Located in California’s Eastern Sierra, the Big Pine Lakes and Palisade Glacier make for one of the best multi-day backpacking trips anywhere in the country. Beginning at about 8,000 feet in the high desert, this trip will take you above 12,000 feet, passing up to 9 alpine lakes, and reaching the greatest glacier of the Sierra Nevada.
There are almost endless places to backpack in the Sierra Nevada, but I honestly think this might be the most visually stunning place in the entire range! The Big Pine Lakes are one of the most Instagram worthy places you’ll find, and Palisade Glacier is just straight up incredible!
This trip as we have written it is 4 days with 3 nights in the wilderness. You could stretch that out a bit, but I honestly think that is the best way to do it. This would be the perfect long weekend backpacking trip for anyone located in California or the southwest!
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. For backpacking, use the overnight parking lot a bit lower down the road.
Logistics:
Permits:
Permits are required to backpack around the Big Pine Lakes, and there are two ways of getting a permit.
Option one is to reserve one online up to 6 months ahead of time. Visit https://www.recreation.gov/ up to 6 months before the day you wish to start your trip. Select the North Fork of the Big Pine Creek Trailhead, and make your reservation. I would highly recommend doing this exactly 6 months to the day before your trip at 7 am Pacific Time. Permits sell out extremely fast!
If you are unable to book a permit far in advance, there are 10 permits per day released 2 weeks ahead of time. There used to be walk up permits available, but Inyo National Forest has moved to a purely online booking system. If space is available, reservations can be made up to the day of the trip.
General Tips:
- The best campsites are around Second Lake, but will likely fill up quickly.
- Bring lots of bug spray.
- Aim to get the hardest hiking each day done before noon. It gets hot up here, and there often isn’t much shade. This is especially true for the first couple of miles from the trailhead.
- Bear proof storage is required, either by container or by hanging.
- The “hike” to Palisade Glacier is a long, tough, scramble. Inexperienced hikers should be wary.
- Spend a night at altitude if possible before beginning.
The Route:
Day 1: To The Big Pine Lakes
I would use this first day to reach the trailhead, and then hike into one of the most epic campsites imaginable: just above Second Lake. You’ll likely have a lengthy drive to Big Pine from wherever you live, so use this day as a travel day, and then hike the 5 or so miles to the lake!
Here’s our description of the day’s route (starting from the day use parking lot) from our Big Pine Lakes article.
To First Falls:
From the 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!
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 took the valley floor trail down, but I headed up the side of the valley on my way up!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
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 made it over the mountains yet!
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. This is the beginning of the “lollipop” portion of the hike. Go left here to reach First, Second, and Third Lakes. Going left takes you past the Big Pine Lakes in order, which really doesn’t matter, but maybe I have mild OCD.
Anyway, I went left, and almost before I knew it I was on top of First Lake!
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 star of the show! From the overlook of First Lake to Second Lake is a few hundred feet, and that’s where you really want to be!
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.
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.
Day 2: The Big Pine Lakes Loop
After an afternoon or evening hike to Second Lake, you’ll spend your second day of the trip exploring the rest of the lakes in the basin. There are 7 numbered Big Pine Lakes, and two other beautiful lakes to explore! All are straightforward to reach apart from Seventh Lake, which may require a bit of bushwhacking or scrambling. Expect about half a day hiking to explore the lakes and a fair bit of elevation gain.
Here’s our description of the day’s route from our Big Pine Lakes article.
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.
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 Fourth and Fifth Lakes:
After leaving Third Lake, you head further into the forest and continue to trek onto Fourth Lake. You’ll do a fair bit of climbing during the mile or so it takes to reach Fourth Lake, and you mostly leave the big views behind as you journey back into the trees.
After a mile or so in which you gain about 500 vertical feet, you’ll reach Fourth Lake. Fourth Lake is nice, and if it was just about anywhere else in the world it would be epic, but here it seemed a bit outclassed! The view across Fourth Lake looks to the north side of the basin where the peaks aren’t as high, and the ridges aren’t as jagged. Still nice though!
This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!
From Fourth Lake, Fifth Lake is very close, but it’s a bit of an adventure to reach it. There is an intersection just past Fourth Lake that isn’t very well marked, but you need to turn left at that intersection and climb up an unmarked trail to reach Fifth Lake.
Again, the trail doesn’t really go to the water’s edge. It instead climbs up a small knoll above the lake. Here, you really get a sense of scale.
Temple Crag is a big mountain. It’s almost 13,000 feet high! But, here above Fifth Lake, you get your first views of the behemoths that lie beyond. Beyond Temple Crag, 14,000 plus foot peaks North Palisade and Mt Sill make their first appearance, along with a series of other 13,000 plus foot peaks!
That view is breathtaking, but then you look over and past Fifth Lake itself and there’s another insane view! Beyond Fifth Lake stands a group of mountains just as prominent as those behind Temple Crag. Two Eagle Peak is the most visible just beyond and directly behind Fifth Lake, but also in the skyline are Aperture Peak, Gendarme Peak, and Picture Puzzle. All near or over 13,000 feet high!
To Sixth and Seventh Lakes:
From your perch above Fifth Lake, drop back down to the trail intersection just beyond Fourth Lake and continue uphill. You still have another 400 feet of climbing or so, which isn’t much, but by this point you’ll have climbed over 3,000 feet!
The trail to Sixth Lake and Seventh Lake climbs up one more mound in the basin, which again opens up to some absolutely insane views looking back towards Temple Crag and the peaks beyond.
From the top of the mound, you actually will descend a bit to reach Sixth Lake. It’s not even a 100 foot descent, but I was groaning as I went down knowing I’d have to climb back up. I was officially getting tired!
At the bottom of the descent, Sixth Lake lays out even further beneath you. You could continue all the way down to the water’s edge, but I thought I’d keep with the theme of staying above the water at nice viewpoints rather than going down any more!
Again, the view was incredible. From up here, Temple Crag far in the distance looks like a minor hill compared to the mountains behind, and for that to happen, you have to have some pretty huge peaks in the background!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
Seventh Lake was a bit of a conundrum for me. I could see it from the top of the mound before Sixth Lake, but when I descended I couldn’t find the trail. I honestly had no interest in bushwalking through the forest, and I was officially tired, so I called it good since I had seen all seven! Maybe someday I’ll go back and fight my way through the forest to get to Seventh Lake!
Down to Summit Lake:
From the viewpoint above Sixth Lake, begin your hike out by climbing back up and then back down the mound you just traversed. Continue back down towards Fourth Lake for a bit until you reach an intersection.
The intersection here offers a short side trail to yet another lake, Summit Lake. It’s only about a quarter mile to reach the shores of Summit Lake, so I think it’s worth the detour. You made it this far, might as well see them all!
Driving up 395? Make sure you have the Top Down Lifestyle playlist!
Summit Lake is one of the less impressive lakes on this hike, which again is crazy since it’s really nice! Most other places this would be a highlight itself! Here it’s another one to check off!
To Black Lake:
When you’re ready, head back to the main trail to continue to Fourth Lake. Once back at Fourth Lake, you have a choice. Option one is to head back the way you came around the far side of the lake. The other option is to take a different trail that is on the closer, northern, side of the lake. That’s what I choose to do.
It started great, and very quickly I was on top of another small little hill with some more insane views. Seriously, the views don’t quit!
From here, I almost immediately got lost. I was following the Alltrails GPS map which seemingly took me the wrong way considering I was quickly nowhere near a trail. It was all good because I knew which direction the lake was, and I was able to easily reach where I needed to go. The only issue was a little sandy cliff I had to scramble down!
Back on the trail below Fourth Lake, I decided to complete the “lollipop” and hike towards Black Lake, the last lake I would see on the hike. You could hike back along the trail to Third and Second Lakes, but there’s really no reason not to check out Black Lake. It’s downhill either way.
Black Lake was cool, but the views were looking towards the less impressive side of the basin, so it didn’t quite match the best of what I had seen so far. It was worth seeing since you have to hike out anyway, plus you get to say you saw 9 alpine lakes now!
From Black Lake, it is a quick descent back down to the main trail, and a short climb to Second Lake!
Day 3: To Palisade Glacier
Day 3 of the trip will be the awesomest, and the toughest! Today, you will be aiming for one of the coolest places in the Sierra, Palisade Glacier. The glacier is a stunning sight, especially in the arid Eastern Sierra. Set below jagged 14,000 foot peaks, this sliding river of ice is seemingly totally out of place, but nonetheless, there it is! I can honestly say Palisade Glacier is one of the most incredible places in the Sierra Nevada!
Here’s our description of the day’s route from our Palisade Glacier article.
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!
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!
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 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!
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 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.
Just on the other side of nearby Cloudripper is the Bishop Pass trail, another phenomenal hike!
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.
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.
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.
The trip to Palisade Glacier is tough, even if starting from Second Lake, but man if you can make it this is truly one of the special places in the Sierra!
Day 4: Hiking Out
Day 4, the final day, will be spent hiking out and returning to wherever you call home, or your next destination. You’ll have a laid back downhill hike back to the trailhead, and time nor effort should be a major factor. From the trailhead, use this afternoon to travel on to wherever you’re heading next. Maybe it’s a drive home, or maybe it’s a drive to your next trailhead!
Here’s our description of the day’s route from our Big Pine Lakes article.
The next two miles are through the woods back to the top of First Falls, and are pretty unremarkable, but make for nice hiking.
Once I got back to the valley below First Falls, I decided to take the trail that goes down through the bottom of the valley instead of hiking along the side again. I thought I might find some shade because there are some trees in the bottom of the valley, but it was more sun and sunshine, and by now it was pretty hot!
After an uneventful final few miles, I made it back to the parking lot and was done! I can honestly say that no trail I’ve ever been on had more incredible views at seemingly every moment. The one downside for me was the arch support in one of my shoes almost totally collapsed on the descent, and it messed up my ankle pretty good. I would go on to deal with that injury for the next month plus, but this trail made it 100% worth it!
When To Backpack the Big Pine Lakes:
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:
Inyo National Forest – Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail
Big Pine Lakes and Palisade Glacier via Sam Mack Meadow – Modern Hiker
Backpacking Big Pine Lakes: How to Get Permits, What to Pack, and Pro Tips » Bonjour Becky
Hiking & Backpacking the Epic Big Pine Lakes Trail in California – No Back Home
