Actually now that we've gone to North to South, I'd hope to go the opposite direction someday, as the ascent to Muir Pass via LeConte Canyon would be thrilling. Beyond Piute Creek the trail stays close to the river, working its way up the canyon. The trail to Piute Pass (11,423-ft.) ascends the lovely North Fork of Bishop Creek, passing photogenic Loch Leven and Piute Lakes along the way. Deer are seen occasionally. Very exciting. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. if you go over table top mountain you can make it a complete loop. Darwin via the class 3 West Ridge. Day four Rest and explore. South Lake From South Lake, hike 6.0 miles up Bishop Pass (11,972 ft.). Then it was hot, and I sweated out what little water I had. They were hustling right along. Do I really get to be here? Weather was great very little wind. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. 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 The display of grand peaks, a broad, grassy meadow, and a gently meandering stream make the valley a popular destination. Excellent! Goode, Bishop Lake, Jigsaw Pass. This trail is great for backpacking, birding, and camping, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Day 4: Evolution Valley to Piute Creek. Good campsites can be found there also. Campsites: Lake Georg, Long Lake, descent down from Dusy Basin, Helen Lake, McLure Meadow, Puite Canyon Trail, Summit Lake. 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. 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. Its about half way down Dusy basin. I hung out by the creek for an hour and a half, until 3pm. Rattlesnakes are always possible; but with the popularity of the trail, rattlesnakes are rarely seen. This wasnt a trivial decision. The Vanderbilt Mine is located partly on private land in the San Bernardino County, two miles west of California-Nevada state lines in the New York mountains four miles southeast of the Ivanpah valley within the Mojave National Preserve. Entire trip is so memorizable, it has everything: lakes, forest, canyons, rivers, waterfalls and alpine meadows. Even in this dry year of 2021, there seemed to be a decent amount of water in the creek. 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. We were lucky with good weather. 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. Of course, the unforgettable moments started to pile up as we descended into Evolution Basin and then officially into the hanging valley of Evolution. Sign up for Outside+ today. Piute Pass was comparatively easy with just a few snow patches. No storms. I had descended 2500 feet and climbed another 1000 feet to get up here. During my summer as a volunteer wildlife technician in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, I spent my days trekking with a pack full of tracking equipment to survey animal populations. After lunch was finished, I reluctantly put on my pack and continued hiking in the roasting sun. GoPro video as I crossed the wooden bridge. Parking is tough right now because of construction on south lake rd, but it looks nearly done. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. Mosquitos were bad, but not horrible. 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. These Photos Prove It. this trail is definitly one of the top 5 trails in sierras. No more High Sierra tundra for me today! I had my food in a bear cannister, But getting partway up toward the pass seemed like a fine idea. Beautiful scenery, abundant water, breathtaking vistas. After my work was done, Id jump in the nearest river, cook, then bear-proof my camp. The first thing the trail did was cross the river on a wooden bridge, far upstream from its merging with Evolution Creek, so it was still relatively small. Piute Creek Crosing: Bridge at Piute Creek Crossing: Layers: Western juniper, and its cones: My mood was improving by the minute! Which didnt happen until I reached Piute Creek and the metal bridge that crossed it. Continue straight at the 3-way. It often has waterfalls cascading from its outlet because of the abrupt drop off. A number of camp sites here. Then I continued north. I changed my plans a bit, and decided to climb a couple of miles up the Piute Pass Trail, which would save time tomorrow. Day 2 Dusy Basin to Big Pete Meadow We did encounter several groups of happy campers who had spent the previous night at some of these lakes. Florence Lake Store and Ferry. 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. But it was still too hot for climbing, I told myself. Purchase tickets in the store. Its not an extremely hard hike; most of it is pretty gradual and flat in the meadows, but there are two sections of switchbacks: heading up into evolution valley and heading up to evolution lake, but they werent too bad. Truthfully, I wasnt all that worried about a bear. To avoid the risk of getting sick, most Sierra backpackers filter or treat their drinking water. Did this a decade ago and want to do it again! Golden trout present. While the passes were more challenging and toward the beginning going CW, we loved the direction we chose. It was cloudy for much of the way, but it only rained briefly. I used my water like always. Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. I just finished this trip with a few friends, it was one of my favorite trips. Those who use the SteriPen, or any other filter system, are wise to carry a backup such as Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets. Also a ton of mosquitos. Historical side note: Evolution Valley was named by Theodore Solomons . Leave the JMT, and follow the drainage up to Darwin Canyon. Yay! This is a beautiful post. We hiked it in 7 days but could have done in 6. Oh well. The lake is 53 miles east of Prather. The forest and meadows of Evolution Valley had been very beautiful, as had the waterfalls along the way. From there, you head back west and up up up to Evolution Valley and then Evolution Basin - finally topping out at the summit of Muir Pass. 4 days 3 nights 2 passes had a great time. Muir Pass Trailhead to Piute Lake Distance from Trailhead: 7.0 miles (round trip) It was gorgeous! It was high noon, I realized, and there wasnt any shade at all on the trail with the sun beaming straight down between the trees. Would recommend to anyone wanting to experience the High Sierras. The benefits of hiking, more than you can imagine! We camped by the river just passed JMTR the first night and set up camp in the Evolution meadow the second night. It took us a little over five days (as schedued) to complete the hike. The normal crossing is not recommended now due to the higher flow, so people have been crossing upstream a bit. There was still quite a bit of snow on the surrounding mountains and still ice in the lake. You can learn more about her travels with her husband, Mitch, on CruisingSailors.com. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Mosquitoes were everywhere but easily controlled with DEET and an (optional) headnet. The Bishop Group is accessible from the South Lake Trailhead, either to Treasure Lakes, or Bishop Pass. Wheres there a low altitude pass that brings me out East of the Darwin Glacier? The trail is popular with day hikers and backpackers on multi-day trips to Humphreys Basin, Evolution Valley and beyond. Ive seen worse, bug-wise. The next morning, we hiked past beautiful Wanda Lake and up to Muir Pass where we briefly went into the Muir Hut (built in 1930). It is visible from the trail, but some hikers have walked past it without noticing it. Elevation 4400 feet No smoke from the California wildfires. Plenty of camp sites a long the way. amazing. Beautifully desolate. When Leor Pantilat's FKT for the Evolution "loop" came up in my news feed, I skimmed it and moved on, having other things on my mind. Muir Pass had miles of near continuous deep snow on both sides of the pass. Fantastic hike! 4 trip report day 8-12: Red's Meadow Resort to Muir Trail Ranch. In other words, I was probably dehydrated. Mosquitoes burst forth in early and mid-summer, especially around the meadow areas near the Muir Trail Ranch and Evolution Valley. Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. The Guthook PCT app on my phone showed most of the camping spots along the main trail, but it didnt show any of them on the trail I was about to take. I'll be going back next weekend into the Evolution Basin higher up. A switchback climb below the Piute Crags, followed by traverse leads to Loch Leven. Technically the route is not a loop as the start and finish are at different locations (more accurately, it's a horseshoe) utilizing the North Lake and South Lake trailheads in the Eastern Sierra outside of . Here is a brief summary of our route: South Lake Trailhead - Bishop Pass - Dusy Basin - LeConte Canyon - Muir Pass - Evolution Valley - Puite Creek Canyon - Humphrey's Basin - Piute Pass - North Lake Trailhead. Campsite 2: Just past the footbridge over Piute Creek, set up camp on these designated pads. 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. Notice that when I downsized my load I didnt ditch the tequila. So peaceful and tranquil. We remained on the JMT at the Goddard Canyon junction and continued up a series of switchbacks that led us to a stream crossing where we had to take off our hiking boots & put on our water shoes and continue towards Evolution Valley. Then it is violently opposed. The rest were lazy snoozers. Awesome views and an incredible variety of terrain. Why cant I breathe? The long circuitous way, but entirely on trails, from this trailhead goes over Piute Pass (11,423 ft.) descends through Humphrey Basin along Piute Creek to the John Muir Trail (at 8,000 ft.). Great Trip! 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