| Objective: Backpacking the High Sierra Trail, Sierra Nevadas, Sequoia National Park, California, USA Distance: 37.4 miles (loop) Peak Elevation: 11,250 feet Elevation Gain: 9,085 feet Trip Length: 6 days, plus driving time to Sequoia NP Terrain: Mountains, lakes, and meadows |
Going on a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is an outdoors rite of passage. The Sierras boast the tallest peaks (Whitney), the largest trees (Sequoia), and iconic granite walls (Half Dome). They literally define the shape of California. The High Sierra is extremely remote with stunning and severe terrain. Backpacking is a great way to explore the southern Sierra’s majestic alpine lakes and high mountain passes.
The clockwise loop starts in Wolverton on the Lakes Trail to Pear Lake. Next, there’s cross-country trekking over the Tableland to Big Bird Lake. Then, it’s a hard climb up switchbacks to Elizabeth Pass and down to Bearpaw Meadow. The last stretch along the High Sierra Trail via Panther Gap to Lodgepole is level and among the trees.
WOLVERTON TO PEAR LAKE (Day 1)
| Distance: 6.5 miles from Wolverton (7,250 ft.) to Pear Lake (9,568 ft.) Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet |
The trip begins at Wolverton, which is essentially a pack station. We hike 6.5 miles with a 2,500-foot elevation gain. It is a tough hike. We make camp at Pear Lake tonight. My pack feels like a ton! By the way, I didn’t realize it until I looked at a satellite map. But Pear Lake really is shaped like a pear.
PEAR LAKE TO BIG BIRD LAKE (Day 2)
| Distance: 5.1 miles from Pear Lake (9,568 ft.) to Big Bird Lake (9,781 ft.) Elevation Gain: 1,906 feet |
We hike 4.5 miles (well we were supposed to). There are no trails on this stretch of the trek. It is all cross-country today. We climb over two ridges and take a few navigational stops. When we reach the last ridge, we have to go about a mile down.
When we finally spot Big Bird Lake, there is a sheer cliff! You end up descending about 600 feet in a relatively short distance. What makes this descent interesting is that there is no trail and it is mostly boulder hopping. It takes an hour of walking straight down. It is so steep we have to take off our packs and lower them. We shuffle and crawl down the rocky ledges. I have a profound dread of falling during the entire descent.
BIG BIRD LAKE: “LAYOVER DAY” (Day 3)
Layover Day! Today we wash our clothes. We let them dry on a clothesline. Afterwards, we jump into the freakin’ lake and it is very, very cold!
BIG BIRD LAKE TO BEARPAW MEADOW (Day 4)
| Distance: 12 miles from Big Bird Lake (9,781 ft.) to Bearpaw Meadow (7,688 ft.) Elevation Gain: 2,598 feet |
We hike 12 miles through Tableland, up Elizabeth Pass, and all the way down to the campground at Bearpaw Meadow.
Elizabeth Pass
The climb up and over Elizabeth Pass is probably the toughest segment of the entire trip. The climb up to the pass is about 2,000 feet. It starts with a gradual ascent, before becoming extremely steep as you push aggressively to get above a small waterfall. Once you get above the waterfall, a quick crossing has you climbing again. It becomes a cross-country scramble up to the small plateau before the final ascent to the pass. From here, this is the first time you can see the pass. It’s a small opening on the middle right of your view. The last section is over a big boulder field and ends with a steep climb to the top. Once at Elizabeth Pass, the view is magnificent to the Kaweah River as well as down the Bearpaw Meadow area.
Bearpaw Meadow
After signing the book at the top of the pass, the descent of 3,000 feet into Bearpaw Meadow begins. The first section off the pass contains steep rocky switchbacks. After the short section of rocks, the trail opens out into a giant meadow all the way down the valley. The descent remains constant through the meadow until the last steep section down. The trail turns to steep switchbacks as it nears the valley floor. Once the trail hits the floor, be prepared for a couple of trail junctions. The first trail junction follows the trail to the right leading to Bearpaw Meadow. The second junction has the left heading into the Hamilton Lakes area. The right is a climb up and over into Bearpaw Camp. The climb into Bearpaw is about 600 feet up and along a ridge before dropping down into the camp.
We arrive at Bearpaw Meadow at 6:00 p.m.
BEARPAW MEADOW TO PANTHER GAP (Day 5)
| Distance: 8.3 miles from Bearpaw Meadow (7,688 ft.) to Panther Gap (8,600 ft.) Elevation Gain: 2,086 feet |
You’ve returned from the wilderness. Be prepared to meet a lot of people in Bearpaw since it is a High Sierra Camp. At Bearpaw, expect crowded campsites, running water, and another pit toilet. There is even a restaurant here in the middle of the backcountry.
It is an easy 8.3-mile hike to Panther Gap. We get to the camp right after lunch!
PANTHER GAP TO LODGEPOLE (Day 6)
| Distance: 5.5 miles from Panther Gap (8,600 ft.) to Lodgepole (6,754 ft) Elevation Gain: 177 feet |
We only hike a final 5.5 miles. At Lodgepole Village, we enjoy lunch. For a small sum, you can take a hot shower to wash off the trail dust!
We also have dinner on the road back home. We stop by a Thrifty’s for an ice cream cone to mark the end of a successful backpacking adventure. It’s the best tradition ever.
LOOKING BACK
| When I was a kid, I went with my scout troop on a weeklong backpacking trip in this area. The details are fuzzy, but I remember reading Lord of the Rings and always being hungry. For breakfast, we normally made pancakes. Lunch was simple, just Ritz crackers with sausage and Gouda cheese. Don’t forget the GORP. At dinner, we squeezed about two or three courses from dehydrated silver foil pouches.
For example, freeze dried strawberries and turkey a la king. The taste was awful, but Brian and I were among the few who still went back for seconds. It didn’t help that I was always thinking of food. I was constantly thinking, when I get back, I’m going to wolf down some pizza, Arby’s sandwiches, Kudos, and Coca-Cola. Actually, at the Bearpaw Meadow snack bar, some kids bought Snickers bars. The only reason I held out was an adult told us that we have to carry out the wrappers. Bears get hungry too. So every night, we gathered together all our food into a bear bag and hoisted it high up the trees. |