4 Vermilion Valley Resort to Florence Lake

SCENERY:

TRAIL CONDITION:

CHILDREN:

DIFFICULTY:

SOLITUDE:

DISTANCE: 27 miles

HIKING TIME: 2–5 days

OUTSTANDING FEATURES: Bear Creek Meadow, Rosemarie Meadow, Marie Lake, Selden Pass, Sallie Keyes Lakes, Blayney Hot Springs (optional)

This is a short route by John Muir Trail standards but a great stretch of the trail for hikers who want to be in more remote backcountry than a shorter trip normally affords. The short mileage allows you to carry more food, and it’s possible to really stretch out this journey; lingering at stunning Marie Lake, leisurely ascending Selden Pass (10,880 feet), and allowing for a layover day at Sallie Keyes Lakes. It’s also possible to make this section rather glamorous by spending the night at the Muir Trail Ranch or soaking in nearby Blayney Hot Springs. But this will depend on the ranch’s availability for one-night stays, which can be quite limited. Admittedly the path begins with a grueling set of switchbacks shortly after the ferry from Edison Lake. Well-acclimated thru-hikers will have little trouble, but anyone starting out from this point will get a rather rapid and heart-pounding introduction to the high-altitude hiking that awaits.

DIRECTIONS: VERMILION VALLEY RESORT—To get to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), you will most likely need a friend to pick you up or try your hand at hitchhiking. The closest main highway is CA 168, 30 miles northeast of Fresno, but the final 14 to 20 miles of your journey is a feat to be applauded. VVR even makes a T-shirt that boasts “I survived the drive up to VVR,” if that’s any indication to you of the road conditions. It can be done in just about any car, but be prepared for some interesting (and stunning) rough-road driving.

From Prather, take CA 168 north to the first stop sign. Turn left to stay on CA 168 past Shaver Lake and Sierra Summit Ski Resort. At Huntington Lake, turn right for Edison Lake and follow a good road for 6 miles. The next 14 miles are on an intimidating and winding one-lane road with potholes the size of small craters and lots of gravel. Allow at least two hours from this juncture. It appears as if they did not move a single boulder or tree in the creation of the road, thus it remains absolutely one lane the whole way, despite the fact that it takes traffic in both directions. Rest assured that there are pull-outs along the way. The first feat is going over Kaiser Pass (9,128 feet), then the road drops for close to 3,000 feet, only to climb close to another 2,000 feet back up to the lake level. It is not recommended to drive this road at night, and it’s highly encouraged to have snow chains on hand year-round. A mile past the U.S. Forest Service High Sierra Ranger Station, take a left to head toward Edison Lake. Roll down and then up the mountain and follow a sign that reads “Vermilion Valley Resort 2 miles.” Congratulations—you’ve arrived! And you thought the hard part was the hiking….

FLORENCE LAKE—The trail ends at the ferry landing for Florence Lake. The drive here is almost identical to the drive to VVR (above), but when you reach the U.S. Forest Service High Sierra Ranger Station, take a right to head toward Florence Lake (instead of the left to reach Edison Lake). Drive the remaining 6.5 miles to Florence Lake Resort, which offers a store and ferry service across the lake. Buy your ferry ticket here, then move your car to long-term parking in the paved lot above the store. If you choose to walk instead, add an additional 4 miles to your journey along the western shore of the lake.

MUIR TRAIL RANCH—To make reservations at Muir Trail Ranch for a shorter stay, call (209) 966-3195, fax (209) 966-7895, visit www.muirtrailranch.com, or e-mail howdy@muirtrailranch.com. An overnight stay in their tent or log cabins ranges from $125 to $150, including breakfast, a sack lunch for the trail, and dinner. If horses are available, it may be possible to arrange transport from the ranch to the ferry landing at Florence Lake. It’s $200 to transfer luggage via packhorse and an additional $50 if you’d like to ride a horse yourself.

