Heading South from Carson Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail finds us making an easy 480 foot ascent to pass below the distinctive Northern Flank of Elephant Back. Below us to the Southeast sit Forestdale Creek in its valley.

At the high point crossing Elephant Back fine views opens up. Forestdale Creek sits in the valley below us. We will traverse down towards the head of this valley as we descend into it.

Reaching the Lakes at the head of the valley marks the point we begin climbing out of the head of Forestdale Creek's valley to Forestdale Divide. All of this hiking is backdropped by long views across the Eastern Sierras into the distant Carson Valley to the NE, which further North sits below the Eastern flank of the Sierra around Lake Tahoe. Until we drop into the valley and lose the view.

This is historical terrain. The Forestdale Road on the far side of the valley is the modern version of the Silver Boom road over over Forestdale Divide to Summit City in the 1860s.

We are crossing mostly open terrain and are exposed to Sun and Sky through this trail section. There is a little forest cover South past Carson Pass and that quickly ends. There is forest cover just South of Forestdale Divide that continues until we begin traversing The Nipple above the Blue Lakes.

Miles & Elevations

Carson Pass to Forestdale Divide: 5.1 miles. Two short climbs for a total gain of 720 feet, and one long descent for a total descent of 480 feet.

The High Point of the trail across Elephant Back

Elevation: 9080 feet, 480 feet above Carson Pass.

Mileage

The high point of the trail across Elephant Back is 2 miles South of Carson Pass.

Forestdale Divide

8840 feet

Forestdale Divide is 5.1 miles South of Carson Pass on the PCT.

Carson Pass South to Ebbetts Pass: 26.78 miles

Miles and Elevations

Forestdale Divide Forum Page

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On the way up to the Northern Flank of Elephant Back from Carson Pass we enter Mokelumne Wilderness and get our last views of the Northern Side of the Round Top-Sisters Massif. Our trail past Elephant Back to Forestdale Divide is along the Eastern edge of the Round Top-Sisters massif.

We will see Round Top and the Sisters again when we arrive at the top of Forestdale Divide. From just South of Forestdale Divide glancing West reveals the backside, the South side of the Round Top and Sisters massif where it makes up the Northern shore and the Northern Canyon wall bounding the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail along Summit City Creek.

As we can see them down there, they on the TYT can see us up here, getting an excellent view of the PCT just South of Forestdale Divide from the TYT segment traversing down from Fourth of July Lake to the Summit City Creek trail junction.

From Forestdale Divide we will see that Forestdale Divide sits on the same crest line as Round Top and The Sisters, but just a bit to their Southeast, making up a low saddle in the twisting High Sierra crest line.

Carson Pass to

Winnemucca Lake: 2.3 miles

Round Top Lake: 3.18 miles

Fourth of July Lake: 5.48 miles

The Northern Side of Elephant Back

A very dry almost-flat rocky area sits below the Northern steep flank of Elephant Back.

Expansive Views to the East begin opening up as you reach the high point of the PCT across Elephant Back.

Overlooking Forestdale Creek from NE side of Elephant Back

Elevation: 8800 feet

Mileage: 2 miles South of Carson Pass, facing a 1.86 mile descent to Forestdale Creek

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The Social Trail Policy in Action

Observe

I make it trail policy to observe, analyze, and greet every thing I meet on the trail.  Most backpackers are fit and secure, but I occasionally run into backpackers who are injured, totally trashed, lost or unsure of their position, or running low on food or fuel.

Observing a hiker's gait reveals lower body injury, their breathing reveals their level of fatigue, their posture indicates the condition of their back, shoulders and general status, and finally, observing a hiker's face generally reveals their attitude about their overall level of tension and fatigue. And talking to them reveals all.

Exchange Trail Information

If my fellow backpacker is secure, then I turn my attention towards obtaining fresh information from them about the terrain I am approaching, which they just covered, while providing them with the information about the terrain I have just crossed. I also check their tracks, so I know who and when it was put on the trail I will be hiking, and can follow its degradations. Known tracks becomes a known reference point for other tracks.

If backpackers are not secure, I try to fix them up.

After the basic evaluations I'm curious about where the person came from, how they came to find these fine trails through the Sierras, and where they are going.

