5 Florence Lake to South Lake

SCENERY:

TRAIL CONDITION:

CHILDREN:

DIFFICULTY:

SOLITUDE:

DISTANCE: 45 miles

HIKING TIME: 5–7 days

OUTSTANDING FEATURES: Blayney Hot Springs, Evolution Valley, Muir Pass, Le Conte Canyon, Dusy Basin, Bishop Pass

Arguably one of the most beautiful and challenging stretches along both the John Muir and Pacific Crest trails, this section traverses the renowned Evolution Valley, a remote high-altitude wonderland of jagged peaks, glacial cirques, stark alpine lakes, and wildflower-strewn meadows. And the remote locale, combined with some difficult climbs, nearly ensures some degree of solitude. It’s possible to begin your journey with a soak in nearby hot springs before you rise through Evolution Valley and the lofty heights of Muir Pass (11,955 feet) in the heart of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. After dropping down into Le Conte Canyon, your journey leaves the JMT to venture east through the sparse forest and granite bowls of Dusy Basin and up to amazing Bishop Pass (11,972 feet). Descending toward Owens Valley, enjoy the region’s many high-altitude lakes and meadows.

DIRECTIONS: FLORENCE LAKE TRAILHEAD—The trail begins at the ferry landing for Florence Lake. To get to Florence Lake 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 20 miles of your journey is a feat to be applauded. 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 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. You can buy your ferry ticket here (one-way adults, $10; children ages 12 and under, $5), but then you need to move your car to long-term parking about a quarter mile back form the store on Florence Lake Road. Congratulations—you’ve arrived! And you thought the hard part was the hiking….

Taking public transit to Florence Lake is near impossible and would require hitchhiking at some point along the way.

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.

SOUTH LAKE TRAILHEAD—The closest town to the South Lake trailhead is Bishop, on US 395, 39 miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes and 15 miles north of Big Pine. From Bishop, drive west 15 miles on CA 168 (West Line Street) to the South Lake Road junction. Turn left and travel 7 miles to the Bishop Pass trailhead and parking. Overnight parking is found on the upper lot.

You can take public transit as far as Bishop via Inyo Mono Transit’s CREST bus, but you will need to walk or hitchhike the remaining 22 miles to the trailhead. The bus travels north on US 395 between Bishop and Reno via Mammoth Lakes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and south between Mammoth Lakes and Ridgecrest on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is also limited Saturday service between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes only. For Mammoth Lakes transit info, please see directions for Tuolumne to Red’s Meadow. Rates and routes are subject to frequent change; call ahead for information and reservations at (760) 872-1901 or (800) 922-1930. More information can be found on the Web at www.countyofinyo.org/transit/CRESTpage.htm.

Lastly, you could contact the friendly folks at Mammoth Shuttle by phone at (760) 934-6588 to arrange for private transit on demand to or from the trailhead. This is a pricey option but may be worth it for larger groups. Prices range considerably from $100 (from one eastern-Sierra trailhead to another) to $600 (from Mammoth to Kings Canyon). The price to go from Mammoth to Yosemite averages $200 (per eight-passenger shuttle, not per person).

GPS coordinates		Starting 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″
GPS Trailhead Coordinates		Ending trailhead SOUTH LAKE
UTM zone (WGS84):		11S
Easting		0361118
Northing		4115144
Latitude		N 37°10′20.67″
Longitude		W 118°33′51.77″

Packs (and hopefully bellies!) full, climb onto the water taxi for the 20-minute ride across Florence Lake. From late May until late September, the ferry runs every day, weather permitting. There are scheduled departures to the trailhead at the eastern end of the lake at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. and 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30 p.m. Unless you have a very large group of people (30 or more), reservations are not necessary. If you prefer to walk, add an additional 4 miles to your journey along the western shore of the lake.

Begin the steep uphill walk over slabs of Sierra granite. After 0.5 miles, bear left to distance yourself from Florence Lake Road, a Jeep service road that serves the Muir Trail Ranch and frequently intersects the trail. The route from Florence Lake can be a bit confusing, as numerous pack trails intersect it. Simply remember to continue heading up the canyon through lodgepole forests and meadows, with the San Joaquin River continually on your right (albeit not always visible) and success will certainly come. After another 2 miles, ford Alder Creek and travel through Blayney Meadows. Within one more mile, reach the western boundary gate of the Muir Trail Ranch.

Unless you have reservations or are picking up food caches, the Muir Trail Ranch (MTR) is not open to the public. A private establishment since the 1800s, the ranch was here well before the John Muir Trail’s completion in 1947, and it occupies close to 200 acres straddling the river. Originally called the Diamond D ranch, its name was changed in later years to reflect proximity to the trail, and they have been providing food cache services to hikers for well over 50 years. 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. Normally, they have more availability for one-night stays in the shoulder season. See Directions following for contact information.

Walk about 1 mile through the ranch, following the barbed-wire fence line, before reaching the eastern boundary gate. To camp and soak in the public hot spring nearby, bear right (south) on the first spur trail beyond the gate to Blayney Hot Springs. The camping can be quite 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 them, but they are wonderful at night. Keep in mind, however, that you need to ford the river again after enjoying your steamy dip.

If you have the energy and aren’t in the mood for a soak, there is better camping if you walk a mile and half past Blayney Hot Springs to wide-open campsites right by the river. Bears are bold in this area, no-doubt sensing fresh food in hiker’s packs. Do not sleep with food in your tent!

Within moments of passing the spur trail, pass another junction indicating the John Muir Trail (JMT) to the right (north). Ignore this, and continue rising moderately over another 1.5 miles through the densely wooded San Joaquin Canyon to another junction where the JMT will once again join our path. Stay right and continue traveling southeast toward Kings Canyon and Piute Pass on the main trail. At the end of small rise, come into an open view of the San Joaquin River on the right.

Disregard the Piute Trail to your left and cross a steel bridge over Piute Creek to leave John Muir Wilderness and enter Kings Canyon National Park, following signs to Evolution Valley. Continue hiking along the South Fork San Joaquin River through alternating stands of quaking aspen groves and exposed granite and rock. Nice campsites dot the way amid thickets of Jeffrey Pine, sage, and chaparral. Continue across a red steel bridge and past more campsites winding gently up-canyon through forest and meadow. Meander through wildflowers and shady woods, gradually rising along this gentle path until you reach Franklin Meadow (8,480 feet) and a trail junction with the path to Goddard Canyon. Turn left to cross the bridge over the river. There are numerous campsites on both sides of the river if you want to call it a day.

Head northward briefly before beginning a series of steep, exposed rocky stairs. One mile and 500 feet of climbing after the junction, listen for the thundering cascades of Evolution Creek as it tumbles down the staircases of rock. It’s an experience usually heard before seen. The grade of the ascent wanes here as the trail follows closely next to the roaring creek hurtling its way downstream. There are plenty of opportunities for a good foot soaking on the water-strewn granite rocks, but use caution in the swift current. There is camping along the river here, and the cool breeze of the water brings the temperature down several degrees. Continue ascending this lush riverside paradise colored with wildflowers.

Ford the swift-moving Evolution Creek—often a shoes-off affair even later in the season—and pass through Evolution Meadow. This area is deadly with bugs in the middle of summer, but provides decent camping in the shoulder season. Continue climbing moderately to McClure Meadow and its seasonally staffed ranger station (9,660 feet). There are numerous excellent campsites here, one tucked closely behind the ranger station as well as several along the meadow. It’s advised to walk away from the water a bit to find less buggy sites if the mosquitoes are out in full force.

From the meadow, walk a gentle grade for 1.5 miles to neighboring Colby Meadow (9,840 feet). About 2 miles past McClure Meadow, there are a number of Darwin Creek crossings, which can be difficult during high water amid downed logs. Find more campsites after the crossings. Break out into a more open granite area before heading back into the trees to begin your ascent to Evolution Lake. After crossing the 10,000-foot marker, the climb stiffens to steep switchbacks. Happily, much of the trail is coolly shaded for the beginning of the climb. Coming out of the trees, continue on exposed rock switchbacks that will lead to Evolution Lake. Gorgeous and stark, this is the beginning of one of the most spectacular stretches of the hike through a barren region carved by ice some 10,000 years ago. Before reaching the lake, cross a flowered meadow and enjoy the initial stunning views. Evolution Lake (10,850 feet) is desolate and rocky but boasts a colorful display of fiery shooting stars and eye-catching tiger lilies along its creek. There is limited camping among clusters of white-bark pines on the lake’s northern shore.

The naming of Evolution Lake is a bit of a California phenomenon, where instead of famed leaders or religious figures, scientists, geneticists, and evolutionists are honored. Most of the names in this region are thanks to Theodore S. Solomons, an early explorer, photographer, and writer. Often called the “Pioneer of the John Muir Trail,” Solomons was one of the first to traverse Evolution Valley in 1895 and is credited with accurately surveying and mapping this stretch of Sierra topography. His maps were instrumental in the trail’s creation.

Enjoy a bit of respite as the trail flattens out on a moderate to gentle ascent toward Sapphire Lake. Look for streaming waterfalls and wily marmots en route to the second set of climbs. Cross over the river on an impressive path of well-placed large stepping stones. Skirt Sapphire Lake, truly the color of its name, and begin a series of switchbacks gaining altitude again along the hulking side of Mount Huxley. The trail levels as you come up to an unnamed lake before the final climb up and over to Wanda Lake (11,426 feet), so named for John Muir’s eldest daughter. There is little to no camping here, and the gnats are annoyingly friendly. Follow the northeast shore of this deceptively long lake (stretching more than a mile) and begin a rocky 2.2-mile ascent up the barren granite-strewn country that lies ahead.

