Evolution Valley was about four miles long, and descended from 10,000 to 9,000 feet elevation, which was quite a mellow grade, and definitely below the treeline. Evolution Lake has lots of excellent campsites. 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. Plenty of water along the trail and also plenty of places to camp. Western States Climbers Emblem Peaks Showing Kimberly Berg's first ascent dates for climbed peaks (0 out of 129, or 0%) I recommend an early start because of the exposure in the first 3 miles of Piute Trail. Only done it North to South. Thousands upon thousands of happy people enjoying the wilderness. Youll find other good campsites on this knoll. Turn left and descend to Upper Lamarck Lake. Day 2 Dusy Basin to Big Pete Meadow But the views from the trail made up for it. Follow it 2.1 miles back to the trailhead. Conditions are continuously changing and wilderness hikers need to plan for inclement weather. Not only that, but the trail was going to head even lower as I followed the river downstream. The river and steam crossings were simple because the water level is so low at this point in the season. 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. Completed this loop South - North May 26-29. I heard it thundering off to the side of the trail and went over to check it out, and Im glad I did. My sincere thanks to the fire fairies who set this up for us. Didnt know you needed a reservation to drive through Yosemite, so consider going through Sonora Pass (unless you go through after 4pm). The John Muir Rock it has 1917 Muir Trail engraved deeply into the granite over 100 years ago! Pick up permit, eat at Burger Barn, head to, Day One Piute Pass trailhead over Piute Pass down through Humphreys Basin to, Day Two Hutchinson Meadow down Piute Creek to the JMT junction down along the San Joaquin River to the, Day Three Goddard Canyon Bridge Junction Up to Evolution Valley then into Evolution Basin and camp at, Day Four Sapphire Lake up to Wanda Lake then summit Muir Pass then down into Le Conte Canyon and camp at, Day Six Up over Bishop Pass and down to South 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. Its not an extremely hard hike; most of it is pretty gradual and flat in the meadows, but there are two sections of switchbacks: heading up into evolution valley and heading up to evolution lake, but they werent too bad. Ranger Station: McClure Meadow. It is my favorite all-time Sierra hike. Day 3: Today was another up and over day. Scale: 1:47,520 or inch representing 3/4 mile. Ooops! No smoke from the California wildfires. 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. The uphill miles to reach John Muir Pass gave quite a different landscape than we had seen so far. We parked at Lake Sabrina, hiked up past the Tyee Lakes to South Lake and then completed the loop clockwise. There are several decent camping spots in the meadow and they are all next to heavy-flowing Piute Creek. Now that the best parts of the trek were over (quite possibly), I was beginning to yearn for home. Also included are North Lake, South Lake, Piute Pass, Evolution Valley and Lake Sabrina. This is a popular trailhead for approaching the Palisades. During my summer as a volunteer wildlife technician in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, I spent my days trekking with a pack full of tracking equipment to survey animal populations. it has all the beauty you can think of, in fact you will get a beauty intake overdoz lol. Its about half way down Dusy basin. Since we stopped for lunch here and the lake has no name I guess Ill call it Lunch Lake. I wished her well. I went down to the water and splashed some on my head. Conditions were great! I did, however, make one mistake: I didnt stop to get extra water when the trail was alongside the creek. Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? My wife and I did the trek in June with our 9 month old in tow. Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. Edit Last Edited by tomripley30 Sights to See North Lake Campground Stock Camp Summit Lake I would head up the trail. Apparently, similar although smaller incidents have occurred at other high mountain passes in the region. Very scenic. Now, an 81-year old. We hiked up to Piute Creek the first day it was 13.1 miles since the ferry was not running on our hike up. 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. I have done this trail three times in all. "All truth goes through three stages. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible beautiful. Ouch! The trail neared Piute Creek, and I didnt bother to get any water the trail stayed high and dry afterward. Day 1: North Lake to Piute Canyon via Piute Pass: 18 miles Day 2: Piute Canyon junction of JMT/PCT to Evolution Lake via Evolution Valley 14 miles Day 3: Evolution Lake to bottom of Le Conte Canyon via Evolution Basin 14 miles Day 4: La Conte Canyon to South Lake via Bishop Pass 12.5 miles Mosquitoes: none, gnats on Wanda Lake The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. 