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Best one-week hike in California

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mfolch BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 2:52 pm

I'll be visiting a friend in CA in late June and early July, and we are planning to spend a week hiking in the Sierras, about which I know next to nothing. So I'm seeking recommendations for where to hike. There are few limitations except that we are hoping to cover 10-12 miles per day more or less and that the area be memorably, even stunningly beautiful and quite isolated–I'm about to become a father, so I don't expect much non-local hiking time for the next few years (I live in NY). Many thanks in advance!

Aaron Sorensen BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 3:16 pm

Try Sierra Mapper Alpha version to calculate a route.
It will show you the route

Anywhere in Kings Canyon is amazing.
Doing something N. or S. of Roads End and getting off the beaten trail of the Rae Lakes Loop will give you total solitude.

Here's an 83 mile loop I did in 2 minutes.
I would go S. over avalanche for some real solitude.

Rae Lakes Loop in the picture is in the bottom right hand corner.

Sierra Mapper gives you a lot of good info.

http://awhite4777.pythonanywhere.com/SierraMapperAlpha/default/start

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Art … BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 4:31 pm

please elaborate on your definition of "quite isolated" …

see no one the entire week ?

see 1 or 2 people every 3 hours ?

off trail ? or totally on trail ?

also can it be a point to point or must your trip begin and end at the same spot ?

Paul Wagner BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 6:12 pm

That makes a huge difference. If you are willing to do some route finding, you can really get away from people. But you better know how to use a map and compass/GPS pretty well.

Sequoia?Kings Canyon is wonderful. So is Yosemite. The most popular routes, by definition, will have more people. But there are plenty of areas where you can pretty much be on your own for hours, if not days at a time.

We have a big list of hikes in the Sierra on our website: backpackthesierra.com

Bean BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 6:59 pm

"except that we are hoping to cover 10-12 miles per day"

What are your feeling towards switchbacks?

mfolch BPL Member
PostedMay 22, 2015 at 8:08 pm

please elaborate on your definition of "quite isolated" …
1-2 people every 3 hours is fine. Fewer is better, more is tolerable if necessary but not for the majority of the trip, next to none would be ideal but not a prerequisite.

also can it be a point to point or must your trip begin and end at the same spot ?
A loop would be preferable since we have one car between us, but shuttles and charter vans can work as well (if as relatively available in CA as they are in in NY).

Cross country would be great. We're adept at compass navigation and are hoping to do fishing as well.

What are your feeling towards switchbacks?
Not a problem if it's worth the journey.

Thank you for the many suggestions so far.

PostedMay 22, 2015 at 8:10 pm

"Best one-week hike in California"
Ridiculous assignment.
Just pick any in the Sierra. They're all great.

Billy

PostedMay 22, 2015 at 8:21 pm

Tehipite Valley.

/thread

edit: Seriously, you'll get isolation in a Yosemite-like valley, ridiculous switchbacks that you will quickly forget once you get into the canyon, expansive flat terrain next to the Kings river with lots of beautiful campsite options, crazy-good trout fishing (if you're into that), swimming holes, a waterfall, petroglyphs, and a start & end at the same TH but not strictly an out-&-back route.

If I wasn't trying to bang out PCT sections every year with my precious limited hiking time, I'd go to Tehipite every 2 or 3 years. Maybe more.

Allen C BPL Member
PostedMay 23, 2015 at 6:57 pm

"Here's an 83 mile loop I did in 2 minutes."

Aaron – That may be a new FKT!!!! nice job! ;)

d k BPL Member
PostedMay 23, 2015 at 8:15 pm

That was exactly my thought when I read Aaron's post today!

Bob Shaver BPL Member
PostedJun 1, 2015 at 2:36 pm

some to consider are these:

1. South Lake to Sawmill Pass:

Sat to Saddlerock Lake
Sun over Bishop Pass to Dusy Basin, climb Mt. Agassiz
Mon to Palisade Basin, over xc pass climb North Palisade
Tues to Palisade Lake, over xc pass climb Sucker Peak (Jepson)
Wed over Mather pass, climb Split Pk
Thurs to Twin lakes
Fri to Woods Lake climb Cedric Wright, Coliseum
Sat over Sawmill pass to Sawmill Meadow
Sun to cars and home.

