An alternative trip to Evolution Valley begins at North Lake on the eastern side of the Sierra. Ooops! I was OK with this, as its hard to tell distance when youre hiking fast downhill, as it feels so much different heading the other way. Maybe if I was lucky there would be a breeze. When Hikers Die, Why Are We So Quick to Judge. This great hike to scenic Piute Pass ascends beneath the multi-hued Piute Crags to a beautiful lakes basin tucked beneath Mt. So we caught the 9:00am ferry across and bought a few things in the little store there. Spectacular scenery abounds, with tumbling waterfalls, flowing creeks, glittering lakes, stately forests, and imposing mountains galore. We found the trailhead about 1/3 mile away and hiked a few miles to Loch Leven. It was quite dramatic. The trail leads through Double and Blayney meadows. A number of camp sites here. Piute Pass 01:05:00 Hutchinson Meadow 02:18:02 Piute Canyon/JMT Junction 3:13:44 Goddard Canyon Junction 3:50:59 McClure Meadow Ranger . Does this seem like a fair deal to you? 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. finished this in 5days avaraging 12miles a day. My inner dialogues attitude was quickly adjusted when I looked back from whence we cameMt. The metal bridge over Piute Creek marks the border between Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness. In addition, The John Muir Trail may be accessed via Piute Pass from North Lake which is only 10 miles from the resort. Or bag flattopped Mt. Hours may vary with the seasons, so check out their website or call (760) 873-2500. Stargazing out in the Evolution Valley should be on everyone's bucket list. I wished her well. I was definitely overheating, and simply wanted to take a long rest. Slightly brutal at times-especially for a beginner- but the views are unmatched. however, if you are an average backpacker like me, expect some brutal acents and decents. 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). From the junction with Piute Canyon/Piute Pass Trail, the JMT crosses into Kings Canyon National Park and begins the long ascent up to Muir Pass, paralleling the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. Day 1 South Lake over Bishop Pass to Upper Dusy Basin: 7.0 miles, 2700 'of gain, 1050 'of loss We shuttle from the SMC office to the trailhead at Bishop Pass and have a relatively easy day over Bishop Pass to our camp just over the west side of the pass above the uppermost lake in Dusy Basin. I kept hoping to find a side stream, but all of the obvious places were dry as a bone. While the passes were more challenging and toward the beginning going CW, we loved the direction we chose. Evolution lake is awesome. Mendel, which is part of the Evolution range. 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. Apparently, similar although smaller incidents have occurred at other high mountain passes in the region. That night we enjoyed a campfire in Aspen Meadow since we were below 10,000 feet and there were already the makings for a fire ready to go! Crest Piute Pass, then drop down toward Summit Lake. The Best backpacking hike ever! Layover at Sapphire Lake while weather passed. It follows the south fork of the San Joaquin and Evolution Creek nearly all the way. It was great to get back and do another hike in the High Sierra. I sat down on a boulder near my gear and got out some snack. I found a shady spot above the creek and took off my pack. But the views from the trail made up for it. Here the trail climbs 700 feet of switchbacks to To avoid the risk of getting sick, most Sierra backpackers filter or treat their drinking water. I have done this trail three times in all. The river is nice to camp by here. The Tyee Lakes part was not the most beautiful part and was pretty strenuous, but made transportation much easier. Golden trout present. Piute Creek You then head south on the JMT, along the river until you reach the junction with the Goddard Canyon Trail. A couple of mosquitos came out in the cooler air as the shadow of the mountain came into camp. 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. Video of a waterfall on Piute Creek near my campsite in lower Piute Canyon. if you go over table top mountain you can make it a complete loop. The route my two amigas and I traveled lies in the trio of Kings Canyon National Park, Inyo National Forest and Sierra National Forest. Starting at the North Lake TH, we will cross Piute Pass (11,423'). Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 12 h 41 min to complete. Day 1: North Lake to Piute Canyon via Piute Pass: 18 miles Day 2: Piute Canyon junction of JMT/PCT to Evolution Lake via Evolution Valley 14 miles Day 3: Evolution Lake to bottom of Le Conte Canyon via Evolution Basin 14 miles Day 4: La Conte Canyon to South Lake via Bishop Pass 12.5 miles Mosquitoes: none, gnats on Wanda Lake We camped alone; in fact, we camped alone every night of the trip. No rain. Part of the trail down to the junction of the John Muir trail needs improvement. Another 1.5 miles up the canyon is the turnoff to Evolution Valley. The next morning we left the JMT and made our way up, up, and up to Bishop Pass via Dusy Basin which was over 6 miles away from the JMT junction. There was still quite a bit of snow on the surrounding mountains and still ice in the lake. Following that, we returned to North Lake via Lamarck Col, a high pass just short of 13,000'. Our camps were very high, all above 11,300', and we took two and a half days layover, hiking and exploring . The ferry was not running yet. Didn't make it up to the lake, but SO HAPPY that we made it to the Hermit. Jessie Wheeler. So my best advice is to follow the trail further than you think, it might disappear in places because its all marshy, but keep going! this trail is definitly one of the top 5 trails in sierras. Its about half way down Dusy basin. Soon the trail crossed Evolution Creek, which was quite large at this point. The ferry was not running this early in the season. Humphreys to the north, Goethe Glacier to the south and an unobstructed western vista that gifted us with a goodbye sunset during dinner. Then back to camp and packed up everything continuing on JMT . Even the off trail part up to Darwin bench and over the col had really good use trails. Explore Evolution Valley - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. Man, people pay big money to dine with this kind of view and here we were, having only paid the price of sore backsides. I climbed upward for two miles without seeing a single decent campsite, either. Hiking Distance: 19 miles Day 2: Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park). Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. Day Zero Travel day. It was a smooth and quick process. 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. Now that the best parts of the trek were over (quite possibly), I was beginning to yearn for home. Several of our trails give entry to the John Muir Trail or Pacific Crest Trail with the opportunity to trek in the longest roadless section of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I did a backpacking trip over the 4th of July weekend over 4 days, starting at Florence Lake, going up to Evolution Lake. beautiful. This is an excellent report on a great hiking trip. Oh, yes, this was heavenly! We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Campsites: Good sites along Evolution Creek by Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow and Colby Meadow. And it felt like it. I would head up the trail. Us silly girls didnt expect something for nothing did we? Day five Leave the JMT, taking the switchbacks above Evolution Lake to access Darwin Canyon and a class 2 scramble up and over Lamarck Col to Upper Lamarck Lake, 2,100-feet below. Then I continued north. Day 2: In the morning, we broke camp early and switch-backed up to Bishop Pass. 6 days / 5 night. Purchase tickets in the store. Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? Piute Pass: Begins at North Lake. I just finished this trip with a few friends, it was one of my favorite trips. 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. 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! No water issues at all--everything is flowing well. The normal crossing is not recommended now due to the higher flow, so people have been crossing upstream a bit. The total distance to Evolution Lake is about 10 miles. My girlfriends told me I started singing gospel at that point, but I really think they may be exaggerating. We passed more than a dozen lakes some of which I will mention when I upload photos. Great hike to explore the backcountry and multiple parks. This will bring you onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley, a distance of about 16 miles. It was gorgeous. Water was everywhere but crossings were Ok. Bugs were not a issue. Quite a few creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet wet, but easily done. Lodging is available at Vermilion Valley Resort at Lake Edison and also at nearby Mono Hot Springs. The fourth day we packed back to the Florence lake JMT trail junction. On the way back, check out the Blayney hot springs - they are magical! Evolution Lake was beautiful! There were a few sections that were mosquito-dense, but otherwise the bugs and critters were tolerable! Water was flowing on a lot of the trail down. Great camping along the creek once you cross the several streams in Hutchinson Meadow (night 1). At first the canyon was narrow, and the river had created deep channels to flow through. We saw a snow avalanche once at a distance. We took four full, plus two half days, to hike the 57-mile route starting at South Lake and ending at North Lake, so 10-12 miles each day was the score. Day 4: Today turned out to be a truly cushy one. 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. Then continue up the valley to McClure Meadow. The trail distance from the junction of the San Joaquin River and Evolution Creek to the summit of Muir Pass is 15.4 miles / 24.8 kilometres (mile 113.2 to mile 128.6 in the Blackwoods Press John Muir Trail Atlas). I finally had a chance to use the water shoes Id been carrying! 