Also included are North Lake, South Lake, Piute Pass, Evolution Valley and Lake Sabrina. Wished we could have camped at Evolution Lake as it's sooooo beautiful but it didn't work out for us. We headed over Piute Pass and into Humphreys Basin from the North Lake Trailhead. Beautiful trip! An epic (almost) loop in the heart of the Sierras. Fantastic hike! This trail is great for backpacking, birding, and camping, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Spectacular scenery abounds, with tumbling waterfalls, flowing creeks, glittering lakes, stately forests, and imposing mountains galore. At least there might be shade along this section, I thought to myself. 34.3 mi Distance 17 hrs 56 min Time terrain 4,821 ft Elev Gain Overview This is a difficult loop trail in Inyo National Forest. So we caught the 9:00am ferry across and bought a few things in the little store there. It was desert like in the high alpine on that side. The trail starts at North Lake (9,276'), soon enters the John Muir Wilderness, and ascends to Piute Pass (11,423') in four steep miles. The climb up to Piute Pass was uneventful, passing a series of lakes on the way to the day's high point. 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. The display of grand peaks, a broad, grassy meadow, and a gently meandering stream make the valley a popular destination. I highly recommend this one. 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. Next came McClure Meadow and the Ranger Station. The tour described below is one example of a 7-day Ionian Basin tour. Day 4: Evolution Valley to Piute Creek. Starting at Lake Sabrina we could do a proper loop with just two 2 mile stretches on the road. "Ridicule is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius. $3,395: Description Itinerary Resources The John Muir Trail is one of the finest hikes to be found anywhere in the world. I left the trail to follow right along the creek, and took way too many photos and videos. High Sierra Trails website makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of any of its maps. Tough climb over the pass at 11,423 and descended into Paiute Canyon where we connected up with the JMT. My first suggestion is if you have seven days to make this trip, your body and spirit will thank you. No smoke from the California wildfires. . The Bishop Group is accessible from the South Lake Trailhead, either to Treasure Lakes, or Bishop Pass. . One of the greatest hikes I've ever done. On my way between JMT and Piute there were 5+ stream crossings that necessitated wading. I recommend an early start because of the exposure in the first 3 miles of Piute Trail. Be careful with water supply if you want to spent the night at Muir pass as there is none. Mendel, which is part of the Evolution range. It was only 1:30pm, and I had a decision to make: Was I going to camp near here (where the large, aggressive bear might be prowling) or was I going to continue hiking on the Piute Pass Trail, uphill for miles in this roasting heat? The Sierra Peaks Section was established in 1955. 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. From there we day packed to evolution lake the third day. Slept like a drunken sailor. Muir Pass snow is melting fast and maybe only 1.5 miles worth heading northbound and maybe 2 over towards Sapphire Lake. I checked my GPS and discovered that I had hiked almost 15 miles today! I plan to get back there this month with One time, we found beers in the Muir Hut with a note 'Take only one'. The trail leads through Double and Blayney meadows. Starting at the North Lake TH, we will cross Piute Pass (11,423'). No water issues at all--everything is flowing well. It was a fine pace, but sometimes I just wanted the extra time to really settle into the vistas. This was the most difficult day as we ascended over 3200 with 30+ & 40+ lb packs. 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. I met with several hikers heading downhill and they gave me vague reassurances that there might be spots up ahead, but they hadnt really been looking, as they planned to camp at the bottom. Ranger Station: McClure Meadow. This will bring you onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley, a distance of about 16 miles. 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. Slightly brutal at times-especially for a beginner- but the views are unmatched. Best seasons: Mid-summer to fall Campsite 4: Darwin Canyon. Only a portion of our journey would actually be in Evolution, but the areas we passed through to reach and retreat from our intended destination were just as amazing. Very nice hike, lots of scenery. Many hikers enjoy the week-long loop from North Lake, around through Evolution Valley, over Muir Pass, and eventually heading out over Bishop Pass to South Lake. I had a really good time and met several really nice people. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. Muir Pass I was down at 8400 feet elevation, with little to no breeze, and it was roasting! Following that, we returned to North Lake via Lamarck Col, a high pass just short of 13,000'. Found some spots to camp about 2 miles from the pass. This is an excellent report on a great hiking trip. I have done it over 4 days - 3 nights and my backpack was around 42 pounds. Evolution Valley. Muir Pass had miles of near continuous deep snow on both sides of the pass. The trail condition is great, although it get pretty rocky around Muir Pass. 4 trip report day 8-12: Red's Meadow Resort to Muir Trail Ranch. Now I cant breathe for another reason. Ouch! ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Setup camp and to our delight very few mosquitoes at 8500 feet. Then climbs through Evolution Meadow and Evolution Valley to reach Evolution Lake; 4,850 ft. of climb, 3,400 ft. of descent in 28 miles. Great trail, not all of it is technically dog friendly since you enter Kings Canyon NP for the 2nd half. The year 2021 was certainly one of the driest in a long time, as it was early July and the hills were bone dry. Day 3: From camp, descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. Soon the trail crossed Evolution Creek, which was quite large at this point. 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. 2 trip report day 0-4: getting in & Yosemite National Park warm up. This famous combo-trail will be our path for the next 26.5 miles. Day 2 Dusy Basin to Big Pete Meadow Lodging is available at Vermilion Valley Resort at Lake Edison and also at nearby Mono Hot Springs. September after Labor Day was a great time to make this trip, as the crowds had thinned but the mild climate lingered. It was a big boulder located down along the river bank, and had been engraved by the original builders of this section of trail back in 1917, over 100 years ago! Day four Rest and explore. Join Outside+ to get access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. 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. Massive trail work project that ascends a sheer gully with switchbacks stacked on top of one another like wacky Jenga blocks. The Evolution Loop is a magnificent route through some of the most inspiring terrain in the High Sierra. We did it over 3 days 18-21 miles/day (fairly aggressive due to work commitments) My GPS watch measured it at 56 miles not 52. Permits issued from the White . 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 . I've done this trail 4 times and it is amasing. 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. Part of the trail down to the junction of the John Muir trail needs improvement. For trail conditions and more details about this hike, check out my YouTube Video I made from this backpacking trip on my channel: Kikis Adventures. Tiny bit of snow on bishop pass was completely avoidable. The trail on the right leads north into French Canyon. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. We put in about 11.5 miles but it was almost all downhill or level deep-forest hiking. Also a ton of mosquitos. Did this a decade ago and want to do it again! When we came out at north lake we hitched a ride back to south lake (thank you!!). Evolution Valley Ascension, Kings Canyon National Park and John Muir Wilderness, California Sierra Club Outings Trip | Backpack More Photos Highlights Traverse high mountain passes including Piute and Muir Hike among lush green meadows full shallow tarns Enjoy a layover day to explore or relax Includes This loop begins and ends at the North Lake trailhead. Evolution Lake has lots of excellent campsites. My girlfriends told me I started singing gospel at that point, but I really think they may be exaggerating. I did a backpacking trip over the 4th of July weekend over 4 days, starting at Florence Lake, going up to Evolution Lake. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. Our total hiking miles over 5 days was 41.8 miles then we caught the ferry for the extra couple. This is high country and we had a brief hail & wind storm as well as our coldest overnight stay (mid 20 degrees Fahrenheit). Having driven by this part of the Sierras countless times on Hwy 395, gazing at that saw-toothed range, I always wanted to be the Norman Clyde, the John Muir, the Clarence King who had the privilege of a first ascent or true solitary immersion. We would love to be back again sometime. I climbed down off my hilltop aerie and walked along the southern shore of Evolution Lake. Definitely a moderate hike, but doable in 4 days. Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. The ferry is worth it if its running. classic Sierra beauty from the very start. One way for an adult is $15, round-trip $28; children 12 and under are $7 and $13. 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. Day 2 Evolution Valley 17.18 2977 AEG Emptied our packs and hiked down to the Muir Trail Ranch to pick our resupply. That was about 8 miles, we had wanted to camp at the meadow but was beat so made camp a couple miles sooner. Aside from stellar views, you will also find a station in McClure Meadow that is manned in the summer months by a ranger. Distance: 8.8 miles Time: 5-7 hours Difficulty: Strenuous Gain/Loss: +498'/-1,537 Dogs: No When to go: Late July-Early October It may be called a 'creek', but Piute Creek was raging! Those first four and last four miles are always the hottest. A boat-taxi across the lake is available from the trailhead in the summer. 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. Cottonwood to Onion Valley: Onion Valley to Bishop Pass: Evolution Loop: July 28-August 4. Our camps were very high, all above 11,300', and we took two and a half days layover, hiking and exploring . Evolution Valley has always been high on my list of things to do. In the Spring of a snowy year it must be incredible. Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? Diego, the 11-year-old Lab mix, was struggling; the family carried him part way. When I walk through this area again, perhaps I will do the same so I can see it from another perspective. I found a shady spot above the creek and took off my pack. Mather Pass . Lakes and rivers were full due to late snowmelt. Jackass Meadow and Ward Lake campgrounds are located near Florence Lake. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). I didnt pay a whole lot of attention, Im sad to say, and even fewer photos. The canister is a whole lotta bulky but is worth its weight should a bruin decide hed like some chocolate with his berries. It is my favorite all-time Sierra hike. The log cabin is located on the right side of the trail as you hike south a short distance before the Piute Creek bridge. Plentiful water (I never carried more than 16 oz.). Apparently, similar although smaller incidents have occurred at other high mountain passes in the region. I wished her well. Others seemed to have no issues on the regular crossing. The uphill miles to reach John Muir Pass gave quite a different landscape than we had seen so far. In between two crossings of the Sierra backbone at Muir Pass and Piute Pass, we'll visit beautiful and famous Evolution Valley. 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. 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). I also set an early alarm. 110 Piute Pass Trail junction, 17 mi. Light rain everyday around 3/4pm. Western States Climbers Emblem Peaks Showing Kimberly Berg's first ascent dates for climbed peaks (0 out of 129, or 0%) I kept hoping to find a side stream, but all of the obvious places were dry as a bone. We are slow hikers. . "All truth goes through three stages. Then back to camp and packed up everything continuing on JMT . By heading upstream on a use-trail for a quarter mile to a meadow, you will find a shallower ford. Trailhead: Florence Lake, 84 miles east of Fresno, elevation 7,300 feet I did, however, make one mistake: I didnt stop to get extra water when the trail was alongside the creek. At the top was Evolution Valleyas a wannabe biologist, I fell in love with the name. Id see how I felt when I got to the the trail junction. Finally, two ladies told me that there was a spot just ahead, right next to the creek! Their answers were vague, as expected, but they did say that there was definitely a spot a decent ways up the trail, but they werent great judges of distance. Roundtrip mileage to the McClure Meadow Ranger Station from the south end of Florence Lake is about 15.5 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain. My wife and I did the trek in June with our 9 month old in tow. Ascending out of 5,400-foot Taboose Pass Trail Head in the Owens River Valley, the Goliath climbs steeply and starkly into a saw blade of 13,000- to 14,000-foot Central Sierra mountains. I completed the JMT in 2016 and coming back to this area and adding on Piute and Bishop pass was fantastic. Sawyer Water Filters are popular because of their light weight and ease of use, but the bags they provide are susceptible to developing leaks. I needed both water and a flat spot. Once there, you will want several days to enjoy the tranquility of the valley and explore the surrounding lakes, canyons, and peaks. dirt and rock trail. Dinners were instant potatoes with packaged salmon or tuna along with instant soup or couscous. The mosquitos were relentless though. Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. This wasnt a trivial decision. GoPro video as I crossed the wooden bridge. But the Reader Leader contest was all it took to get me planning again. I was overjoyed, and felt a million times better. 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. Hike up Muir Pass, down to Le Conte Ranger Station. Piute Pass. From there, the trail traverses Humphreys Basin and reaches the splendid section of the Pacific Crest Trail known as Evolution Valley. Now I can say, beeen there in a sing-song tone suggesting my best time ever in the land of granite. But that suited me fine. The That was the new plan, I decided. After the narrows, the valley widened and there were many hot and sunny meadows that I trudged through, at least according to the map. Shortly after passing Colby Meadow and reaching McClure Meadow, we were served the best views of The Hermit, a distinctly steep monolith, and Mt. There was still quite a bit of snow on the surrounding mountains and still ice in the lake. Highly recommend spending time in McClure Meadow if possible on this hike. I was breathing so hard I started to suspect my companions might have embraced some trail humor and stashed their heavy items in my pack when I wasnt looking. Excellent! Absolutely beautiful the whole time! I decided to stop for lunch a short ways ahead, and hung out in the shade next to the water with a couple of PCT hikers that Id spoken to earlier. We also brought along dark chocolate and tequila for special-treat nights. At Piute Pass, we headed off trail toward Muriel Lake, then Alpine Col, which takes the hiker to the gorgeous Darwin Lakes and Darwin Bench area. My sincere thanks to the fire fairies who set this up for us. From there we pass through the giant cirque of Humphreys Basin, and into Hutchinson Meadow, and Piute Canyon. The other entrance is by way of North Lake going over Piute Pass (11,500') and passing through Humphries Basin and Piute Canyon. My AllTrails recording showed 59.4 miles at the termination point (South Lake overnight parking lot) with over 10,000' elevation gain. Did it South Lake to North Lake so the slog at Muir Pass was real and all trails GPS offline helped me navigate through snow/now visible trail, Did it in equiv of 4 days. Warm days in the upper 70s and the nights werent too cool either, even up at sapphire lake. Our group of six left a vehicle at the termination point (South Lake trailhead) then drove to the North Lake overnight parking lot and we started our journey in the late afternoon. 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. I also crossed Evolution creek at the alternate, which was swampy but looked much easier than the main crossing. A ranger later informed us that 80-90 deer were migrating seasonally over the pass during a snowstorm in November 2018, when presumably blinded by the snowfall, they one by one hit a patch of ice and fell to their deaths. Read more + Good thing bruins dont like whiskey. We slept near the shores of Evolution Lake. North to South Lake is the easiest way to go with passes not too difficult. Good campsites can be found there also. Such a memorable backpacking trip! A mother deer plus two babies. 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). This was a beautiful scenic area with decent camping and a gorgeous small lake (Loch Leven). But we didnt see any rangers. Weather was great very little wind. I felt a whining session coming on, Pleeeeese dont make me leave. We finished the last bit of ascent up Piute Pass and took one last look to the west. Some hike this route from the other direction, north to south. The Morning Star Mine comprises a group of 18 claims, situated in Secs. Note: Bishop Pass hikers will encounter dozens deer skeletons on the steep slope below Bishop Pass. The JMT headed off to the west before switchbacking its way down to the valley floor (700 feet of descent) while the creek simply dropped straight down over the side of the canyon. It was gorgeous! Elevation 4400 feet Scale: 1:47,520 or inch representing 3/4 mile. Laura Manina, my sister and fellow backpacker, shares her experiences and tips on backpacking a 57-mile loop to the Evolution Valley. Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. Along the way it climbs over 13,000' passes, wanders beneath high . After 2.5 mile it crosses a bridge to the south side of the river where a good campsite is located. this trail is definitly one of the top 5 trails in sierras. The forest and meadows of Evolution Valley had been very beautiful, as had the waterfalls along the way. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Meanwhile, I got to hang out along the river and watch some crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute Creek. mostly exposed to the sun so take a good cover. One bite of the Evolution area is Then it was hot, and I sweated out what little water I had. Maybe if I waited a bit the sun would be at a lower angle as I headed north, so that the trees would have longer shadows for me to rest in. Great camping along the creek once you cross the several streams in Hutchinson Meadow (night 1). The stars up there were surreal. Theodore S. Solomons and E.C. 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). Would recommend to anyone wanting to experience the High Sierras. Even the off trail part up to Darwin bench and over the col had really good use trails. Life was good again. I loved seeing the pictures here as it helped me to realize how much more I need to get there. Campsite 3: Colby Meadow. 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. On the way back, check out the Blayney hot springs - they are magical! The trail is quite rocky in most places so slower than you might expect given the elevation profile. It was a very long 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! Amazing. But the views from the trail made up for it. It was uphill all the way, and there was occasional shade, as I had hoped, so I didnt get heat stroke or anything. More like a river. Great hike to explore the backcountry and multiple parks. 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 . Lake Thomas A. Edison Ferry: Lake Thomas A. Edison from the ferry: . This is a popular trailhead for approaching the Palisades. 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. 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