Definitely the deeper you go in the less people you see. Emigrant Wilderness. Amazing hike!!! I highly recommend taking the Northern route first and camping at Piute Lake along the Southern side. Once you cross the river, the GPS track would have you believe there are 2 options to ascend to the saddle. The backpacking community on YouTube has helped me so much, and I thought it would be good to give back by making a video of the Emigrant Wilderness. Piute Creek was rock-hoppable and Lily Creek looked like it might be but we opted to remove our boots and wade. We arrived at the trailhead around noon on a Monday. Kim met me at the trailhead and she cooked a great meal and we shared our adventures of the day. This trail (“trail”) is not for the faint of heart. The 44 miles is only if you go on the off trail day hike. Attempted to do the full loop in 3 days starting 8/2, but ended up cutting the trip short by a day and looping back at Buck Lakes, because the heat and lack of shade was a bit rough on the dog. Started on Saturday and finished the following Friday. The second day we backtracked with the intention of heading to Poore Lake but missed the trail fork, and ended up at the smaller lake near it, where we camped for the second night. Explore Emigrant Wilderness - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. It has it all: mountain valley, mountain lakes, mountain crests and very few people! Filter; Copy to my Lists Share Explore Emigrant Wilderness - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. We continued and reached Cherry Creek, one of the deepest crossings. No bugs. We had read bear canisters were required, so those worked well for keeping our food safe. The following day saw swarms of mosquitoes around Gem and Piute lakes (and again at Cherry Creek). Otherwise the trip was great, with lovely views and a spectacular starry moonless sky from the tent. The hike itself was beautiful, and encountered nary a mosquito the entire first day until we hit Cherry Creek, where there was a respectable swarm around 5:30PM. The terrain varies in Emigrant Wilderness: some parts are full of volcanic … The trail was only spotty between Lower Buck and Wood Lake. The bugs were not terrible. At one point we went over 24 hours without seeing anyone. A lot of bear activity around the lakes especially Millie. Mosquitoes at only a few places on the trail, particularly near Lilypad and Deer Lakes, and essentially none at Gem or Piute Lakes. This is a great hike. The Emigrant Wilderness is a glaciated landscape of great scenic beauty. Nope! Conditions as of 6/14/2020: No snow to drive over or trek through, downed tree has been removed and you can drive right up to the trailhead (with a high clearance vehicle), creek is easily fordable (will have to take off your boots), no bugs at the lake, but present in the forest. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from May until September. After shuttling some to cars to the Gianelli Trailhead, we will head to Pinecrest, where we have the option for a last lunch together. Stream crossings were pretty easy at this time of year - mostly calf-deep wades across warm and slow-moving water. The 1400' Elevation Gain stated must be cumulative vertical because I did the loop and elev. Hidden Lake was lovely and there were no other souls there. Lots of the smaller creeks still had some water for our two dogs. I got destroyed despite wearing long sleeves and long pants. Gorgeous hike in with buddies, and camping at Piute. There was plenty of tree coverage so it wasn’t too hot. I hope to come back soon and make it all the way to the lake with an earlier start and an extra day to spend there. We went out early August and luckily there were barely any mosquitos. But the two small lakes are a good place to turn around. 3 days, 2 nights. All in all a bucket list 40 miler plus with great friends. After that, it becomes an off-trail route with little evidence that there was ever a trail. Saw several groups at Gem Lake, but otherwise trail was pretty empty on a Friday (I did pass a bunch of people hiking in on Saturday) - I seemed to have the entire Buck Lakes area to myself on Friday night. No mosquitos! Did this awesome trail the week of July 17th. Horses frequent the trail, and we also saw a deer. The trail runs along the north side. Two-Night Trip to Emigrant Wilderness With Daniel August 29 '98. The second half (valley hike) was beautiful and had a few nice streams to dip your feet in. It is an elongated area that extends northeast about 25 miles (40 km) in length and up to 15 miles (24 km) … 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. Beautiful views but be warned as you hike in the bugs get worse and worse! Mosquitos at Gem Lake were so bad we had to spend our evening in our tent. Nope! We got good campsites by arriving early but folks who arrived late might have had trouble. The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA. There were plenty of cars parked along the road in as well. Did this loop over the weekend! Poore lake was 80% dried up as of October 2020. Day 1: Meet at Crabtree trailhead by 10 a.m. We begin our trek past Pine Valley and Camp Lake, up an 8,000-foot pass to camp at what is informally known … Great fall colors. Beautiful hike through meadows and alpine forest. While the navigation is easy, you will need to be proficient with a map and compass and/or GPS, and the route finding through the boulders can be very tricky at some points. We planned on hiking into immigrant Lake, And ended up staying at Buck because of thunderstorms. Descend the granite face to the creek. Otherwise, an enjoyable trip. Emigrant is the show stopper of all the lakes, but all are wonderful. Paiute Meadow and Fremont Lake is a 22.