The Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail is a 48-mile end-to-end trail in New England that can be accomplished in three-to-four days. Just north of Yosemite National Park area, it is at the junction of the volcanic formations characteristic of the Sierra to the north and the granite mountains found farther south. This trail is well-blazed and mostly dirt. Our trip from Kennedy Meadows Pack Station to Hetch Hetchy described in the Backpacking Plan below and the following … Camping and Permits: Permits are required from April 1 to Nov. 30 for any overnight travel in the Emigrant Wilderness. The trail is primarily used for hiking and backpacking and is best used from August until September. That was all we needed to decide to go on a 5-day pre-Christmas snowshoeing trip. From short overnight fast-packing getaways to a week-long trek with a loaded pack, the 113,000-acre Emigrant Wilderness may not be as popular as Yosemite, but it is definitely worth the trip. After a warm breakfast and a large cup of coffee, I headed toward Emigrant Lake. 15-25 miles a day is in the super human category! Emigrant Wilderness/Yosemite Backpacking Trip September 3 - 13, 2014 Bob and Jennifer: 10 Nights, 11 Days, 45 Miles Backpacking, 30 Miles Day Hiking - Favorite Photos See Favorite Photos, Day by Day Narrative and Photos, Dinner Recipes, Equipment Comments, Route and Elevation Profile. Emigrant Wilderness is in Stanislaus National Forest, North of Yosemite. Two weeks after my last trip to Emigrant Wilderness I went back for another overnight backpacking trip, this time with Granite Dome in my sights. Day One: Crabtree Trailhead to Camp Lake, 3 miles Day Two: Camp Lake to Grouse Lake, 12.5 milesDay Three: Grouse Lake to Crabtree Trailhead, 4 miles. Closest Major City: Modesto, California (three hours). It is perfect for an AT shake-down hike or a weekend getaway. Like Yosemite, it has towering granite mountains and spectacular alpine lakes. There were a lot of fallen trees that had thankfully been cleared off the trail. I stood and watched the lake for a few minutes. Emigrant Wilderness Loop Trail is a 19.5 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Pinecrest, California that features a lake and is rated as difficult. That being said, the water is plentiful and you’ll never have to carry more than two liters. Instead, I headed South, toward Huckleberry Lake, passing Blackbird and Maxwell Lakes. After I camped next to one of these lakes back in 2015, I was completely hooked. However, fires aren’t always allowed. Beautiful location, great day hikes and back country camping We drove an hour from Sonora, CA to enter the Emigrant Wilderness, part of Stanislaus National Forest. Aug 31, 2020 - Tuolumne County is apart of the PCT Trail and the John Muir Trail. A small stream that flowed through the field had frozen overnight. The trail is dotted with lakes and streams, offering frequent water sources and campsites. Fortunately, the other end of the lake was much more suitable for camping. https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/california/emigrant-wilderness/backpacking Here's his gear transformation over the past 40 years. However, because we went during the COVID pandemic, we filled out our permit online. Backpacking Emigrant Wilderness. A ranger that I met on the trail the day before said that he’d heard anglers catch 25-inch trouts there. Off the 108, turn right onto Crabtree Road and 10 miles down the road is the parking lot and overnight campsite for this trailhead. 7 miles roundtrip with a 500 foot elevation gain. Want this map for offline use? Daytime temperatures were in the low 60s and nighttime lows int the 20s. views hiking forest nature-trips wild-flowers wildlife birding camping backpacking lake walking dogs river trail-running dogs-leash There are 11 moderate trails in Emigrant Wilderness ranging from 5.1 to 29 miles and from 6,558 to 10,324 feet above sea level. For any of the following Favorite photos, click on the image to bring up the full resolution, uncropped version. Every step I took on my left foot resulted in a stabbing pain near my heel. When she’s not guzzling instant coffee in the backcountry, you can find her down the ski slopes or using inappropriate language around children at the climbing gym. Campsites spread across entire lake. Start checking them out and you'll be out on the trail in no time! How