You must arm yourself with a good topographical map and a compass to find some of these high country lakes. Posted on August 18, 2014. Where: Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest. I decided to sleep under the stars without the tarp. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. I rigged my Tenkara rod and picked a size 16 bead head nymph with a pink hotspot. Congress. Hike to above Relief Reservoir. Great trail. From Modesto, take the 120 toward Yosemite and merge onto the 108 toward Sonora. . We chose to start our trip on the Crabtree Trail and return via Bell Meadow Trail for a change of scenery. If you're looking for elevation gain, Emigrant Wilderness has you covered. Some of the extra weight could be offset by not bringing a tent as there wouldnt be any mosquitoes this late, and there was no rain forecast either. The 113,000 acre Emigrant Wilderness; bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south,the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest on the east, and State Highway 108 on the north; is an elongated area that trends northeast about 25 miles in length and up to 15 miles in width. An overnight camping permit is required if camping along the route. " Lee Watts OpenMapTiles OSM 4.3 Miles Point to Point 9,748' High 8,476' Low 464' Up 1,378' Rock and snow are the most durable surfaces to use while hiking off-trail. Which it did! Please be mindful of falling rocks. The trail steadily climbs after this creek, but thankfully a lot of it is lightly shaded. The 113,000 acre Emigrant Wilderness; bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south,the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest on the east, and State Highway 108 on the north; is an elongated area that trends northeast about 25 miles in length and up to 15 miles in width. Pets must be kept on leash or under immediate voice control at all times and are not allowed to harass wildlife. This protects water, wildlife, habitat, and visitors opportunities for solitude. Flies can range from #12 to #18 depending on the size of the indigenous trout. This is an excellent backpacking route in the Emigrant Wilderness. The Drive Up . In addition, I brought down pants and wool socks to stay warm in camp. The trailhead at Crabtree Camp is easily accessible by . We spent one night on an exposed, rocky lakeside and were rewarded with stellar sunset views, but suffered chillier temperatures. It involved some basic topo map navigation, a certain amount of real effort, and just enough bushwhacking to keep many people from having a good time on a hike. The Emigrant Wilderness is best accessible from Hwy 108, either via Kennedy Meadows (no, not that one) in the north or via the town of Pinecrest and then Crabtree Road from the west, leading to several trailheads, including Crabtree and Gianelli. For Bay Area residents like ourselves, the Emigrant is also one of the closest and most easily accessible wilderness areas to explore. Cell Reception: Dont expect any. Spend eight days backpacking deep into the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness, the High Sierra's best kept secret just north of Yosemite National Park. This 2-night backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness lets you soak in nature in solitude. Set on the top of a ridge, sprinkled with forested islands, and surrounded by inlets and white granite points, it would make a great place to spend a day exploring. When I got to the West side of the lake, I was disappointed to notice that it was a shallow, swampy lake. Overnight parking is allowed, and pit toilets are available here. Third, I had already planned a 7-day trip in the area as a backup, so I was able to shorten that itinerary and cover 4 lakes instead of the original 8. There are wonderful campsites at nearly every lake on this loop. According to AllTrails.com, the longest trail in Emigrant Wilderness is. I planned a 3-night trip to Emigrant Wilderness to fish Emigrant Lake and some smaller lakes. Stanislaus National Forest Backcountry Permit. It looked like the trail didnt get much traffic. Crabtree to Bear Lake. Click here to download royalty-free licensing videos from Videvo today. A few of the regionally popular patterns fished dry are the California Mosquito, Light Cahill, Black Gnat, Elk Hair Caddis and Joes Hopper. Casey and I have a penchant for off-trail exploring and navigation, and the Emigrant is a granite wonderland perfectly suited to this endeavor. Backpacking and Hiking in the West The granite ridges are smaller in scale compared to Yosemite, but the area offers a true wilderness experience with very few tourists venturing into the more remote areas of the region. I could feel the group getting tired, so we decided to keep continuing after a nice break. We started making our way