piute pass to evolution valley

It was challenging knowing exactly where to cross, we tried to find a place that looked shallow enough, however the water came up above my hips (Im 52) which was pretty scary because the current moved me quite a bit and the water was freezing! Did this hike in end of June 2020 but it was one of my favorites to date so want to leave a review. The trail starts at North Lake (9,276'), soon enters the John Muir Wilderness, and ascends to Piute Pass (11,423') in four steep miles. Finally, two ladies told me that there was a spot just ahead, right next to the creek! On day 4 we headed east along Piute Canyon toward lovely Humphreys Basin, a timeless spot overlooking the Glacier Divide to which we have returned again and again. Light rain everyday around 3/4pm. The lowest lakes in Dusy and Evolution basin are mostly thawed. 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. I could see both up and down the canyon, and there was no shortage of glaciated granite in evidence. Day 1: The first day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it turned out to be Get-used-to-less-oxygen Day. 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. No rain. 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. I recommend taking the ferry to avoid the lake hike; the view doesn't much change, and there's a lot of clutter around the lake campsites that take away from it. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible Perfect! Overnight temps didn't drop below 40 F. I like the big vistas so I think I would do the Lamarck Col Route from the North Lake Trailhead to Evolution Lake next time and skip Piute Canyon. Oh well. But it helped me make up my mind. Aahhh! I like bridges; what can I say? At first the canyon was narrow, and the river had created deep channels to flow through. The rivers and meadows are stunning. There are several decent camping spots in the meadow and they are all next to heavy-flowing Piute Creek. This will bring you onto the PCT north of Evolution Valley, a distance of about 16 miles. 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! Day 4: Evolution Valley to Piute Creek. This trek met every expectation I had plus some! On most mornings, breakfast included instant oatmeal or granola, with protein powder and raisins. There were only 2-3 times where I needed to use my AllTrails app to figure out the correct way to continue. 2 trip report day 0-4: getting in & Yosemite National Park warm up. straightforward trail. Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. Lodging is available at Vermilion Valley Resort at Lake Edison and also at nearby Mono Hot Springs. We started at south lake and ended on north lake, backwards from most, and while Piute pass was a hard hike, i think ending on Piute and Humphrey's Basin was a great way to complete the trip. Water is abundant if you plan it right. The trail is quite rocky in most places so slower than you might expect given the elevation profile. This is high country and we had a brief hail & wind storm as well as our coldest overnight stay (mid 20 degrees Fahrenheit). There must have been many more waterfalls on the way down, but, sadly, that wasnt part of my plan for the day. Personally, I simply call it a crazy, beautiful valley with great views. The mosquitoes were intense in certain areas. Beautiful alpine lakes, waterfalls, and my God the meadows. 6 days / 5 night. Meanwhile, I got to hang out along the river and watch some crazy young PCT hikers swimming in Piute Creek. Many hikers enjoy the week-long loop from North Lake, around through Evolution Valley, over Muir Pass, and eventually heading out over Bishop Pass to South Lake. What seemed like an irritating setback at the time, ended up giving us a chance to acclimate a bit before hauling ourselves, and 40 unaccustomed pounds, over Bishop Pass. Definitely one of my favorite trips ever. On the way back, check out the Blayney hot springs - they are magical! First it is ridiculed. We were lucky with good weather. Lots of mosquitos in some areas. First, it was a suggestion, and then it was an item on my Someday List. Absolutely beautiful the whole time! We started at 8,200 feet and camped at 11,200 feet. Day 5: Cushy Day was followed by Payback Day. Started at North Lake Trailhead and ended at South Lake. Evolution Valley elevation: 9,500 feet Jessie Wheeler. My inner dialogues attitude was quickly adjusted when I looked back from whence we cameMt. Push to camp spots near the McClure Meadow ranger station; you will be rewarded with the best breakfast scenery the next day (night 2). Mosquitos were pretty bad in the meadows, and none up at Evolution Lake, so I recommend bug spray! I was down at 8400 feet elevation, with little to no breeze, and it was roasting! They came across a congregation of stunning peaks lining the South Fork of the San Joaquin River, and they altered course to the glaciated valley beneath them, finding clear lakes, dwarf meadows, and jagged sky-stabbing peaks. At least there might be shade along this section, I thought to myself. 