Breathtaking I…read morewent on a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip to Ruby Lake located in the John Muir Wilderness. No permit required for day-hiking but you do need a permit to camp. The Forest Service reserves 60 percent of permits for advanced reservations and the other 40 percent are available to walk-ins 24 hours before the day of adventure. Trip Details: 3 days, 2 nights Distance from Venice, CA to Mosquito Flats Trailhead: 302 miles Money spent on gas: $128.62 Time of Year: August Weather: 80's during the day, and 30's at night Permit: no permit for day hiking but a permit is required to camp Elevation gain : 908 feet Distance to Ruby Lake from Trailhead: 2.1 miles Dogs: Dogs are allowed Water Temperature: 39 degrees Day 1: We parked in the parking lot at the beginning of the Mosquito Flats Trailhead at the end of Rock Creek Road. We started our hike around 1:00pm and arrived at Ruby lake at 3:30p. When we got to camp, we setup our tents, jumped in the water and then prepared dinner. The weather during the day was in the 80's with clear skies and a nice breeze. The temperature at night was in the high 30's low 40's with very little wind. The night was bright because of the full moon, very minimal wind noise. Day 2: Hiked to Mono Pass and hungout at summit lake before heading back to camp. Weather was also in the 80's during the day and high 30's/ low 40's at night, very little wind. Day 3: The morning before hiking out was very windy and cold in the morning, we hiked out at 9:30 am.

As the other guys wrote: amazing. A great hike with minimal people contact. I hiked up on Sept 3…read moreand there was still lots of snow leftover from last year. I kept going past Ruby Lake to a second, smaller lake. From there one has easy access to the back country. The parking was a little ugly at the trail head: the masses tend to hike to a larger lake on the valley floor. After this hike and on your way back to Mammoth stop off at one of the hot springs near the airport for a soak. This is what I did and my muscles were very grateful.

This review is for Panum Crater Trail which was a ~2.5 miles round trip that took ~1.5 hour to…read morecomplete. This was an unique hike that takes you to the rim of the crater overlooking Mono Lake as well as to the center of the crater filled with obsidian rocks! The trail was mostly sandy and a little rocky closer to the summit. The best views of Mono Lake are on the rim trail! AllTrails GPX route doesn't take you to the summit. Follow the trail for another ~0.2 miles to reach the summit for a brief view of Mono Lake. Required to drive ~0.5 miles on dirt road. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/VurvIs-_Cnw

STEPH JUDGEMENT: One of my favorite hikes in Mono County…read more I've been back several times now, and my appreciation for this place grows each time. And I've finally managed to remember "Bitch Hill" (a term I coined) on my last visit. For some reason I totally blocked it out from my first visit--maybe because I was trying hard not to be blown off the trail by a freak spring storm--but it's a section on the Rim Trail that's quite steep that'll definitely elevate your heart rate. I always start out with the Plug Trail to see all the rocks, and then go back down and do the Rim Trail for the views of the lake. It's not a long hike, but there is that "hill", lol.

I entered the Ansel Adams Wilderness to reach 1000 Island Lake…read more Start the 16-mile roundtrip hike with almost 4000' elevation gain at the Silver Lake Campground on the June Lake Loop. Take the trail towards Agnew and Gem Lakes that transverses a cable-pulled rail line. Just before reaching the dam at Agnew Lake, follow signs to Clark Lakes by diverting left to the toughest part of the hike that goes up a rock scree. Enjoy the Clark Lakes and then follow the signs to 1000 Island Lake where the terrain rolls up and down. When approaching 1000 Island from the east, a climatic build up occurs as the trail skirts along a cascading river to one of best lakes imaginable. It's impossible to oversell the beauty of this large mountain lake dotted with vegetated islands and backed by towering granite crags. Although a long hike, plenty of stuff to see along the way maintains interest. Not monotonous (like hikes with only dense forest where every tree stump looks the same), the beginning has great views of Silver Lake followed by the industrial dams and rail tracks, and then the lushly green Clark Lakes - a worthwhile visit of their own. The busiest area was near 1000 Island Lake despite being the furthest from civilization. Consequently, my day-hiker self was in the minority amid the overnight backpackers and the trailhead parking lot was only half full. In late June 2022 during a drought, the lakes were full of water and patches of snow existed but never across the trail.

