Stubblefield Canyon Clouds |
Wilmer Lake hemmed in by rock and verdant apron.
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Piute Peak, Seavy Pass
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Backpacking
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Wilmer Lake
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Where We're At
We are on the Pacific Crest Trail route in Jack Main Canyon at the Wilmer Lake trail junction.
At the Wilmer Lake trail junction we are 27.44 miles South of Sonora Pass and 46.27 miles North of Tuolumne Meadows along the Pacific Crest Trail route.
In a longer context we're 129.77 miles miles South of the Meeks Bay Trailhead on the TYT and 116.06 miles South from where the PCT and TYT join in the North Desolation Wilderness.
The trail signs below also put our position into context.
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route to Wilmer Lake trail junction:
At the Wilmer Lake trail junction we are 25.13 miles South of Kennedy Meadows Pack Station along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route. All hikers on the TYT-PCT through the North Yosemite Backcountry have their choice of hiking around either Wilmer or Tilden Lakes between Highway 108 and 120.
If I were only going to hike through once I'd hike the Tilden Lake Loop.
Northbound Options
Northbound PCT hikers can hike into Kennedy Meadows for their resupply, if they want to, rather than hitch hiking West down Highway 108 from Sonora Pass.
We have two ways to hike into Kennedy Meadows Pack Station on the maps and guide pages to the North. Below I link to the maps defining the relationship between the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail South of Highway 108.
Northbound hikers on the PCT can hike into Kennedy Meadows through...
1> The standard TYT route from Kennedy Meadows Pack Station to Jack Main Canyon via Bond Pass.
2> Turn West from Kennedy Canyon trail junction
along
PCT to the TYT above
Kennedy Meadows Pack Station.
Where this Guide Page is Going
South
to
Tuolumne Meadows
On this page we are hiking 4.65 miles South along the Pacific Crest Trail from the Wilmer Lake trail junction to the Stubblefield Canyon Campsites at the Stubblefield Canyon Ford. Very nice campsites there in Stubblefield Canyon. I don't generally camp at Wilmer Lake, or even in Jack Main Canyon, though both have great campsites. Too many mosquitoes.
Late Summer and Early Fall, OK. But not during Spring or Early Summer! I am generally pushing South past Wilmer Lake for Stubblefield Canyon. The sites at Stubblefield Canyon up on the rocks to the Northwest of the ford have the least mosquitoes during Spring.
Check out my hiking plan through here in 2002. I was moving at a quick pace until meeting friends at Bensen Lake knocked me off the hiking plan.
We must be completely mosquito-proof hiking through this segment of trail from Wilmer Lake to Stubblefield during Spring deep into Summer. This place floats in mosquitoes during that time span. This is pretty much true of all meadows and meadow-lake areas of the High Sierra.
Wilmer Lake
and
Tilden Lake
Hiking Options
This page is one of two trail guide pages following our two trail options hiking South from Jack Main Canyon. This page below follows the Pacific Crest Trail South out of Jack Main Canyon around Wilmer Lake while the other page depicts the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route hiking South around Tilden Lake from Jack Main Canyon.
Though the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails follow different routes out of Jack Main Canyon around different lakes, they shortly merge together on the South end of their unique routes around their respective lakes, rejoining in Tilden Canyon. From Tilden Canyon the TYT & PCT continue South together to Tuolumne Meadows.
Hiking down Jack Main Canyon we saw that the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail breaks off from the Pacific Crest Trail at the Tilden Lake trail junction 1.9 miles North of this Wilmer Lake junction in Jack Main Canyon.
Hiking around Wilmer Lake for 1.8 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail we again encounter the Southern junction of the PCT with the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail where the South end of its Tilden Lake Loop rejoins our Pacific Crest Trail route in Tilden Canyon, located between Bailey and Macomb Ridges.
Miles and Elevations
PCT around Wilmer Lake Vs. TYT around Tilden Lake
PCT MILES
I put the distance hiking down Jack Main Canyon along the Pacific Crest Trail route from the North Tilden Lake through Wilmer Lake to the South Tilden Lake trail junction where the TYT rejoins our PCT route between Bailey and Macomb Ridges at 3.7 miles.
TYT MILES
I put the mileage hiking the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route from the North Tilden Lake trail junction in Jack Main Canyon around Tilden Lake to its junction with the PCT between Bailey and Macomb Ridges South of Wilmer Lake is 5.36 miles.
We climb 760 feet from the North Tilden Lake trail junction in Jack Main Canyon to the highest point of our Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route around Tilden Lake.
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail route around Wilmer Lake we climb 600 feet from the Wilmer Trail junction in Jack Main Canyon up to the trail junction where the TYT route rejoins our PCT route South of Wilmer Lake.
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route around Tilden Lake is 1.66 miles longer and climbs 160 feet higher than the Pacific Crest Trail route around Wilmer Lake.
This trail guide page following below explores the Pacific Crest Trail route around Wilmer Lake, while the Tilden Lake Loop trail guide page describes our Tahoe to Yosemite Trail option around Tilden Lake.
The guide page below ends in the campsites on the South shore of the Stubblefield Ford, after fording Stubblefield Creek, though I suggest camping in the sites up on the rocks above the North shore of the ford.
The increased height of the North shore campsites puts us a bit above "meadow-level," which lowers the density of mosquitoes.
BackpackerMaps | Miles |
Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
North Yosemite Miles and Elevations |
Backpacker Resources
and
Trail Information
Backpacking Trails and Topics Forums |
WILMER LAKE INDEX |
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Trail Junction
New Video
Video
Falls Creek representing Fording Dangers, one of two Greatest Backpacker Threats:
Forest around West shore of Wilmer Lake, Wilmer Pond between Lake and Falls Creek
Good Old I beam Ford and West Side Campsite
Recent West shore Wilmer Lake Trail Work ('07 or '08?)
East Side Wilmer Lake campsite
Climb up Bailey Ridge on Superhighway of trails
High Sierra Wildflower Fireweed
Little Black Pond |
North Weather
Below find the closest Ground Stations, Point and Regional Forecasts near Wilmer Lake. Satellite and
Radar Imagery Check out the Ground Reporting Stations for real-time current snow and temp data.
All
All
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Trail Junction
Video
2 Trail Junctions,
Between Ridges
Gap on top of Macomb Ridge
Video
The Great Descent East side Macomb Ridge into Stubblefield Canyon
Landmark Feature visible from High up on Macomb Ridge
Mini Golden Staircase style buildup
Into the Five Canyons
Northbound PCT Hikers Crow, Dundee, and Scorpion
Video
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> Forum < |
POST UP
All backpackers can post text comments about the section covered by this guide page below through the comments links on this, and all the trail guide pages. Registered Members can post post more information besides text, including images, maps and videos in their own posts on the Trails Forum that supplements this trail guide page's coverage of the trail from Wilmer Lake to Stubblefield Canyon.
Video
Wilmer Lake
Pacific Crest Trail Junction
South
to the
NORTH
Tilden Lake Loop Trail Junction
in
Tilden Canyon
The PCT trail junction in Jack Main Canyon is characterized by an expansive thinly forested flat leading to the ford of Falls Creek. The video shows the flow dying late in the Summer season, the guide below shows some moderate flows, but my mind's eye can still see terrifying scenes of high, wide, and rapidly flowing water across both the Tilden Lake and Wilmer Lake fords that are experienced earlier in the hiking season during Spring and early Summer. Beware the high point of the Thaw! The earlier in the season we hike through the North Yosemite Backcountry the higher the flow of the rivers sitting between all the High Sierra ridges we cross. Every set of ridges requires a Ford. |
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16:08
Videos
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Wilmer Lake
Pacific Crest Trail Junction
in
Jack Main Canyon
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Pacific Crest Trail
South
to
Tuolumne Meadows
Yosemite Trail Sign Mileage Southbound on the Pacific Crest Trail Trail Guide South on the Pacific Crest Trail |
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Trail Miles | |
The "To Yosemite Valley" miles We too are walking down to Yosemite Valley, but we are swinging through Tuolumne Meadows on our way to the Valley, while the miles indicated on the trail signs generally measure the miles to Yosemite Valley through Glen Aulin to Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest.
Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes North Yosemite
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Tahoe to Whitney Miles To Bensen Lake Shortcut Total
To Bensen Lake trail junction Total
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Leading the way to the Falls Creek Ford
Looking Southbound towards the Falls Creek ford over to Wilmer Lake we can make out a PCT emblem being consumed. |
Northbound
on the
Pacific Crest Trail
Up Jack Main Canyon
Yosemite Trail Sign Mileage Northbound on the Pacific Crest Trail Trail Guide North |
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Trail Miles | |
Why Are the Tahoe to Whitney miles different than the Yosemite Trail Signs?