The Result

At the very least I get to meet another back country traveler. I get to try to understand another hiker's approach to, and experiences in the wilderness. I meet people who show me new things and things I've missed all the time. The Sierra is Huge. Shared experience makes each of us better informed and more knowledgeable and safer because of it. Knowledge is power.

The Bottom Line

The negative is that this type of social interaction on the trail can really extend how long it takes to cover a given distance. On the North side of Elephant Back I talked to Linda, pictured above, for over a delightful half-hour, and then I spent 10 minutes with the SCA crew pictured below. At a three mile per hour pace, which I can easily hold over this moderate terrain, 40 minutes equals 2 miles. This adds up on a busy trail.

Thus you may want to adjust your expected daily mileage in consideration of your social policy on the trail. This should be figured into your overall and daily hiking plans.

I figure that my preoccupation with taking pictures of everything, and talking to everyone along the trail takes up two hours a day, costing me the equivalent of 6 miles a day. Yikes!

Another way of looking at this is to understand that I spend 2 hours a day standing around wearing a heavy pack doing 0 miles, if not running around in pursuit of something. Every minute in the pack is physically stressful, so I've solved this problem by immediately removing the pack when any predictable trail encounter or photographic goal threatens to exceed 30 seconds.

If something pops up I chase it with the pack on.

My point is that you've got to give yourself the time in your hiking plan to enjoy the trail culture as well as the terrain and environment. On the other side of the scale we have the very real mileage requirements fundamental to hiking the long trail or the aggressive short trip.

There is a balance point between talking with backpackers all day versus hiking relentlessly from Sunrise to Sunset, and it is your own. You have to find your balance point between the time requirements of different aspects of the trail.

The good news is that this balance point changes daily over the course of a long trip. Hiking the long trails shows that different situations require different approaches, delivering a wide range of different trail experiences.

Enjoy them all.

Onward...

From the flat area on the North side of Elephant Back we will now be dropping down 200 feet over the next 1.85 miles to the ponds at the head of Forestdale Creek.

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Forum Section: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

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View East from the Eastern Flank of Elephant Back.

Hope Valley, sitting before Pickett and Hawkins Peaks, comes into view as you climb out of Carson Pass to the flat on the North side of Elephant Back.

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The Backpacker's Forum

Carson Pass to Forestdale Divide

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Ponds at head of Forester Creek

Elevation: 8840 feet

Mileage:

3.85 miles South of Carson Pass

7.64 miles to Tamarack Lake

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The Forestdale Divide

The faint trail in the foreground heads down South to Summit City Creek and Devils Corral, where you can turn Southeast towards Upper Blue Lake, or continue Southwestward towards the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

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Image Below: View of Devils Corral and Summit City Creek Headwaters from just South of Forestdale Divide

Glance to the West as you head South on the Pacific Crest Trail out of the Forestdale Divide. You will see the massive granite formation composing one side of the Devils Corral above the Southern bank of Summit City Creek. This is the headwaters of Summit City Creek, just West of Lower Blue Lake.

This rock is the Northern nose of the massive piece of rock that makes up the mountain bounding the Eastern South and Eastern shore of Summit City Creek as it flows down to the North Mokelumne River.

This is one impressive piece of rock! The Devils Corral sits below the left-flank of the formation pictured below.

Summit City Creek

Summit City Creek runs Southwest around the right side of the base of Devils Corral down to and past the point where the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail enters Summit City Creek coming down the Southern flank of the Round Top and the Sisters massif past Fourth of July Lake.

Figure it like this: If you are making short backpacking trips into and around Round Top and Fourth of July Lakes in the CPMA, you can easily craft a loop through here by adding this section of Summit City Creek from Forestdale Divide to Fourth of July Lake to your backpacking trip to Round Top Lake.

This will allow you to make a nice loop route circling the Round Top and Sisters Massif rather than just hiking in and out to Round Top Lake. This loop incorporates short sections of both the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trail routes.

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Carson Pass to Forestdale Divide

Terrain

The majority of this section feels like it is downhill, excepting two medium difficulty climbs. But you are actually climbing a few more feet than descending between Carson Pass and Forestdale Divide.

miles and elevations

The first climb is out of Carson Pass up to the flat below the North Flank of Elephant Back. This is followed by your long descent to the ponds at the head of Forestdale Creek's canyon. The second climb is up to Forestdale Divide from the ponds at the head of Forestdale Creek.

