings during the first three or four miles. Just as I was pondering what to do, a couple came down the trail! The next day we made it up to evolution valley. The forest and meadows of Evolution Valley had been very beautiful, as had the waterfalls along the way. My wife and I did the trek in June with our 9 month old in tow. The stars up there were surreal. best of luck and make sure you are prepared. kelly e. No matter how heavy my pack is I always leave room for some whiskey. The air seemed to be getting a bit cooler, so I packed up my stuff and headed out. Then it is violently opposed. A mother deer plus two babies. this is the one backpack trip I remember with my dad, friend and his dad.. in 1959.. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. That was a big mistake. Even in this dry year of 2021, there seemed to be a decent amount of water in the creek. Ouch! Note: Bishop Pass hikers will encounter dozens deer skeletons on the steep slope below Bishop Pass. As a backup, some soft-sided water bottles such as the Platypus will thread onto the filter and work just as well. After that, I was down on the floor of Evolution Valley. That felt great! Diego, the 11-year-old Lab mix, was struggling; the family carried him part way. Tiny bit of snow on bishop pass was completely avoidable. Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. Slept like a drunken sailor. Day 2: Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park). Then I hiked north, paralleling the water. One time, we found beers in the Muir Hut with a note 'Take only one'. It was a fine pace, but sometimes I just wanted the extra time to really settle into the vistas. This was an epic backpacking trip and I would do it all over again to see evolution basin, and everything in between. Climbing glacier carved granite benches, the trail passes Loch Leven, Piute Lake and many smaller lakes and ponds on the way to the pass. I've done this trail 4 times and it is amasing. Didnt see a bear which a good thing. Hundreds of feet of granite on one side, and beautiful open meadow on the other. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. Recommend to everybody. The SteriPen Adventurer has become popular because it is more reliable than earlier models. Read more + Ooops! One way for an adult is $15, round-trip $28; children 12 and under are $7 and $13. While there are no 14,000 ft peaks in these groups the peak are high and majestic. We started at south lake and ended on north lake, backwards from most, and while Piute pass was a hard hike, i think ending on Piute and Humphrey's Basin was a great way to complete the trip. I used my water like always. my 21-year-old daughter. The hike to Evolution Valley was exposed and hot at times. John Muir Trail, Evolution Valley, and Goddard Canyon access point. This famous combo-trail will be our path for the next 26.5 miles. I set up my tent and got my gear situated inside. Spectacular scenery abounds, with tumbling waterfalls, flowing creeks, glittering lakes, stately forests, and imposing mountains galore. A couple of mosquitos came out in the cooler air as the shadow of the mountain came into camp. I climbed upward for two miles without seeing a single decent campsite, either. Starting at the North Lake TH, we will cross Piute Pass (11,423'). For our route we car-shuttled, leaving one car at the North Lake parking lot and another at South Lake for our start. They are past the Muir Trail Ranch. This site had been used for years, and there were several flat spots. And it was! Didnt posthole, it was sunny and we summited at 10:30am from a 5:30am start (slower pace), stayed for an hour at the hut and headed down towards Evolution Lake to camp. Is there some exception for Evolution Valley? Day 1: The first day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it turned out to be Get-used-to-less-oxygen Day. Peaks north of Bishop Pass, and south of Piute Pass form two basic groups, Bishop Group and Evolution Group. Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. Here you will find the most recent trail conditions available to us. We had heard that you could maybe get an employee of Parcher's Resort to give you a lift to the North Lake Trailhead -- they are located a mile down the road from the South Lake Trailhead. There was no bridge. It was challenging knowing exactly where to cross, we tried to find a place that looked shallow enough, however the water came up above my hips (Im 52) which was pretty scary because the current moved me quite a bit and the water was freezing! The final day we packed out. Location: Northern Kings Canyon National Park
Video of a waterfall on Piute Creek near my campsite in lower Piute Canyon. As I hiked along, I met several PCT Through-Hikers heading north. From the pass panoramic views extend west across Humphrey Basin to the distant peaks rising above the western side of the South Fork of the San Joaquin Valley. Bishop and Muir Pass are still very snowy. All in all, it had been another great day in the High Sierra. Muir Pass snow is melting fast and maybe only 1.5 miles worth heading northbound and maybe 2 over towards Sapphire Lake. Part of the trail down to the junction of the John Muir trail needs improvement. Okay, I need my camera again. Did South to North lake. When Leor Pantilat's FKT for the Evolution "loop" came up in my news feed, I skimmed it and moved on, having other things on my mind. Good campsites can be found along the river beyond the Piute Creek bridge. This lake has no name on the map but it sits about a mile and a half after we started our descent from Bishop Pass. Dinners were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with instant soup or couscous. Next came McClure Meadow and the Ranger Station. Oh boy. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. We camped up there on our second night. The Bishop Group is accessible from the South Lake Trailhead, either to Treasure Lakes, or Bishop Pass. Stargazing out in the Evolution Valley should be on everyone's bucket list. 3 trip report day 5-8: Lyell Canyon/Tuolumne Meadows to Red's Meadow Resort. The trees were also providing good shade, except for a couple of bare places where avalanches had swept the forest away, leaving only chest-high chaparral. Such a memorable backpacking trip! The most challenging part of the hike was crossing the river. 