If we take a look at the USGS 7.5 map and the 30 minute map we will notice that the South Bond Pass trail junction is not included on either. Jack Main Canyon backpacking map I have taken the liberty of adding the South Bond Pass trail junction on the TahoetoWhitney maps, which is omitted along with the section of straight trail, the PCT, linking the North and South trail junctions of this "trail triangle." showing the South Bond Pass trail converging with the the North Bond Pass trail coming up from Jack Main Canyon. Currently there are two Bond Pass trail junctions at the top of Jack Main Canyon, with both converging on their way up to Bond Pass. This indicates that the Yosemite Trail Sign is measuring the trail up to the North Bond Pass trail junction, then up to Bond Pass. The mileage figures I call out to the Right are measured along the current route through the South Bond Pass trail junction, thus accounting for the .74 difference in miles between the Yosemite Trail Signs and the Tahoe to Whitney miles. The Yosemite sign measures the old longer routing of the trail. |
North The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail intersect at the Tilden Lake trail junction. Tahoe to Whitney Miles North to Tilden Lake TYT Trail junction Tilden junction TYT East to Tilden Lake Total Wilmer junction to Tilden Lake
North up Jack Main to the South Bond Pass trail junction South Bond junction to Bond Pass Total
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Southbound
down
Jack Main Canyon
Yosemite Trail Sign Mileage South Down Jack Main Canyon
New Guide Pages I hiked this route down to Hetch Hetchy once, about 15 years ago. It was very pretty, with some outright amazing spots and views. Hitch-hiking was fairly easy out of the O'Shaughnessy Dam trailhead. JULY 2013 I believe that I was extremely lucky to see the coordination of ideal temps, humidity, and specific local conditions beyond my ken (and your barbie) during the slice of time I hiked through the upper section of Jack Main Canyon to experience an outburst of butterfly life. Check it out:
The hike down the lower reaches of Jack Main Canyon between the Wilmer Lake trail junction and Hetch Hetchy is magnificent. Well worth the trip to see it. AUGUST 2013 The 7.5 map shows a bit of the trail to Hetch Hetchy below the Wilmer Lake trail junction. The Emigrant Wilderness below gives a sharp view of the lower Jack Main Canyon, the Yosemite map fills in the rest.
The trail below the Wilmer Lake junction hiking down Jack Main Canyon finds a beautiful symmetry with the terrain within the narrowing, steepening canyons below Wilmer, as Falls Creek snakes its way through a labyrinth of great granite gorges, valleys, meadows and ridges all draining into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. It's very pretty terrain. Towards the bottom of Jack Main Canyon we climb out of the snaking undulations of Jack Main Canyon onto the dry mass of Moraine Ridge. Temps increase noticeable as we have been descending the canyon, and Moraine Ridge is dry, excepting one location located between the creek on the North end of the ridge and the Beehive well, where a small seasonal creek nears the trail. Since my last hike through in the late nineties of the last century a major fire burned through the lower sections of Jack Main Canyon. We hike down into a fire zone starting near where we make the steep but short climb up onto Moraine Ridge. (The Rim Fire has now vastly extended this old burn zone with new.) I believe this was the Wildcat fire, which was burning when I hiked through in 2009, I believe it was. Smoke filled the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. The smoke was scentable on the wind and visible to the camera lens across the North Yosemite Backcountry. Fires are a constant and increasing companion and threat to long distance backpackers. Don't be surprised by smoke blowing in off fires that may alter hiking plans before departing and routes along the way. Keep an eye on the Fire and Smoke information on the High Sierra Weather page. The fire damage is not too bad, but a lot of massive Sugar Pines and Red Firs that I had enjoyed on my last trip through here were burned out hulks. Hitching out of Hetch Hetchy was still easy, as the fairly small number of folks who visit Hetch Hetchy (and Yosemite) are still more friendly than the average "Californian," making rides not too hard to come by. Check out Steve's report of a fantastic backpacking trip around the North Yosemite Backcountry out of Hetch Hetchy. That's in the North Yosemite Backpacking Trails Forum, where you can post up notes about your trips in here. Many folks visit Yosemite to engage the environment and each other. |
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Trail Miles | |||||||
Trail Note Answer The "official" National Park procedures call for a Keyway Fire Pit. At Wilmer Lake, Stubblefield Canyon, Bensen Lake, the backside of Smedberg, and the secret camp above Glen Aulin ("Star Camp") all feature Keyway Fire Pits. When you spot a keyway Fire Pit you are standing in what was once the center of a vibrant backcountry camp. Now look around. The Trail Crew stationed here had made their personal campsites at various distances from the central camp. You will find these old Trail Crew campsites are the finest sites in the area. |
Tahoe to Whitney Miles Sometime in the mid-1990s I followed Jack Main Canyon down to Hetch Hetchy. Back then I did not carry a camera, and did not take notes. It was a very nice trip. There was a Yosemite National Park trail crew at Wilmer Lake, and the Trail Crew members showed me their custom personal campsites South of the trail junction. This means that there are excellent campsite locations around and South of the Wilmer junction in Jack Main Canyon, as well as the sites along the West and East ends of Wilmer. Hike South of the Wilmer Lake junction down Jack Main Canyon, and look about for the faint trails to custom campsites. |
Continuing South
on the
Pacific Crest Trail
Fording Falls Creek
Erin fording Falls Creek to Wilmer Lake in Jack Main Canyon. Gentle flow on July 31 2009. As the fearsome power of Spring Thaw flows diminish rivers and creeks undergo delightful transitions. The raging waters and overwhelming roar of Spring flows quiet down into powerful early Summer flows, which gradually recede into tranquil riparian scenes of golden pools soundtracked by the gentle tinkling of tranquil waters. What a range! At a certain point in time the flow hits a level where it is still deep enough to impart the beauty of liquid distortions and reflections, but not flowing quickly enough to transform that character of beauty into white water. This "in-between" level of flow produces many beautiful late Summer creek scenes here along Falls Creek. The lowering water reveals what appear to be an endless chain of very inviting deep clear pools set in rocky grottos. Though beautiful, don't fool yourself. Sierra lakes and rivers run very very cold all season long. The timing of this transition from whitewater power to beautiful pools to stranded pools varies with the specifics of each year's seasons, and every year is unique. Except that the weather patterns on the West Coast have gradually altered over the past few decades, first into a drying pattern, and recently into drought. Track Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Unidentified PCT Hiker
Crossing Falls Creek on June 30 2013. Falls Creek was Knee-Deep at its deepest point on this date early in a "normal" hiking season. But the Winter of 2012-2013 was anything but normal, with record low snowpack and precipitation. The trails over the High Sierra trails and through the mountain passes opened early that year. This highlights the importance of knowing where we are in the seasonal progression, how our current conditions stack up against "typical," or "average" conditions, and what the chances are of a "reversion to the mean" happening. In other words, what's the current degree of potential instability, being the difference between current and average conditions? What are the potentially worse implications of a return to average conditions? |
Placid Falls Creek
I love Water. In today's world the Sprit needs sustenance more than the body. The High Sierra across the North Yosemite Backcountry sustains both! On that note, I suggest taking a moment watching |
Falls Creek even later in the season during almost no-flowing Late Fall
Late Season BEWARE These images above and below do not represent the violence of Falls Creek during the Spring Thaw. But they do represent the dense forest wrapping around the West shore of Wilmer Lake screening it from Falls Creek.