much do you usually like to hike in a day, in terms of miles or elevation? BPR editor Hugh Owen started backpacking in the 1970s with a massive external-frame pack, heavy boots, and an 8-pound tent. My main concern was to stay warm at night. The terrain is about a 60/40 mix of trail and cross-country. In fact, I hadn’t seen a single fresh human track on the trail since Emigrant Lake. I think Gem and Jewelry lakes would also have made good campsites. Headed to Crabtree Trail, and took the trail to Camp Lake. Smoky Mountains National Park Loop, NC / TN. In addition, I brought down pants and wool socks to stay warm in camp. The actual trail enters the Emigrant Wilderness at the end of the meadow. Archives • Backpacking • Camping • Carson Iceberg Wilderness • Emigrant Wilderness • Hoover Wilderenss • Mokelumne Wilderness • News and Events • Route 108 - Sonora • Route 4 • Snowshoeing • Summer REC • Summer recreation Sonora Pass and Ebbett's Pass Open For Summer Season This backpack trip will travel through Emigrant Wilderness and just north of the Yosemite National Park boundary. I planned for a short first day, stopping either at Jewelry Lake or Deer Lake. The rocky shore dropped deep into the lake and offered trout places to hide. But the impact was forceful enough to cause a big bruise and my foot to swell up. There’s none in the wilderness or Crabtree Road. I kept going. We've got a good collection of resources below. Most of the reliable water sources are lakes, which have a varying degree of swampy-ness. This moderately trafficked backpacking trail is about 15.5 miles round trip. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished into the dark. This ~20-mile loop can quickly become 30 miles if you forget to start your loop back. My water bottle had frozen overnight, but I slept warm. The elevation profile is comparable for both options. The Gem Lake Loop is located in Emigrant Wilderness, which borders Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park, and offers incredible views, smaller crowds, and diverse terrain. You didn’t report much on your fishing adventures. The temperature had gone from freezing to summer in the hour I had been on the trail. There aren’t any excruciatingly long climbs, and the weather is pleasant well past August. I returned to do this loop again in 2020, and it felt just as special even after hundreds of backpacking miles under my belt. I found a cliff overlooking the lake with a fire ring and a sheltered spot for my sleeping pad. My last trip there was a blanket of snow over the mountains but in the time since almost all of it had melted, only remaining in … Stanislaus National Forest Backcountry Permit. This is my video for incredible West Cherry Creek Falls, in the Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest, California Waterfalls. Be sure to bring sun protection despite the season, as there are long, exposed sections across granite before the trail ducks back into the forest. You need to be in good physical condition to handle the daily rigors of cross-country hiking. Emigrant Lake was much larger than any of the lakes I visited the day before. Emigrant Wilderness - granite dome lakes << Hiking In Emigrant Summary Granite Dome Hike >> Stats to Reach Lakes. At this point, it had been over two full days since I’d seen another person, and over a day since I’d even seen a footprint. Highest Elevation: 9200 ft. Park: Stanislaus National Forest (California, USA) Trail(s): Huckleberry Trail, Lunch Meadow Trail. During your hike, you will have about a 1500 foot elevation gain. Starting Point: Kennedy Meadows. Located just north of Yosemite National Park, the Emigrant Wilderness in the Stanislaus National Forest offers an incredible array of natural environments and terrain. I packed away my rod and continued along the lakeshore. Check here to see if you can apply for an online permit. Deer Lake has great rainbow fishing. When I got to the West side of the lake, I was disappointed to notice that it was a shallow, swampy lake. The fall months are much cooler and provide less water, but there won’t be any bugs. The Emigrant is most easily accessible from Hwy 108, with many visitors entering from near Pinecrest Lake or Kennedy Meadows. Hiking in Stanislaus National Forest: If this past year taught us anything, it’s to do your research before you go. 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