Activity type: Backpacking Elevation gain at start: 7280…read moreLength: 36 miles total Trail type: out and back Skill level: moderate to strenuous Duration: 3 nights/4 days Top Elevation: 11,500 Total elevation gain: 7882 This hike will start you at the Rush Creek Trail at 7,280. Having climbed this trail so many times It still doesn't get old. It's the Labor Day w/e so the campground was packed with RV's . Although there were a couple of spots left for us backpackers. It was the perfect weather to hike in at 78 degrees. First Man made lake you will encounter will be Gem Lake at 9058 ft. The condition for this lake was appalling. The water level was low and the shore around it was dry. Expect to gain 1778 ft in 5 miles to get to Gem Lake. Alger Lakes is 7.5 miles from the intersection of Gem/Waugh/1000 Island. You start at 9160 ft and expect to gain 1840 ft the the very last of the three lakes. To get to the third Alger Lake you traverse a very scenic and relatively easy narrow trail surrounded by Donohue Peak at 11000 and Koip Peak at 12000. We scrambled up a class 2 nameless pass to get to a lake just below Koip Peak. It was merely a bowl of alpine lake not as big as the first Alger Lake but it was beautiful with dark rocks and nobody but us. No sign of snow since it's facing north. Although there's plenty of sign that the lake was once big and full. Rocks were exposed. Shores were much bigger. On the climb up we saw a not so visible waterfall form the lower lakes and followed it all the way up. At 11,500 the three Alger Lakes were fully exposed. What a scene! Alger Lakes are considered one of the most beautiful area to backpack. It boasts of one of the most beautiful canyon. Colors of green, blue, purple, red and yellow will play a trick on youR mind. I could swear I was in the Grand Canyon. Between the two canyons you will be able to get a glimpse of June lake resort. This is a very difficult hike with a lot of steep switchback climbs for miles and miles. Although the reward in the end and on the way in is worth it's weight in whatever precious metal you can think of. This is a very windy area. It may run 78-80 degrees during the day but the wind is chilled ice at 15-20 miles an hour. You. Will. Get. Cold! At night the wind is even worse. So pack some warm but light clothing and secure your tent. But this is one of my most rewarding trip. Awesome! #backpacking rocks # getoffyourbutt #getoffmybutt #11500 #koip peak12000.

This really is an easy trail going up to some gorgeous views. It doesn't have switchbacks, but it…read morealso doesn't go straight up the hill (contrary to the other review). Instead, it gradually goes up at a cross slope. It was windy when we went here, so we nearly got blown away. A hint it to park by the Old Mammoth Lakes Rd, walk up the road for the water tower to where the trail veers off to the left. Nice little hike.

My family loved this short hike. There appears to be two trails; one for hikers and the other for…read morebikes. The trail is shady and easy to hike. Great views once you get to the top. We saw deer along the way up! The trailhead is located near the road and there isn't much parking near the trailhead. We parked at twin lakes and walked to the trailhead. Great for kids and photo ops !