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Falls Creek Ford
Falls Creek Ford set up to keep the feet dry late in the season, Yosemite National Park, Saturday, September 4 2010. There was a Yosemite Trail Crew Camp a short ways down Jack Main Canyon. They set this up to ease their morning "commute" to job sites around Wilmer Lake. I believe this was the year they replaced the sloppy trail around the shore of Wilmer Lake with an impressive build-up. Fording Falls Creek I did this because Falls Creek appears to me to widen out much more down here at the Wilmer Lake ford than up at the Tilden Lake ford, though it is further down Jack Main Canyon, and therefore collects more runoff. Just saying. This bit of information may come in helpful to early season backpackers along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route. Spring Conditions |
Mountain Safety
Fording and Lightening Note Lightening and Fording are two serious risks in the High Sierra, and sometimes they work together, but most of the time they are most dangerous at different times during the changing seasons in the High Sierra. Fording is very dangerous during Spring. Even small creeks can be flowing with sufficient force to kill you during the Spring Thaw. As the Spring Thaw diminishes so too do the dangers of fording. Fording Tips: General Plan Always have a plan. Hell, you should have a plan for every way anything can go wrong. Especially in waist deep fast-flowing water: What will you do if things go wrong, and you fall? We Gotta have a plan! Note that I hike solo 99% of the time. By "plan" I mean a realistic and successful self-rescue plan. When I screw up there is no one around to pull my ass out of trouble. I have found this requires that I already know what I am going to do when shit hits the fan. There will be no time to ponder after things go wrong. Be prepared. This includes just falling down. How you gonna fall? I'm sorry to admit that I'm an expert on falling on my ass... haha. Our solo hiking circumstances demand that we pay extra attention to potentially dangerous situations. Group travel also requires plans. The advantages of a group are squandered if the group does not take the proper mutually supporting actions in an emergency. My plan starts with gear. A tripod stick and river crossing shoes are a good start. A buttpack with what I will need for survival if I lose my pack during a fording disaster is also a good idea. Knowledge of, the distance to, and a plan for what it will take to jog out to the nearest trailhead, if I lose my pack during the ford, keeps reality close at hand. Pack Prep: The gear in my pack is stowed in big sealed zip locks which provide excellent buoyancy, as well as keeping my clothing and gear dry. This setup assures that my pack will float. Our ass is on the line crossing rivers, and our life will be on the line if we screw up. Specific Plan Scout the ford. I've walked miles scouting, and sometimes it provides a fording tree across the river, other times it reveals a wide section of the river or a section where the river braids up into a series of streams that makes fording safe and easy. Yeah, sure. Most times scouting reveals no better fording spot, but it does show us the layout of the river to make specific disaster plans. Therefore scouting provides information even if it does not provide a better ford. Scouting can show us where to swim, and where our pack will likely be swept off to. These are questions your Disaster Plan Answers To put it simply we should consider everything that can go wrong with the ford and what we will do about it if it does go wrong. We should have answers to all of these questions before wetting a foot. Lightening Lightening in the High Sierra is the product of hot moist air being superheated in the Valley radically cooling as it pushes up the West Sierra flank. This causes a range of storm activity from gentle showers and moderate lightening to torrential downpours with fierce lightening scouring the mountaintops. This pattern depends upon Summer weather patterns that generally do not come together until after Spring temps have risen and the Spring Thaw has ended. But I have seen weird juxtapositions of lightening and fording danger. It was during the Summer of 2006 (I've got to check my notes) that a three-week long cycle of very heavy afternoon thunderstorms with very heavy lightening activity came together. After four days of thunderstorms the soils saturated and begin to hold and transfer water, rather than running it off. This means that the slight creek rises with every afternoon's torrential downpours and lightening storms shifted to higher overall creek and river flows as the pattern persisted. Then it would rain hard between 3 pm and 8 pm every afternoon, really charging up the creeks and speeding up the rivers. The intensity and duration of the mid-Summer storms significantly raised the average stream and river flows from mid Summer placid flows to high flows reaching the fording danger point during and after each day's downpour and lightening storm. It's pretty rare to have to plan your major fords for morning time. That is usually a strategy reserved for Springtime fording conditions. This weather pattern created a fording situation much like those during late Spring. During the Spring the best time to ford is in the morning before the day's heat supercharges river flows. The evening chill slows down the flow of meltwater feeding the thaw. That was the Summer we saw great granite boulders swept onto Highway 120 in Tuolumne Meadows, the sewage and water systems were were flooded out, along with the store, post office and cafe. Wow! Resupply Catastrophe This horde of mice chewed through every backpackers resupply sent to the post office packed in cardboard boxes. There were many sad backpackers left scrambling to put together a trail menu to replace their lost resupply package. My plastic bucket resupply was fine, thank you. The rare times things like this happen justify the years of the added expense of packing my resupply in plastic buckets rather than cardboard boxes. Weeks of these afternoon Summer downpours brought river crossing to dangerous levels during each Summer afternoon at the very same time that lightening death was raining down from the sky. That's amazing. Usually dangerous fords happen in Spring, and dangerous skies happen during Summer. That year dangerous rivers and skies were both happening during the middle of Summer. Again, Wow! Being observant is the first rule of being safe. If you don't know, and not carefully observing all the things capable of killing you, you are an idiot. Does lightening strike folks who are unaware of it? Let's have a bit of fun and rephrase this question into a classical form! "Does a tree fall in the forest if nobody sees it?"
Helpful Hint
If danger is not your familiar friend, it is your enemy. OBSERVE! ANALIZE! ENGAGE! Weather
Mountain Safety Forum |
Forest along Western Shore of Wilmer Lake
Thick young lodgepole forest off West shore of Wilmer Lake. After fording Falls Creek the Southbound PCT bends South through this thick wedge of young lodgepole forest sporting a hushed atmosphere on this diminishing triangle of soft terrain between Falls Creek and Wilmer Lake. The Wilmer Pool is what I call the deep, long tranquil section of Falls Creek running through a long, wide, and deep bathtub-like pool as it bends around the West shore of Wilmer Lake. Check out Wilmer Lake Mosquitoes Soils are moist around Wilmer Lake all year long, maintaining an apron of verdant green grasses around Wilmer Lake all Summer long. As a backpacker I observe how the terrain affects hiking. I've mentioned how many of the glacial cut granite basins holding Sierra lakes surrounded by aprons of verdant green grasses are sitting atop slabs of solid granite that allow little drainage. High Sierra lakes and their associated meadows situated upon great granite slabs create conditions that preserve and protect huge mosquito populations long after the surrounding terrain has dried out and the mosquito populations have diminished. These granite basins underlying many High Sierra meadows and lakes trap moisture in their unseen underground shape late into the Summer. Wilmer Lake is just such a place. These locations provide beautiful scenes for backpackers to observe, but these conditions also provide sanctuary for massive populations of mosquitoes deep into Summer. This means Wilmer's beauty comes with a bite. I don't think I've ever hiked by Wilmer Lake without taking a break here, boiling up some coffee, and eating lunch while soaking up the peaceful serenity sitting next to Wilmer Lake generates in the human soul. Experiencing this visual serenity requires some physical preparation. Before I even slow my hiking pace approaching Wilmer Lake, which would allow the Wilmer Mosquitoes to zero-in on me, I have planned out my mosquito strategy for my upcoming Wilmer Lake break. If I am hiking with long shirt, I will have to get the head net into play when I stop, and DEET-up the backs of my hands. If I am running a tank-top and using DEET, I re-DEET before stopping at Wilmer Lake. Tip: NEVER apply DEET with the tips of your fingers. Always put the DEET on the backs of your hands, and apply it to other parts of your body from the back of your hands. This prevents DEET on your fingers from contaminating your gear, or getting into your water and food as you handle them. Always limit the unintentional spread of chemicals with good practices. Mosquitoes in the High Sierra Seasonal Progression Much of Jack Main Canyon has a Solid Granite floor under the deposited sediments. |
Forest Narrows between Wilmer Lake and Pond
Northeast View Wilmer Lake |
Southwest View Wilmer Lake Pool of Falls Creek |
Hiking South on the Pacific Crest Trail Views of the Pool from the trail down into lower Jack Main Canyon. |
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Looking Across Wilmer Lake The top of the West flank and crestline of Macomb Ridge are visible as the whole ridgeline along the horizon to the Right of Peak 9362. The forested section in the foreground is part of Bailey Ridge, the near ridge wrapping its arms around Wilmer Lake. Tilden Canyon separates Bailey and Macomb Ridges, and the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail runs down Tilden Canyon from Tilden Lake on its way to intersect with our Pacific Crest Trail route South of Wilmer Lake. Our next destination, Stubblefield Canyon, lays at the Eastern base of Macomb Ridge.
