This protects water, wildlife, habitat, and visitors opportunities for solitude. While the grade was steeper since we didnt have nicely graded switchbacks to follow, we actually made ok time up to the top of the ridge. How many lake trails are in Emigrant Wilderness? Choice to use NF parking lot, or pay at Kennedy Store (puts you 1/2 mile closer to trailhead). The Emigrant Wilderness is 113,00 acres, more than twice the size of Vermont. From Modesto, take the 120 toward Yosemite and merge onto the 108 toward Sonora. Once in the meadow, we just had to walk across to the trail on the other side! This is a historic route that is no longer maintained by the Forest Service. A one-night, 32-mile trip starting at Hunting Hollow, passing Kelly Lake, Coit Lake, and Pacheco Camp on the way to Mississippi Lake. Elevations range from below 5000 feet near Cherry Reservoir to 11,570 feet at Leavitt Peak. Native brown trout can be found in Summit, Lily and Horsemeadow Creeks. Stanislaus National Forest This trail is well-blazed and mostly dirt. But to be a good wilderness steward when youre off-trail, there are some key points you should follow. The trail, which is not regularly maintained and may at times be hard to follow, initially descends slightly to 7300', then stays mostly flat before rising just before the lakes. If you are driving in from Hwy 108, the parking lot will be up a hill to your left, right across from Deadman Campground. We crossed through the charred tree trunks of Pine Valley, which showed hopeful signs of regrowth after a devastating wildfire ripped through there in 2003. it is this direction which I believe provides the best experience. The Emigrant Wilderness is a glaciated landscape of great scenic beauty. A GPS device will also come in handy. . We crossed the dry creek bed and climbed a steep, rocky slope up to beautiful Rosasco Lake. It is a place where the pines, cedars, and firs of the Stanislaus National Forest gradually thin as granite cliffs, mountain tops, and monoliths . The trout leaped into the air several times before accepting its fate. Submit your trip report here, Route is between 6,500 and 7,500 feet of elevation, Short uphill and downhill sections, no long climbs, A few rocky patches, but mostly dirt trail, Loop starts and ends in a free, large parking lot with pit toilets, Free, self-serve permits available at ranger stations. In late spring/early summer there will likely still be snow on the grow; however, the streams will be flowing with water (and who doesnt love snowcapped views?). Went to Chewing Gum Lake over the Labor Day weekend. We passed the southern shore and set up in a little nook on the western side of the lake with a great view of Granite Dome. The closest snow to the bay is likely Chews Ridge or Junipero Serra/Santa Lucia/Pimkolam in Los Padres :) If you want snow the Sierra is your choice in Northern California. Congress designated the Emigrant Wilderness in 1975, but most of the area was protected as a Forest Service Primitive Area since the 1920s. 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. Thorston Tichenor There we were, sitting under a tree by a pristine creek in the Sierra wilderness. We hiked the loop in early October and only encountered a handful of other hikers over three days. This is a popular spot for picnicking day hikers and swimmers alike. Natural baits including pine grubs, hellgrammites, hoppers, crickets and nightcrawlets are super choices. Like Yosemite, it has towering granite mountains and spectacular alpine lakes. The elevation gain was not particularly kind to me. Third, I had already planned a 7-day trip in the area as a backup, so I was able to shorten that itinerary and cover 4 lakes instead of the original 8. Senate. Of course, if there is an actual trail that you can follow, use the trail to reduce impact. In addition, I brought down pants and wool socks to stay warm in camp. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock The trail was very wide and sandy until we hit the border of the Emigrant Wilderness, when the trail turned into more of a trail than a dirt road. Where is the best place to hike in Emigrant Wilderness? The Cherry Creek, including the East Fork and North Fork, contain small 4-7" Rainbows and Brookies. The park's runner-up is Gianelli to Black Hawk Mountain, which will get you 1,779 m of elevation gain. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. The waypoints mapped here indicate suggested places to camp each night to break up the days, but there are other options out there. However, fires arent always allowed. The longest stretch between lakes is ~4 miles, so two liters of carrying capacity is plenty. Chewing Gum Lake is no exception. Its alpine lakes are warm enough to swim in during summer months, and they're also great fishing spots. The Fishing Advice 2021. Referred to as the granite superhighway, there is this giant, smooth granite bowl between Hyatt and Big Lakes that empties into Cherry Creek Canyon. Camping and Permits: Permits are required from April 1 to Nov. 30 for any overnight travel in the Emigrant Wilderness. While the trip is suited for beginner cross-country hikers, please do not take cross-country travel lightly. Some was perched on top of difficult to get to places. United States government. We thought we would try to summit Granite Dome on this day, but most of us were too tired, and when studying the maps, the route up looks much better from Upper Lewis Lake than Iceland Lake. Ready for your next hike or bike ride? There are few crowds and tremendous beauty. It involved some basic topo map navigation, a certain amount of real effort, and just enough bushwhacking to keep many people from having a good time on a hike. There is a variety of trailheads the angler can use as departure points. And finally, we had never been on a backpacking trip north of Mammoth Lakes, so the new location was appealing . Ultra-light Krocadiles, Rooster Tails, Mepps and Panther Martins can also be trolled or fan-casted from the bank on almost any of the Emigrant Wilderness Lakes. The Bell Meadow Trail parallels the Crabtree Trail, and can create a variety of nice loops to explore. Having climbed nearly 5000 over three days, we were proud of ourselves for adding yet another amazing trip to our memories. Most of the 11 miles were downhill. Official websites use .gov A .gov On Hwy 108, this transition occurs between the small towns of Twain Harte and Mi-Wuk Village. The Emigrant Wilderness is the Yosemite backcountrys underappreciated cousin. In the afternoon, we climbed up the little hill behind our camp to scope out the terrain for the next day, to possibly change our route. However at this time of year, only a few stagnant pools remained. I decided we needed to continue down the main trail a bit more until we passed a larger granite hump on the ridge to reduce unnecessary climbing. Snowpacks typically linger into June, sometimes later following very wet winters. This trail is 8.5 mi long with an elevation gain of 1,555 ft. As it is, we simply hiked by and tried to etch the images in our mind. We spent one night on an exposed, rocky lakeside and were rewarded with stellar sunset views, but suffered chillier temperatures. The granite ridges are smaller in scale compared to Yosemite, but the area offers a true wilderness experience with very few tourists venturing into the more remote areas of the region. I was getting to the limit of how far I could walk on my foot. Gaps in the trees offered occasional glimpses of granite cliffs and the views ahead. Sand and dirt are also good choices. It is a large lot with plenty of spots. Located 15 miles into the Emigrant Wilderness near Yellowhammer Lake, the existing Yellowhammer Camp was constructed in 1922 by Fred Leighton at the site of an old cow camp cabin from the 1890s. I gave it a few quick jigs and boomthe trout slammed the fly. Long-distance hiking along the PCT usually requires planning many months in advance, as PCTA-issued permits and some Park and Forest Unit permits are limited. Another note about the route: It looks very tempting to just cut across the landscape from the ridge to the eastern side of Iceland Lake. There are pros and cons to each month of the hiking season in Stanislaus National Forest. There is some controversy about them, and some are being phased out, though not this one. Leave no Trace and off-trail backpacking. Much like in 2014 when we hiked Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan, my coworkers and good friends John and Michael made plans to explore the wilderness away from our normal haunts by tacking a vacation onto a work-related trip. There are also two First Come, First Served designated USFS campgrounds on the road: Baker and Deadman. So yes, we did go skinny-dipping. There is a wealth of lakes spread out among the 100,000 acre of this pristine wilderness. There are many opportunities to extend the loop or go slightly off-trail to different lakes, so we were grateful for our easy itinerary. I still had almost 11 miles to the car, so I conjured an ibuprofen and acetaminophen cocktail to get me going. Stoves were still banned, so we had to cold soak our food, but good times were had. Hike this trail? 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