4 days 3 nights 2 passes had a great time. Next time will have to aim to go under 30 pounds. 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. It was great to get back and do another hike in the High Sierra. I want to hike West to East in the lowest part of the evolution valley, beginning at Edison Lake. Plentiful water (I never carried more than 16 oz.). Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. Great trail, not all of it is technically dog friendly since you enter Kings Canyon NP for the 2nd half. Or bag flattopped Mt. omg. When we came out at north lake we hitched a ride back to south lake (thank you!!). Do I really get to be here? Then I got some water and filtered it. I recommend an early start because of the exposure in the first 3 miles of Piute Trail. Building anything out here must be quite the challenge. By the time I was ready to hike I looked down at the tents below me on the shore of the lake and only one person had crawled out of their tent. About two miles after leaving camp, we exited off the PCT/John Muir trail and started up to Piute Pass. Evolution Valley was flower-filled, even in this drought year. Then continue up the valley to McClure Meadow. Day 4: Today turned out to be a truly cushy one. Permits issued from the White . Always confirm information with the service provider and check for any recent changes that Warm days in the upper 70s and the nights werent too cool either, even up at sapphire lake. 27, 28, 33 and 34, T. 15 N., R. 14 E., S. B. M., on the east slope of the Ivanpah range of mountains, in Mescal Mining District, 8 miles north of Cima. I was definitely overheating, and simply wanted to take a long rest. Good campsites can be found there also. Day Zero Travel day. Our goal was Sapphire lake, but there was still a ton of snow over the 4th and we didnt have proper snow gear to cross over the pass from Evolution lake to Sapphire lake. When we crossed the river it was only about knee deep and also like to mention NO mosquitoes so we were super lucky. This lake has no name on the map but it sits about a mile and a half after we started our descent from Bishop Pass. Inside the hut, I swear I felt intensely connected with the energy of the many hikers who entered tired, cold and grateful. Free parkinggotta love that! I loved seeing the pictures here as it helped me to realize how much more I need to get there. Then it was hot, and I sweated out what little water I had. By trying to further lighten our loads over and over again, we hit the trail far later than expected, so by necessity had to pitch our tents after only four miles at Saddlerock Lake (11,128 feet). A couple of favorite overnights: In Hutchinson Meadow alongside the creeks that flow from the Desolation Lakes upstream; the initial campsite in McClure Meadow in Evolution Valley; and a delightful little spot halfway down into Little Pete Meadow alongside the trail withers own small cascade and a pool of freshwater. The North Lake-South Lake loop is there High Sierra at its very best! Roundtrip mileage to the McClure Meadow Ranger Station from the south end of Florence Lake is about 15.5 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain. Pat was the captain of the ferry and Charlie ran the little store, nice couple. Either way takes you over 3 high mountain passes and through incredibly beautiful terrain throughout. 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. The best time ever, I mean. Day 2: In the morning, we broke camp early and switch-backed up to Bishop Pass. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 12 h 41 min to complete. P. i. psammophilus is known from the Salinas Valley and may be a synonym of P. i. neglectus (Best 1993; Williams et al. Required fields are marked *. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. Wonderful backpack but challenging for us 60-75 year old hikers. Piute Pass: Begins at North Lake. I had my food in a bear cannister, But getting partway up toward the pass seemed like a fine idea. 1 decision & planning. Our payback day ended up being 13 miles, almost all uphill. Reach a footbridge over Jeffrey pine-lined Piute Creek, and camp on designated pads nearby. Lakes and rivers were full due to late snowmelt. The best sites we found are located on the east side of the trail directly after we crossed the stream that feeds the lake. Though those days have passed, and the trails have seen the bottom of many boots, I still walked away humbled, awed and truly grateful to have spent a handful of my days in the region of the Sierra called Evolution Valley. July 10 - 14. The trail leads through Double and Blayney meadows. Campsite 3: Colby Meadow. But that suited me fine. It is a hard one but worth it. It all worked out in the end, however. 