Usually when we think of glaciers, we imagine large sheets of ice moving as rivers between snow capped peaks.  You probably think of places like Alaska, or Greenland, or Patagonia, or Antarctica.  However, what if I told you there are a handful of small glaciers located at very high elevations in the Sierra Nevada of California?  Palisade Glacier is the largest of these!

Located at about 12,000 feet above sea level below some of the highest, most dramatic, mountains in the entire country, Palisade Glacier is the largest glacier in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  The hike getting you there is tough, nearly 18 miles and 5,000 vertical feet, but on the way to an amazing final destination you’ll pass some of the most stunning alpine lakes imaginable.  If you can make it, the payoff is incredible!  

Miles/Elevation:

17.7 miles

4,731 feet vertical gain

About Inyo National Forest:

At nearly 2 million acres, Inyo National Forest is a massive area of soaring peaks, desert, ancient forest, and incredibly rugged alpine terrain.  Inyo contains the Big Pine Lakes, Mt Whitney, the lower 48’s highest peak, along with some of the world’s oldest living things, the ancient bristlecone pines.

 Covering large swathes of the Eastern Sierra Nevada and White Mountains, as well as much of the Owens Valley, Inyo National Forest actually is one of the least forested national forests in the country, containing lots of desert.  First protected by president Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, the forest was initially created to facilitate the creation of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Nowadays, Inyo National Forest is much more well known as a world class outdoor destination.  With renowned wilderness areas such as the Ansel Adams Wilderness, the Golden Trout Wilderness, and the John Muir Wilderness, many of the best backpacking routes in the country pass through Inyo.

In addition to backpacking, there are many other amazing locations in Inyo National Forest that can be easily accessed in a day, either by hiking or by car.  These include Mammoth Lakes, Convict Lake, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, June Lake, and Mt Whitney.

Much of Inyo National Forest does not require fees for day use, though some limited access locations may require fees.  There is no fee to park at this trailhead. 

About The John Muir Wilderness:

There is no greater conservationist than John Muir, and there is no greater wilderness than the one which bears his name!  Containing over 650,000 acres of wild lands, this protected region lies along the Sierra Crest near the eastern edge of the range.  The eastern escarpment of the Sierra rises up to 8,000 feet in extremely dramatic fashion, which allows for incredibly dramatic views in the area.

The John Muir Wilderness is bounded by the Ansel Adams Wilderness in the North, the Golden Trout Wilderness in the south, and the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness to the west.  To the east lies more accessible land in Inyo National Forest and the deserts beyond.  There is also a minor branch of the wilderness which juts south along the western edge of Kings Canyon National Park.

With nearly 600 miles of hiking trails, this wilderness truly is a hikers paradise.  This region contains many of the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada, including Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48.  Beyond Mt Whitney, there are 57 peaks with an elevation of 13,000 feet or more in the wilderness!  

For day hikers, mountaineers, rock climbers, or fishermen, this place is magical, but it may be at its best when used for backpacking!  The John Muir Trail, a 200+ mile backpacking route traverses the wilderness along with the trio of Sierra Nevada national parks, and a major chunk of the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the wilderness as well!

The John Muir Wilderness experiences heavy use and is the second most visited wilderness in the U.S..  Overnight access is strictly limited, and permits are required for all overnight use, as well as some day use areas like the Mt Whitney Trail.

Getting To The Eastern Sierra:

The first challenge in getting to this trailhead is to get to the Eastern Sierra.  The closest town with real facilities is Bishop, though the very small town of Big Pine is a bit closer.

Located in the desert of eastern California, Bishop is a surprisingly remote place considering it’s in California.  The closest sizable city is Reno, about three and a half hours to the north.  Los Angeles and Las Vegas are both a bit over 4 hours away, and the Bay Area is about 6 hours away.  

The main highway to access Bishop and the broader Eastern Sierra area is highway 395.  395 runs from just north of the Los Angeles area all the way north to the Canadian border.  Reno to Bishop is a straight shot down 395, and Los Angeles is a straight shot north on 395.  

There are a couple of small airports in the area, namely Bishop and Mammoth Lakes.  However, commercial flights are either sporadic or non-existent.  Driving from a larger metro is the easiest way to access the Eastern Sierra for most.

Getting To The Trailhead:

Roadtripping to Bishop?  Check out all of our road trip planning tips!

Once in the Eastern Sierra, wherever it is, take highway 395 to the small town of Big Pine.  Once in Big Pine, turn onto Glacier Lodge Road and follow it up into the mountains.  Continue on Glacier Lodge Road until you reach the end.  There is a small parking area at the end of the road used to access the Big Pine Lakes Trail.  If you are backpacking, there is an overnight parking lot a bit lower down the road.