2. Cottonwood pack station to Symmes Creek

Sat: depart Cottonwood roadhead and proceed up Cottonwood Creek past Golden Trout Camp to South Fork Lakes area for camp (5 miles).

Sun: Ascend basin to New Army Pass for commanding view of Kern Basin and Trench as well as the Owens alley and Sierra Crest. Descent into Rock Creek basin past Rock Creek Lake, down the canyon to the9600 ft elevation for camp (9.5 miles).

Mon: Ascend the north side of the canyon, cross Guyot Creek to the saddle below Mt. Guyot. Hike to Crabtree Meadow and up the creek to Crabtree lakes for camp (9 miles). Layover day here.

Wed: hike back down Crabtree Creek to the meadow and join John Muir Trail. Proceeding North to Wallace Creek and climb Wallace Creek valley to timberline campsite (9 miles) . Have layover day.

Fri: return to John Muir Trail and hike to Wright Creek hike up the creek to timberline for camp (6 miles).

Sat: cross country over the ridge dividing Wright and Tyndall Creeks until we meet the Shepard Pass Trail. Then proceed over Shepard Pass and descend to Anvil Camp (5 miles.

Sun: Descend the eastern Sierra escarpment to the Symmes Creek roadhead. (7 miles) .

3. Toulumne Meadows to Devils Postpile

S Hike from Toulumne mdw to Rafferty creek
S Rafferty Creek to below Lyell Creek
M Lyell Creek, over Donahue and Island Pass, to Thousand island Lake
T Layover Day
W Thousand Island Lake to below Lake Ediza
T layover day
F lake Ediza to Trinity Lakes
S to Devils Postpile, get food drop, hike 2 miles out of DP

4. Devils Postpile to Lake Sabrina
S to Purple Lake
M over Silver Pass, to Quail Meadow
T to Lake Marie
W over Selmer Pass to Evolution Valley
T over #&%!$ for Brains Pass, to Midnight Lake
F to Lake Sabrina,

5. South Lake to Onion Valley

S start at South Lake, hike to Saddlerock Lake
S To Barrett lakes
M layover, climbed Polomonium, Sill
T to Palisade Lake
W over Mather Pass to Lake Marjorie
T over Pinchot Pass to Rae lakes
F To Onion Valley, over Glen, Kearsarge

6. Onion Valley to Mt. Whitney, Whitney Portals

S to Flower Lake
S over Kearsearge Pass to Bubbs Creek
M over Forester Pss to Wright lakes
T Layover
W another layover for Group A, to Wallace lakes for Group B
T To Hitchcock lake for Group A, layover at Wallace for Group B
F over Trail Crest to the Portal, to summit of Whitney
S out to trail head Group A, down to Whitney Portal Group B

7. High Sierra Trail to Little 5 Lakes

Wolverton Meadows to Mehrton Meadows
To trail camp, above Bearpaw Meadows, climb Alta Peak
Past Hamilton lake, over Kaweah Gap, to Big Arroya
Thru 9 lakes basin to Little 5 Laks
Thru big 5 lakes to Lost Canyon
Past Columbine lake, climb Sawtooth peak, to camp at Timber Gap Creek
Near Bearpaw Meadows
To cars at Wolverton Meadows

8. North Lake to South Lake, or the reverse.

USA Duane Hall BPL Member
PostedJun 1, 2015 at 8:28 pm

Mammoth Lakes area.
I did a loop 5 years? ago, Duck, Purple Lakes, looped around over Silver Pass after visiting the most beautiful lake I've seen, some XC hiking, even better than Desolation Wilderness back country lakes, up to Bighorn Lake and XC out of it to Isaac Walton Lake. Saw no one for 4 days then once I hit the JMT, 20 people in an hour. Can't divulge the lake I visited. It was gorgeous. Lakes in the Ansel Adams Wilderness are great too, but heavily used, best to visit in Oct, then you'll only see 6 people in a week.
Duane

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