110 Piute Pass Trail junction, 17 mi. Once we reached the pass at 11,955 feet, we were gifted with the sight of Muir Hut constructed in 1930 by the Sierra Club, with the intention of sheltering hikers that may find themselves caught in unsavory weather. Hiking Distance: 19 miles I wished her well. I got out the map and came up with a plan, but it wasnt perfect. Western States Climbers Emblem Peaks Showing Kimberly Berg's first ascent dates for climbed peaks (0 out of 129, or 0%) Day three Descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. meadows, granite peaks, off-trail accessibility, water plentiful. it has all the beauty you can think of, in fact you will get a beauty intake overdoz lol. We had it easy in September, but Ive heard that earlier in the season hikers should be prepared for more difficult fordings. It took us a little over five days (as schedued) to complete the hike. Soon the trail crossed Evolution Creek, which was quite large at this point. A couple of mosquitos came out in the cooler air as the shadow of the mountain came into camp. Diego, the 11-year-old Lab mix, was struggling; the family carried him part way. 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? Recommend to everybody. Glaciers clung to the northern slopes of the mountains, feeding small waterfalls. The hike isn't strenuous, and even the switchbacks didn't feel that bad. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. First campsite - Blaney Meadow (10 miles). The SteriPen Adventurer has become popular because it is more reliable than earlier models. Bear canisters are required and can be rented at the ranger station for $5 per week. Mendel, which is part of the Evolution range. Others seemed to have no issues on the regular crossing. At Piute Pass, we headed off trail toward Muriel Lake, then Alpine Col, which takes the hiker to the gorgeous Darwin Lakes and Darwin Bench area. Quite a few creek crossings which were hard to avoid getting feet wet, but easily done. I see no real advantage to hiking one way vs. the other. Youll find other good campsites on this knoll. I used my water like always. Darwin/Bench. Tracked 40 miles total and we caught the ferry on the way in and out. Backpacking Has Changed a Lot Over the Past 50 Years. My sincere thanks to the fire fairies who set this up for us. I had descended 2500 feet and climbed another 1000 feet to get up here. John Muir Wilderness sign in the Sierra National Forest good-bye Kings Canyon National Park! We were usually finished hiking each day between 2-5 PM giving us plenty of time to enjoy the area. Enjoy! You have to cross a river to get to them. The map shown above is for illustrative purposes only. Now I cant breathe for another reason. Which didnt happen until I reached Piute Creek and the metal bridge that crossed it. The climb up to Piute Pass was uneventful, passing a series of lakes on the way to the day's high point. As we got going again I was giving myself a pretty serious mental pep talk about taking it easy and giving myself the time needed to work my way up the 700 feet of rocky switchbacks. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). The traditional route goes over Piute Pass and down through Humphreys Basin, taking a long time before turning the corner and climbing up to Evolution Valley. Didnt posthole, it was sunny and we summited at 10:30am from a 5:30am start (slower pace), stayed for an hour at the hut and headed down towards Evolution Lake to camp. On day 1, take the Piute Pass Trail from North Lake Campground, and hike six miles gaining 2,000 feet to make camp near Upper Golden Trout Lake (no camping within 400 feet). In summary this section went from Lake Thomas A. Edison, crossed Seldon Pass, headed up Evolution Valley to Muir Pass into the Kings River Catchment to the base of the Golden Staircase. When Hikers Die, Why Are We So Quick to Judge. That pond is the same pond I had lunch at last year descending from Bishop Pass into Le Conte Canyon. Or bag flattopped Mt. There was a traditional wide and shallow ford. Finally it is accepted as self-evident." Schoepenhouer "Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on." Winston Churchill "When they think they know the answers, people are . I didnt see anyone moving this time. 30 pounds warm up you can think of, in fact you will get a beauty overdoz... And they are all next piute pass to evolution valley the northern slopes of the exposure in the High Sierra the! 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