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Bridgeport, California that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. And forget bathroom breaks, you would be swarmed immediately (even with bug spray). The water at Gem clogged our filter very quickly; Piute seemed better. Coming back trail sign was confusing. For trips entering Yosemite National Park Wilderness from Cherry Lake, Kibbie Ridge, or Lake Eleanor, visit any district office or call the Groveland Ranger District by phone no more than 24 hours in advance of your trip. Did trip clockwise and was perfect. Aspen Meadow Pack Station operates in the Stanislaus National Forest and Emigrant Wilderness under permit from the U.S. Forest Service . The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada. The hike was not too challenging, some ascents but not unreasonable. Otherwise the trip was great, with lovely views and a spectacular starry moonless sky from the tent. Most days we will have time to swim, fish, write, or draw. Piute Creek was rock-hoppable and Lily Creek looked like it might be but we opted to remove our boots and wade. Your adventure begins on a trail-trail in the forest. They're very much against Leave No Trace principles, not to mention forest regulations, and they really damage the wilderness experience for the rest of us! Route finding is required, but this is gentle country. Great trail but the mileage is closer to 20...just hiked it yesterday (7-27-19). Emigrant Lake: 140 acres at 8827' elevation, about 15 miles from the trailhead. Alternatively, if you'd really like to capture the view of the valley, hit the crest first while the sun is shining on it. The water there was much colder than the lakes but still refreshing. I just kept running. We did this as a three-day two-night backpacking trip, after several years without a pack. Contains rainbows and brookies, some in trophy size. - Poore Lake side trail has a side trail to the Secret Lake -- that allows you to avoid climbing up and down on the way to the ridge This truly is literally amazing and ends of the awesome place I’ve ever seen. We took our time and enjoyed every aspect of it. Piute Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness. So much fun swimming in the lakes and lots of water to fill up! But wow. I probably would *not* follow these GPS tracks again. Beautiful views but be warned as you hike in the bugs get worse and worse! Walker River Headwaters: Lake Hopping Sept 18-21, 2012 Last week I did a 40-mile lake-hopping loop from Leavitt Meadows up into the headwaters of the West Walker River, in Emigrant Wilderness, CA. Emigrant Wilderness – Lakes Loop Entire Loop – 26 miles Day 1 – Crabtree Trailhead to Y Meadow Lake – 7 miles Day 2 – Meadow Lake to Piute Lake – 11 miles Day 3 – Piute Lake to Crabtree Trailhead – 8 miles Lakes Encountered: Chewing Gum Lake, Y Meadow Lake, Deer Lake, Jewelry Lake, Gem Lake, Piute Lake & Camp Lake First of all, I would like to point out that this route is not actually a loop - the GPS track posted here is 2 cross country attempts to get to and from Hyatt. The lake is considered a premier destination for the Emigrant Wilderness. A true California treasure, it features spectacular scenery that will eclipse any adventurer's wildest dreams. Absolutely beautiful the whole trip. They weren't too bad during the day while we were moving, but by about 5 pm they started to swarm and we were finally driven back into the tent about 6:30 pm. We camped on the bluffs just East of Gem Lake thinking it would be windy to help clear the bugs. Pretty level. Finally, we made our way back to the trailhead, taking one final dip in the river at the foot of the bridge, jumping off a small rock into a deep pool. Once you reach the saddle, the GPS track with the map would have you believe you must descend into a bunch of bushes, or into a weird canyon to climb back out, but we found (by trial and error) that is much more enjoyable to follow the contour line pretty much straight to Hyatt Lake. The Department of Fish and Game estimates that 42 lakes in this basin have rainbows, 28 have brookies, 6 have goldens, 2 have rainbows and brookies and 1 has rainbows and brown trout. ~14 miles. But if you have adventure in mind, then you will totally be blown away! We took the short route that crossed the two trails down back to the river, which was a bit less established but started in a meadow. We'll hike mostly on trail through classic Emigrant country past appropriately named Jewelry and Gem lakes and crossing Cherry and Piute Creeks. Dry on the way in and out! So many wonderful lakes (Emigrant, Buck, and Huckleberry are all showstoppers) — I only carried water before Grouse Lake as that was the longest stretch between water sources. I would recommend this trail, but perhaps later in the year when the mosquitoes are gone. Amazing hike!!! The Emigrant Wilderness contains thousands of acres of pine forests, grassy meadows, glacier-carved granite ridges, and hundreds of mountain lakes. Made it just past Lane Lake before trail was underwater. There were less people present here, and we easily found a camping spot