Tips:

• Backpack this trail for an incredible night or weekend out.
• The final stretch to the glacier is an off trail scramble.  Be prepared.
• Start early to beat the heat and finish by a reasonable time.

The Palisade Glacier Trail:

To First Falls:

From the day use parking area, the trail begins by heading past a few cabins along the North Fork of Big Pine Creek.  The road is actually paved here, but you won’t be spending much time on pavement from here on out! I should also note that I did almost this entire section in the dark. I got a really early start!

After leaving the road, the trail takes an uphill turn.  You will have a tight group of switchbacks that take you a couple hundred feet up quite steeply, but before you head up the switchbacks, make sure you are not on the South Fork of the Big Pine Creek Trail.  You want to follow the North Fork, and this south Fork takes you in a completely different direction!  Follow the switchbacks up, and again, avoid turning onto the South Fork Trail at the top of the switchbacks.

After ascending the switchbacks and crossing a bridge over the North Fork, you’ll leave the trees and enter an open valley.  There is one trail that follows the bottom of the valley, and another that hikes along a ledge about 100 feet above the valley floor.  It doesn’t matter which one you take.  I headed up the side of the valley on my way up!

This trail hiking up the side of this valley gives you your first true alpine feel.  Looking down the valley, you’ll get views of the mountains all the way down and across the valley you started the hike in.  Things really open up here!

The one issue with this section of the trail is the fact that there is essentially no shade whatsoever.  The elevation is high enough that even in the afternoon it shouldn’t be too bad, but it gets hot!  I highly recommend an early start because I managed to do this whole section of the hike in the shade because the sun hadn’t yet risen!

At the head of the valley, you’ll eventually come across a tight group of switchbacks that take you back into the forest, and up past First Falls.  The top of the falls mark a big change in the trail as you leave the desert-y valley behind and enter the high altitude Sierra pine forest!

To First Lake:

Once in the forest, the next two miles of your day will be a gentle climb up into the basin which contains the Big Pine Lakes.  The hiking isn’t super remarkable through here, but you will get some peeks at the high peaks beyond.  The trail is very straightforward, and just keeps going up!  Eventually, you’ll come to an intersection where you need to take a left to head to the first 3 lakes and the glacier.  

Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!

First Lake really sneaks up on you because the trail doesn’t actually go to the lakeshore.  Instead, it climbs up above the lake, so my first view of it was looking back down towards the water’s surface!  

To Second Lake:

First Lake is awesome, and it honestly could be the highlight of its very own awesome dayhike, but keep going for the real stars of the show!  From the overlook of First Lake to Second Lake is a few hundred feet, and that’s where the view really impresses!

Second Lake is a place that I’ve been wanting to see for years, so I knew from the jagged spires in the distance that I was almost on top of it.  Sure enough, as I rounded a granite outcropping, Second Lake emerged below me while the 13,000 foot spire known as Temple Crag pierced the sky above.

This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!

Nothing I can write here can adequately describe the view, and it was one of the most incredible places I’ve ever seen.  The pictures don’t do it justice, and it was one of the few places I’ve hiked to that honestly blew me away and shattered my greatest expectations.

I chilled for a while at Second Lake and took in the view.  Eventually I had to keep moving because there was so much more to do and see, but man that view was something.

To Third Lake:

Second Lake To Third Lake is a quick half mile.  Again, the trail actually passed by the lake on a ridge above the water’s surface, so you won’t really hike to the water’s edge.  

Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!

The view over Third Lake is unsurprisingly awesome, and you get another crazy view of Temple Crag.  The perspective from Second Lake very much has the super imposing head on view, but at Third Lake you get to see it from the side.  Rather than just being a vertical spire, you actually see that it’s more of a fin!

To Sam Mack Meadow:

From the slopes above Third Lake, follow the trail as it passes through a set of switchbacks and gains about 200 vertical feet.  You will climb into the forest and away from the lake, so very quickly you will lose the views over the water.    

Above the switchbacks, the trail enters gentler terrain.  In this flatter area, continue for about a quarter of a mile until you reach the intersection where the trail splits.  Staying right the trail heads to the rest of the Big Pine Lakes, but you should take a left to head up to the glacier!

After turning left, the trail takes a quick descent down to a stream, and then begins ascending.  At first you’ll have some overgrown bushes to push through as you climb away from the creek, but very quickly the trail will dry out and turn to big stone steps.  The trail quality isn’t awful on this climb, but it definitely isn’t a well manicured walking path!

Make sure you make it to all of the Big Pine Lakes at some point!

From the trail intersection to Sam Mack Meadow is only about 400 vertical feet of climbing, and while the trail is pretty steep, it goes quickly.  After a tough climb up the rocky trail, you’ll emerge at Sam Mack Meadow!

The meadow itself is actually surprisingly small, like only a couple hundred feet across and maybe a quarter or half mile long.  Running through the meadow is a stunning creek with crystal clear running water with a slight baby blue tint.  That tint is a sign of the glacial activity above!  Surrounding the meadow are steep stone walls, though the high peaks above aren’t clearly visible!

Driving up 395?  Make sure you have the Top Down Lifestyle playlist!

I took a quick break at the meadow because it is such a pretty spot.  I’ve read reviews of this hike where people actually said this was their favorite spot of the whole day!  Anyway, you’ll need to cross the creek, and there really isn’t an easy way to do it.  

I got about halfway across easily, and then tried to maneuver a couple of smaller rocks to make a good step to complete the crossing.  That didn’t work and one foot slipped and got soaked!  On the way back I just walked through the creek and dealt with the wet feet, not a huge deal!

To Palisade Glacier:

Once across the creek in Sam Mack Meadow, spot the trail climbing up the rocky face in front of you.  The trail here suffers another drop in quality as the rocks get bigger and the climbing gets steeper.  Honestly though, enjoy the trail while you have it at all!

The Mammoth Crest Loop is one of the best difficult hikes in nearby Mammoth!

The last bit of trail takes you up a steep rocky face where the views really begin opening up!  On this climb, you’ll gain views of the first three of the Big Pine Lakes!  First just two of them, but eventually all three will be laid out in a row!

Convict Lake is a stunning place to hike just outside Mammoth!

Eventually, the trail will all but disappear and in front of you there will be a gigantic pile of dirt, rocks, and massive boulders.  This is the terminal moraine of the Palisade Glacier, and marks the beginning of the final stretch of the hike.  

If you want another challenge head north and try the 18 mile Thousand Island Lake Loop!

If you really wanted to, you could try and just go straight up the terminal moraine, but I think that would be a bad idea as it’s super loose, and the rockfall danger would be extremely high.

Instead, the best route to actually reach the glacier is to travel around the left side of the glacier moraine and climb up its side.  As you make your way around and then up the lateral moraine, there is no trail, but the route is well marked with cairns, small piles of rocks used as waypoints.  

The toughest place to find the route is right at the end of the trail.  You’ll crest a small hill and then be faced with a small valley.  Hike across the valley, and then head through the boulders trending left on the far side.  Once there, you should see the cairns.  If not, follow the left side of the moraine until you find them.  Don’t climb steeply, and don’t descend steeply here.

Hike to Ediza Lake for an up close view of the Minarets and Ritter Range!

Starting here, you will be on the rock pile that is the moraine.  First, you’ll need to traverse across this slope.  Stay on a flat trajectory; there is no need to climb or descend here.  The going is slow, but the difficulty never exceeds class 2.

Just on the other side of nearby Cloudripper is the Bishop Pass trail, another phenomenal hike!

Once across that nasty section of boulders, the terrain eases up a bit and you’ll enter a table land of granite slabs.  Follow the cairns through and up the slabs, and just always be on the lookout for the next cairn.  Stay straight here, avoid trending either to the right or left.  It may be tempting to try and climb up the rocks on your right and get on top of the moraine, but I can assure you the going is much easier on the slabs!

Continue up the slabs until you reach their terminus all the way at the far end where the rock pile begins.  Look for a chute marked by a cairn, and climb up.  I would consider this chute class 2, but you could argue it’s easy class 3.  If you go up a different chute, the scrambling may be tougher.

Above the chute, there is a flat area of easy terrain, but you still will not be able to see the glacier.  Head to your left, and then begin climbing up and over the moraine itself.  

The rock on the moraine is mostly class 2, but there are a ton of huge boulders that make it very difficult to get through.  This isn’t class 2 where you can mostly just hop from rock to rock.  Most of the boulders here are the size of cars, and are oriented at weird angles.  This is really tough class 2 scrambling!

You don’t have to go far on this terrain though because before long the glistening ice and snow of the glacier will crest the horizon!  I can honestly say this view is jaw dropping.  To those who have spent time in Alaska or somewhere else where glaciers are a common occurrence it may not be, but for me it was so cool seeing a glacier!

Not only does this view have a glacier, it also contains some of the biggest, most impressive peaks in the lower 48!  There are a pair of 14ers above the glacier (North Palisade and Mt Sill), a few 14,000 foot subsidiary peaks, and lots of 13,000 foot peaks!  This is honestly one of the most awe inspiring alpine environments I’ve seen!

