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Emigrant Basin topo hiking map banner.
Dicks Lake   Lake Aloha
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

High Emigrant Basin Hiking Map

Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail
Hub of Trails
from the
Roof of the Emigrant Wilderness

Four USGS 7.5 minute Topo Backpacking Maps

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass

MAPS
Index

TYT
Sonora Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows

PCT MAPS

Map
NORTH

TYT

Relief
Reservoir
to
Brown Bear
Pass

SOUTH
PCT-TYT

Jack Main
Canyon
to
Tilden
and
Wilmer Lake

Map
NORTH
to
PCT

Big
Sam
to
Leavitt
Peak

TRAILS
Index

 
TYT-PCT
Sonora
Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows

Miles
and
Elevations

TYT
Kennedy
Meadows
to
Bond Pass

Map
WEST

Brown Bear
Pass
to
Relief
Reservoir

TYT-PCT
30 min MAP

Highway
108
to
Bensen Lake

Click
RED DOTS
for
Trail Guide
Info

Trail Guide
Index

Sonora
Pass

all
maps

Weather

Emigrant Wilderness

All Sierra

Resupply

Kennedy
Meadows

Pack
Station

Map Information

Schematic
Trail Map

Emigrant Wilderness Topo Hiking Map
The
Hub of Trails
radiating
West to Kennedy Meadows,
North
to Sonora Pass,
East
to West Walker,
and
South into Yosemite
from

Grizzly Meadow under Grizzly Peak

High Emigrant Basin Definition

CLICK
LABELS & ARROWS
POINTING
to ADJACENT TOPO HIKING MAPS

Map Northwest
TYT

Relief Reservoir to Brown Bear Pass
 
Further Northwest
TYT

Kennedy Meadows to Relief Reservoir

Click Red Dots
(Trail Guide Entries)
&

Arrows
(more maps)

125% Size Map
Below

Map North
PCT
Sonora Pass to Kennedy Canyon trail juction
Map South
PCT & TYT
Yosemite!
Jack Main Canyon to Tilden Lake Loop and Wilmer Lake

The High Emigrant Basin

Emigrant Basin through Bond Pass.
Map Northwest
TYT

Relief Reservoir to Brown Bear Pass
 
Further Northwest
TYT

Kennedy Meadows to Relief Reservoir

Super-Detailed
 
125% Size Map 
Above

Click Red Dots

100% Size Map 
Standard
Below  
MAGNIFY THESW MAPS!

Map North
PCT
Sonora Pass to Kennedy Canyon trail juction
Map South
PCT & TYT
Yosemite!
Jack Main Canyon to Tilden Lake Loop and Wilmer Lake

High Emigrant Wilderness & Basin Map

ALL ACCESS PASS
Relief Reservoir to Brown Bear Pass on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.
Map Northwest
TYT

Relief Reservoir
to
Brown Bear Pass
 
Further Northwest
TYT

Kennedy Meadows
to
Relief Reservoir

MAGNIFY THIS MAP!
100% Size Map

Standard
Click Red Dots

Map North
PCT
Sonora Pass
to
Kennedy Canyon trail juction
Map South
PCT & TYT
Yosemite!
Jack Main Canyon
to
Tilden Lake Loop and Wilmer Lake

Location

Main Features

Naming
High Emigrant Basin

I refer to the three high elevation meadows at the top of Emigrant Wilderness as the "High Emigrant Basin" while referring to High Emigrant, Grizzly, and Summit Meadows individually as required.

Two Trails

There are two trail routes defined on the maps between the trail junction in Grizzly Meadow and Bond Pass. There are upper and lower trails. I hiked the upper trail about 10 years ago. I prefer the lower trail. The high trail gives good views down Jack Main Canyon.

High Emigrant Basin Options

At the Grizzly Peak trail junction we have situated ourselves in a location with access Northeast through Emigrant Pass to exit through Leavitt Meadow. This includes the option to join the Pacific Crest Trail hiking North to Sonora Pass.

Or we can hike North from Grizzly Peak to the PCT via Big Sam.

We can hike West down Horse Canyon towards the trail leading North to Mosquito Pass, or..., well the trip options are numerous. Check out the schematic map below for more. This trail guide is going to continue South on the Tahoe to Yosemite route into Yosemite.
From the top of Jack Main Canyon in the Northwestern-most corner of Yosemite we have the options of hiking all the way down Jack Main Canyon to Hetch Hetchy or turning Southeast for the long, hard trail down to Tuolumne Meadows and the end of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Well, almost the end. I've added the run backwards down the John Muir Trail into Yosemite Valley to finish my TYT:

The Golden Triangle

The 3 trail junctions under Grizzly Peak in the High Emigrant Basin compose one of the best hubs of trails for anchoring a whole series of long and short backpacking trips exploring Emigrant Wilderness. These closely-spaced trail junctions are ideal for tying together and investigating the wide variety of terrains and unique environments stashed on both flanks of the High Sierra under this unique length of its Crestline across Emigrant Wilderness.
This hub of trails offers access onto routes into every quadrant of the Emigrant Wilderness, as well as hiking North and South along the Sierra Crestline. These junctions allow us to tie together and explore the very different characters and very different expressions of the quite divergent beauties running East and West down the Sierra flanks into the very different and unique realities we find in each part of the Emigrant Wilderness.

Schematic trail map of High Emigrant Wilderness with miles along Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yoseemite Trails.

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

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Mapping, Mileage, and National Forest Information

 

 

Northwest Map
Sonora Pass, Calif, 1979 7.5 minute Topographic Map
Scale: 1: 24 000
Contours: 80 feet

Northeast Map
Pickle Meadow, Calif, 1954 7.5 minute Topographic Map, photo-revised in '78
scale: 1: 24 000
Contours: 40 feet

Southwest Map Name
Emigrant Lake, Calif, provisional 1990 7.5 minute USGS Topographic Map
scale: 1: 24 000
Contours: 40 feet

Southeast Map Name
Tower Peak, Calif, 1990 7.5 minute USGS Topographic Map
scale: 1: 24 000
Contours: 40 feet

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is 18 degrees
East of True North
,
16.5 off North Star

 

Backpacking permitting authority

Stanislaus National Forest Wilderness

TahoetoWhitney Contacts
Stanislaus National Forest

National Forest Wilderness Area information: Emigrant Wilderness

Ranger District: Summit Ranger District

Physical location:
 

Map NORTH Relief Reservoir to Brown Bear Pass                                         Map South Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake

Elevations   More Information

Emigrant Meadow Lake junction
9440 feet

Big Sam
(North to PCT)
10825 feet

Bond Pass
(South TYT)
9720 feet

Trail Guide,
Section
TYT Kennedy Meadows to Tuolumne Meadows

Trail Guide,
Page
Kennedy Meadows to Relief Reservoir

Road Map
North Sierra Trans Sierra Highways

 

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior: The USGS

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to locate. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

USGS Topographic

Map Information

Map Symbols

Trailhead
Comments
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail