Sierras Newbie

Kings Canyon Loop (Rae Lakes) has nice fishing, and you could detour into the Sixty Lakes Basin. A ranger told me the fish are "always jumping!" there. I'm not sure about bugs that time of year (i'm somewhat immune.. lucky me!) so maybe someone else could chime in. It's 41 miles (i think) without the detour.

I'd recommend the "tom harrison" kearsarge pass-rae lakes loop trail map.

happy trails!

Of course, no one can predict 100%, but early September in the high Sierras should be beyond mosquito season. If there is a very wet summer, followed by higher-than-normal temperatures into September — you might see some, but I don't think it would be horrible.

I would head into Kings Canyon. I started in Yosemite but after a couple year and the JMT discovered SEKI. While I have done a couple of trips into Yosemite since, Kings Canyon was my go to Sierra destination. the evolution lake area is very cool especially with a side trip to Darwin Bench. you can't go wrong with the NatGeo Maps for any of the Sierra.

Matthew,
I see are from Texas. So I take it that rather than planning a backpack trip to the Sierra, you are "fixin' ta" do a do a backpack in the Sierra and are concerned about the buggie kinda 'critters' :)

Tom Harrison Maps… google them. They are the best.

As for actual trip, maybe you could provide some more detail about things like, do you want to do cross country or stay on trial? Elevation… do you want the really high country above tree line, at tree line, below, or a little of each?

have fun…

billy

Tough call to pass on Yosemite, if you haven’t done it before and don’t get to the Sierras often.

I’ve done Rae Lakes in early Fall and it’s awesome. I’ve never had a problem catching trout up in there.

Here’s a resource I stumbled on that lists a lot of hikes in the SEKI area, many in your mileage range:

http://sierrahiker.home.comcast.net/~sierrahiker/

Be prepared for bears, though. Rae Lake loop is the only hike I’ve ever been on where a bear got into our gear at night, and all our food was in bear lockers down the trail a bit.

Yes, Billy Ray. And I plan on riding my horse all the way to California. I'm interested in SEKI but like Frank said, don't want to miss Yosemite since I've never been. Looking to stay on trail most of the way. Probably a little above and a little below the tree line. So far am considering Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Clark Range loop.

Sixty Lakes Basin is going fishless, as it's on the big list of lakes being gill netted and poisoned to return to its original fishless state.

I think Rae Lakes or a loop in Mineral King would definitely be high Sierra goodness. Yosemite is ok, but Kings/Sequoia is backpacker heaven. The big name sights in Yosemite are front country. Your first visit to Yosemite should be the magical tours of the valley and all things granite – wander the domes in Tuolumne Meadows, day hike Clouds Rest, etc.

Get the Tom Harrison Map titled Yosemite High Country.
That's how I pick my trips, pouring over the map…
I tend to be attracted to the ares above treeline with a high density of lakes.
Easy to pick out areas/trips like that from the map.

RE: Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, it can be hot in there… even in September.

RE: Clark Range Loop… out Illitouette Creek and back Merced River???
I haven't done that, but looks like a good one… could return via the trial above the Mercied River trail and do some xc into upper Lyell Fork towards Mt Ansel Adams… it be nice in there.

Another fun trip is to hike from any of the various trails out of Tuolumne Meadows and work your way towards Yosemite Valley via Little Yosemite Valley, Nevada and Vernal Falls ending at Happy Isles… If it's not too late in September you can take the shuttle bus back to Tuolumne Meadows (the bus stops running some time mid to late Sept… look on the park web site for the end date) You might even be able to work Clouds Rest and/or Half Dome in on the way out… but need another permit for Half Dome I think.

Get the map and pour over it…

Billy

I see you are from Texas. One thing to consider is , the elevation profiles of the trails in these parks. If your not use to them, It is up then down, scramble up then stair step down. A bit hard on the knees. It could take a while to acclimate and get use to this so don't plan on long miles at first. Enjoy the scenery , The awesome sunsets and early sunrises are breathtaking. But don't let these mountains fool you' Have fun.

Since you mentioned solitude as a goal, I would avoid the major route from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley~nor does it have great fishing~unless you add in the lakes off trail above Washburn.

If you want solitude, head for the northern or southern regions of the park: Leavitt Meadows to Hetch~hetchy, Twin Lakes to Benson and Matterhorn Canyon loop, Virginia Lakes Pass are all great, and offer good fishing.

In the south look at the trailheads like Granite Creek, that lead to Isberg Pass, Post Peak Pass…

Most people book the same basic hikes out of Yosemite, and those are crowded. We've soent days on the trail without seeing anyone on these other routes.

SEKI is also glorious, but you will actually see more people in Rae Lakes than in Jack Main Canyon in Yosemite.

The east side of SEKI gets more pressure from LA…by the time you get north of Mammoth there will be fewer people in the Hoover Wilderness than in SEKI.

When you said you do not get here often and want to go fishing GCT is your hike… plan on spending at least a day down stream in Pate Valley, it will not disappoint… as to crowds you will see people but even in the high season in spring it is not to bad… watch for rattle snakes…

Think we're going to do the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne loop. The Sierra North book says bears are a problem on this route. What's everyone's experience? Thanks.

Yosemite black bears can appear just about anyplace in the park. They are seen more in the upper stretches of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne loop, toward Glen Aulin camp. Plus, the bears know where backpackers will be camping, so they know where to look for you.

The bottom of this loop around Pate Valley can be extremely hot during the summer, like over 100 F. The rattlesnakes move back and forth between the hot sun and the cool shade.

–B.G.–

I'm a fan of the Tuolumne Grand Canyon route, but I wouldn't personally do it in Sept. There is nothing wrong with hiking it in September in general, except the heat Bob mentions. Its just that the hike is so spectacular early season when the falls are all flowing so I'd do it then. Early season there are perhaps a half-dozen falls on side creeks flowing into the T. Those will all be dry in Sept. and the falls and cascades on the T itself will be less than stellar in Sept. too.

In addition to Glen Aulin, the White Wolf – Harden Lake vicinity is also a relatively common place to see bears because the campground attracts them. But no worries, just keep your items with odor in your bear box and be prepared to toss objects if they get closer than you like.

Don't want to hijack this post too much but I'm moving to the Bay Area this summer and am also looking to plan some trips in the Sierra's, including one in SEKI in late September…what's the weather usually like, how worried should I be about snow storms, etc? And for anyone who has put in for SEKI permits, how long does it usually take to hear back? I sent in my permit request on the 2nd and haven't heard anything…not sure if they have a ton to go through since they just started accepting them or what. Maybe I'm just expecting too quick of a response since Yosemite got back to me right away about a short trip to Ottaway Lakes in July. Thanks!

Compared to July or August, the September weather gets a little unpredictable. The ground tends to be very dry by then, so it can often rain and soak right in. Depending on your elevation, some of that precipitation can be as snow. That is more likely to be a snow flurry and not a major snow dump. By the end of September, the little snow storms can become more significant.

People have died on the Mount Whitney Trail when they got surprised by snow in the first ten days of September.

–B.G.–