Water

The terrain between Carson Pass and Forestdale Divide is quite dry and exposed, though water is available from Frog Lake and at the Ponds at the head of Forestdale Creek, even into late Fall. I am rolling through here with fresher water than that, haven taken water from the top of the South Upper Truckee River in Meiss Meadow.

I generally carry enough water for nine miles of hiking, which for me generally works out to 32oz in normal Sierra conditions. I can re-water in one of the fresh streams South of the paved Blue Lakes Road, unless they are dry in late Summer, in which case I will get water at Tamarack Lake, or the small lake to its South.

If I am hiking efficiently and conditions are cool I will not rewater from the South Upper Truckee until I reach Tamarack Lake 11.49 miles past Carson Pass. This means that I am going to have to stock a bit more than 32 oz at the South Upper Truckee, or stop for a water break at the Forestdale Ponds or Lost Lakes.

There is a fine campsite here at Tamarack Lake, and I always take a break in this cool shaded site to rehydrate, have a nice snack, and refill my water bottle.

Before departing this shaded section of trail to head South towards Raymond Peak, I always stop at the campsite along the creek coming off of the North Side of Raymond Peak to re hydrate and refill my water bottle in anticipation of the upcoming 8+ mile crossing of the very dry exposed terrain between the North side of Raymond Peak to the South side of Reynolds Peak. Let's get back to the Forestdale Divide.

From the pond at the head of Forestdale Creek there is no water sitting directly on the trail in late Summer and Fall for 7.64 miles until you reach the small unnamed lake just South of Tamarack Lake. During dry years the many small creeks and tributaries that crisscross the area draining East during Spring dry out quite early in the Summer.

There is all-season water just off the trail at two points between Forestdale Divide and Tamarack Lake. Lost Lakes and Tamarack Lake both hold water all Summer, but both lakes are offset from the Pacific Crest Trail.

Lost Lakes is about a half-mile East of the PCT where the Lost Lakes dirt road intersects with the PCT. You can see the Northwest Lost Lake from where the trail crosses the dirt road to the lake. Just look East down the dirt road when you cross it and you will see the NW Lost Lake. I've never headed down there, but I'll bet there are loads of really nice campsites set up by car campers.

Map Note

NOTE: The map does not properly depict the trail from Forestdale Divide to Lost Lakes. The trail is no longer routed to Lost Lakes, as depicted on the 7.5 min USGS Topo Map. The trail's loop to Lost Lakes has been straightened out, and the trail now crosses the dirt road to Lost Lakes about a half-mile West of the lakes.

Forestdale Creek Road's "loop" over to Lost Lakes has also been straightened out, and the road and trail intersect about a half-mile West of Lost Lakes. Both the dirt road and the trail have been rerouted to the West of the NW Lost Lake.

I did not correct the map.

Continuing South on the Pacific Crest Trail

4.5 miles further South of Lost Lakes down the Pacific Crest Trail, sitting about .83 of a mile South of the Blue Lakes Road you will encounter the creek draining Tamarack Lake crossing the trail. Tamarack Lake is found less than an eight-mile SW off the trail following the creek.

Map Note II

The 7.5 minute USGS topo map incorrectly depicts the trail coming off of the South Side of The Nipple. In fact it does not show the Pacific Crest Trail coming off the South side of The Nipple to the paved Blue Lakes Road at all.

Don't worry, I laid out the rough location of the Pacific Crest Trail route on the map.

The PCT continues South from the Blue Lakes Road and intersects with the trail coming up from the Tamarack Trailhead just South of Blue Lakes Road. The USGS map does not show the segment of the PCT coming South from Blue Lakes Road, but only shows the PCT coming out of the Tamarack Trailhead parking lot. This is incorrect. The PCT crosses Blue Lakes Road and does not loop through the Tamarack trail head.

South of Blue Lakes Road

Look for the large creek draining Eastward from Tamarack Lake .83 of a mile South of Blue Lakes Road, though when I passed by here in late September of 2009 the lake had dropped below the level necessary to feed the creek.

The creek bed draining Tamarack Lake is large enough that it's size and location should indicate to you the presence of the lake.

7.5 min USGS hiking topo Map: Carson Pass to Lost Lakes

30 min USGS hiking topo Map: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Note: Click the Colored Dots on the Maps!

Miles and Elevations

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South: Forestdale Divide to Blue Lakes Road

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Section: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass

Segment: Carson Pass to Forestdale Divide