From here, look for the Muir hut at the top of the pass in the distance on a rocky saddle in the Goddard Divide. Muir Pass is the only Sierra pass to boast a man-made structure. The stone hut, built by the Sierra Club in 1931, is intended as a refuge for hikers in inclement weather. The fireplace is stoned-in, but the unlocked emergency shelter still offers protection from wind, ice, and rain. Be watchful of marauding mice ever hopeful for a dropped peanut, however!

The hut comes in and out of view as you switchback up various rises. Dwarfed by neighboring peaks of Mount Warlow and Mount Goddard, the pass shouldn’t appear too high or intimidating, and indeed the initial ascent is rather gradual through the stone rubble. The trail turns into a stony walkway with occasional rough-hewn stairs. Cross the outlet to Lake McDermand, usually made easy by a stepping-stone bridge, and continue up the rocky switchbacks to Muir Pass (11,955 feet). Camping is forbidden on the ridge, as there’s no place to dispose of human waste.

After savoring the view, descend on rocky zigzags toward an unnamed glacial snowmelt lake. Continue switchbacking down, sometimes over snowfields in early season, dropping a little more than a mile to stunning Helen Lake (11,617 feet), named for Muir’s second daughter. There is limited exposed camping here. Cross the outlet of Helen Lake, a difficult feat when the water’s high, and conquer another obstacle course crossing the southern side of a small marshy tarn.

Drop down into meadow and continue lowering toward treeline, hugging the canyon wall along the Middle Fork Kings River. As you lose elevation, the landscape becomes more lush and green as the river navigates its way down the valley. Riverside campsites can be found beyond Helen Lake by climbing up some of the ridges along the trail. Water is fairly omnipresent. Continue the stunning descent into the valley past wildflowers, snowmelt streaming down the canyon wall, and unnamed lakes with gorgeous greenish hues reflecting the trees. The trail, choked with manzanita, narrows as you descend. At times, it’s rocky and steep, but it gradually gives way to wood thickets and meadow.

Arrive at Big Pete Meadow (9,200 feet) followed by an aspen grove and, in another mile, Little Pete Meadow (8,880 feet). Ironically, the second meadow is the larger of the two, but there is lots of good riverside camping in both of these areas. Meander through a section of lovely ferns descending farther into Le Conte Canyon. There is a ranger station (8,750 feet; manned from June to mid-September) near the junction with the trail to Dusy Basin. There are lovely wooded campsites along the river just below the ranger station.

Hikers continuing on the JMT would head straight southward following the Middle Fork Kings River. Instead, turn left to leave the JMT and begin the steep eastward ascent of more than 3,000 feet toward Bishop Pass. Embark on the first of two sets of switchbacks through a swath of forest along the Dusy Branch of the Kings River. The second set heads through the sparsely forested Dusy Basin. For camping, pass north of the lowest lake and ascend a side trail to campsites at the largest northernmost lake nearly 5 miles from the trail junction.

From the main trail, follow the sandy path up the final eastward pitch to Bishop Pass (11,972 feet) and enjoy northern views of the Inconsolable Range and the arid Owens Valley in the distance. Descend neatly through stunted white-bark pines (and sometimes through snowfields) toward Bishop Lake, and follow the east shore of Saddlerock Lake (11,128 feet), 2 miles below the pass. Cross the lake’s outlet on a footbridge and enjoy a moderate descent through rocky tundra past Timberline Tarns, a chain of small glacially carved lakelets. Traverse high above Spearhead Lake, and cross above Ruwau Lake’s outlet on a stepping-stone path. Ignore the side trail to Ruwau Lake and continue to the southern end of Long Lake, nestled beneath Chocolate Peak, where high-altitude campsites may be found (10,753 feet). Enjoy spectacular views southward to Mount Goode. It is a mere 2 miles to the trailhead from here.

Ignore the side trails to Bull and Chocolate lakes and continue zigzagging down the rocky trail toward the timberline. Ignore the trail to Mary Louise Lakes on your right, and shortly thereafter, traverse a lovely meadow crossing the lake’s outlet on a small footbridge. Just past this junction, the Treasure Lakes Trail joins from the left to continue its northern journey through lodgepole pines and fir trees. Admire northeastern views of towering Hurd Peak. Ascend briefly and then continue downhill, exiting the wilderness on two small footbridges above the east side of South Lake (9,768 feet).

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, Attn: 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. until 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, the remainder are set aside for walk-in permits. You can get a walk-in permit at the High Sierra Ranger District as well.