The information provided on this website is done so without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. We descended down Muir Pass which seemed endless until camping near the Le Conte Ranger Station. In the Spring of a snowy year it must be incredible. Also included are North Lake, South Lake, Piute Pass, Evolution Valley and Lake Sabrina. I found a shady spot above the creek and took off my pack. Id have the trail to myself for a while. Great trail, not all of it is technically dog friendly since you enter Kings Canyon NP for the 2nd half. Aahhh! When I walk through this area again, perhaps I will do the same so I can see it from another perspective. No storms. Laura Manina, my sister and fellow backpacker, shares her experiences and tips on backpacking a 57-mile loop to the Evolution Valley. I should just quit messing around and tape the thing to my face. It was breathtaking up there. Very exciting. . Camp at Wanda Lake along the trail to Muir Pass; no campsites after first quarter mile (night 3). Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+ The year 2021 was certainly one of the driest in a long time, as it was early July and the hills were bone dry. The SteriPen uses UV light to kill the germs. I think this might be a great time to interject that finding water was never, ever a problem. Here the trail climbs 700 feet of switchbacks to Conditions are continuously changing and wilderness hikers need to plan for inclement weather. Plan a late summer trip to avoid the worst of them. Such a memorable backpacking trip! It was high noon, I realized, and there wasnt any shade at all on the trail with the sun beaming straight down between the trees. Its not an extremely hard hike; most of it is pretty gradual and flat in the meadows, but there are two sections of switchbacks: heading up into evolution valley and heading up to evolution lake, but they werent too bad. We started at south lake and ended on north lake, backwards from most, and while Piute pass was a hard hike, i think ending on Piute and Humphrey's Basin was a great way to complete the trip. So prepare rain And wind covering if comfort is a must. Glaciated dome on the canyon side, with Turret Creek (which was dry) on the left, The Piute Pass Trail finally got closer to Piute Creek and I began to seriously look for a campsite, now that I had water, My tent and campsite alongside Piute Creek I wanted to lie down but I still had chores to do, View from my campsite, at 9000 feet elevation, looking downstream. Day 1: The first day held an unexpected bonus in that, inadvertently, it turned out to be Get-used-to-less-oxygen Day. Definitely a moderate hike, but doable in 4 days. Pictures posted. Bishop and Muir Pass are still very snowy. We hiked the whole way out the third day, back around the lake to the car. Maybe if I waited a bit the sun would be at a lower angle as I headed north, so that the trees would have longer shadows for me to rest in. The to North Lake Road, 20 mi to Pine Creek 856 110 to 114 SEKI - Goddard (28) Aspen Meadow & Goddard Creek Junction 851 to 855 114 to 121 SEKI - McClure Meadow (33) Evolution Valley, McClure, and Colby Meadows 845 to 851 121 to 127 SEKI - Evolution Basin (34) Evolution Lake, Wanda Lake, to Muir Pass 838.5 to . There were several wet crossings during the first three or four miles. This wasnt a trivial decision. Continue straight at the 3-way. Our group of six left a vehicle at the termination point (South Lake trailhead) then drove to the North Lake overnight parking lot and we started our journey in the late afternoon. When we finished our descent and arrived at the ranger station in the deep forest of Le Conte Canyon we also reached the junction on which the trail merges with the Pacific Crest Trail(PCT)/ John Muir Trail. On my way between JMT and Piute there were 5+ stream crossings that necessitated wading. Ooops! To win Best in Show our site sported a ledge, floating above a yakkety brook, Mt. We did 7 nights, 8 days with our first and last days being half days. Day 3: From camp, descend 7.3 miles on the JMT into Evolution Valley, then add an easy 1.2 miles to camp by Evolution Lake. Humphreys to the north, Goethe Glacier to the south and an unobstructed western vista that gifted us with a goodbye sunset during dinner. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. Evolution Valley Ascension, Kings Canyon National Park and John Muir Wilderness, California Sierra Club Outings Trip | Backpack More Photos Highlights Traverse high mountain passes including Piute and Muir Hike among lush green meadows full shallow tarns Enjoy a layover day to explore or relax Includes Darwin via the class 3 West Ridge. Overall a great hike in the High Sierras. Save 4 miles of hiking by riding the Florence Lake Ferry. Definitely one of my favorite trips ever. Roundtrip mileage to the McClure Meadow Ranger Station from the south end of Florence Lake is about 15.5 miles and 1500 feet of elevation gain. Lake Thomas A. Edison Ferry: Lake Thomas A. Edison from the ferry: . I could see both up and down the canyon, and there was no shortage of glaciated granite in evidence. I put on my night clothing and used a bit of DEET on my face to repel them. Completed end of July 2022. Ascending Muir Pass from south to north was incredible. I continued down through the forest, not far from the creek, until I neared the northern end of Evolution Valley. dirt and rock trail. Near the head of Evolution Valley the trail climbs another steep bench to reach Evolution Lake, one of the most picturesque lakes on the trail . This was fortunate, because I dont think we could have walked any further even if you told us there was free cold beer around the next bend served by Matthew McConaughey. From there, the trail traverses Humphreys Basin and reaches the splendid section of the Pacific Crest Trail known as Evolution Valley. Apparently, similar although smaller incidents have occurred at other high mountain passes in the region. When Leor Pantilat's FKT for the Evolution "loop" came up in my news feed, I skimmed it and moved on, having other things on my mind. I hiked onward, rather than head back down. Explore Evolution Valley - view hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. Because of the late snowfall, we were graced with the continued presence of wildflowers, complimented by the beginnings of golden fall, as we skip-trah-lahed our way alongside crashing gorge waterfalls and the calm tracing of the San Joaquin River. From here, it's west and south down and into the epic Le Conte Canyon. Day two Continue