Trip Reports

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Day Hiking All Five Of The Cottonwood Lakes!

At the far southern end of the high Sierra, there is a stunning chain of lakes set under rough rocky peaks at extremely high elevation.  The Cottonwood Lakes lie at just over 11,000 feet of elevation at the very southern end of the big mountains of the Sierra Nevada, and are actually reached by a long but pretty mellow day hike. Placed just to the south of the southernmost 14,000 foot peak in California, Mt Langley, the Cottonwood Lakes are...

Hiking The Little Lakes Valley To The Gem Lakes

Nestled among soaring 13,000 foot peaks, the Little Lakes Valley is one of the most stunningly beautiful alpine valleys in all of California.  Holding somewhere around a dozen alpine lakes and accessed via a short and easy trail, this is one of the best places to enjoy big mountain terrain for not a lot of effort! At an elevation of over 10,000 feet, the Mosquito Flat Trailhead at the base of the Little Lakes Valley is the highest elevation trailhead...

Day Hiking The Incredible Minaret Lake

Above the town of Mammoth Lakes, the stunning Ritter Range dominates the skyline of the high Sierra.  Perhaps the most visually stunning feature of this range are the Minarets, and nestled at their base is Minaret Lake. Requiring a long hike through sub alpine forests, this trail is more commonly done as a backpacking outing, but we did it in a day.  Starting from Devils Postpile National Monument, this hike quickly takes you into the Ansel Adams Wilderness as you...

Hiking to the Incredible Bishop Pass

Located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada, the hike to Bishop Pass takes you into some incredible alpine terrain without asking too much!  Beginning at about 10,000 feet, this trail takes you up to one of the most stunning passes in the Sierra and past a chain of beautiful alpine lakes. While the overall mileage and vertical gain might look like a lot, this hike is actually pretty manageable, and if you are looking for a way to access some incredible...

The Brutal 18 Mile 1,000 Island Lake Loop!

Rising high above the town of Mammoth in California’s Eastern Sierra, the Ansel Adams Wilderness contains some of the nation’s greatest unspoiled wild areas.  Bisected by both the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, this area has some absolutely stunning scenery, and the highlight of the whole thing might be 1,000 Island Lake. While this lake probably doesn’t actually have 1000 islands, 1000 Island Lake does have quite a few!  More impressive though is the stunning Ritter Range...

Hiking The Awesome Rush Creek Trail To Agnew Lake

The Eastern Sierra around Mammoth Lakes California is one of the greatest hiking regions of the country, but due to the lack of any national parks in the area, the region is relatively unknown!  About 30 minutes to the north of Mammoth, the June Lake area has some amazing hiking, and one of those awesome hikes is the Rush Creek Trail to Agnew Lake! This short but relatively steep trail begins in the high desert and climbs into the rugged...

The Castle Peak and Basin Peak Loop

On a brutally hot Labor Day Weekend, Loralei and I were up in Tahoe to escape the heat.  The hope was the higher we went, the cooler it would be.  To that end, we planned on a double summit hike of Castle Peak and Basin Peak, a pair of 9,000 foot mountains a bit north of Tahoe itself.  While it was cooler at 9,000 feet than it was at lower elevations, this was still a very toasty outing! Miles/Elevation: 8.9...

Lake Tahoe Hiking: Summiting Granite Chief

The namesake of an entire wilderness area, Granite Chief is one of the highest and most visible peaks of the Granite Chief Wilderness, and the northern Lake Tahoe Basin.   At just over 9,000 feet, Granite Chief isn’t the biggest mountain, but with a trailhead elevation of only about 6,200 feet, a journey to the top is a tough day!  Starting from the Palisades Tahoe resort in Olympic Valley, this hike will take you to the highest reaches of the ski...