down, following the nice granite slopes. We thought we would try to summit Granite Dome on this day, but most of us were too tired, and when studying the maps, the route up looks much better from Upper Lewis Lake than Iceland Lake. Many are not on marked trails and some rock scrambling may be necessary. On Hwy 108, this transition occurs between the small towns of Twain Harte and Mi-Wuk Village. So yes, we did go skinny-dipping. This parking lot also has trash cans and pit toilets, and has a water spigot that was not working as of Sunday, October 18, 2020. We stopped at an overlook right before this trail met up with the main trail that we hiked in on. It is a place where the pines, cedars, and firs of the Stanislaus National Forest gradually thin as granite cliffs, mountain tops, and monoliths take over. We planned this trip because fire closures canceled other plans, yet this national forest remained open. A view of Lake Rosasco in the Emigrant Wilderness. San Rafael Western Legacy District And The Black Rock Desert High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. Cross-country backpacking in Emigrant Wilderness. Download free stock video footage featuring Reflection of rocky mountains on surface of alpine lake, tilt up and reveal of beautiful valley. I stood and watched the lake for a few minutes. Went to Chewing Gum Lake over the Labor Day weekend. If you're looking for elevation gain, Emigrant Wilderness has you covered. Did not notice any mosquitos. We inadvertently found an unmarked trail that would ultimately lead back to the Bell Meadow trail, but that wasnt in our plan so we backtracked. Very nice, easy trail, with great scenery, leading to a lake that is fed by a creek. All Rights Reserved. Frequently asked trail questions about Emigrant Wilderness. This means camping at least 200 feet from water, 100 feet from established trails, and away from fragile terrain such as meadows. Unlike our first two days, we had to get up and hiking early today, since we had miles to hike and a long drive home ahead! The Best Backpacking Destinations in Ansel Adams Wilderness; Explore Parker Lake; Explore John Muir Wilderness. There is a variety of trailheads the angler can use as departure points. The views over Huckleberry Lake were some of the most impressive of the trip so far. Ridge Lake was really pretty, but due to the large size of our group, we needed more room for camp, and I had read that Iceland Lake had more space. Gradually at first, crossing over two footbridges, and then climbs more steeply until Relief Reservoir comes into view. These lake trails have an average 4.5-star rating from 1,371 AllTrails community reviews. Backcountry permits are easy to obtain without much advanced notice, and trailhead access is straightforward. 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In early August 2022, we headed to the High Sierra backcountry for a backpacking adventure that combined spectacular off-trail sections with highlights of the JMT. Read here for information on when visiting bear country. The trail passed through a pleasant pine forest. Smoke from nearby wildfires didnt deter us, as the air quality wasnt terrible and we needed a good dose of adventure before the winter storms arrived. A small stream that flowed through the field had frozen overnight. I had time for one last weekend trip to the Sierra before winter. For this trip, we decided to explore several lakes in the southwestern portion of Emigrant. Much like in 2014 when we hiked Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan, my coworkers and good friends John and Michael made plans to explore the wilderness away from our normal haunts by tacking a vacation onto a work-related trip. The Emigrant Wilderness is the Yosemite backcountry's underappreciated cousin. Heading east on the Bell Meadow Trail we climbed through a cool forest and descended into another canyon. From the Box Spring trailhead, you can reach the following lakes: Chain Lakes: 5 small lakes less than 7 acres each at 7586' elevation.2.2 miles from the trailhead . At the trail junction, we turned north and climbed 500ft up a ridge to the intersection with Crabtree Trail, ultimately making our way back to the trailhead. in On Adventures The trip to Iceland lake (in the area generally called "Granite Dome's Golden Trout Lakes" by the Emigrant Wilderness Guidebook) was our first ever backpacking Stanislaus National Forest. The fall months are much cooler and provide less water, but there wont be any bugs. Enter at Kennedy Meadows. There were quite a few hills that I didnt want to have to unnecessarily go up only to come back down. Purchase maps at any Stanislaus National Forest Ranger Stationor the Forest Service online store. word of caution is in order. 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