We found a flat spot to pitch our tents so we could backtrack in the morning. It was cold, but not too cold! It is possible to camp at the overlook on a broad ridge between Pingree and Big Lakes. We hit and unnamed lake and some rangers coming from Granite Lake. “That’s a lot of cars,” we both exclaimed simultaneously as we arrived at the Crabtree Trailhead. The weather looked to be clear all day and freezing overnight. See more ideas about pct trail, john muir trail, wilderness. Making California’s last wild places accessible to you. Why a Wonderland? Highest Elevation: 9200 ft. Park: Stanislaus National Forest (California, USA) Trail(s): Huckleberry Trail, Lunch Meadow Trail. It was worth hauling in the climbing gear. Or continue hiking all the way to the High Sierra Wonderland of Granite Overlook. Adventures Backpacking. Our friends had scouted out some sweet climbing on the other side of the lake so we wandered over to rope up and try our hand at some first ascents. The trail was much tougher than we had anticipated. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Gem Lake offers expansive views of the Sierra Nevada Northern Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness. Change ). The northeastern third of the Wilderness is dominated by volcanic ridges and peaks; the remaining areas consist of many sparsely vegetated, granitic ridges interspersed with numerous lakes and meadows. Making California’s wild places accessible to you! Starting Point: Kennedy Meadows. Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Tuolumne County is a backpacker's paradise. Gear: Teton Sports Mountain Ultra 1 tent, Mountain Hardwear Ozonic 50 pack, Norrøna bitihorn lightweight pants, Woolx Base Camp hoody, Woolx Mia tee, Salewa Alp Flow boots. The Lonely Backcountry Lakes of the Emigrant Wilderness. script type="text/javascript" src="//www.avantlink.com/link.php?ml=815101&p=120187&pw=143759&ctc=banner_ad&open=_blank">, Why Don’t They Look Like Me? Over the 4th of July weekend, my friend Blair invited me out on a girls’ only trip out to Granite Lake in Emigrant Wilderness. Crabtree Trailhead is serviced by a very affordable Pack Station… Aspen Meadow Pack Station  The cost to carry 2 backpacks up the trail 8 – 15 miles is about $400. Just go out in space and look back at the Sierra Mountain Range… and you will see the largest white rocky granite outcrop anywhere on Earth right here. After about 0.8 miles, the trail crosses the creek and then leaves it as it climbs a gap that leads to Middle Emigrant Lake. I’ve noticed this phenomenon up here a few times now. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from April until September. Wilderness permits are required. She's one of those athletic types, so we let her carry the stove and water filter to slow her down. There are so many trailheads, lakes, and worthwhile routes, that it would be impossible to name them all. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Gem Lake offers expansive views of the Sierra Nevada Northern Yosemite and Emigrant Wilderness. From here several easy day hikes can take you into the heart of the Wonderland. The going was a little slow. What a great 4th of July weekend! Top Photos. They can be obtained from any Stanislaus Forest ranger station. Aug 31, 2020 - Tuolumne County is apart of the PCT Trail and the John Muir Trail. Once we got over the ridge we began to descend in a more southwest direction. Middle Emigrant is quite shallow with flat meadows on the upstream side, so its size must vary considerably during the season. I'm a full time adventurer with a day job. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Elevation: +3000ft. Emigrant Wilderness Base Camp at Gem Lake, Emigrant Wilderness on the Stanislas National Forest, White Wolf Yosemite to Tuolumne Meadows Trek up the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River North America, Emigrant Wilderness Sierra Nevada Wonderland of Granite Rocks, On My Bucket list: Major River Canyons of the Sierra Nevada de California, Friends Guiding Friends Backpacking in the Sierra Nevada of California. I snagged a sweet spot overlooking the lake and the real fun began. This trip is located in the Emigrant Wilderness on the Stanislas National Forest. They told us we were close! Prev Next Report. Or continue hiking all the way to the High Sierra Wonderland of Granite Overlook. The Diversity Dilemma in Outdoor Media, Bouldering at the Jardines, Queenstown, New Zealand, The Best Beginner Boulders in the Buttermilks, Bishop, CA, How to Build Out a Subaru Outback Without Any Building, Tribe Provisions Adventure Hammock | littlegrunts.com. The lake has several campsites. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/kennedy-meadows-to-granite-dome Our first stop was Y Meadow Lake where we headed off trail for Granite Lake. October 4 - 6, 2019. Hi! ICELAND LAKE & EMIGRANT WILDERNESS. Granite Lake is an easy day hike destination for people who want to stretch their legs for 1.5 miles and perhaps take a plunge into a sub-alpine lake in a beautiful setting. granite lake. I haven’t adventured much off of Sonora Pass, so I immediately said yes! Home big lake emigrant wilderness. And close we were. If it got too late in the evening, we would re-evaluate our plans and adjust accordingly. Granite Lake was impossibly beautiful and aptly named. I just visited for the first time last week! Endless granite domes, benches, cliffs, and peaks… Easy access from Sacramento and the Bay Area… Affordable Pack Station to carry your gear in the first 10+ miles…. Our trail followed Y Meadow Lake down to the dam where it empties out into Lily Creek. The Emigrant Wilderness is a landscape of incredible beauty with broad expanses of granite peaks, glacially sculpted gorges, … ABOVE: Pink hour at Wood Lake in the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness high country. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We started off at the Gianelli Cabin trailhead (elevation 8580’) behind the Pinecrest Ranger Station late Friday afternoon. Such an amazing spot, wish I had more time to explore! We will “car” camp or rent rooms for the night. There’s nothing like a relaxing weekend in the Sierra backcountry. Not as rugged as some Sierra landscapes, this one was still appealing. Our plan was to hike the five-ish or so miles to Granite Lake. Granite Lake in emigrant wilderness. After the sun dips below the horizon, its rays refract through the atmosphere, which filters out all but the pink/magenta light. Gluttons for punishment, we went back to the Emigrant Wilderness again, this time with Nikki, Steph's friend, in tow. Aug 6, 2015 - Backpacking to Granite Lake in Emigrant Wilderness for the Fourth of July 2015. Wilderness Permits are required and can be picked up at the Summit Ranger Station in Pinecrest, California. There are ample climbing routes for all technical abilities, ranging from easy class II scrambles to more technical class V ascen… Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It is the predominant mountain in this area with a smattering of picturesque lakes that provide both excellent camping and fishing opportunities. More Pictures. All Trails is one of the best web applications to plan and do backcountry adventures. Features: Granite and Hidden Lakes are scenic gems nestled in a broad rocky and forested slope stretching from Silver Lake on Highway 88 up to a ridge the forms the northern boundary of the Mokelumne Wilderness. ( Log Out /  With all the weight, our packs were not very light at all. ( Log Out /  Emigrant Wilderness - granite dome lakes << Hiking In Emigrant Summary Granite Dome Hike >> Stats to Reach Lakes. Wilderness Permits are required and can be picked up at the Summit Ranger Station in Pinecrest, California. I'm Paulina. When I'm not at my desk, you can find me napping under boulders or hiking very slowly with my camera in hand. Written by December 25, 2020. big lake emigrant wilderness Having a backcountry basecamp was really nice! Backpacking in the Emigrant Wilderness! This peaceful, alpine lake makes for a perfect one day getaway during the summer months and to escape the heat of the foothills. Backpacking Granite Lake, Emigrant Wilderness . Granite Dome in Emigrant Wilderness The views from the top of Granite Dome look out across the entire Emigrant Wilderness and there are many pristine mountain lakes nestled in the expansive and gently sloping granite slopes, polished smooth by glaciers. It was also hunting season -- Emigrant is a Wilderness Area and plays by different rules than a National Park. We had all the time in the world. destinationisolation / July 25, 2013. The next morning we woke up bright and early to finish our trek to Granite Lake. Y Meadow Lake was absolutely beautiful. Ending Point: Granite Dome Lakes. Backpacking Granite Lake, Emigrant Wilderness 0 4088 There’s nothing like a relaxing weekend in the Sierra backcountry. Our six-day on- and off-trail journey to remote lakes of the Emigrant Wilderness traverses a glacially sculpted landscape with broad granite expanses, rushing mountain streams and deep canyons. Emigrant Wilderness is one of the most popular places for Northern California groups to complete a 50 mile backpacking trip. One of the best-kept secrets of the Western Sierra Nevada wonderland is the Emigrant Wilderness, with its impressive granite landscape that rivals Yosemite National Park, but sees no tourists. :-) This trip, we decided to go in to Granite Lake, which is sort of off-trail, though not by huge amounts. BB Code: Web/Blog: More Photos Tags: landscape, granite, lake, emigrant, wilderness. Tags: landscape, granite, lake, emigrant, wilderness. I haven’t adventured much off of Sonora Pass, so I immediately said yes! We found the trail and were well on our way. The Emigrant Wilderness is a glaciated landscape of scenic beauty. No visit to the Emigrant Wilderness Area is complete without an ascent of Granite Dome. Granite Dome to Ridge Lake and Iceland Lake is a 24.6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Pinecrest, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. We managed to squeeze in one final Sierra trip to Emigrant Wilderness before winter slammed the door. We navigated around the unnamed lake and soon Granite Lake was in the distance! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You can enter Emigrant from Yosemtie (Boundary Lake), Hwy 108 (Crabtree, Gianelli Cabin, and Kennedy Meadows), or the Sonora Pass… The lake has several campsites. Just checked out your about section and saw you are in SF! Over the 4th of July weekend, my friend Blair invited me out on a girls’ only trip out to Granite Lake in Emigrant Wilderness. Here is a map of the route from Crabtree Trailhead to Gem Lake… a site with a magnificent view of the High Sierra Wonderland of Granite. Paulina Dao July 27, 2015. Granite Dome is the signature peak in the Emigrant Wilderness, with fantastic views north to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, east to the Hoover Wilderness (Sawtooth Ridge), and south to Yosemite including, on a clear day, Cathedral Peak and the Cathedral Range. Bear Lake sits just inside the Emigrant Wilderness nestled in a granite valley accompanied by a sea of conifers. From the south, the wilderness is accessible from Cherry Lake, along the border with Yosemite National Park. Instead of following Lily Creek through the drainage, we headed slightly southeast to hike up the ridge away from the drainage. ( Log Out /  Spend eight days backpacking deep into the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness, the High Sierra’s best kept secret just north of Yosemite National Park. The steep granite cliff that comes down next to the lake is unlike the normal exfoliated domes. Night fell and we took a wrong turn and ended off trail. I think it has to do with all the exposed granite that defines this landscape. It is possible to camp at the overlook on a … The next day we packed up all our things and retraced our steps back out to catch the Women’s World Cup. Mileage: 9 miles. Prev Next Slideshow (You can use your keyboard arrow keys ) Follow @photorator1 . We hopped in the lake and swam for hours. But where are all the people? We set up our camp alongside some friends we planned on meeting out here. We will arrive in the afternoon to explore Pinecrest, pick up our permit and do a short warm-up hike. Landmarks: Relief Reservoir. Over the 4th of July weekend, my friend Blair invited me out on a girls’ only trip out to Granite Lake in Emigrant Wilderness. Snow Lake Trail is in the Emigrant Wilderness, part of the Stanislaus National Forest. There’s nothing like a relaxing weekend in the Sierra backcountry. Long Way to Long Lake – Emigrant Wilderness: Stanislaus National Forest. 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