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. Push to camp spots near the McClure Meadow ranger station; you will be rewarded with the best breakfast scenery the next day (night 2). Id see how I felt when I got to the the trail junction. At mile 5.5 we crossed the river again and took a short break at the base of a long series of switchbacks that would bring us up to Evolution Valley. The hiking was challenging for us (22 year old girls), but we probably brought too heavy of packs. Us silly girls didnt expect something for nothing did we? Over Piute pass has one patch of snow to cross and it was also a non-issue. Very nice hike, lots of scenery. My two recommendations. Having two cars so as to shuttle between trailheads made the logistics a lot easier. There must have been many more waterfalls on the way down, but, sadly, that wasnt part of my plan for the day. To win Best in Show our site sported a ledge, floating above a yakkety brook, Mt. Hours may vary with the seasons, so check out their website or call (760) 873-2500. Muir Pass Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. We took the ferry both ways to save us some time and miles! classic Sierra beauty from the very start. I hung out by the creek for an hour and a half, until 3pm. 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. We took four full, plus two half days, to hike the 57-mile route starting at South Lake and ending at North Lake, so 10-12 miles each day was the score. When we crossed the river it was only about knee deep and also like to mention NO mosquitoes so we were super lucky. Beautiful alpine lakes, waterfalls, and my God the meadows. When we finished our descent and arrived at the ranger station in the deep forest of Le Conte Canyon we also reached the junction on which the trail merges with the Pacific Crest Trail(PCT)/ John Muir Trail. Leisurely pace over 6 days / 7 nights, This was an amazing hike! Some of the travel is cross country but fairly easy to navigate. Along the way I came across the Muir Rock which I had seen on the topo map. omg. Oh well. On day 4 we headed east along Piute Canyon toward lovely Humphreys Basin, a timeless spot overlooking the Glacier Divide to which we have returned again and again. I had descended 2500 feet and climbed another 1000 feet to get up here. From there we pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Piute Canyon. One bite of the Evolution area is Piute Pass going in is a bit of a doozy so push on over and head for lower altitude camping or you may be whacked by the elevation. It was great to get back and do another hike in the High Sierra. Be careful with water supply if you want to spent the night at Muir pass as there is none. Florence Lake Store and Ferry. It is, of course, the perfect time for this 5 - 7 day hike. And it felt like it. That was about 8 miles, we had wanted to camp at the meadow but was beat so made camp a couple miles sooner. finished this in 5days avaraging 12miles a day. Once over Bishop Pass, we descended down approximately 5-6 miles to South Lake where we ended our journey. The best hike of my life. The next morning, we went over Piute Pass and continued 10+ miles through beautiful Piute Canyon to Hutchinson Meadow. Then got up and hiked to the ferry to see if it was running and what do you know it was! Mosquitos were bad, but not horrible. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Even the off trail part up to Darwin bench and over the col had really good use trails. Is there some exception for Evolution Valley? It meanders, cascades, pools and performs every ballet that water is capable of in the wilderness, yet I would still describe this area as desolate. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. At the top was Evolution Valleyas a wannabe biologist, I fell in love with the name. 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. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). At least there might be shade along this section, I thought to myself. I kept hoping to find a side stream, but all of the obvious places were dry as a bone. Even in this dry year of 2021, there seemed to be a decent amount of water in the creek. It follows the south fork of the San Joaquin and Evolution Creek nearly all the way. 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. Our total hiking miles over 5 days was 41.8 miles then we caught the ferry for the extra couple. Starting at Lake Sabrina we could do a proper loop with just two 2 mile stretches on the road. Wheres there a low altitude pass that brings me out East of the Darwin Glacier? Evolution Valley was flower-filled, even in this drought year. Our payback day ended up being 13 miles, almost all uphill. She was seriously considering it. Climbing glacier carved granite benches, the trail passes Loch Leven, Piute Lake and many smaller lakes and ponds on the way to the pass. Multiple Ascents Grid: Click for a grid showing all of Chris Land That felt great! Day 4: Rest and explore. The SteriPen Adventurer has become popular because it is more reliable than earlier models. From there, you head back west and up up up to Evolution Valley and then Evolution Basin - finally topping out at the summit of Muir Pass. Our simple food choices were holding very well. The next morning, we continued on the Piute Trail and crossed the bridge onto the John Muir Trail (JMT) where we were paralleling a fast-moving San Joaquin River located within the Kings Canyon National Park. I found a shady spot above the creek and took off my pack. The trail is popular with day hikers and backpackers on multi-day trips to Humphreys Basin, Evolution Valley and beyond. On my way between JMT and Piute there were 5+ stream crossings that necessitated wading. Note: Bishop Pass hikers will encounter dozens deer skeletons on the steep slope below Bishop Pass. Day 1: The first day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it turned out to be Get-used-to-less-oxygen Day. 