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. Mosquitos are out a bit especially in Evolution Valley and Piute Creek. This great hike to scenic Piute Pass ascends beneath the multi-hued Piute Crags to a beautiful lakes basin tucked beneath Mt. Leisurely pace over 6 days / 7 nights, This was an amazing hike! I'll be going back next weekend into the Evolution Basin higher up. 5.1 trip report. for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. But, conditions are still challenging. I was overjoyed, and felt a million times better. We made a few mistakes that cost us a lot of time, however.we didn't take the ferry out, and lost the trail around the lake - a mistake that cost us several hours to climb over boulders and ledges. Evolution Valley. 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. On the way back, check out the Blayney hot springs - they are magical! Campsite 1: Upper Golden Trout Lake. Day 2 Dusy Basin to Big Pete Meadow My AllTrails recording showed 59.4 miles at the termination point (South Lake overnight parking lot) with over 10,000' elevation gain. Some of the travel is cross country but fairly easy to navigate. Turn left and cross the South Fork San Joaquin River. P. i. psammophilus is known from the Salinas Valley and may be a synonym of P. i. neglectus (Best 1993; Williams et al. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. We did the alternate Evolution creek crossing this time and it was easy, water just above my knees (Im 411). Well worth every step! The ferry is $25 roundtrip, or $13 one way. Piute Creek You then head south on the JMT, along the river until you reach the junction with the Goddard Canyon Trail. Your email address will not be published. The total distance to Evolution Lake is about 10 miles. So peaceful and tranquil. I was OK with this, as its hard to tell distance when youre hiking fast downhill, as it feels so much different heading the other way. 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. 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. Anon. Completed this loop South - North May 26-29. 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 . Again, I will say that there is plenty of water the whole way, so drink up. Moderate to the rim of the valley. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. I was definitely overheating, and simply wanted to take a long rest. The ferry usually runs from early June to late September, every day at 2-hour intervals beginning at 8:30 AM at the store end of the lake and making its last run from the far end at 5 PM. The climb up to Piute Pass was uneventful, passing a series of lakes on the way to the day's high point. Florence Lake Store and Ferry. The best time ever, I mean. On my way between JMT and Piute there were 5+ stream crossings that necessitated wading. 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. There were a few sections that were mosquito-dense, but otherwise the bugs and critters were tolerable! Only one water crossing (Evolution creek) that required getting your feet wet. Finally, two ladies told me that there was a spot just ahead, right next to the creek! I had descended 2500 feet and climbed another 1000 feet to get up here. Quite a few creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet wet, but easily done. Water was flowing on a lot of the trail down. The route my two amigas and I traveled lies in the trio of Kings Canyon National Park, Inyo National Forest and Sierra National Forest. Located in California's beautiful eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Inyo National Forest offers challenging trails, high mountain peaks, and unparalleled views. The trail skirts the northern shore of Loch Leven. The views along the way make up for it. The McClure Meadow is one of the most beautiful meadows I have ever seen! Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible
You could do a quick trip, via Echo Col in both directions, in about 4 days. Even so, with campsites spread out along its length, the valley never seems crowded. What a reward after the long hike up the mountainThanks. We hiked up to Piute Creek the first day it was 13.1 miles since the ferry was not running on our hike up. Piute Pass 01:05:00 Hutchinson Meadow 02:18:02 Piute Canyon/JMT Junction 3:13:44 Goddard Canyon Junction 3:50:59 McClure Meadow Ranger . The Best backpacking hike ever! Oh, yes, this was heavenly! The best hike of my life. No storms. But we didnt see any rangers. The log cabin is located on the right side of the trail as you hike south a short distance before the Piute Creek bridge. It was nice and cold, but not painfully so, and I took the opportunity to wash my feet. Required fields are marked *. It had taken me almost twelve hours, although I have to admit that I took several very long breaks. The map showed that it eventually merged into the South Fork San Joaquin River somewhere out of sight of the trail. The trail on the right leads north into French Canyon. I think this might be a great time to interject that finding water was never, ever a problem. I needed both water and a flat spot. They finished up their meal and continued onward, while I read my book and watched the river go by. The trail is quite rocky in most places so slower than you might expect given the elevation profile. Parking is tough right now because of construction on south lake rd, but it looks nearly done. slightly uphill or slightly downhill, varying. From there we day packed to evolution lake the third day. Thanks to Covid regulations, the signs posted trailside asked people not to visit unless it was an emergency, One of the signs mentioned a Bold, Aggressive, Large Bear that had been raiding food at the Piute Creek area exactly where I planned to stay that night! The lake is 53 miles east of Prather. Warm days in the upper 70s and the nights werent too cool either, even up at sapphire lake. Lots of camping spots with water so you can make your day as long or short as you like. Now I cant breathe for another reason. Purchase tickets in the store. 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. My girlfriends told me I started singing gospel at that point, but I really think they may be exaggerating. Highly recommend pushing up to lower Dusy Basin (though there are several campsites about 1200 vertical feet up from Le Conte, just prior to a bridge crossing) (night 4). Plan a late summer trip to avoid the worst of them. The lowest lakes in Dusy and Evolution basin are mostly thawed. 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