GPS Trailhead Coordinates		Starting trailhead LAKE EDISON FERRY LANDING
UTM zone (WGS84)		11S
Easting		0328251
Northing		4141859
Latitude		N 37°24′26.21″
Longitude		W 118°56′26.24″
GPS Trailhead Coordinates		Ending trailhead FLORENCE LAKE FERRY LANDING
UTM zone (WGS84)		11S
Easting		0327479
Northing		4123903
Latitude		N 37°14′41.32″
Longitude		W 118°56′46.47″

After bidding good-bye to the home-cooked goodness and flushing toilets of Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), climb onto the ferry for the 20-minute ride across Edison Lake and return to the backcountry. Ferries depart regularly during the hiking season (generally June 1 to October 1; seasonally dependent on snowpack) at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., but private departures can be arranged for a fee. If you prefer to walk, it’s 4.8 miles to return to the JMT from VVR along the northwestern shore of Edison Lake.

The ferry landing is changeable depending on weather and water conditions, so simply look for the trail heading northeastward up the valley. After 1.4 miles, you’ll reach a sign for Selden Pass. Follow this trail across the bridge and continue your gentle uphill grade. About a half mile after crossing the bridge, traverse a stream from Mono Creek; a good place to top off water for the hot, dry climb that lies ahead. If you want to delay the climb, or if you got a late start, there is decent camping here.

The infamous switchbacks up to Bear Ridge begin here. The introduction is a gentle 15 switchbacks before the path levels out briefly through aspen groves. When the switchbacks continue, they are an unrelenting ascent of more than 2,000 feet. The trail is mostly shaded from the glare of the sun, but this doesn’t stop it from being grueling. It’s not that the grade is particularly steep, but most hikers have full bellies from VVR and packs heavy with newly refreshed food caches. Take it slowly. Reaching the top, the trail levels out to continue along Bear Ridge with excellent views south to Mount Hooper.

Descend slightly and ignore the Bear Ridge trailhead (9,835 feet) to the right, as this would bring you back to VVR in 5.7 miles. Descend through aspen groves, fording the creek many times, and soak in the gorgeous open views and vibrant wildflowers in this section. The scenery changes as the sky opens up between the conifers to views of the mountains. Wildflower buffs will go wild for the brilliant display of Indian paintbrush, Yosemite aster, shooting stars, and mariposa lilies. There is plenty of cow parsnip, a favorite among bears, as the trail descends via switchbacks through alternating thickets of pine forest, aspen, and manzanita.

Reach another junction, this time with the Bear Creek trailhead, but continue straight, climbing up-canyon along lovely Bear Creek. There is excellent camping, swimming, picnicking, and feet-soaking opportunities along the banks of the creek. Travel on a nice gentle path, ignoring the turnoff for Seven Gables Lake, and cross Hilgard Creek, which can be difficult in early season. Gradually ascend 500 feet toward Upper Bear Creek Meadow (9,575 feet), an area that can be buggy in July and August.

Switchback steeply up 500 feet to reach Rosemarie Meadow, and junctions to Sandpiper, Lou Beverly, and Rose lakes. The camping is excellent here. Just past the Rose Lake junction (10,030 feet), cross the West Fork Bear Creek and continue rising another 500 feet to Marie Lake (10,551 feet). Marie sits like a sapphire set in granite snow-covered mountains. Here, as in other Sierra locations, the snow often takes on a pinkish hue. This “watermelon snow” phenomenon is the result of an algae bloom. And while it smells sweet, it would be truly regrettable to eat it. This is another excellent place to camp, albeit rather exposed. Continue rising on steep switchbacks, rocky and exposed, above Marie Lake to Selden Pass (10,900 feet). Get your windbreaker out and savor the views for as long as you can.

Wind down a moderate grade to romantically shaped Heart Lake, rife with swimming, fishing, and napping opportunities. It’s common to see quite a few day-trippers traveling on horseback from the Muir Trail Ranch here. Continue gently descending past Sallie Keyes Lakes’ glacial blue waters ringed with trees. Traverse through the middle of the two sister lakes on a flat and beautiful walk that provides respite from the day’s formidable climbing and descending. There is plenty of great camping here amid the trees. The lakes are named for the daughter of one of the original Diamond D Ranch (now Muir Trail Ranch) owners, a nearby rural guesthouse that has been privately owned since 1885.

There is one last climb on a hot and exposed rise after a meadow, followed by a descent through alternating sunlit meadows, switchbacks, and aspen groves over the next 5 miles. A series of loose dirt and exposed rock switchbacks winds down into the river canyon through low-lying manzanita shrubs. Often horse trains pass, and there is evidence of their presence on the trail as well. Watch your step!

