The angular spires of Sawtooth Peak and and Needham Mountain tower above while the thin ribbon of Cliff Creek rumbles in the valley below. Lost Canyon - Only a small part of the trail was snow covered and it largely skirted the swampy parts of the meadow in the upper part of the canyon. Farewell Gap is on the left. Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop trail map. Several other nice campsites lie further southeast toward the lake's outlet. Warm wool overshirt (Pendleton Long Sleeve Classic-Fit Board Shirt). It was a rookie mistake. Instead of entering over Timber Gap, I hiked over Glacier Pass today. One of the highlights of our trip.
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop downtown
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop area
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop map
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop trail map
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop 2
- Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop Downtown
The first occurs immediately after you cross the outlet creek. Be sure to stop frequently (you'll have to breathe somehow) so that you can enjoy the emerging views south across the deep crease of Mineral King Valley. The scenery as you approach the Nine Lakes Basin is great and this area makes for a good lunch spot before hiking over the Kaweah Gap.
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop Area
Below is our trip itinerary with mileage. Kennyhel77Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA. Around 6:00 am the sun hit the mountains, and it was very pretty. When we continued down the trail and saw an unprepared family with flat sneakers and no poles, we almost begged them to take the shimmy route instead of the "path" below the trail. 5 hour drive and a late start at the trailhead, we were off up to Timber Gap. Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop area. We never win anything! This sounds like a decent shortcut. I will probably try again when I am in better shape and plan for much more time. Despite its tamer terrain, a bid for Big Five Lakes would've turned my legs into jelly after taking a beating from climbing 3, 000 ft over three miles. Logistics + Planning. In regards to fires Justin… you are at elevation I would check with rangers as to if you can have a fire.
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop Map
The beginning and end of the descent are easy to identify, but the trail vanishes a bit in the middle. 5 miles through trees and then an exposed wash paralleling Cliff Creek to the Pinto Lake campsites. I told myself it was a deer but it really sounded like a person walking. You'll be practicing a little boot skiing down this section, as it is mostly sandy scree. When we entered the meadow, the ground was peppered with frost and the lake stood statue still, reflecting mirror images of the adjoining mountains and lines of trees. Parts of the trail hug steep cliff walls and provide great views. The rangers haven't explicitly said "no camping", but also don't want you to camp there, from what I heard from other hikers. I had a pair of binoculars on me and we were able to 'scout' the pass. We heard from groups earlier in the day that we should continue climbing up towards Sawtooth Pass for some decent sites. Tule River Drainage. Anybody hike sawtooth pass to big 5 lakes. It is the author's experience that it is easier and faster to hike down the Sawtooth Pass Trail through Lost Canyon and then take the Big Five Lakes Trail. ) Hikin_jimLocale: Orange County, CA, USA. Sawtooth Peak Reflected in Columbine Lake - I was really glad I had stayed up at Columbine and had views like this in the morning instead of trees and mosquitos.
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop Trail Map
After unpacking and dealing with a slight issue with the in-room heater that required staff assistance, we treated our clothes with bug spray. At 11, 000 feet, Columbine Lake is an ideal setting to spend your final night. We spotted a marmot as we chugged up the exposed path that offered expansive meadow views. The most efficient path is to head straight up the slope through Groundhog Meadow on easy grassy cross-country terrain. We took a small break to catch our breaths at Cliff Creek. 2 miles; +1, 000 ft / -2, 200 ft; Columbine Lake to Big Five Lakes. However, we still wanted one more notch on our belts before the season ended. 5 hours and then 5 miles down. After passing through swamp and meadow, I entered forest where I remained for the rest of the day unless I passed near lakes. Glacier pass sawtooth pass + big five lakes hiking loop. There were trout in the lake all right, but all I caught were pan sized rainbows. Although, with time (like one year later), I've come to appreciate Mineral King a lot more.
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop 2
I don't have a problem with snow, it's not the end of the world, but i'm not exactly prepared thrown on cramp-ons and ice axe my way up a slope. Eventually, I was forced to leave the trail. Once we finally topped out at the steepest part of the climb, I thought we were nearly there, and we were, but the last half mile or so seemed to drag on forever. Eventually the trail becomes unmaintained and you must follow faint trails and cairns as you ascend towards Sawtooth Pass. Multi-tool with knife (Gerber MDime Mini Multi-Tool). But no matter, it's relatively easy XC. Backpacking the Five Lakes Loop in Mineral King. These lakes would also make a great campsite, though they appear pretty popular. Please adhere to this recommendation. Now with our backs freed, we could explore the area with ease. 5-minute Mineral King quad. At Lower Crabtree Meadow, within ¼ mile of the food storage locker. Personally, no thanks. Lightweight trowel (GSI Sanitation Trowel). Unfortunately we only hiked 5.
Glacier Pass Sawtooth Pass + Big Five Lakes Hiking Loop
This patch surrounding the trail sign at the bottom of the pass seemed like a bad omen. There are a bunch of other lakes in the basin, but they required more climbing and scrambling to get to and we wanted to take it kind of easy. It is also possible to scramble up to Sawtooth Peak from this pass, something that we did not have the energy to do on this trip. Marmots & The Trailhead. I wasn't anticipating to be swept off my feet, but this little gem left me yearning for more. It would be the most grueling day where we'd tackle 3, 000 ft of elevation gain in three miles—aka Black Rock Pass. The National Park Service stocked hundreds of high elevation lakes until 1988, when they decided to change the policy and end their stocking program. Usually, walking across a meadow is a major no-no, but there's really no way to avoid it unless you want to turn back. Both of our feet were hurting after this loooong day, so we retired to our tents for some horizontal relaxing time before dinner.
Although we had only hiked five miles on day two, they were grueling and felt more like 10 miles (thanks, Black Rock Pass). It can be done; just depends on what kind of shape you're in. Topographic map (Tom Harris Mineral King Trail Map). The trail to Columbine Lake was not visible from the pass and the route down from the top was blocked by a cornice. Continue on the trail through an old-growth red fir forest before breaking through tree line below Monarch Lakes. I made DIY dehydrated meals and we hastily devoured them. 9 miles, the trail tops out at a ridge overlooking Columbine Lake. Given that you will have only traveled about 4-5 miles on the day, it may be tempting to push on to the Big Five Lakes. If you're hiking the loop in a clockwise direction (which is what we did and highly recommended), then you'd take the Timber Gap Trail. The lake was at that critical moment between frozen and unfrozen when the surface looks like a powdery crystal thumbprint on the deepest aquamarine glass you have ever seen. Reko even ventured off trail a bit (maneuvering over the rocks, not vegetation) to hunt for a campsite. We tackled rigorous hikes with steep slopes and long miles.
I was nervous and concerned. Jul 29, 2011 at 6:02 pm #1277402. Mosquitos were thick near the lake so I camped away from it on the west side of the creek. I have never been there before but my assumption there will be places to camp. The crunching of leaves/debris continued for a few minutes. You can leave your car here while on your trek. Also, I noticed that galcier pass looks off trail. Throw a bug or two and see what's biting.