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Looking Across Falls Creek This pool is a wide deep section along Falls Creek. Lotsa fish in there, especially if we The trail continuing down Jack Main Canyon to Hetch Hetchy runs through forest and granite on the other side of Falls Creek, in the distance beyond the pool. View looking from Falls Creek across pool at Wilmer Lake. On our route hiking South along the Pacific Crest Trail we will bend Left, to our East, to hike along the South shore of Wilmer Lake. We will climb through a crease in Bailey Ridge to our intersection with the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail coming South from Tilden Lake. From there our combined PCT TYT route climbs Macomb Ridge to enter Stubblefield Canyon. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Ahead we find the Wilmer Lake I-Beam Ford
The I-beam ford on the West shore of Wilmer Lake. Wilmer Pool along Falls Creek to the Right, Wilmer Lake to our Left. |
Falls Creek runs through Placid Pool-like Section
Waters of Falls Creek go placid through wide deep and long pooling section of the creek past Wilmer Lake. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Wilmer Lake I-Beam Ford with Campsite beyond
The I-beam ford on the West shore of Wilmer Lake with campsite under trees at base of rock directly ahead. |
Campsite on West Shore of Wilmer Lake
The campsite on the West shore of Wilmer Lake in the shadows. A nice place to stop for a break, as it offers great views of Wilmer Lake and this great pool along Falls Creek, but the campsite on the East side of Wilmer Lake is superior for camping. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Mike Sweeney Checking out my break Spot on West Side of Wilmer Lake
I'm kicked back for lunch at the little campsite off the Southwest shore of Wilmer Lake, when a Southbound hiker came past. Mike's hiking from Sutter Creek along Highway 49 in the low foothills to Half Dome in Yosemite Valley. Hiking up the Western flank of the Sierra is a long, hot hike, and Mike has the tan to prove it. Mike's take on backcountry travel: "It's all good." |
Fine Recent Wilmer Lake Trail Work
I think this built up section was built in 2007 or 2008. Maybe earlier. The PCT crossed a sloppy wet section that was too close to the shore of Wilmer Lake. We can see the wall on the Right leaves little room between the shore and lake. This segment of trail became a quagmire every year. Trail Crew elevated the trail, having no place else to reroute it. That's a lot of hard work! A fine solution. North Yosemite Trail Crew Forum Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake |
Wilmer Lake
You've got to see this place. Looking Northeast across Wilmer Lake we can see how it is wedged into the complex granite terrain on the West flank of Bailey Ridge. Peak 9362 on Bailey Ridge visible in Right background. Our hike South will bring us past the ponds at the base of Peak 9362 crossing Bailey Ridge. |
Campsite on East Shore of Wilmer Lake
Campsite on East Shore of Wilmer Lake. A large enough site for two or three parties. A couple of fire rings and plenty of flats for the sleeping bag. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes Stepping South out of this site the Pacific Crest Trail immediately begins climbing Bailey Ridge. |
Southbound 1.21 miles South 440 feet Up |
Wilmer Lake along Jack Main Canyon from Bailey Ridge
Wilmer Lake Sweet. Though beautiful, the verdant apron we see wrapping around the West shore of Wilmer Lake is alive with mosquitoes. This is beauty with a bite! Note the green apron around the East shore of Wilmer Lake immediately below us too. Lotsa Skeeters. North Yosemite This is a stunningly beautiful place. It has vicious mosquitoes. We must deal with the latter to enjoy the former. |
Trail Up Bailey Ridge
In the We are now hiking the Pacific Crest Trail route across Yosemite. Our location makes me think of the trail under me, and the trails ahead of us. The Pacific Crest Trail is the superhighway of trails. It is a high priority for maintenance in all the administrative units it crosses between Mexico and Canada. The PCT route is a heavily traveled trail. Now we are entering a zone of the high traffic drawn to the Pacific Crest Trail route brought together with backpackers drawn by the justifiable fame of Yosemite's beauty. This high level of backpacker traffic is aligned with Yosemite's highest degree of professional trail work. These factors come together to create a trailbed that is so deeply cut into the terrain that you can easily follow it in the dark, if there is any ambient light at all. The PCT route glows in starlight through here, where it can penetrate the dense forests... I am not saying "hike in the dark," but I am saying that we are now hiking on the easiest to follow highest traffic trails in the Sierra Nevada. These are not easy trails to hike, for their climbs and descents are quite significant, but you really have to be very inattentive to lose the trail hiking through Yosemite. This "well-defined" trail status continues throughout the length of the PCT through Yosemite, and even becomes more pronounced as the substantial backpacker traffic of the John Muir Trail will join our Southbound Pacific Crest Trail route at Tuolumne Meadows. South of Tuolumne Meadows we do have alternative route options to the generally unified PCT-JMT route, but not nearly as many options as provided by the PCT-TYT routes that split the North Sierra Nevada much more distinctly than the PCT and JMT split the South Sierra. Much of the work of Yosemite trail crew is not just keeping the trails open against the forces of erosion, but mitigating the damage of backpacker and horsepacker traffic. I have never seen more PCT and JMT hikers than in 2016, and I expect this trend to continue. |
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Once it climbs above Wilmer Lake the trail turns onto the edge of a narrowing granite ramp running East under under forest that surprises us when the terrain expands and flattens out into a hidden green meadow. This route exploits a nice wide and low gap running up into Bailey Ridge. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Last Look at Wilmer Lake Hiking South
Turning East to hike across Bailey Ridge we turn around to take one last look to the West at Wilmer Lake. |
A quarter mile of hiking South up a couple of hundred feet of climbing elevation brings us around the South side of the meadow where the creek feeding Wilmer Lake begins. Hiking around this small meadow flat wedged into the West side of Bailey Ridge we continue to follow this channel up the final 200 feet of elevation to the flat crossing the top of Bailey Ridge. Up on the flat atop Bailey Ridge are two of the greatest great ponds along the route of the Pacific Crest Trail. It's almost a basin-like experience here between Bailey and Macomb Ridges where Tilden Creek Canyon flows West between the ridges. We have all degrees of vernal ponds ahead: |
Flying Trash
Flying trash deep in Yosemite along the Pacific Crest Trail. Though it flew in, this trash walked out. |
Entering Rough but Flat Terrain
The Pacific Crest Trail threads through a field of boulders under dense forest. Locations like this demonstrate just how important our maintained trails are. Passing this easy section of trail would be significantly more difficult without maintained trails. The thousands of miles I've hiked would only be hundreds without the hard work of our Trail Crew friends. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Entering flat Zone past Dead Pond to Blue Ponds
Dead Pond on West side of flat crossing Bailey Ridge. Here we've finished up climb up Bailey Ridge. We'll be hiking the fairly flat terrain through Tilden Canyon as we pass around the upcoming ponds and through the two trail junctions before we begin our next climb, the short but stiff climb up the West flank of Macomb Ridge. It's a total of 1.21 miles from the East shore of Wilmer Lake up to the Southern Tilden Lake trail junction. We passed by the Northern junction in upper Jack Main Canyon above the Wilmer Lake trail junction. Another .15 of a mile brings us to the second trail junction for the trail continuing down Tilden Canyon to Hetch Hetchy via Tiltill Valley. Just beyond this second trail junction is where we begin our .81 of a mile climb up 560 feet to the gap at the top of Macomb Ridge. |
PONDS I distinguish between two types of ponds in the High Sierra. Definition First, I call a body of water a Pond when it collects but does not transfer water. A pond does not have an outlet stream. A pond may or may not have an inlet stream. In geological terms, Ponds are common High Sierra terrain features left by undulations cut in the terrain by ancient glacial flows. Second, all ponds primarily rely on their position as a low point in the terrain for their groundwater flows during Spring for charging. If the pond does not occupy a low point in the terrain it will not be a pond for long. This means that most ponds are either filling or emptying. Ponds do not generally have a seasonal equilibrium, though there are exceptions. I'd guess this is the distinction between vernal and other types of ponds. Vernal means Spring, and correlates with what I call "Black" and "Blue" Ponds. I find my definitions more satisfying. In the longer term, well-situated ponds have the potential for greater longevity than High Sierra Meadows. Unlike High Sierra meadows creating inviting condition for invasion by lodgepole pines, a pond's level of water and soil saturation appear to discourage tree growth. I believe this discouragement of tree growth is chemically accelerated in many black ponds. After passing the black pond pictured above we are approaching two of the greatest exceptions below, ponds that are vernal, but are also in equilibrium, that lay along the trails between Tahoe to Whitney. I call these exceptions "Blue Ponds," as opposed to standard "Black Ponds." All ponds have a cycle. Ponds fill up during Spring and evaporate during Summer, to a degree, if not evaporating to seasonal extinction. This fact is dependent upon the first point of defining a pond, that ponds do not have outlet streams. Black Ponds The most common type of pond I call Black, or Dead Ponds. Dead Ponds are generally characterized, when full, by the dark or dark yellow color of their water, and later in the season identified by the staining they leave on surrounding soil, rock, and the trees once submerged. Black Ponds are generally small. Black Ponds don't just get their color from leeching tannin from trees unlucky enough to have been killed by the pond, or fallen into it. Black Ponds obtain their staining power by concentrating the tannin over multiple seasons. Every year's thaw overfills the pool, drawing out and pooling tree chemicals into their depression as the Spring Thaw fades, drawing together large amounts of tannin, then distilling it down out into staining solids during every Summer's evaporation. Yet some ponds are large enough and situated in the proper terrain to break this annual cycle of birth, growth, and extinction. Some ponds leave out the destruction phase, and exist in equilibrium until covered again by Winter snows. Blue Ponds These are bigger and more stable ponds, such as the two great ponds we encounter here crossing Bailey Ridge. These two blue ponds appear to have a rough equilibrium, in that their rates of fill and evaporation are quite close. Though these two great ponds on Bailey Ridge contract each year, though I have never seen them dry. Yet these two great blue ponds on Bailey Ridge do not have drainage creeks, contributing to a condition where they are concentrating sediments and tannin as does a Black Pond. This concentration gives the water in these great ponds a different look than Sierra lakes with active incoming and outgoing streams, but their positions in the terrain appear to bring enough fresh water into these ponds to prevent them from going black. I figure there are fresh water springs in the massive surrounding granite along Bailey Ridge feeding and perpetuating these serene Blue Ponds. So, these two great blue ponds on Bailey Ridge are "tweeners," being neither classic black ponds nor normal Sierra lakes, but sitting between these two states.