The best mountain I have ever climbed was Mt.Whitney. However, I remember Mt.Dana more often. I…read moreclimbed Mt.Dana to acclimatize two days before I climbed Mt.Whitney. Because the purpose of our trip was Mt.Whitney, I was not very excited about climbing Mt.Dana. I know that responsible hikers should always prepare for the trails they plan to hike, but I had been too lazy to print out the trail map of Mt.Dana. Another reason I thought I didn't need to do such preparation was that our leader had done the same trip six years in a row with exactly the same itinerary. So I was planning to follow him and actually I did follow him. It was quite an interesting trail. During the first half, we were able to see a lot of plants and flowers that were specific for high altitudes. On the last half of the trail were only rocks because plants couldn't survive in the higher altitude. There were no obvious trails through the rocks although there were some cairns and flags to show hikers a good path to the summit. I really like this primitive kind of trail. It was stereotypic Eastern Sierra summer scenery; bone dry, brown, and quiet, with strong sunlight. The higher we climbed, the thinner the air became. That made it harder for us to breathe and we stopped talking. I knew that it was only six miles to the crest, but I couldn't see the top. I felt like it would take forever to reach the top. That made me psychologically exhausted. At the same time, I got more time to think by myself. It was hard but I really like this solitude for some reason. When I finally reached the summit, I forgot all the pain. Surprisingly, I was able to see the whole Mono Lake from the top. I had been to Mono Lake but never saw all the lake at one time. It was the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. Because I had not looked up any photos from the summit of Mt.Dana, I was able to be surprised by the scenery. Nature rewards me with great scenery and several kinds of emotion that I never have in daily life. This is the reason I can't stop climbing mountains. Some people believe that mountains have some spiritual power and some places such as Mt.Shasta are known as power spots. I still don't really understand or feel that kind of power, but I got a sense of mountain's strength a little.

You won't find the Mt. Dana Summit Trail on your National Park Service map and you're unlikely to…read morefind it in your hiking guidebook either. What you will find on this trail however, is a challenging trip up the second highest peak in Yosemite National Park which rewards with some of the best panoramic views you'll experience anywhere.

12 MILES IN WITH NO POOP OUT BUS, LAST SIX MILES WERE PAINFUL…read more BACKGROUND: Located a few miles west of the bustling ski/vacation resort of Mammoth Lakes, the Agnew Meadows trailhead offers peace and quiet, quick access to some of the most beautiful scenery in the Sierra, as well as an easy approach to some of the range's most revered peaks. Banner Peak, Mt. Ritter, and the Minarets are all easily reached out of this trailhead via the River Trail/Shadow Lake trail/Pacific Crest Trail (south). San Joaquin Mountain and Mt. Davis can also be climbed from the same trailhead, via the Agnew Pass/Pacific Crest Trail (north). STATS: Shuttle hike ($7.00) http://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/reds-meadow-and-devils-postpile-shuttle-information.htm Max 15 ppl can congregate Distance: You decide. Our final count was just a smidge over 18 miles Gain: 2500 ft (depending on what you decide to hike) Starting Elevation: ~7500 Max Elevation ~9700 Know the signs of altitude sickness (headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Exertion aggravates the symptoms) No lavatories of any sort along trail except for the outdoors ESSENTIALS: Know your limits Experience with altitude (altitude sickness is deadly) -do the research Comfortable hiking shoes with good lugs Trekking poles Layered Clothing Rain gear (regardless of time of year) Windbreaker Hat (optional) Sunscreen High protein food/snacks At least 5 liters of water/Electrolytes Camera OUR ROUTE: We arrived at the Adventure Center at 7:30 and paid our $7.00 to board the Reds Meadow/Devil's Postpile shuttle. We offloaded the bus at the first stop, Agnew Meadows, to start our hike. Starting out briefly on a portion of the PCT we headed towards Olaine Lake (2 miles, loss of 300 feet elevation). We crossed the Middle Fork San Joaquin River and that's where the fun started. An elevation gain of about 650 feet for the next mile until we reached Shadow Lake. Shadow lake is the largest of the many lakes we passed on our route. Continuing onto the west side of Shadow we joined the John Merrill Trail which led us to Devil's Postpile. What an amazing site. From Wiki... "The name "Devil's Postpile" refers to a dark cliff of columnar basalt. Radiometric dating indicates the formation was created by a lava flow at some time less than 100,000 years ago. The source of the lava is thought to have been somewhere near Upper Soda Springs campground at the north end of Pumice Flat on the floor of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, from where it flowed to the site of the Postpile. Estimates of the formation thickness range from 400 feet (120 m) to 600 feet (180 m)." A glacier later removed much of this mass of rock and left a polished surface on top of the columns with very noticeable glacial striations and glacial polish." After Shadow we continued the second and larger elevation gain of about 700 feet over a mile long stretch as we approach Rosalie Lake. Our final ascent began just past Rosalie a climb of about 300 feet where we passed Gladys Lake. Alas, it was almost entirely downhill except for a few bumps along the way into Devil's Postpile." Devil's Postpile was about mile 15 and decisions needed to be made. -Check out the sites around the postpile and head back to shuttle pick up stop. -Continue hiking to Rainbow Falls, which would add about 2.5-3 more miles. By this time we were all very tired and I had been hiking for several miles with what felt like blisters on my heels, and the pain was increasing rapidly. But when in Mammoth with The Crew... keep calm and hike on. A few of us continued on to Rainbow Falls. OMGoodness!!! Once we reached the falls.... pain? What pain? So amazingly beautiful. Water gushing down 102 feet, cascading off the rocks into a pool below where some brave souls were swimming around. The trek back to the shuttle stop was a short three milers, but all uphill. Talk about pushing your limits. What a fantastic day on trail, so many lakes to see and greenery all around. Yeah, I'd do it again. Only next time, I'd like to take more time to "play". DISCLAIMER: Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please, if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Remember when going for a hike, no matter how short you think it may be, always be prepared. Carry at least two liters of water for every five miles (more if the weather is warm), protein bar, nuts, and electrolytes. Wear sturdy lug sole shoes and protective clothing. Some areas the weather can change quicker than a fireman can put on his gear. It is also very important, always always always let a family member or friend know where you are going and when you expect to be back. #HIKING #ADVANCEDHIKERS #KNOWYOURLIMITS #HIKINGMAMMOTH #MAMMOTH #AGNEWMEADOWS #DEVILSPOSTPILE #RAINBOWFALLS

