pear lake, sequoia

The main trail continues to climb up to Pear Lake, crossing the most barren, rocky landscape of the hike. Those 6 days in remote backcountry absolutely blew me away. As we started to see Pear Lake (9,544’), the clouds also happened to clear, and we were finally able to see the tops of the surrounding mountains, giving us a true scale of how enormous the basin was. This means packing out all your trash, only camping in designated sites, and not cutting switchbacks. There are also decent vault toilets and bear boxes at both (2019 update - these boxes can be locked and unavailable for use at any time, so it might be best to check before you go, or just always count on bringing your own bear canister). The trail is about 4 to 6 feet wide so it doesn’t seem especially dangerous on dry late-summer days, but you wouldn’t want to be here when it’s covered with ice or snow. Since we were coming from the Bay Area and Los Angeles that morning, we didn’t get hiking until 1pm. The expansive granite basin views surrounding each lake made it worth braving the brisk late-season temperatures! Even though this route is 0.4 miles longer we thought it would have better views. Climbing into a stark granite landscape studded with glacially-formed lakes, the Pear Lake Trail offers some real alpine scenery that’s only about four miles from the Wolverton trailhead. © What to eat while backpacking? It’s the most stark and otherworldly of the lakes on this trail and although it’s actually a fairly popular destination, it feels very remote. Wilderness permits are required year-round for all overnight trips in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks' wilderness. Here are some of my favorite snacks, breakfasts, lunch, and dinner meal ideas for your next backcountry trip, Outdoor gear is not cheap, so here are a couple of tips I’ve found that have helped me save a little on gear, Here's our 10 day road trip itinerary along with things to do on New Zealand's south island to help you plan your trip. Today 11 Dec Sequoia Kings. Pear Lake In Sequoia National Park When you can tear yourself away from Emerald Lake, it’s just one more mile until the end of the trail at Pear Lake. All-inclusive trips, expert guides, Top-rated hiking company on Trip Advisor! Outside the quota season (September 20, 2020 – May 28, 2021), Wilderness permits are free, self-issued, and are not limited to daily entry quotas.Self-issue wilderness permits are available at the nearest permit-issuing station.There is no fee for self-issue permits. Curving around a ridge, the trail offers some nice views of the Watchtower and the Tokopah valley. Tagged: Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, backpacking, trip report, Sierras, lakes, SoCal, I'm Alice, a weekend hiker and outdoor adventurer based out of the Bay Area in California. They can be reached at (559) 784-1500. So pick a promising day and get an early start to enjoy this gorgeous place. Location: Sequoia National Park - Wolverton to Pear Lake via Lakes Trail, then cross-country to Moose Lake . After the campground, the trail begins climbing again. The trail then descends toward the Emerald Lake campground, which has an exceptionally picturesque outhouse, a handsome stone structure set on a low rise among the alpine scenery. The Pear Lake Ski Hut (also known as Pear Lake Winter Hut) was built in Sequoia National Park by the Civilian Conservation Corps during 1939-1941 using local Sierra granite and timber materials. Amazingly there are still trees, though, especially around the campsites. Our entire jaunt into the mountains took exactly 24 hours, and there is nothing like an overnight backpacking trip to make you feel like you had such a productive weekend! In total, the hike in took us around 5.5 hours, which included plenty of stops to take photos and explore the Watchtower. The structure is more accurately called the Pear Lake Backcountry Ski Hut. Pear Lake. Exploring the shore of Pear Lake in the morning. The final 0.6 miles to Pear Lake climbs a little, passing over a field of boulders to the edge of the water, at elevation 9,550 feet. The trail climbs more insistently, and the dense pine forest opens up a little and becomes more scenic. All three major water basins on this route—Pear Lake, Emerald Lake, and Heather Lake—are surrounded by stunning alpine scenery. Summary: I went on a solo backpacking trip in Sequoia National Park. Fish Creek Trail: Begins at the Jerkey Meadow trailhead. Wildflowers, granite peaks, and a vast, sweeping landscape, made this section of the hike one of my favorites in recent memory. Sequoia High Sierra - Pear Lake is a 12.4 mile hike with 2,750 feet elevation gain. Pear Lake Winter Hut. The views all along this rim were spectacular, and looking down at the sheer, almost overhung, drop off below us definitely got our blood pumping! The one-room (maybe two) hut is closed in the summer, but from December 15 to April 9 hardy skiers can apparently stay overnight by reservation. The steep six-mile trail begins at Wolverton and gains 2,000 feet in elevation to reach the Pear Lake area. As you begin your ascent, there are phenomenal vistas over Aster Lake with views of the Watchtower in the distance. On Day #1 (8/26/09) I hiked from the Wolverton trailhead to Pear Lake and stayed the night. At both Emerald and Pear Lake, you are only allowed to camp in numbered sites to reduce the human impact all the foot traffic this place sees. 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