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South approaching the West Great Pond
I love it when the terrain gradually reveals its secrets as we approach, as with the West Blue Pond above becoming visible through the rocks and trees as we pick our way down the trail. Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake |
West Pond on Bailey Ridge
Bailey Ridge Beauty Bounty We can't help noticing when we hike out of Jack Main Canyon via Wilmer Lake into Tilden Canyon that something here is different. It feels as if the complexity of the surrounding terrain's general layout, as well as its immediate intense level of detail have intensified and deepened even more, as if the terrain has "closed in" around us. It has. The part of the glacier that carved Jack Main and Tilden Canyons carved a contorted spiderweb pattern of close-in complexity from this point all the way down this almost solid rock mountain to a line drawn East and West through Tiltill Valley, Lake Vernon, and Moraine Ridge. This line marks the bottom of a "solid rock zone" of mind-bending complexity. Above it we enter an almost exclusively granite zone, below it we are in a zone where much of the granite is submerged or surrounded by sediments worn off, and transported down mountain from the naked granite crestline above. In the image above our hike up the gap through Bailey Ridge above Wilmer Lake has moderated. We are hiking to our Right, Southeast by the compass, having entered a low gently undulating flat acting as a gap breaking the run of Bailey Ridge. We are approaching the typically weak flow of Tilden Canyon Creek coming down from below Tilden Lake through Tilden Canyon. Tilden Creek runs directly West out of the Southwestern end of Tilden Lake into Jack Main Canyon. Tilden Canyon Creek forms up to the South of Tilden Lake in Tilden Canyon below the lake, and is not directly linked to the lake. Uniquely We can see this ancient first cut of ice and rock created unique physical frameworks for life that subsequent thousands of years of weather, erosion, and evolution have filled to potential. This looks like self-perpetuating perfection in motion to me. I feel an engaged process of self-fulfilled potential here. We can see its whole process. We can see the Sierra's fiery inception in the nature of the rock itself. The invisible power of Sierra's glacial history is seen by what it left behind; the glaciers did not just carve out the chaotic, complex regional pattern of deep valleys and massive ridges, but also personally carved, sculpted, and polished all of its surfaces. Here, entering Tilden Canyon, we experience a moment of peace and beauty between almost timeless waves of fire and ice we see written on the momentarily peaceful face of Nature around us. What a crazy and beautiful Natural World it is. All of its destruction captures more energy and creates yet more life and complexity. I clearly distinguish the Natural from social worlds, their processes, and goals. I fear no evil, for how can one fear oneself? Easy. Just look around. |
Fireweed, Chamerion angustifolium |
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FIREWEED We can feel this pond as a focus of, a locus point of local life. Think of it like a "self-filling" food locker that constantly builds food for plants, which feed insects, which feed birds, which feed bears and coyotes and so on and on and on... Comments, Questions, and to find or contribute more Wildflower information Backpacker's Living Things Forum Identifications Thanks to Sharon |
Bumbler hitting the Fireweed. Bumblers are Cool. (Forum) |
Peak 9362 capping Bailey Ridge towers above North Shore of the West Pond. Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake |
Dead Pond
Dry vernal pond on Bailey Ridge. |
Blue Pond
Calm, peaceful, and very quiet.
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Park-Like Environment
Deeply grooved Pacific Crest Trail past Eastern Bailey Ridge Pond. A very tranquil stretch of trail. |
Bailey Ridge beyond Blue Pond
East pond on Bailey Ridge flat. We can get a feel for the "knobbyness" of Bailey Ridge from this view. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Black Pond
Very black Black Pond on Bailey Ridge |
The South Tilden Lake Trail Junction The trail to Tilden Lake trail is linked by two trail junctions with the Pacific Crest Trail, its Northern and Southern junctions. The Southern Tilden Lake Loop junction with the Pacific Crest Trail pictured below is located South of Tilden Lake and East of Wilmer Lake in Tilden Canyon. This upcoming TYT-PCT junction is the first of two trail junctions we encounter in rapid succession, separated by about a tenth of a mile. The second junction runs a trail South by the compass down the Western Flank of the Sierra to Hetch Hetchy via Tiltill Valley and Rancheria Falls. This is our second route option down to Hetch Hetchy. Our first was continuing down into Lower Jack Main Canyon below Wilmer Lake, above. |
North
on the
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
TYT NORTH The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail North. The TYT will swing by Tilden Lake before turning West to rejoin the Pacific Crest Trail in Jack Main Canyon. The Northbound TYT and PCT have little shared trail besides their run up Jack Main Canyon. Approaching the top of Jack Main Canyon the TYT turns Northwest into Emigrant Wilderness through Bond Pass. The Pacific Crest Trail continues up to and through the the two trail junctions leading Northwest up to Bond Pass on its way Northeast through the top of Jack Main Canyon exiting the North Yosemite Backcountry through Dorothy Lake Pass into the Toiyabe National Forest. Alternative Route
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South Along
the
Re-Unified Pacific Crest
and
Tahoe to Yosemite Trails
SOUTH TYT PCT The trail down to TilTill Valley would be a great return leg following a hike up Jack Main Canyon from Hetch Hetchy. From TilTill we drop down via Rancheria Falls onto the North shore of Hetch Hetchy at the bottom of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne to end our hike through the Hetch Hetchy Trailhead. |
The Trail West
North on the Pacific Crest Trail
NORTH PCT Wilmer Lake 1.8 Jack Main Canyon 1.8 Dorothy Lake 10.9 Hetch Hetchy via Wilmer to Jack Main Canyon 19.7
Though the trail route depicted above is hiking West by the compass, this is the Northbound Pacific Crest Trail. The chalk marked "PCT" is wrong. The PCT does not hike to Hetch Hetchy. In fact the PCT hikes the other way, up Jack Main Canyon to Dorothy Lake rather than down the canyon to Hetch Hetchy. This is an example of why the vast majority of hikers should not modify, add, or leave anything along the trail. Don't make ducks. Don't write on the trail signs or nature. Don't make fire rings. Don't make anything. It is past the time to do things. We have passed into the time to un-do what we've done. Here's the Solution: "Just UnDo It" North Yosemite
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Video
Southbound
Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
from the
South Tilden Lake Trail Junction
to the top of
Macomb Ridge
Duration: 5:58 The last variation between the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail is the Tilden Lake Loop in the North Yosemite Backcountry. Pacific Crest Trail hikers swing around Wilmer Lake, while Tahoe to Yosemite backpackers visit Tilden Lake. The trail junction beginning the video above is the South Tilden Lake trail junction that lays South of Tilden Lake on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail and South of Wilmer Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail. Check out the Jack Main Canyon Backpacking Map to precisely locate the positions of both the Northern and Southern ends of the Tilden Lake Loop along the PCT. The video above takes us South from the Southern Tilden Lake Loop trail junction to the top of Macomb Ridge hiking South towards Stubblefield Canyon on the unified Southbound PCT-TYT routes. Check out all the Tahoe to Whitney Backpacking Videos online So Far.... 154 videos covering the TYT and PCT from Meeks Bay to our current position in the North Yosemite Backcountry. Videos
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PCT Hiker encounter at the South PCT-TYT Tilden Lake Trail Junction
Red Cash and Lures
PCT Hikers Wednesday July 28 2010 Now that we are back at the Pacific Crest Trail our "quiet time" hiking around Tilden Lake is over. Hiking South down the Sierra Crest during late Spring and Early Summer always points us against the massive flow of the thundering herd of Pacific Crest Trail hikers pushing Northward. What a great group of folks! When the main body of PCT hikers moves North across the Sierra we count PCTers by how many we meet per hour. As the season progresses, we count how many we meet during the span of a day. Late in the season we can count the PCT section hikers we meet during a five day trip on one hand, and the main body of PCT hikers is far, far to the North of the Sierra Nevada. I figure by now I've met well over a thousand PCT and PCT section hikers as I've hiked South down the Sierra Crestline over the past 20+ years. Cool Folks! Let's get some context. We pass as many people walking the length of a busy city block once as the number of PCT hikers we meet over 20 hiking seasons and thousands of miles of trail. Just saying... that this is an argument for cherishing the hikers you meet on the trail, rather than the unfortunate dismay that so many backpackers show upon meeting other hikers. You will meet the best folks out here, if you let yourself. |
Experiencing, Creating, and Making Memory |
* * Trail Ghosts from the Past, This Generation, and Future PCT Hikers * * This guide is written for the PCT hikers from the past as much as for present and future PCT hikers. For this generation's crop of PCT hikers I say " the more you know about Sierra terrain before you go, the more you will see when you go." To past PCT hikers I say, "The guide will help you remember, identify, and put the dense terrain you experienced so rapidly, if not intensely, into context." The density, intensity, and rapidity of experience and travel required of those who have a shot at completing the PCT compromises both their ability to engage the terrain and remember what they've seen. It's just too much, too quick for deep engagement, for deep experience and to remember. Very few PCT hikers remember details of the trail the first time through. Maybe it's time for some of you PCT Vets to come back and deeply investigate the unique terrains and experiences in the High Sierra between Tahoe and Whitney. No need to move along, no need to rush, what you need to see is right here. Measure out the Best Reality As I always say, "Stupid, Strong, and Lucky are triplets, and have a weird way of balancing out." Having your luck run out in the Sierra is dangerous, especially if you have not skill or strength to back it up. Hiking the Tahoe to Whitney will give you the tools to hike the PCT. I don't even recommend the Tahoe to Whitney hike as your first long distance hike... but if you are planning the PCT as your first, I gotta point you to the TWT. If you are a first-time long distance backpacker I say to you, "It's a hell of a lot better to complete the TWT than fail on the PCT." Then I say, "why don't you knock off a ninety mile loop to get everything working?" Slow Down Or you may Crash & Burn. This will become crystal clear when strength dwindles, luck runs out, and we are left alone on a cold mountain with stupid. It happens more often than you read about. Many desperate humans make it out, while you only read about those that don't. I've been stuck with stupid on a cold mountain more than a few times, and as I've said before, I hike solo. If you get stuck without strength or luck in the mountains you have actually navigated your way to the definition of stupid. Don't do that. PPB You must understand that the same environment that creates life and longevity in the Sierra ends it as quickly as it creates it. The accuracy of your analysis of the requirements of the trip determines your position in all this. Don't be Wrong. Consider all the relevant factors necessary to Carefully to monitor your position in the balance between pain and pleasure, and life and death in the Sierra. Don't make me call you a dumbass because you died through your own foolishness.