My first time doing this hike and loved it little bit of a challenge, but so worth doing it. There…read moreis an incline so just take your time and take breaks. Really pretty views and the lake was really beautiful. It's worth doing the hike.

The trailhead is off the June Lake Loop between the Four Seasons Lodge and Double Eagle Resort…read more Road signs mark the turn off to a short dirt road that crosses a little wooden bridge. Similar to Crystal Lake (one of the Mammoth Lakes), Fern Lake didn't have special features like cascades, unique colors in the water, or impressive surrounding cliffs. An island with tree obscures seeing across the lake. The trail and Fern Lake had no ferns. It's a good lake but I saw five prettier lakes the day before when going to 1000 Island Lake. Reaching Fern Lake requires a short 3.1-mile roundtrip hike with steep 1500' elevation change. I didn't go to Yost Lake but took a few extra steps towards Yost Lake where a footbridge over Fern Creek was an attractive watery sight. Unexpectedly, the parking lot provided the most entertaining part of the visit. Like watching a nature video, I saw a coyote (sans Acme rocket booster) catch a squirrel (not a road runner) in the parking lot.

Oct 2015, I hiked up to Mt.Conness from Young Lake side. It is the easiest route to the top. From…read morethe trailhead in Tuolumne to Young lake is about 6-7 miles. No official trail from there to the top, but there is a used trail basically all the way to summit. Some portion is not clear, though. Some portion is scree and some scrambling but not so difficult. We started 2:30 pm and summited 5, then back to Young lake (camped) around 6:30 p.m. The view was stunning. Just beautiful. It is worth climbing.

The vast majority of people that visit Saddlebag Lake never get more than a mile or two beyond its…read moreshores, but if you're willing to put in some extra effort you can reach the summit of 12,590 ft Mt Conness. The summit can be reached by a number of technical and non-technical routes, from the Class 2 S Slopes (from the E) to the classic 10c Harding Route (SW Face). The N Ridge/W Ridge (5.6) link-up is highly recommended and along with Matthes Crest, is one of my favorite early season climbs. The S Slopes approach technically starts/ends from Sawmill Campground, but if you've parked at the lake to access the N Ridge you can cross-country to save yourself the pavement trek. Note that the road generally opens after Tioga Pass, so call ahead or expect some extra miles. Details on routes can be found here: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150473/mount-conness.html