Arrive at a junction at 8,380 feet. The southeast path continues on the JMT toward Kings Canyon National Park, but we follow the southwest path to the Florence Lake Trail and the Muir Trail Ranch. Veering right, continue descending along dusty, steep switchbacks giving way to even more arduous ones upon nearing the Muir Trail Ranch. Reach a second junction within less than a mile with trails that head northwest to Florence Lake or southwest toward the Muir Trail Ranch.

If you are packing out at Florence Lake, turn right to hike the 4.5 miles to the ferry landing (7,350 feet). The trail to Florence Lake can be a bit confusing, as numerous pack trails intersect it. Continue heading downhill through lodgepole forests and meadows, with the San Joaquin River on your left (albeit not always visible) and success will certainly come. There is a rough gravel jeep road used by the Muir Trail Ranch that carries supplies from the ferry to the ranch that frequently intersects the trail.

From late May until late September, the ferry runs every day, weather permitting. From the trail, there are scheduled departures to the Florence Lake Store at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1, 3, and 5 p.m. Unless you have a very large group of people (30 or more), reservations are not necessary. Use the radiotelephone at the landing to call the store, and they will send a boat at the next scheduled time. You can purchase your ticket (one-way adults, $10; children ages 12 and under, $5) when you arrive.

For Muir Trail Ranch (MTR), continue straight and stay right at the Y intersection to pick up food caches or spend the night in a cabin (reservations required). Descend past the junction and enter through the gate next to the horse corral. Turn right through a second metal gate and ring the hiker’s tin can bell for assistance. While certainly helpful, the MTR does not afford nearly the warm reception of Vermilion Valley Resort. They will happily store your food caches (a whopping $45 to send it here), but they aren’t too interested in hikers in any other capacity. You can’t eat here, their hot springs are for guests only, and there’s no camping. That being said, they have a great storage house of food that other hikers have abandoned, and they will gladly let you forage for extra trail mix. They are open to receiving hikers during daylight hours. (See more information on sending food.)

Established in the 1800s, the ranch was here well before the John Muir Trail was completed in 1947, and it occupies close to 200 acres straddling the river. For the most part, MTR caters to its own clientele of weeklong stays, where guests eat at the ranch and take day excursions to nearby lakes and valleys on horseback. Recently, they have launched a “shorter stay” program that allows hikers to stay overnight for one night and use all their amenities. It’s worth contacting them well in advance if you’d like to take advantage of this and join the ranks of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who slumbered here in the 1940s. Normally they have more availability for one-night stays in the shoulder season. See Directions following for contact information.

To camp nearby, return to the last junction and follow signs to Blayney Hot Springs. It can be crowded here, and the hot springs aren’t incredibly self-evident. Ford the river (difficult when full) and walk to the far end of the meadow to a series of somewhat muddy pools with wooden logs around the perimeter. The water is about chest high on an adult, and there’s room for close to eight people in the largest spring. It’s usually too hot in the day to enjoy the springs, but they are wonderful at night. Keep in mind, however, that you need to ford the river again after enjoying your steamy dip.

PERMIT INFORMATION: Permits that originate in the Sierra National Forest can be reserved by mail only. Applications can be mailed to High Sierra Ranger District, Attention: Wilderness Permits, P.O. Box 559, Prather, CA 93651. You can call (559) 855-5360 for questions, but you cannot reserve a permit over the phone. Year-round office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. You may download a wilderness-permit application at www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra/passes/getwildpermit.shtml. Or you may include the following in your written request: name; address; daytime phone number; number of people in the party; method of travel (foot); number of stock (if applicable); start and end dates; proposed camping areas for each night; entry and exit trailheads (Lake Edison entry, Florence Lake exit); principal destination; money order or check (made out to the U.S. Forest Service) for a nonrefundable $5-per-person processing fee. No credit cards are accepted.

You can pick up your permit at the High Sierra Ranger District, en route to Edison and Florence lakes. The station can be found on Kaiser Pass Road (Forest Service Road 80), off CA 168 coming from Prather.

About 60 percent of permits are reservable, while the remainder are set aside as walk-in permits. You can get a walk-in permit at the High Sierra Ranger District as well.