close to the lake, where there were a lot of crawfish at the waters edge. During the trip we will also learn about the history of the Emigrant Wilderness and the impact of drought and climate change on this rugged American landscape. We much preferred our return route where we immediately descended the saddle and then stayed low (find my Day 2 GPS track for reference). The temperature at mid night is about 32F (~0C), so make sure you are prepared. Epic, granite, water, wind and trees. Be warned, this hike is not easy, and depending on your exact route can easily end up being closer to 8 miles, which is a lot of off-trail hiking! We had planned a 2-night backpack trip with both nights at Piute Lake and taking a day hike from there to Gem and Jewelry Lakes and beyond. We encountered a group of hikers on our way to the lake that were abandoning their search for the lake. Terrain is pretty (if not particularly dramatic compared to other parts of the Sierras) and the variety - forest, lakes, meadows, rivers, granite slabs - kept things interesting. We arrived at the trailhead late afternoon and easily backpacked to Lane Lake to camp, taking the lower trail adjacent the river for a counterclockwise trip, arriving just in time to set up camp, have dinner, and watch the sunset. Campsite elevation: 7,600 feet. ... hike to Piute Meadow, Groundhog meadow, Grouse Lake. Otherwise, trail was dry. We never got out the DEET. ... Trip 1 (Loop): Crabtree trailhead to Camp Lake, Piute Meadow, Grouse Lake, and Pine Valley. We loved the views and the lakes were warm for the sierras and great for a dip after hot hikes. Luckily the Emigrant Wilderness looked like a relatively smokeless/fireless option, and there was no quota for permits, so I filled out the permit application online and off we went. The “off trail” portion had signs posted today that a large carcass had the potential to attract bears so beware. I did backpacking at the beginning of Oct. One afternoon we had thunderstorms and hail for a copy of hours so don’t forget the rain gear. This was a great hike. Around Lane lake also has a couple of good places to camp for the night. We never got out the DEET. Phone numbers: Mi-Wuk Ranger station (listed under 'Forest Service'): 209-877-2218. Highly recommend! A couple of pro-tips for those who want to brave this hike themselves: Ended up meandering around the meadow before trail blazing back up to the higher trail we went out on. … Watersheds drain to the Stanislaus and … People could be seen fishing, though we don’t know what they caught. Download the map, follow our cairns, and that will not be you! The next morning at first light there were hundreds of the little bloodsuckers perched on the tent waiting to pounce on the first mammal to exit. But make sure you prepared for the cold night. Complete this one counterclockwise for best view progression. Wondering if a few weeks of warm weather has cleared them out some? Arrived at the trailhead around 10:30AM and the lot was already full, and barely snagged the last open spot along the overflow parking road. This truly is literally amazing and ends of the awesome place I’ve ever seen. Itinerary. Make sure to hide your food, there were chipmunks eager to get into ours. Awesome swimming, no bug problem (and I am eaten alive if there is one squito nearby), lots of crayfish and chipmunks to watch. It is an elongated area that extends northeast about 25 miles (40 … We went counter clockwise and there was no flowing water until we were about 6-7 miles out so definitely pack plenty of water. Both Gem on Friday and Piute on Saturday were very busy--dozens of people camped at each place. I would recommend this trail, but perhaps later in the year when the mosquitoes are gone. Mosquitoes at only a few places on the trail, particularly near Lilypad and Deer Lakes, and essentially none at Gem or Piute Lakes. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. Expand++. This was a superbly beautiful location with lots of really cool camp spots overlooking the lake. Followed sign that said “Leavitt Meadows hikers” downhill trail at small split. We saw the bottom half of the carcass stripped pretty well. Great trail in good condition but Cherry Creek is flowing almost waist deep and from the creek on, the mosquitos are out in force! We took the relatively flat route into Roosevelt and Lane Lakes, ~4 miles or less in 2.5 hr with lots of stops to talk to the flowers (great wildflowers at this time!). Dude. Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor Roosevelt, Emigrant Wilderness and Yosemite National Park, California (21581655081).jpg 4,000 × 2,430; 2.12 MB Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor Roosevelt, Emigrant Wilderness, California (21546624476).jpg 4,000 × 3,000; 3.85 MB Trail was very easy to follow for the most part - it was a bit washed out in parts of the section between the Buck Lakes, but wasn't hard to find with a close eye. We camped on the far side of Lane Lake in maybe the third-best site on both lakes, right at the junction with the trail to Hidden Lake but traffic was not an issue. Like Yosemite, it has towering granite mountains and spectacular alpine lakes. Lily and Cherry Creeks are both flowing but easy to walk across. Lovely. Distance: 5 miles. The secret lake is not marked on the Alltrails map. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. A beautiful trail that crosses Piute Lake, Piute Meadow, Lily Lake, and Camp Lake along rolling terrain with a nice final section into the Crabtree Trailhead on the western edge of Emigrant Wilderness. Day hike to Hidden Lake, started with some gravel and longer than we thought; had to ford a river/stream taking boots off and using hands on the mid-stream rocks for balance. Had so much fun on this trail! Waterfall at the end is… ok. There are several ways to get to the headwaters. After gold was discovered in … We camped on the bluffs just East of Gem Lake thinking it would be windy to help clear the bugs. Beautiful hike overall. We had planned a 2-night backpack trip with both nights at Piute Lake and taking a day hike from there to Gem and Jewelry Lakes and beyond. I got destroyed despite wearing long sleeves and long pants. Otherwise it was beautiful and the lakes were amazing to swim in! There were plenty of cars parked along the road in as well. More. We got lost after Lane Lake, and took some time to find the way to pass around the secret lake. We were driven back after one night by the mosquitoes, the worst I've seen in the Sierra. We (2 adults and 2 dogs) backpacked from Crabtree to Gem Lake on July 31, did a short day hike to Deer Lake and then broke camp and moved to Piute Lake on Aug. 1, and packed out on Aug. 2. However, this trip is only 40 miles if you stay on the trail. The water was the perfect temperature for swimming. You need the find the path by the north side of the secret lake. More. Lots of obvious … 9/13/2014 - On the last day of our 11 day backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness and Yosemite National Park, we stopped briefly at Piute Lake to pick up water, which we then sterilized. Lily and Cherry Creeks are both flowing but easy to walk across. In retrospect, going in from Twin Lakes … The Emigrant is most easily accessible from Hwy 108, with many visitors entering from near Pinecrest Lake or Kennedy Meadows. There was not campground there, so we did wild camping near the fall. Hope this helps! Emigrant Wilderness, located south of Hwy. We travel about four miles, with 1,000 feet of elevation gain and 700 feet of elevation loss, into an area of granite slabs, granite domes, and expansive views. In the Emigrant Wilderness, grazing or holding more than four stock overnight within one-quarter mile of Rosasco, Pingree, Piute, Gem, Jewelry, Long, or Maxwell Lakes is prohibited due to … All in all, super great! I ran the loop and the fall colors were beautiful. Very crowded up to Camp Lake but pretty clear after that! The hike itself was beautiful, and encountered nary a mosquito the entire first day until we hit Cherry Creek, where there was a respectable swarm around 5:30PM. Made camp at Gem Lake with few mosquitoes to be seen...but starting around 8PM was when they came out with a vengeance. Wondering if a few weeks of warm weather has cleared them out some? Mosquitos were extremely intense in a couple of areas (in particular, between Deer and Upper Buck Lakes and along Woods Lake, where I was bitten maybe 15-20 times in the time it took me to take out and spray on the DEET), and tolerable in most other areas. Thank the late snow melt lol. The second half (valley hike) was beautiful and had a few nice streams to dip your feet in. We were driven back after one night by the mosquitoes, the worst I've seen in the Sierra. Fri, Jul 14, 2017, 7:00 AM: July 13:The 3 people going decided yesterday we would change this trip back to Emigrant Wilderness. No need to do any “on trail” portion after the two small lakes. Went the weekend of July 18-19. My 14 year old son and I attempted Hyatt Lake as an overnighter but came up a little short on time and camped out along the trail about a mile from the lake. After all, we visit places like these to escape human impact and experience untouched wilderness - seeing things like rock cairns and handmade bridges can really ruin the experience! A little ways upstream of this camp was a shallow and slow-moving area we chose to ford the river. Trail is very exposed, in particular on the climbs and descents (there is some forest cover over the flat areas along the lakes and meadows), which made it extra tiring to hike this time of year. We're going to try this again, but not for another couple of weeks! The lake is nearly 2 miles long with good camping on either end. Definitely recommend getting an early start if doing this on a warm day, as the last climb from Cherry Creek to Gem Lake can get very hot. Mosquitos at Gem Lake were so bad we had to spend our evening in our tent. Emigrant is the show stopper of all the lakes, but all are wonderful. The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA. Both of my trips to the Emigrant Wilderness have encountered sporadic thunder showers, so make sure to bring rain gear. Gorgeous hike in with buddies, and camping at Piute. Definitely recommend getting an early start if doing this on a warm day, as the last climb from Cherry Creek to Gem Lake can get very hot. It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. This page was last edited on 7 August 2020, at 16:24. The hike took us about 7 hours in each direction, and we were lucky enough to find a semi-maintained trail that stretches from the bourland meadow trail to the treeline in Cherry Creek Canyon. Emigrant Wilderness: Trail Mileages Stanislaus National Forest ROG 16-27; 06/12 Trailhead: Gianelli Cabin ... 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