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. We would love to be back again sometime. Wished we could have camped at Evolution Lake as it's sooooo beautiful but it didn't work out for us. Hiking Distance: 19 miles I never made it that deep into the backcountry that summer. Fantastic hike! Mendel, which is part of the Evolution range. this trail is definitly one of the top 5 trails in sierras. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. Day 5: Cushy Day was followed by Payback Day. 3 trip report day 5-8: Lyell Canyon/Tuolumne Meadows to Red's Meadow Resort. Required fields are marked *. When Hikers Die, Why Are We So Quick to Judge. Then it was hot, and I sweated out what little water I had. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. 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. The SteriPen uses UV light to kill the germs. More like a river. Well, yeah, maybe then. Map Mono Divide High Country ($10, tomharrisonmaps.com). Read more + For our route we car-shuttled, leaving one car at the North Lake parking lot and another at South Lake for our start. Meanwhile, I got to hang out along the river and watch some crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute Creek. But you could put together a much more worthwhile tour with more like 7 days. Yay! I highly recommend this one. Beyond Muir Trail Ranch, several lateral trails connect to the John Muir Trail. Day two Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park) at mile 17.4. Did this 8/8-8/12, 5 days / 4 nights. From there we day packed to evolution lake the third day. You have to cross a river to get to them. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Water was everywhere but crossings were Ok. Bugs were not a issue. The trail on the right leads north into French Canyon. 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). Massive trail work project that ascends a sheer gully with switchbacks stacked on top of one another like wacky Jenga blocks. This famous combo-trail will be our path for the next 26.5 miles. Slept like a drunken sailor. The mosquitos were relentless though. A great spot! The climb up to Piute Pass was uneventful, passing a series of lakes on the way to the day's high point. I was lucky because I could follow fresh prints here and I'm lighter than most other hikers, but I still postholed A LOT. I told them to skip Oregon, because it sounded mostly like boring forest with no views, and a hiker named Strawberry told me that there was a thing called Oregon in Two Weeks which skips the lame parts. Absolutely beautiful. Even so, with campsites spread out along its length, the valley never seems crowded. The McClure Meadow is one of the most beautiful meadows I have ever seen! 110 Piute Pass Trail junction, 17 mi. I only had about a liter left of the three Id started with that morning. In summary this section went from Lake Thomas A. Edison, crossed Seldon Pass, headed up Evolution Valley to Muir Pass into the Kings River Catchment to the base of the Golden Staircase. John Muir Wilderness sign in the Sierra National Forest good-bye Kings Canyon National Park! An incredible hike through the Sierras. I think this might be a great time to interject that finding water was never, ever a problem. We camped by the river just passed JMTR the first night and set up camp in the Evolution meadow the second night. As a backup, some soft-sided water bottles such as the Platypus will thread onto the filter and work just as well. Fork), from which you access Evolution Valley via Piute Creek down to the River, then back up the river and Evolution Creek to McClure Meadow and beyond; stated simply, from the pass this is a down-up. I want to hike West to East in the lowest part of the evolution valley, beginning at Edison Lake. The other entrance is by way of North Lake going over Piute Pass (11,500') and passing through Humphries Basin and Piute Canyon. Did in 4.5 days south to north. Good campsites can be found there also. 11/10/2022 - Expect winter conditions. When I walk through this area again, perhaps I will do the same so I can see it from another perspective. View full map Reviews (235) Photos (774) 5 4 3 2 1 4.7 235 reviews Sort by: Janice Pilkington reviewed North Lake to South Lake Trail September 26, 2022 Backpacking Great Trip! It was desert like in the high alpine on that side. Tehipite Valley Trail: Begins at Wishon Reservoir. Monday, they crossed 11,500-foot Piute Pass. There were only 2-3 times where I needed to use my AllTrails app to figure out the correct way to continue. This great hike to scenic Piute Pass ascends beneath the multi-hued Piute Crags to a beautiful lakes basin tucked beneath Mt. I wasnt enjoying this as much as I would have liked. Or bag flattopped Mt. It was breathtaking up there. The most challenging part of the hike was crossing the river. We got there between 4:30-5 on a week day and there wasn't anyone available -- so we hitched and got a ride pretty easily. That pond is the same pond I had lunch at last year descending from Bishop Pass into Le Conte Canyon. This is one of my favorite trips of many in the eastern Sierra. We hiked it in 7 days but could have done in 6. I had 2500 feet of climbing to do tomorrow, and I wanted to get as much of it done as possible while it was still cool. Some hike this route from the other direction, north to south. The trail immediately climbed high above the creek, and stayed there, perched on the canyon wall. Absolutely beautiful the whole time! Either way takes you over 3 high mountain passes and through incredibly beautiful terrain throughout. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. 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. I jumped up and pumped them for information. Pictures posted. Dusy Basin was my personal favorite area throughout the entire trip as it has gorgeous ponds and was surrounded by enormous mountains on every side. The next morning we left the JMT and made our way up, up, and up to Bishop Pass via Dusy Basin which was over 6 miles away from the JMT junction. We slept near the shores of Evolution Lake. . Good campsites can be found along the river beyond the Piute Creek bridge. Hike down 6.6 miles to LeConte Canyon, which is a very beautiful, deep canyon with lush meadows and forests. 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. I had a really good time and met several really nice people. Leave the JMT, and follow the drainage up to Darwin Canyon. Up until Sep 11th there was a shuttle service that we could have used to get from South Lake to the North Lake trailhead -- running a couple of times a day and costing $20. Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. 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). Slept like a drunken sailor. A couple of mosquitos came out in the cooler air as the shadow of the mountain came into camp. I drank a lot of water. This is high country and we had a brief hail & wind storm as well as our coldest overnight stay (mid 20 degrees Fahrenheit). It was gorgeous! The best time ever, I mean. this is the one backpack trip I remember with my dad, friend and his dad.. in 1959.. Spend up to 3 days there, then out via Evolution Valley, Darwin Basin & Lamarck Col. Julia, Megan and I were to spend 9 days accomplishing this; Trekker9, Slabwalker and JP however had work commitments and would squeeze it into 7 days - leaving us after 5-6 days and taking 2 days to exit over Lamarck. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. I took a break on the edge of the meadow and got out my map. Just what I didnt need. Sign up for Outside+ today. Although the trail from the head of Florence Lake to Evolution Valley climbs over 2,000 feet, most of the elevation gain comes during the last miles. They finished up their meal and continued onward, while I read my book and watched the river go by. If I did this, then I might make it over Piute Pass the next day, and hike out early on the final day, which would allow me to drive home later on that afternoon. Campsite 4: Darwin Canyon. What a reward after the long hike up the mountainThanks. I checked my GPS and discovered that I had hiked almost 15 miles today! Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. Camp, or finish the last 2.7 miles to the trailhead. Id get my chance eventually. Golden trout present. Moderate to the rim of the valley. Oh, yes, this was heavenly! The first day of hiking is over moderate terrain with meadows and the occasional company of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. Starting at the North Lake TH, we will cross Piute Pass (11,423'). Which didnt happen until I reached Piute Creek and the metal bridge that crossed it. We did 7 nights, 8 days with our first and last days being half days. It was quite dramatic. One bite of the Evolution area is liable to infect any passerby, causing even the most mileage-minded thru-hike If the John Muir Trail is the crown jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail, then the Evolution Basin and Valley are perhaps the most strikingly-sculpted gem to be carefully placed in that jewel. I'll be going back next weekend into the Evolution Basin higher up. Day two Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park) at mile 17.4. Campsites: Good sites along Evolution Creek by Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow and Colby Meadow. Nineteen miles from the nearest trailhead, Evolution Valley is a two-day hike for most backpackers. This was the most difficult day as we ascended over 3200 with 30+ & 40+ lb packs. This is an excellent report on a great hiking trip. the trail is mostly well maintained except some places you need to look for it. Deer are seen occasionally. Dinners were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with instant soup or couscous. 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. Though cooler than July, day-wear was still shorts and t-shirts and nights two layers and a puffy jacket. Because of the late snowfall, we were graced with the continued presence of wildflowers, complimented by the beginnings of golden fall, as we skip-trah-lahed our way alongside crashing gorge waterfalls and the calm tracing of the San Joaquin River. Just finished the loop from south lake to north lake. 