on Piute Pass to reach the JMT (and enter the national park) at mile 17.4. The trees were also providing good shade, except for a couple of bare places where avalanches had swept the forest away, leaving only chest-high chaparral. It was also one of the last areas explored by early park pioneers. The forest and meadows of Evolution Valley had been very beautiful, as had the waterfalls along the way. Slept like a drunken sailor. Those who use the SteriPen, or any other filter system, are wise to carry a backup such as Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets. The mosquitoes were intense in certain areas. An epic (almost) loop in the heart of the Sierras. $4,995: August 6-11. We hiked through Evolution Meadow and decided to stay a few miles away near the McClure Meadow Ranger Station (closed due to Covid-19). My first suggestion is if you have seven days to make this trip, your body and spirit will thank you. Perfect! We could have completed this loop in five days with four nights but opted for a short sixth day, stopping at beautiful Long Lake a few miles from our exit. . Privacy Policy, Learn about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. This site had been used for years, and there were several flat spots. Of course, the unforgettable moments started to pile up as we descended into Evolution Basin and then officially into the hanging valley of Evolution. Then I hiked north, paralleling the water. Good campsites can be found along the river beyond the Piute Creek bridge. It follows the south fork of the San Joaquin and Evolution Creek nearly all the way. I finally had a chance to use the water shoes Id been carrying! Setup camp and to our delight very few mosquitoes at 8500 feet. Fantastic hike! Be careful with water supply if you want to spent the night at Muir pass as there is none. Get surefire solitude in McGee Canyon (south about .5 mile back). The rest were lazy snoozers. Day 2 Evolution Valley 17.18 2977 AEG Emptied our packs and hiked down to the Muir Trail Ranch to pick our resupply. The benefits of hiking, more than you can imagine! Scale: 1:47,520 or inch representing 3/4 mile. One time, we found beers in the Muir Hut with a note 'Take only one'. Starting at the North Lake TH, we will cross Piute Pass (11,423'). Thanks to Covid regulations, the signs posted trailside asked people not to visit unless it was an emergency, One of the signs mentioned a Bold, Aggressive, Large Bear that had been raiding food at the Piute Creek area exactly where I planned to stay that night! Some hike this route from the other direction, north to south. The log cabin is located on the right side of the trail as you hike south a short distance before the Piute Creek bridge. My girlfriends told me I started singing gospel at that point, but I really think they may be exaggerating. The trail includes one major unbridged crossing of Evolution Creek - often an exciting wade during the spring run-off - and three . Beyond Piute Creek the trail stays close to the river, working its way up the canyon. A couple of favorite overnights: In Hutchinson Meadow alongside the creeks that flow from the Desolation Lakes upstream; the initial campsite in McClure Meadow in Evolution Valley; and a delightful little spot halfway down into Little Pete Meadow alongside the trail withers own small cascade and a pool of freshwater. The ferry is worth it if its running. There was a strong metal bridge just downstream, and it was fun to cross. Tiny bit of snow on bishop pass was completely avoidable. Only a portion of our journey would actually be in Evolution, but the areas we passed through to reach and retreat from our intended destination were just as amazing. I would love to do it sometime, so thank you for the inspiration. Some hikers like to stop for a soak at the public hot springs across the river, just beyond the Muir Trail Ranch. I was definitely overheating, and simply wanted to take a long rest. The next morning, we went over Piute Pass and continued 10+ miles through beautiful Piute Canyon to Hutchinson Meadow. First campsite - Blaney Meadow (10 miles). Driving times may vary based on conditions. This trail really had a lot of history behind it, and I wondered just how many horses and people had travelled through here in the past. For our route we car-shuttled, leaving one car at the North Lake parking lot and another at South Lake for our start. Our camps were very high, all above 11,300', and we took two and a half days layover, hiking and exploring . Goode, Bishop Lake, Jigsaw Pass. A mother deer plus two babies. Since we stopped for lunch here and the lake has no name I guess Ill call it Lunch Lake. Beautiful alpine lakes, waterfalls, and my God the meadows. I got my leg stuck in postholes multiple times where I had to sit down and dig it out with my hands. Many describe Evolution Valley as the most beautiful spot in Kings Canyon National Park. Do you wish to share an stories about that particular spot? The lake is 53 miles east of Prather. Diego, the 11-year-old Lab mix, was struggling; the family carried him part way. I never made it that deep into the backcountry that summer. Then I continued north. There wasnt going to be much of a sunset from down in the canyon, so I went to bed early. Saw plenty of deer, and other hikers saw a few bears in the meadows. Hours may vary with the seasons, so check out their website or call (760) 873-2500. History. 10/10 would recommend! Challenging but absolutely worth it, forever in my memories. A boat-taxi across the lake is available from the trailhead in the summer. Slightly brutal at times-especially for a beginner- but the views are unmatched. We started at 8,200 feet and camped at 11,200 feet. The Vanderbilt Mine is located partly on private land in the San Bernardino County, two miles west of California-Nevada state lines in the New York mountains four miles southeast of the Ivanpah valley within the Mojave National Preserve. Though ruled by an evil mosquito king that keeps his troops busy, Big Pete Meadow (the meadow part should have been our clue) was a delight. Evolution Valley has always been high on my list of things to do. Did this 8/8-8/12, 5 days / 4 nights. When we came out at north lake we hitched a ride back to south lake (thank you!!). ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. The route my two amigas and I traveled lies in the trio of Kings Canyon National Park, Inyo National Forest and Sierra National Forest. I took off my shoes and let my damp feet dry out in the breeze. 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