well marked in all the places. Floral . Day 2: This will be our first day of cross-country hiking and is the second-highest amount of gain for the trip; it tops out at just above 8,700 feet. Note the bit above bear lake where we went off the trail and we had to We found our way over the hill and over to Y Meadow Lake. A large amount of folks were there, fishing and camping and throwing a ball :-) This trip, we decided to go in to Granite Lake, which is sort of off-trail, though not by huge amounts. All in all, great weekend backpacking experience for beginners and seasoned hikers alike! mile. http://home.comcast.net/%7Eteamsk/ew/Emigrant_Wilderness.html. We got to the Piute Creek and just before we crossed it we decided to stay on the rocks to the right of the trail between the trail and the Piute Creek. We skirted around the barking dog group and made our way There are no trails into the Lake, and only a very experienced backpacker can nagivate the ducks, granite faces, and ridgelines to make it there. Tuolumne County is a backpacker's paradise. Just poke around, though, and you’ll find plenty of beautiful sites tucked into the pines. We decided green from all the rain that had come last weekend. 1 review | | MODERATE #1 hike out of 38 in Emigrant Wilderness | MODERATE. around for a while, the trail wasn't too hard to find. Everything was nice and It was nice. Bear Lake and Grouse Lake via Emigrant Wilderness Loop is a 13.8 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Pinecrest, California that features a lake and is rated as moderate. Exactly as described. The last weekend of September all of the creeks were dry, the lakes were a little low but still beautiful. The Crabtree parking lot was The views down into the valley below and onto Grouse Lake makes you realize the extent of your trip. I had forgotten to upload people coming out of the wilderness, actually, and not too many going in. This lake holds stunning views and sits just under the sheer walls of Granite Dome. The Piute Crossover was hard to pick up at times as still snow and not marked well. We had lunch at Camp Lake. There's too much dead wood around these days, and other people were definitely washed away. Bear lake to Crabtree: As long as you can hear the Piute Creek to your left you will pick up the trial at Piute Meadows. Bear Lake is pretty buggy and very packed right now. I haven’t adventured much off of Sonora Pass, so I immediately said yes! talked about lots of fun stuff like backcountry skiing and mountaineering and This is actually one of the worst sites I’ve had up here (relatively speaking of course) as it was more than a bit exposed. It was still nice and quiet. We will be back as we now have some many things we want to do and see in this area. We got to Grouse Lake had lunch spent some time fishing. got cooler, and we layered up. There were some cool Bear Lake rests on Lily Creek just inside the Emigrant Wilderness. At the end of the crossover we picked the trail up and crossed back over the Piute. ski season. :-). We stayed overlooking the lake however don’t miss the opportunity to hit the top of the ridge above the lake. For photos: @sunnywithachanceofberries on insta. correctly (It's been some years since I did any real orienteering), we set off Emigrant Meadow lays on the South side of Brown Bear Pass. realized I could have read the UTM coordinates on it and found where we were Next time for sure. I've been there once before, hiking from the Gianelli trailhead. 6/29-6/30 2019: We didn’t go to Bear lake, just the loop. Road is completely clear of snow all the way to the trailhead, and high majority of the trail. Our second day was a beast! Great sandy flat spots, plenty of wood to build a nice fire and enjoy the views. The trail itself is pretty easy to follow. the trailhead. My wife was speechless at times and even had her breath taken away. Tons of variety. It was a nice trailhead, though. We stayed on west side of Piute creek at the loop connector trail, the creek was flowing fast. I camped in an area under some trees and I couldn't be outside of my hammock for a minute before I got swarmed. - easiest leg, mostly shade packs, and with them, it was quite a climb. We soaked our - the trail is hard to find on the crossover from groundhog to piute meadow, but you can stay on course by keeping piute creek to your left We could have camped there, probably, and gotten an earlier start. Enjoy. Day 2 packed up camp and set of for Bear Lake. 3. We stopped and rested there at the ridge we cruised on and took the left-hand turn into the Chewing Gum Lakes area, where we should go, and some last minute doubts that I had oriented the map I hope that Bernd will forgive us. It was soooo amazing! and so on, so you could have your own little cove and not have to bother We made it to the top, and there it was! walking stick, and she kept it out and it helped her out a lot. crest and had some celebratory water and luna bars. 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. Unfortunately, it did not seem to have any fish. So we took off and headed towards Bear Lake. in the wilderness. up putting my ski poles away to help me climb better. Natures raw beauty and sweet serenity. It is 13 difficult miles from Crabtree campground, a large part of it uphill. had in places created deceptive "trails" that were actually streams, but - there are 4 stream crossings total, the highest one coming up to ~2-3 feet. Day 3 we hung out till noonish and then headed down off the mountain. Camping at Grouse lake was a lot buggier but had plenty of sites with camp fire rings and a lot of dry wood lying around. Bear Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness: Trip Logistics. So there was smoke off in the distance as we got to that it was being let burn to try to let the forest re-balance itself after relative to our old trail, and for altitude readings (though later on, I Backpacked this loop counterclockwise and camped at Lilypad Lake July 13-14, 2019. Beginning backpacker seeking serenity for a perfect one day getaway during the day snow at the that... And borders Yosemite was absolutely clear and cool, and it was magnificently beautiful but painfully ice cold made... 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