You really have to work for this view, but that makes it all the sweeter!  I just sat and took it all in for a while before I even took my pack off.  The sounds are also awesome too.  The wind was pretty calm, so I was able to hear the cracking and groaning of the glacier, and the rush of water traveling through the rocks beneath it!

At the base of the glacier is a tiny little lake that holds its melt water.  Some people actually descend all the way down to this lake, and I’ll admit that would be really cool, but that would be a really tough day.  The lake is about 200 feet below the top of the moraine, and that entire distance would be traveled on tough class 2 or 3 terrain.  Do it if you can, but the trip down to the water would probably add at least an hour to your day.

Hiking Out:

Whenever you’re ready to leave this magical perch above the glacier, the hike back down requires a long return trip along the same trail you took earlier.  This is a simple out and back, so just return on the trail you already hiked.

While it may sound simple on paper, the hike back is anything but easy.  Your first task is to get off the glacier moraine.  Scramble back up to the top of the ridge, and then drop down one of the chutes to get back to the granite slabs below.  I think I went down a different chute going down than up, but I was still able to get back to the cairns.  You can generally spot them from a ways away.

The descent down the granite slabs is pretty easy and progress comes quickly.  The one challenge can be on especially steep slabs or sections of slabs.  When there are no obvious foot holds or placements it feels a bit precarious, but really this doesn’t happen much.  If you really get freaked out just slide down on your butt!

Follow the cairns back down through the slabs and then across the lower scramble.  Soon after the lower scramble across the edge of the moraine, you’ll emerge back at the trail.  Trail feels really nice after potentially hours on the rocks, and even though it’s a steep descent down to Sam Mack Meadow, it’ll feel like you’re flying!

I had to wade across the creek at the meadow which was a little annoying, but with good breathable trail runners my feet were dry before the end of the hike.  Once across the creek, it’s smooth sailing back to the trailhead.  The descent down from the meadow is steep and rocky but goes pretty quickly.  Beyond that, it’s just a long slog through some beautiful terrain!  It can drag on, but just enjoy the scenery and revel in the feeling of completing a nearly 18 mile hike!

Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 10/10

About a year ago I wrote an article on the Big Pine Lakes Hike and called it the prettiest hike in America.  At the time, I knew that was probably a stretch, and now I have confirmation.  This trail has the most incredible views of any hike I’ve done.

Now, I’ll admit that the scenery around here isn’t necessarily bucolic in the green, pleasant, sense, but if you’re looking for huge, rugged, jagged, brutal topography, there really is nowhere better in the US than the Eastern Sierra.  This hike hits the first 3 Big Pine Lakes, which are the prettiest, and it takes you up to Palisade Glacier, something more awe-inspiring than any of the lakes.

It isn’t often that I get somewhere on a hike and literally can’t stop smiling, but that was honestly my reaction when I crested the glacial moraine and got my first view of the ice.  The creaks and groans from the glacier elicited a smile every time!

This trail is brutally hard, and the final couple of miles will drag and make you question if you’ll ever make it, but there are very very few hikes with better scenery and a more memorable final destination than this one.

Pros:

• Incredible views
• Numerous alpine lakes
• Multiple waterfalls
• Largely good trail quality
• Legitimate scrambling
• Backpacking opportunities

Cons:

• Hot with little shade

Alternative Hikes:

Big Pine Lakes 

The Mammoth Crest Loop 

Bishop Pass

The Thousand Island Lake Loop

Shadow and Ediza Lakes

When To Hike To Palisade Glacier:

The Eastern Sierra in general have an excellent climate for hiking, and that holds true for the Big Pine Lakes area.  Most days from spring until late fall you will have tons of sunshine, and storms are pretty sporadic, possible, but not daily.

The limiting factor with this hike is snow.  You’ll be hiking all the way up over 11,000 feet, so snow can linger well into the summer, and early winter storms could snow this area in early in the year.  As a general rule, I’d expect this area to be passable between late June and sometime in October.

In terms of the ideal time to visit, I would probably lean towards earlier in the summer, just after the trails are clear of snow.  Most years, that will be in late June or early July.  For one, the waterfalls will have more water running through them.  The environment will also be a bit more vibrant than later in the year, though fall colors could be very nice.  

I think the big one though is that early season fires are much less common than fires in late summer or fall, so you are more likely to have clear, sunny days that are not choked with smoke early in the summer!

Links For Further Reading:

Palisade Glacier Trail | Map, Guide – California | AllTrails

Hiking to the Palisade Glacier from Second Lake on the Big Pine North Fork Trail – California Through My Lens

WILDERNESS HIKING – Big Pine Canyon

Big Pine Lakes and Palisade Glacier, Sierra Nevada, California