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Tiltill Trail Junction The TilTill trail junction lays The General Lay of the Land From the Yosemite Boundary Hiking South to Tuolumne Meadows Backpacking across the North Yosemite Backcountry on the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes we are hiking across the upper sections of a series of canyons all draining West off the Sierra Crest into the Tuolumne River in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Well, we are not quite at the tops of these canyons, but pretty close. The line of the PCT-TYT runs about seven miles below the Sierra Crestline. From where we enter Jack Main Canyon to where we climb out of Yosemite through Donohue Pass we will be hiking in one part or another of the drainage of the Tuolumne River. From Glen Aulin to Donohue Pass we will hike South along the shores of the Tuolumne River, unless we follow the JMT route down to Yosemite Valley from Tuolumne Meadows, in which case we enter the drainage of the Merced River by climbing over the Cathedral Range. Though we are hiking far above the Tuolumne River, all the water in the North Yosemite Backcountry we are hiking across is flowing into that Grand Canyon. Jack Main Canyon's Falls Creek flows into Hetch Hetchy. Tilden Canyon's Tilden Canyon Creek, and Stubblefield Creek are subsumed into Rancheria Creek for their run almost directly Southwest into Hetch Hetchy.
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River Trails Map
The last trail down to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, before our Southbound PCT TYT route itself brings us down to the river through Cold Canyon, are the two Rodgers Canyon trails South down to Pate Valley in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. There are two because the Southern trail swings around Rodgers Lake before joining the other. The trail to Pate Valley runs all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, which makes it the first trail descending to the South off our PCT TYT route that actually can get down onto the floor of the valley, as the Pate Valley trail lands on the floor of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne to the East and above of the Eastern limit of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. None of the trails down to Hetch Hetchy to the West of Pate Valley actually touch Hetch Hetchy. The trails down mountain through Jack Main, Tilden Creek, and Kerrick Canyons all experience the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River as some sort of museum exhibit, a thing that can be observed, but not touched. The majority of their routes are far above Hetch Hetchy, while only the trail down Rodgers Canyon actually ends on the floor of the Valley itself, rather than onto a shelf running around the edge of the reservoir filling the canyon. Maybe I'm picking nits, but that's how it feels to me. The Rogers Canyon trail is the Southernmost trail hiking South down into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne branching off from our TYT-PCT trail before our route itself actually turns South down Cold Canyon to the Tuolumne River at Glen Aulin. Glen Aulin is 5.51 miles North of Tuolumne Meadows on our combined Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail route. These maps below explore the route of the Tuolumne River down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
The canyons connecting our PCT-TYT route along below the Sierra Crest to the trail running from Hetch Hetchy to Glen Aulin open up a series of expert-level medium to long distance backpacking loops all around the North Yosemite Backcountry. I want to hear about you trips! Post up in the |
Second Trail Junction
One-Tenth of a mile South:
Of the
SOUTH TILDEN LAKE
PCT-TYT
junction
TillTill Trail Junction
Off the Routes of the PCT-TYT
South Down Tilden Canyon. Trail Guide Page
Tiltill Valley is wedged in above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The two maps below give us a good idea about the position of Tiltill Valley wedged in above Hetch Hetchy, downriver from Glen Aulin and Tuolumne Meadows in relation to our position South of Tilden Lake and East of Wilmer on the PCT-TYT. MAPS OFF the TYT-PCT
Big Context Federal Forest Maps
The maps below covers where our PCT-TYT routes MAPS ALONG the TYT-PCT
North Yosemite Out of the Grand Canyon Here's a couple of images of the miles posted at the two Hetch Hetchy Trailhead Signs along with my measurements of the distances to various points: Hetch Hetchy Trailhead Miles But few people backpack loops around the Five Canyons out of Hetch Hetchy. This is because of the difficulty and distance of such trips climbing to the Sierra Crest from the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. The difficulty of this climb, and of the Five Canyons themselves, work to make the North Yosemite Backcountry quite underutilized in comparison with other, more accessible regions of Yosemite's backpacking trails. |
South
on the
Combined
Pacific Crest
&
Tahoe to Yosemite Trails
SOUTH Continuing South into the heart of the North Yosemite Backcountry on the TYT-PCT. Our trail is actually pointing a bit South of East by the Compass. Kerrick Canyon But right now we are facing the climb .81 of a mile up 560 feet to the top of Macomb Ridge. From the top of Macomb Ridge we make the 1.89 mile descent 1160 feet down to Stubblefield Canyon and its ford and campsites. The Next 5.? Miles My figures put Stubblefield Canyon 2.7 miles to our South and Kerrick Canyon another 2.58 miles South of there, for a total of 5.28 miles, which is .42 miles less than the 5.7 miles on the sign above. From Stubblefield Canyon's ford and campsites we have a 960 foot climb hiking up the 2.58 miles up to the gap through the top of the ridge dividing our upcoming Stubblefield ford from the subsequent Kerrick Canyon ford of Rancheria Creek. To |
North
on the
Combined
Pacific Crest-Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
NORTH Back the way we came. The distance to Wilmer Lake is along the Northbound PCT, as is the figure to Dorothy Lake. The distance to Tilden Lake assumes breaking off from the PCT to follow the TYT route up to and around Tilden Lake at the upcoming Tilden Lake trail junction in a tenth of a mile. It is not clear if the distance called out for Bond Pass on the sign above is along the TYT around Tilden Lake or the PCT around Wilmer, as both bring us to Jack Main Canyon to access Bond Pass. I measure the distances below from the South Tilden Lake trail junction PCT & TYT to BOND PASS
NORTH PCT & TYT to DOROTHY LAKE PASS
Bond Pass is the route of the TYT into Emigrant Wilderness on its way North to the Kennedy Meadows Pack Station on Highway 108. Dorothy Lake Pass is on the route of the PCT into Toiyabe National Forest on its way North to where Sonora Pass crosses the Sierra Crestline. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes We can click the red dots or the two labels on the top of the map above to see each of the locations sited on this trail sign. |
Fungus
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High Sierra Fungus
I enjoy seeing the fungus. |
Tilden Canyon Creek
Tilden Canyon Creek August 24 finds Tilden Canyon Creek submerged into the sands of its bed, flowing invisibly between the small pools dotting its semi-submerged route down Tilden Canyon. As the Summer season progresses the Sierra dries out considerably. Yet there is still sufficient water for backpackers, though the distances between good water sources grow longer. With a bit of study hikers can figure out the locations and distances between full flowing creeks and deep lakes along our route to avoid having to draw water from stagnant or evaporation-concentrated sources. The ponds never taste as good as moving water, always being better to observe than drink. Though small creeks along our route can be amazingly tasty, many decline into chains of stagnant pools during the latter days of dry Summers, as Tilden Canyon Creek is shown during the late Summer of 2012.
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Beginning the Climb
up
Macomb Ridge
Now we begin climbing the West flank of Macomb Ridge. We climb 560 feet from Tilden Canyon Creek up to the gap across the top of Macomb Ridge over .81 of a mile. North Yosemite Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake |
VIEW WEST
Looking West across Tilden Canyon at Bailey Ridge, and Jack Main Canyon beyond
View West from Macomb Ridge Looking back to a view West of Tilden Canyon below Bailey Ridge with Jack Main Canyon beyond while climbing West wall of Macomb Ridge. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Trail up West Flank of Macomb Ridge
Trail up lower West flank of Macomb Ridge. |
Top of Macomb Ridge
Working our way up to the gap through the top of Macomb Ride crestline past a fine meadow. We can see we're approaching the crestline of Macomb Peak, but we're still working our way South. |
Macomb Ridge Campsite
Campsite at top of Macomb Ridge, Yosemite. There are two ponds South of the gap over Macomb Ridge that I have not checked out. Anyone seen them? North Yosemite Backcountry Hiking Map If those ponds have good water, this is a good site. I'd guess they get quite small and dank late in the Summer. |
Gap
at the
Top of Macomb Ridge
Top of Macomb Ridge, the gap to Stubblefield Canyon. |
Onto the South flank of Macomb Ridge
Last steps through the TYT-PCT gap through the top of Macomb Ridge before descending into Stubblefield Canyon.