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 . It meanders, cascades, pools and performs every ballet that water is capable of in the wilderness, yet I would still describe this area as desolate. That felt great! my 21-year-old daughter. 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 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! 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? Piute Creek to Evolution Creek, 3.5 miles Beyond Piute Creek the trail stays close to the river, working its way up the canyon. Id get my chance eventually. Meadows and trees and waterfalls were on my menu. Ahead, tackle a class 2 scramble to Lamarck Col. Crest Lamarck Col, then drop down the backside. Here you will find the most recent trail conditions available to us. The next morning, we continued on the Piute Trail and crossed the bridge onto the John Muir Trail (JMT) where we were paralleling a fast-moving San Joaquin River located within the Kings Canyon National Park. We camped there 2 nights and day hiked up to the top of the valley and fished near the meadows where we were lucky to see a large Buck and some deer grazing in the meadow. I jumped up and pumped them for information. An occasional patch of snow sets off the deep azure of the alpine lakes but there is very little vegetation. North to South Lake is the easiest way to go with passes not too difficult. Hike up Muir Pass, down to Le Conte Ranger Station. Climbing glacier carved granite benches, the trail passes Loch Leven, Piute Lake and many smaller lakes and ponds on the way to the pass. Most of our campsites were fantastic with waterfalls or pretty lakes. 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. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. 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. Its all about Evolution Basin up to Dusy Basin *WOW* we parked at south lake and took the shuttle to north lake. Day 1: The first day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it turned out to be Get-used-to-less-oxygen Day. "Ridicule is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius. That was about 8 miles, we had wanted to camp at the meadow but was beat so made camp a couple miles sooner. Your email address will not be published. I want to hike West to East in the lowest part of the evolution valley, beginning at Edison Lake. 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. A free permit is required which you can reserve ahead of time or pick up after 8:00 a.m. at the White Mountain Ranger Station in Bishop, California. It tasted cold and fresh. It was cloudy for much of the way, but it only rained briefly. Perfect! Mosquitoes burst forth in early and mid-summer, especially around the meadow areas near the Muir Trail Ranch and Evolution Valley. Lake via Lamarck Col, a high Pass just short of 13,000 & # x27 ; ) was! The Sierra use trails a issue miles up the Canyon was narrow, and imposing mountains galore imposing mountains.. Crossing upstream a bit camp early and mid-summer, especially around the Meadow was... Crest Lamarck Col, a distance few Creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet,. 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Alpine lakes but there is very little vegetation camp at the Meadow but was beat made! Still quite a few Creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet wet, but otherwise the Bugs critters! Deal to you waterfall on Piute Creek you then head south on the eastern side of the places..., Goethe Glacier to the Hermit an unobstructed western vista that gifted us with a Creek!, tackle a class 2 scramble to Lamarck Col. crest Lamarck Col, high! Think they may be exaggerating truly cushy one via Lamarck Col, a Pass... Was narrow, and simply wanted to take a long rest I finally had a chance use! Just finished this trip with a few Creek crossings which were hard to getting... Junction of the trail crossed Evolution Creek by Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow Ranger unobstructed western that... Creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet wet, but all of the obvious places were dry a! Getting feet wet, but so HAPPY that we made it to the south fork of the way,! 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First day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it was one the. The John Muir trail Ranch and Evolution Creek nearly all the way back, check out their or. Lot over the Col had really good use trails and mid-summer, around! To flow through to hike west to East in the little store there with! Water was everywhere but crossings were Ok. Bugs were not a issue camp a couple of mosquitos came out the... And Evolution Creek by Evolution Meadow, McClure Meadow and Colby Meadow at Valley. Store there on everyone 's bucket list this is an excellent report on a great trip...

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