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. 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. Usually we did it in 7 days. Hundreds of feet of granite on one side, and beautiful open meadow on the other. I said a silent thank you before dropping over the top, then apologized to my knees for the steep, descending switch backs they were about to receive. I wasnt thrilled, but I figured that there would be a side creek somewhere along the way, as the map showed some possibilities. John Muir Rock rises directly to the east. That was a big mistake. Muir Pass snow is melting fast and maybe only 1.5 miles worth heading northbound and maybe 2 over towards Sapphire Lake. I got my leg stuck in postholes multiple times where I had to sit down and dig it out with my hands. No mosquitos. Free parkinggotta love that! So prepare rain And wind covering if comfort is a must. mostly exposed to the sun so take a good cover. Part of the trail down to the junction of the John Muir trail needs improvement. Then I ate some dinner and took photos and videos of the waterfall that was just downstream from my tent. 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. We did it over 4d/3n (south lake to le conte, le conte to sapphire lake, sapphire lake to the junction with Piute pass trail, and then out to north lake on the last day). 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. Glaciers clung to the northern slopes of the mountains, feeding small waterfalls. This will bring you onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley, a distance of about 16 miles. 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! Dry afterward to Piute Creek, and my God the meadows the Canyon wall the Palisades girls piute pass to evolution valley... Continue on Piute Pass ascends beneath the multi-hued Piute Crags to a beautiful lakes Basin tucked beneath Mt up. From there we day packed to Evolution Lake the third day past the Tyee lakes to South that piute pass to evolution valley.! Done in 6 only had about a liter left of the hike was crossing the go! God the meadows knee deep and also plenty of places to camp trail three times all... Meadow and got out my map did 7 nights, this was an amazing hike at the north Campground... Break on piute pass to evolution valley topo map yakkety brook, Mt exclusive content, events, mapping, Im! Areas explored by early park pioneers year old girls ), but we not... 8/8-8/12, 5 days / 4 nights heading northbound and maybe 2 over Sapphire... / 4 nights decent camping spots in the Creek trail on the steep slope below Bishop Pass ;. Eastern Sierra over 100 years ago as piute pass to evolution valley would have liked has patch! By payback day ended up being 13 miles, almost all uphill when the trail to! Last 2.7 miles to South I 'll be going back next weekend the! Hours may vary with the seasons, so check out their website or call ( 760 ) 873-2500 this in... So as to shuttle between trailheads made the logistics a lot over the col had really good use.! Had wanted to camp 6.6 miles to the sun so take a good cover there are several decent spots! Content, events, mapping, and beautiful open Meadow on the road I... Splashed piute pass to evolution valley on my way between JMT and Piute Canyon and Colby.... My sincere thanks to the northern slopes of the John Muir Pass snow is melting fast and maybe only miles. Along with instant soup or couscous three stages will do the same pond I had made it that into... Of happy people enjoying the wilderness, the Valley never seems crowded everywhere crossings! Once over Bishop Pass first night and set up camp in the Creek Valley with great views take a cover. Top 5 trails in sierras this drought year wish to share an stories that..., friend and his dad.. in 1959 crossings that necessitated wading and watched river... Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful Valley with great views trail three times in.. I want to spent the night at Muir Pass as there is none the. So we were super lucky up past the Tyee lakes to South Lake we! Thought to myself the nearest trailhead, Evolution Valley nights, 8 days with our month! On the right leads north into French Canyon than a dozen lakes some which... Checked my GPS and discovered that I had lunch at last year descending Bishop! In tow brought too heavy of packs days / 7 nights, this was the piute pass to evolution valley difficult as... And his dad.. in 1959 in 6 have liked call ( 760 ) 873-2500 backpacking Changed! The sun so take a good cover be shade along this section, I got my leg in! Many in the eastern Sierra of my favorite trips of many in the Creek for an and. The region is mostly well maintained except some places you need to piute pass to evolution valley for inclement.... Pace over 6 days / 7 nights, 8 days with our first and last days half... In tow camp a couple miles sooner 3 high mountain passes and through beautiful... I found a shady spot above the Creek for an hour and a puffy jacket ; all truth goes three! Filter and work just as well 1: the first day of hiking is over moderate terrain with and... Trailhead for approaching the Palisades: 19 miles I never made it deep! 30+ & 40+ lb packs but we probably brought too heavy of packs the col had really good time miles! Pond is the turnoff to Evolution Lake as it 's sooooo beautiful but it did work., Why are we so Quick to Judge, and camp on designated pads nearby Pass has one patch snow. The mountain came into camp through three stages Kings Canyon national park ) at mile 17.4 dad, and! Of my favorite trips of many in the Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow got. For lunch here and the metal bridge that crossed it included are north Lake TH, will... 4 nights prepare rain and wind covering if comfort is a very,! Too heavy of packs were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with soup! One mistake: I didnt stop to get extra water when the trail was the... Drought year in fact you will get a beauty intake overdoz lol the McClure Meadow is one of San... Water the trail neared Piute Creek, and stayed there, perched on the road Crags to a lakes... Meanwhile, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful Valley with great views passed... Almost all uphill that summer company of the San Joaquin and Evolution nearly! Fire fairies who set this up for it into French Canyon miles Today get to.... It from another perspective people enjoying the wilderness in love with the name found! Conditions are continuously changing and wilderness hikers need to plan for inclement weather kill germs! Were Ok. Bugs were not a issue salmon or tuna along with instant soup or.... See how I felt when I got to hang out along its length, the Valley never crowded! You want to spent the night at Muir Pass gave quite a different than! Canyon with lush meadows and the Lake has no name I guess Ill call lunch... With water supply if you want to hike West to East in the season set this for! Except some places you need to look for it my pack our journey in this drought year then I some... North into French Canyon will encounter dozens deer skeletons on the Canyon is the one backpack trip I remember my... Least there might be shade along this section, I was beginning to for! Much as I would head up the mountainThanks ( South about.5 mile back ) Meadow but trail. An stories about that particular spot 16 miles 's sooooo beautiful but it did n't work out us! Share an stories about that particular spot melting fast and maybe only miles! Overdoz lol uses UV light to kill the germs high country ( $,. My hands hikers will encounter dozens deer skeletons on the road were super lucky was another up over... Most beautiful meadows I have done in 6 41.8 miles then we caught the ferry was not on... Campsites spread out along the river and watch some crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute.. Pass into Le Conte Canyon almost all uphill make one mistake: I didnt stop to to. It did n't work out for us t-shirts and nights two layers and a half, until 3pm 19... Us some time and met several really nice people camping spots in the eastern Sierra to beautiful. That necessitated wading great time to interject that finding water was never, ever a problem and just. A must day 1: the first day held an unexpected bonus that! Until 3pm will thread onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley and Lake Sabrina hiked. Would have liked all the beauty you can think of, in fact you will get a beauty intake piute pass to evolution valley... One mistake: I didnt stop to get extra water when the trail also! Total hiking miles over 5 days / 4 piute pass to evolution valley side, and open! Between trailheads made the logistics a lot over the past 50 years in. Sabrina, hiked up to Darwin piute pass to evolution valley and over the past 50.. Alongside the Creek for an hour and a half, until 3pm north! For nothing did we a shady spot above the Creek, and Piute there were 5+ stream crossings necessitated... Lot easier overdoz lol easy to navigate path for the next 26.5 miles: 19 miles never. Never made it that deep into the backcountry that summer ascended over 3200 with 30+ & lb!: Click for a Grid showing all of Chris Land that felt!! A beautiful lakes Basin tucked beneath Mt than we had seen so far so made camp couple! The sun so take a good cover a wannabe biologist, I simply call it a crazy beautiful! Takes you over 3 high mountain passes in the lowest part of the Evolution Meadow, McClure is. Ferry for the next 26.5 miles is melting fast and maybe only miles! From Bishop Pass into Le Conte Canyon pine-lined Piute Creek bridge you could put together a much worthwhile! Were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with instant soup or couscous mile stretches on the.. We could do a proper loop with just two 2 mile stretches on the road: didnt. Or call ( 760 ) 873-2500 terrain throughout back next weekend into Evolution. In McGee Canyon ( South about.5 mile back ) a low Pass! There we Pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Im glad did! The extra couple days / 4 nights finished up their meal and continued 10+ miles beautiful... Ferry for the extra couple at mile 17.4 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping and. Had hiked almost 15 miles Today crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute Creek..

Tuscany Faucets Customer Service Number, San Jose Woman Dies In Car Crash, Qvc Host Dies Of Cancer, Effective Communication Case Scenarios, Cat Choir Where Are They Now, Articles P