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Video
Through
the
Gap
on
Macomb Ridge
into
Stubblefield Canyon
Macomb Ridge to Stubblefield Canyon At the end of the video I identified the last shots as looking North on the PCT-TYT route at the gap in Macomb Ridge the trail threads through. This is incorrect. Looking below you will find this terrain is the Southbound approach up to a gap our trail route threads through along the flank of Macomb Ridge that is only accessible because of a build-up staircase built by the diligent Yosemite Backcountry Trail Crews. I call it the "mini-Golden Staircase." Sorry about the ms-identification. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes
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Our Southbound Destination, Stubblefield Canyon
Hiking South over Macomb Ridge into Stubblefield Canyon. We have just crossed over to the East flank of Macomb Ridge. Stubblefield Canyon sits below us. But this terrain is very complex. We can see Kerrick Canyon from here. It is the canyon below the Left side of the faint pointed peak in the middle-Left of the image. We can see on the 30 minute map how these two massive granite canyons, Stubblefield and Kerrick, join together on the Right side of the bright granite ridge in the middle of the image between our position and the pointed peak. That's where Stubblefield Creek joins Rancheria Creek for the ride down to Hetch Hetchy. Stubblefield lays below us, between our position and the granite ridge in the middle distance. Kerrick Canyon's Southeast-facing wall descends the far side of that ridge, while the pointed peak in the middle of the image caps the Northwest-facing wall of Kerrick Canyon. We can see Kerrick Canyon stretching out towards the upper Left corner of the image, to the Northeast by the compass. Stubblefield Canyon is immediately below us, moving up mountain between our position and the bright ridge in the middle-distance. From our position in the image above our route South moves to our Left on a grand traverse down into Stubblefield Canyon across this East-facing flank of Macomb Ridge. Our next move after descending into Stubblefield will be to climb the bright ridge in the middle distance to cross from Stubblefield into Kerrick Canyon. Our route over that ridge dividing these two canyons is out of view to the Left along the ridgeline. Then we begin hiking up Kerrick Canyon. |
Great Landmark Pointed Peak above the Eastern Flank of Kerrick Canyon in the far Eastern Distance
Close up of the landmark peak sitting above Kerrick Canyon. This is the same peak decorating the middle-Left of the image above. We are going to rotate our perspective on this peak until we lose sight of it dropping into Kerrick Canyon. We're going to get great views of it crossing over the top of the ridge dividing Stubblefield from Kerrick Canyons. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Fine Granite Staircase
Granite staircase on Southeast side of Macomb Ridge, Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, Yosemite National Park. Though we take these fine trails for granted as we pass by, these are amazing pieces of stone masonry. There's lots of excellent examples of generations of top notch trail crew work down the East flank of Macomb Ridge to Stubblefield Canyon. |
Great Granite Slab
Fine slab of glacial cut and eroded granite slab on East flank of Macomb Ridge. |
Mini Golden Staircase
Nifty Climb along East Flank of Macomb Ridge The Golden Staircase is an amazing section of trail where Kings Canyon trail Crew built-up trail alongside a massive cliff, or cut the route into the cliff below Palisades Lakes down on the John Muir Trail. Much of the Golden Staircase is trail literally built up into amazing switchbacks climbing an otherwise inaccessible route. Above we can see what looks like sets of "S-Turn" of boulders flowing down from the gap in the solid granite we can see in the upper Right of the image. These S-Turns are the trail, which was created by stacking enough rocks to build up a trail on this artificially created rock staircase. We are going to see exactly the same amazing principals and trail construction practices when we get down to the Golden Staircase, but on a much larger scale. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Looking Northeast
at the
Great Granite FIN
dividing
Stubblefield from Thompson Canyons
Note the fin of granite peeking out over the descending granite canyon wall of Stubblefield Canyon in the middle-Left of the image above. Look carefully, for it is a subtle feature and mixes in with the surrounding granite. We can see and distinguish the gray nose on its Right end clearly from the intervening canyon walls in front and behind it. Stubblefield Canyon ford and campsites are located at the nose of that amazing fin feature. That is the great rock formation dividing the bottoms of Thompson Canyon from Stubblefield Canyon at the point where these two canyons meet and merge. This merge point is where our next preferred campsites and the Stubblefield Canyon ford are both located. Below we get a better view of this magnificent feature. |
Detail of Thompson Canyon
Great Granite Fin The combined creeks out of Stubblefield and Thompson will merge into Rancheria Creek, which picks up Tilden Canyon Creek on its way down around Tiltill Valley on its way into Hetch Hetchy. The map below shows the configuration of Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons above our ford point and the points where these creek all merge together below the Stubblefield ford. Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake The Stubblefield Canyon campsite and ford is located on the lower-Right side of this image, just out of sight below where these two creek come together around the nose of this great granite fin feature. That's our next destination, at the base of the nose of the great granite fin below. That's where the Stubblefield Canyon campsites and ford are located. It's a really pretty place. There are kangaroo mice jumping around the ford and campsite area at night, too. Bears, mosquitoes, and sometimes even some backpackers during the height of the PCT. I've also seen both Yosemite and CCC trail crew camps at Stubblefield Canyon's ford and campsites. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Northbound Pacific Crest Trail Hikers
2010 PCT HIKERS Crow, Dundee, and Scorpion, Northbound Pacific Crest Trail hikers on Wed July 28, 2010 taking a break for Dundee's impromptu birthday party! That's whiskey, in that there water bottle! Birthday Whiskey! PCT birthday whiskey in the North Yosemite Backcountry, the most valuable kind. |
Painted Skimmer
July 28 2010 at upper reaches of Macomb Ridge after crossing over South into Stubblefield Canyon. |
Trail Traversing Macomb Ridge down Stubblefield Canyon
I would much rather follow the "White Granite Trail" than the "Yellow Brick Road" anytime! Fine granite bedded trail traversing Macomb Ridge, backpacking the North Yosemite Backcountry is a sustained joy. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Victor and his Pal
Tahoe to Yosemite Hikers Well, Yosemite to Tahoe hikers, to be more precise. Victor and his pal came moving up the East flank of Macomb Ridge quite quickly. July 31, 2009. I can't find the name of the guy on Right. They were hiking from Tuolumne Meadows to Echo Summit. Check out the miles figures for both the PCT and TYT routes from Tahoe to Tuolumne Meadows to guide our TYT and PCT route hikes out of Meeks Bay: TYT and/or PCT ...or visa versa, from Tuolumne Meadow to Lake Tahoe |
Landmark formation visible across East Flank of Stubblefield Canyon
Stubblefield Canyon Landmark formation from lower down, nearing Stubblefield Canyon. Note how our perspective on this pointed peak has changed. We will hike the steep but short ascent South from the Stubblefield Canyon ford from Northwest of this feature, which is located above the East flank of Kerrick Canyon when we arrive at the top of the ridge dividing Stubblefield from Kerrick Canyons.
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Granite slab split off Macomb Ridge. |
View Northeast up Thompson Canyon
Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons viewed from the Pacific Crest-Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route in North Yosemite. We can see the great granite fin almost reaching to the bottom-Right corner of the image above. Stubblefield Canyon continues Northeast up to the base of Tower Peak towards the upper Left corner of the image from the near side of the granite fin below. The granite fin is almost obscured out of sight by the lack of contrast between the intervening canyon walls in front of and behind the fin. This tall, thin, and long granite fin divides the creek running down Stubblefield on its near side from the creek in Thompson Canyon on its far side. Below the Southwestern end, the near end of this fin ridge the creeks merge at the Stubblefield Canyon campsite and ford. The terrain blocks our view of the upper reaches of Stubblefield Canyon stretching to the Left from the near side of the granite fin, but we can see far up Thompson Canyon, running up from the far side of the granite fin. The peak in the distance we can see up Thompson Canyon is Crown Point. Peeler Lake lays at the base of its Northwestern flank, its Left side in the image above. The trail into the top of Kerrick Canyon from the Twin Lakes Trailhead in the Hoover Wilderness comes around Crown Point. These two maps of the North Yosemite Backcoutry lay out these interesting relationships.
Note the representation of the granite fin that divides the canyons on the North Yosemite Backpacking Trail Map. Using this fin feature and the pointed peak above Kerrick Canyon is a great way to line up our map.
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Long View Northeast
up
Stubblefield Canyon
Stubblefield Canyon Now we can see down to the forest in the bottom of Stubblefield Canyon. We will follow along the creek upstream through that forest to the Stubblefield Canyon camp and fords, when we finally get down there. Note the features on the Eastern flank of Stubblefield Canyon. Many of the features we observed while hiking across the top of Macomb Ridge are no longer visible on the Eastern flank of Stubblefield Canyon. This is because many of these features are sitting above the Eastern flank of Kerrick Canyon, visible towering over the ridge dividing Kerrick from Stubblefield Canyons. You really have to study the terrain here to unwind its complexity. This will become obvious once we hike to the top of the next ridge South that divides Stubblefield from Kerrick Canyons.
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View Northeast of Upper Canyon
Making our way to the Northeast across the multifaceted terrain as we traverse down the complex East-facing flank of Macomb Ridge down to river level. We cross granite slabs. We pass under dense forest. We pass through bright meadow. We encounter temperate zones. Seriously. Temperate forest conditions. Ferns. The Stubblefield Canyon ford and campsite are out of view at the base of the bright granite ridge arm descending from Left to Right in the middle distance. Our next climb South out of Stubblefield Canyon up the East flank of Stubblefield Canyon crosses the ridgeline past the great granite fin through a gap located out of the Right edge of the image. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes
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Swirling Clouds above Stubblefield and Kerrick Canyons
Clouds and sun swirling over Stubblefield Canyon, approaching river level. Note that from here we can see that the landmark pointed peak over on the Southeast flank of Kerrick Canyon. |
Down to River Level
Last steps down to creek elevation in Stubblefield Canyon. We can see the treetops of the forests along Stubblefield Creek. |
Walking through the Creekside forest and Meadows in Stubblefield Canyon
Soft trail on the bottom of Stubblefield Canyon. It is nice to terminate the harsh impacts of steep descent on a hard surface into a soft flat valley-bottom surface. North Yosemite |
Ferns at the base of Stubblefield Canyon
Ladyfinger ferns at bottom of Stubblefield Canyon. Another temperate zone. |
CAMP STUBBLEFIELD CANYON
Stubblefield Canyon Campsites and Fords
12 minutes and 21 seconds of Stubblefield Canyon campsites and your basic fording options. North Yosemite
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The Lower Stubblefield Canyon Campsite
Stubblefield Canyon campsite on North side of Horse Ford, Pacific Crest Trail across Yosemite. This is a backcountry trail crew campsite. I believe it was during 2000 or 2002 when a CCC crew was camped here. Note the stump located in the Keyway Fire Pit. Keyway Fire Pits are typical features of National Park and Forest Service Trail and Science Crew camps.
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Upper
Stubblefield Canyon Campsite
The lower campsites on the North shore of Stubblefield Canyon's ford are under a shaded forest along the edge of green meadows. The upper campsite is sandy flats among low granite mounds. The upper campsite views the night sky, the tops of surrounding granite features, and has a longer distance from and slightly higher elevation than the mosquitoes in the meadows. Both of those factors help diminish the mosquitoes. |
Lower Campsites from Upper Campsite
A sweet morning in Stubblefield Canyon. The view across lower Stubblefield Canyon campsites from upper campsite, looking Southeast towards the Horse Ford and main campsite on the South bank. |
Peak 8701
To our Northeast Peak 8701 rises atop the end of the sheer ridge, the "granite fin" dividing Stubblefield from Thompson Canyons. We are now looking up at the great fin formation that divides Stubblefield from Thompson Canyons, rather than down at it as we approached. |
Stubblefield Canyon Main Horse Ford
Looking South down the trail at the main horse ford across Stubblefield Canyon. Backpackers are much better off fording a bit upstream, above where the creeks coming down Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons merge. As you can see in the difference between the always deep water of the unified creeks flowing across the Horse Ford above and the much shallower flows of the two single streams coming down Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons on the map below, it is easier for backpackers to ford twice above the Horse Ford. |
Topo Hiking Map of Campsites and Fords across Stubblefield Canyon
Topo hiking map of our trail South from Wilmer or Tilden Lake (PCT or TYT, respectively) down to the campsites and fords in Stubblefield Canyon across the North backcountry of Yosemite National Park. Note the smart backpacker can cross the creeks out of Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons before they merge to flow deeply across the horse ford. On the other hand, during high flows of the Spring Thaw the wider and deeper section across the Horse Ford is not flowing as rapidly as the individual creeks. Whatever floats your boat... Choose your fording points carefully during high water conditions, and do not attempt fords that are too dangerous for your skills or strength. Better to turn around to hike another day than be swept away.
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First of Two fords North of the Horse Ford
Backpacker ford North of Horse ford crosses creeks separately. |
CAMP STUBBLEFIELD CANYON
Decorated with Some Fine Hikers
Mike Camping at Stubblefield Canyon
Mike camping at Stubblefield Canyon, August 24, 2012. Hiking the full Tahoe to Whitney Trail from Meeks Bay to the Mount Whitney Portal. I had briefly encountered Mike the previous day on the low ridge between High Emigrant and Grizzly Meadow in the Emigrant Wilderness. Mike is really enjoying the North Sierra. |
Visitors from Germany exploring the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail across the High Sierra
Sarah and Raik from Cologne, Germany, enjoying the morning at Stubblefield Canyon camp after a refreshing evening. Sarah and Raik were hiking the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route, including the two most difficult unmaintained trail sections. Unmaintained Trail Updates Forum Sarah said that the guide did not fully express the difficulty of these rough sections of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. I pointed out that I had repeatedly warned that these trails can kill you, and I did not know of a more stern warning. Yet I do understand how difficult it is to present the difficulty of a trail on the internet. I've got sweat, blood, and tears here, so if that's not enough of a foundation to express the deep price paid to experience the joys of hiking the High Sierra, I don't know what is. August 24, 2012. |
Sunset on few clouds above Stubblefield Canyon
Sunset over Stubblefield Canyon. Red at Night, Sailor's Delight. |
Sarah and Raik hiking South out of Stubblefield Canyon
Sarah and Raik hiking South out of Stubblefield Canyon. |
Chile and Brent
Chile and Brent, known as the "chiledog" Pacific Crest Trail hiking team at Stubblefield Canyon, July 31, 2009. Hiking from Walker Pass as far North as the seasons allow. These dudes were enjoying the Freedom of the Mountains. |
Erin at Stubblefield Canyon during Light Rains
Erin sheltering from the light rain at Stubblefield Canyon, July 31, 2009. |
2000 or 2001
Twilight through the trees at Stubblefield Canyon Campsite with the old REI Half Dome tent. That sucker weights 5.5 pounds. Heavy, but it sure is nice during Spring & Fall rain camping. That's all it does now, is work during the heavy-rainy season and rain trips. That's because I hate having a small tent with wet clothes and wet shell. I can manage my rain gear much better in the Half Dome. I bring my mini tent if weather is questionable, with the possibility of rain. But if it's a real rain trip, I bring the Half Dome. The Half Dome is totally worth the extra weight in rain storm conditions, even after the damn thing gets totally drenched and even heavier... Getting "fairly" dry each evening is a total joy... Backpacking Gear Forum |
Again, Let's take a look at the backpacker Ford North of the Main Horse Ford
First of Two fords North of the Horse Ford
Backpacker ford North of Horse ford crosses the creeks coming down Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons separately. Jack Main Canyon to Tilden & Wilmer Lakes |
Second Creek to Ford above the Main Horse Ford
After crossing the creek coming down Stubblefield Canyon we encounter the creek out of Thompson Canyon merging into the creek flowing down Stubblefield Canyon. Though the Horse ford is always deep at the Stubblefield Canyon, hikers can move North of the Horse Ford to take the creeks one at a time. There was a good tree bridging the whole mess during the early and mid '90s, but it has since been undercut. I expect that another likely candidate to bridge both creeks will come down soon, so look around to see how the potential fording trees have fallen. |
Campsite on South Shore of Stubblefield Canyon Ford
Nice Campsite on the South shore of the Stubblefield Ford. Note the proximity of the meadow. What lives in meadows? If you said "mosquitoes," you are less mosquito food because of your observation skills. |
After finding our way across the two creeks above the Horse Ford we find a nice campsite on the South shore. I never stay here, as this site's location along the interface between forest and meadow puts it into thick mosquitoes. Shortly South of the ford we begin the short but stiff climb up the ridge dividing Stubblefield from Kerrick Canyon. I've always considered this an "easy" climb, as it is about half the length and elevation of a typical climb across the Five Canyons. We're going to get some great views of the grandeur of Macomb Ridge as we climb South of, and above Stubblefield Canyon, also getting great looks up into the great granite maw where Stubblefield and Thompson Canyons are divided by the "great fin." We are climbing into some nice views all around, so let's keep our eyes wide open. |
North: PCT Jack Main Canyon OR TYT Tilden Lake South: PCT-TYT Stubblefield Canyon to Seavy Pass
Wilmer Lake |
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Wilmer Lake to Stubblefield Canyon Fords and Campsites
TRAIL GUIDE TRAIL GUIDE PAGES
PCT & TYT
PCT
ALTERNATIVE South (By the Compass) to Hetch Hetchy TRAIL GUIDE PAGES ALTERNATIVE ROUTES (To Hetch Hetchy) MAPS
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Backpacking Trail Guide PCT TYT OFF |
Backpacking Trail Guide PCT-TYT South Stubblefield Canyon
OFF |
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Backpacking Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney
Your Guide to the High Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails