Mokelumne Wilderness, California, USA

August 2022

Sometimes all we need is a quick overnight trip into the mountains to rejuvenate us for the busy weeks ahead. With the kids adjusting to their first weeks back at school, work demands, and life stressors, Casey and I craved another trip, albeit short, into the beautiful Sierra Nevada. Immersing ourselves into the forest, climbing to rewarding views, escaping the crowds and city noises… this is exactly the medicine we constantly need for our mental health. When all we have is a free weekend, we look for short trips with big rewards that are relatively easy to get to. We opted to explore part of the Mokelumne Wilderness, an area we spotted on the map that was new to us. Located in the Eldorado National Forest, this wilderness area boasts ancient volcanic ridges alongside the more common granitic rocks of the Sierra batholith. Wildflowers bloom en mass during the warmer months, and it is quite a popular destination for photographers and botanists alike. For more details about this area, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/eldorado/specialplaces/?cid=fsbdev7_019063.

The drive up scenic Highway 88 is easy, and we opted to explore the Blue Lakes area on this cloudless weekend in late August. In Hope Valley, just beyond Carson Pass, Blue Lakes Road meanders for 20 miles to two lakes that PG&E created by damming the Blue River. There are several popular FCFS campgrounds near the lakes that are managed by PG&E. We left the Bay Area Saturday morning, self-issued permit in hand, and drove the 4.5 hours to the Grouse Lake Trailhead parking area near the dam at Upper Blue Lake.

The trail begins just after crossing the dam, and wanders easily through dense forest of lodgepole and white pine, mountain hemlock, and Jeffrey Pine for a mile or so. As the trees begin to thin out and granite dominates the landscape, the trail climbs gradually for another mile up to scenic Granite Lake. This is a very popular lake for day hikers, welcoming recreational fisherman, picnickers, and swimmers alike. We spotted hoards of baby trout in the shallows next to the trail.

After passing the lake, the trail climbs a low ridge before dropping into several small forested valleys. It then begins climbing again as the trees thin considerably. Be sure to turn around and marvel at the views of the nearby peaks and valleys. After the first short climb you can see Meadow Lake below. A 500′ moderate climb leads to the high point of the Grouse Lake trail as it follows a wide expanse that sits below the ridge. The views along this portion of the trail are outstanding. Here, small groups of white bark pine, sub alpine fir, and western juniper can be found throughout the granite landscape. This late in the summer, there was one spring still actively flowing. The wildflowers clustered along its narrow gully down to Snow Canyon below. Surprisingly, we had cell service the entire time, thanks to being in the line of sight with Mt. Reba to the south (Bear Valley ski resort).

We started our climb down to Grouse Lake, but then decided that we wanted to camp with these amazing views. Thanks to a moonless night, the stars would be amazing and we didn’t want to be down in the forested valley surrounding the lake. Thus, we opted to turn around and camp close enough to the spring so we could get fresh water when we needed it. This would also be an ideal starting point for a hike up to Deadwood Peak in the morning.

We found a flat spot next to a large rock outcropping with a view of Snow Canyon below, and set up camp for the night. Our homemade dinner-in-a-bag was delicious after the long drive and hiking in the sun. The sounds of the babbling creek were barely audible from our perch, but we couldn’t find a flat spot any closer to the water. That evening, the sunset was beautiful and the stars did not disappoint.

Rising early the next morning, we shared a large bag of instant oatmeal, with dried blueberries, strawberries, and banana mixed in as the sun rose over the mountains. We headed up to the spring to filter water, marveling at the late season wildflowers clustered around the creek.

Hiking poles in hand, we then headed straight up the steep slope towards the ridge. The going was a little slow due to the steepness of the loose scree, along with the altitude. Once we reached the crest, it was ridge walking at its finest! We were treated to 360° views of the surrounding peaks: Mount Round Top and Fourth of July Peak rose majestically above Summit City Canyon. To the south, Mt. Reba and the ridge above Hwy 4 were in direct sight, with the peaks of Carson-Iceberg and Emigrant Wilderness beyond. The furthest peak I could distinguish was Tower Peak in Hoover Wilderness, way off in the distance. We signed the summit register at the top of 9846′ Deadwood Peak and ate a snack while soaking in the expansive views.

Heading back, we followed the ridge until an obvious gully led down to the Grouse Lake trail. We broke down camp, packed up our bags, and followed the trail back to our car. It felt nice to soak our feet and wash the dust off our legs near the boat ramp in Upper Blue Lake. Overall, a relaxing ending to a short backpack into the wilderness.

Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington, USA

July, 2021

Glacier Peak Wilderness is a beautiful and remote area located in the Central Washington Cascades. Dominated by the 10,541′ Glacier Peak stratovolcano, the wilderness area contains deep glacial canyons, colorful lakes, and several popular hiking routes. For this trip, we chose an out and back, mainly due to time constraints and washed out trail reports that prevented us from doing the popular loop option through Buck Creek Pass. We began our trip at the 3500′ Phelps Creek trailhead. The bumpy Chiwawa River forest road out of Cole’s Corner made us glad that we rented a 4WD vehicle at the airport. Since our flight came in mid-day and the drive took several hours, we decided to camp at one of the many walk-in campgrounds along the road. We found the sites at Nineteen Mile Campground peaceful and had the night to ourselves.

The next morning, we drove to the TH and began a nice, 6.5 mile gradual 1900′ ascent to Spider Meadows along the Phelps Creek trail. Spider Meadow is a very popular spot for large group camping, families with kiddos, and backpackers wanting to get an early start up the Spider Gap glacier. The meadow is huge, surrounded by snow-melt waterfalls cascading down steep rock faces, and has a plethora of amazing campsites. Once we crossed the meadow we began the steep switchbacks up to the base of Spider Glacier. Looking down the valley we had just hiked up gave us a feeling of accomplishment, but the climb was only half done.

Now it was starting to get fun! We put on our microspikes and climbed up the snow fields of Spider Glacier. The views were spectacular, and we spotted several wolf spiders in the snow along the way. At the top of 7100′ Spider Gap, we could see many of the peaks and valleys of the Glacier Peak Wilderness area, as well as the beautiful Lyman Lakes below. Below Spider Gap one can descend via the large snowfield on the left or the scree on the right. We opted to hike down the snowfield until we spotted some cairns and use trails along the lower portion of the scree field. The trail is easy to lose and quite slippery; hiking poles came in handy many times. We found the trail alongside the turquoise colored upper Lyman Lakes and hiked a most scenic descent down to milky-white lower Lyman Lake. There were many campsites along this route, along with fields of wildflowers, gorgeous views, and seasonal streams.

From the stream crossing at Lower Lyman, at the intersection of the Cloudy Pass trail via Holden Village, we climbed another 1.8 miles up to Cloudy Pass in search of a scenic spot to make camp. The upper meadows were filled with white pasqueflower and curious marmots. To the SW we had amazing views of Fortress, Chiwawa, and Red Mountains. The mosquitos were plentiful in this area, and despite wearing bug nets and permethrin-treated clothes, we got many bites. We resorted to eating in our tent and brushing our teeth under our head nets that evening.

The colorful sunset and sunrise were breathtaking from Cloudy Pass! We positioned our tent along the ridge to have a view of distant Glacier Peak.

The next morning we decided to hike out to Miner’s Ridge and Image Lake. We took the climber’s route along the scree field to Suiattle Pass to join the PCT for a mere 0.8 miles until the turnoff for Image Lake. This trail was less used and quite brushy, and we enjoyed even more solitude along the way. There was an exciting creek crossing just above a decent-sized waterfall. We chose to soak our feet and wash off in the creek on our hike back. It was fun exploring ruins from an old miner’s camp, but the big WOW factor came while traversing along Miner’s Ridge. The views of Glacier Peak and surrounding valley were spectacular. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. The meadows along the ridge trail were full over wildflowers and butterflies. We opted to eat lunch on some boulders overlooking the valley and heard (then spotted) some fighter jets circumnavigating Glacier Peak itself.

We hiked back to our camp at Cloudy Pass, packed up our tent, grateful the marmots hadn’t chewed their way inside, and descended to Lower Lyman Lake. We decided to push the 3+ miles up to the Upper Lyman Lakes to find a campsite. There were a few groups at each “designated campsite area”, and preferring privacy, we explored the area near the waterfall between Upper and Lower Lyman to find a suitable campsite. The cloudy waters of the upper lakes, due to rock flour from the surrounding peaks, were cold and refreshing. The weather that evening was brisk but the views of the peaks surrounding the lake made up for it.

The next morning, we awoke to very chilly temps and packed up to head out on our final day. We climbed up the glacier above Upper Lyman Lake to Spider Gap and enjoyed the expansive views once again. We had fun trying to glissade on our waterproof jackets down parts of Spider Glacier. It was bumpy due to melting snow and I think my tailbone was a little sore afterwards. We enjoyed soaking our feet in the frigid glacial waters below the snow and took our time packing up after lunch. We then descended back through Spider Meadow and along Phelps Creek to the trailhead and our waiting car. Overall we clocked over 35 miles and over 11K feet of elevation gain for a rewarding destination trip!

Hoover Wilderness, California, USA

July, 2021

Hoover Wilderness is a unique geological area within Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest and far northern Inyo National Forest, lying just east of the Sierra crest and north of Yosemite National Park. Colorful rock formations, diverse wildflowers, and abundant alpine lakes dominate the landscape. We created this loop trip because we prefer them over out-and-backs. We usually aim to cover more mileage on weekend trips, but due to a majority of the trip being above +10,000′, we decided to take it easy and aimed for under 20 miles. This allowed more down time to relax and wade in the cold waters. Because we were starting in Hoover Wilderness, we obtained our permits through that area on Rec.gov and indicated that we would be spending our second night in Yosemite. As long as you enter and exit via another wilderness area, you are permitted to backpack in Yosemite with your overnight permit. Bear canisters are required in both wilderness areas.

We left the bay area and drove 5 1/2 hours to the Green Creek trailhead just south of Bridgeport, via Hwy 108/Sonora Pass. The trailhead lies at 8000′, so we knew it would take a little time to acclimate coming straight from sea level. After loading up our packs, we embarked on the level, well-marked trail towards Green Lake. We had checked the forecast and knew there was a chance of thunderstorms, but we’d lost cell service hours ago and didn’t have an updated timeline. Well, this is where we learned our first hard and hysterical lesson: utilize the Garmin InReach weather forecast instead of relying on cell phone weather apps! Within 20 minutes of leaving our car, we were absolutely drenched in hard rain for about 45 minutes. We quickly put on our rain jackets and pack covers, but it was too late and the rain had already soaked down our bare legs into our socks and shoes! We tried to take cover under some large Sugar Pines, but they provided little relief. It probably would’ve been good to hike back to the car, but we had no idea how long the rainstorm would last. Thankfully, we laughed through the entire ordeal and when the rain stopped 45 minutes later, we trudged onward. Our ultralight clothing dried fairly quickly as we gradually climbed 2.5 miles towards popular Green Lake. Once there, we pushed on to East Lake, where we intended to camp for the night.

The trail climbed 500 ft over 1.2 miles via long switchbacks through dense forest and wildflowers, crossing over Green Creek several times. The crossings were easy thanks to strategically placed rocks and logs.

We reached East Lake at an elevation of 9458′ after 4 miles of hiking. The gathering storm clouds made for some dramatic views. There were several signs indicating where not to camp, so we ventured beyond them and crossed the small outlet dam. We couldn’t find a suitable place to camp, so we continued along the trail to a peninsula high above the water. Several hundred feet off the trail and closer to the lake, we found a nice spot sheltered from the wind (in case it rained again… it didn’t) with killer views. After pitching our tent, we used extra guide lines to hang our wet socks and boots, which proved to be quite effective since they were dry by morning.

The next morning the still water showcased amazing reflections of Gabbro and Page Peaks. Countless small waterfalls cascaded down the mountains on the opposite shore. Needless to say, it was tough to leave our campsite, but we knew we’d enjoy more amazing views later that day.

We took the Green Creek Trail past several small lakes, crossing several raging outlet creeks. The forest gave way to wide open fields of boulders and wildflowers once we reached Hoover Lakes, which lie at the foot of Epidote Peak.

At the intersection of the Summit Lake trail, we turned right. At this point my lungs were working hard, and each step up to 10,183′ Summit Lake took more effort than the last. I’ve always struggled with the thinner air at higher altitudes, no matter how much cardio prep I do in advance. We rested and dipped our feet in the water along the western shores of Summit Lake and ate our lunch. The puffy white clouds and calm water offered amazing reflections, so we took many pictures, several of which were photobombed by mosquitoes.

The boundary for Yosemite Wilderness lies on the western shore of Summit Lake. We descended about 800′ into Virginia Canyon, and took a right at the intersection of Summit Trail and Virginia Pass Trail where it crosses Return Creek. It was obvious that the Virginia Pass Trail is rarely travelled, but we were able to find our way quite easily. The trail crosses Return Creek several times as it climbs towards the head of the canyon. Fields of wildflowers were everywhere!

Our plan for the second night was to camp somewhere near Return Lake. It was fairly easy to navigate off-trail towards Return Lake, which lies at 10,237′. Lupine lined the many outlet creeks, and we gave into the temptation to dip our legs into the cold water. We hung out at Return Lake and waded in the cold water for awhile.

There was another camper at Return Lake, so we decided to venture north toward the headwaters of Return Creek (via an unnamed lake under Virginia Peak). We found a great spot along a ridge between two babbling creeks, with epic views of the Shepherd Crest to the south. Since we had so much time, we wandered around the meadows and relaxed in the creek waters before eating dinner and settling in for the night.

We packed up the next morning and headed our way over to the “trail” that leads up Virginia Pass. This is an unmaintained trail, so we relied on our GPS to follow a safe route up. The going was steep but the views were spectacular! From 10,550′ Virginia Pass, you can see all the way to Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows. Check out all the great photos we took (all with older model cell phones).

The descent was a bit sketchy due to all the scree and a very faint “trail”, but the scenery made up for it. We passed old mining equipment from the long-abandoned Glines Canyon Mine. Because we had less miles to cover, we felt like we could dawdle and take it easy… a big difference from our normally clipped pace. The trail followed the West Fork of Green Creek so we were treated to waterfalls and oodles of wildflowers along the way. Once we approached the western shore of Green Lake, we saw several piles of bear scat. At this point we didn’t see a single person except for the one camper at Return Lake the day before. After a few miles we met up with the popular Green Creek Trail and followed it back to the trailhead. Overall, it was a very rewarding adventure!

Emigrant Wilderness, California, USA

October 2020

We love the Emigrant Wilderness not only for its easy access, but for it’s beauty and remoteness. Like much of the Sierra Nevada, the Emigrant Wilderness is a land of endless granite landscapes carved out by glaciers and water over millions of years. It is a place where the pines, cedars, and firs of the Stanislaus National Forest gradually thin as granite cliffs, mountain tops, and monoliths take over. It goes without saying that we tend to plan our backpacking routes to satiate our craving for adventure. So for this trip into the Emigrant, we wanted to explore several “off-trail” lakes and an old horse camp that we spotted on our trusty Tom Harrison topo map. The contours appeared navigable as we created our custom route on AllTrails.

Starting at the Crabtree Trailhead, the trail climbs gradually up a forested ridge for 2.5 miles to the easily accessible Camp Lake.  If you listen carefully, you might hear cowbells in the distance, as ranchers frequently use areas of the Stanislaus NF to graze their cattle. Occasionally we’ve had the pleasure of running into small herds of forest cattle. They seem a little out of place, but don’t seem to bother anyone. Camp Lake is a popular spot for picnicking day hikers and swimmers alike. Thus, overnight camping is not allowed at this lake due to its popularity.

It is important to note that there are 2 parallel routes into the “middle” Emigrant. Both can be accessed by the Crabtree, Pine Valley, or Bell Meadow Trailheads. The Bell Meadow Trail pretty much parallels the Crabtree Trail for about 14 miles, and can create a variety of nice loops (via connector trails) to explore depending on how much time you have. We chose to start our trip on the Crabtree Trail and return via Bell Meadow Trail for a change of scenery.  Crabtree has more ups and downs and expansive views, as it sits a little higher in elevation, while the Bell Meadow trail follows a canyon, passes sheer cliffs and crosses through Pine Valley full of remnants of past wildfires. Both result in similar elevation changes while offering different perspectives of the terrain.

From there, the Crabtree Trail descends into canyons and climbs ridges, undulating in this familiar fashion for miles.  As we hiked further into the Emigrant, more rock formations began to appear and the crowds thinned. Once the trail descended the first canyon down to Piute Meadow, we turned south on a small connector trail to join up with the Bell Meadow trail. This flat, sandy area trail junction is called Groundhog Meadow.  We peeled off our layers as the temperatures started to rise. Heading east on the Bell Meadow Trail we climbed through a cool forest and descended into another scenic canyon.

We left the official “trail” at West Fork Cherry Creek, venturing south down Louse Canyon.  In the late spring and early summer, the rushing water along the creek creates gorgeous cascades for miles along this canyon.  However, at this time of year, only a few stagnant pools remained. We crossed the dry creek bed and climbed a steep, rocky slope up to beautiful Rosasco Lake.  Here the colors of autumn were starting to show in the foliage framing the lake. 

We followed our route over another rise and eventually navigated our way down the granite terrain to Hyatt Lake for the night.  On the way, I lost count of the many mounds of berry-filled bear scat we passed.  This was alarming but not surprising, and we were prepared with our bear canister full to the brim. 

Being autumn, the water level at the lake was low, allowing plenty of room to set up our tent on the beach and climb onto a rocky outcropping for some great views. We met two other friendly backpackers, who were heading back to their camp on the opposite side of the lake with some freshly caught trout.  Other than that, we didn’t spot any other hikers. The smoky skies made for an amazing sunset and sunrise the next morning.

After a restful night, we hiked up the rocks to perhaps our favorite part of the trip.  We have seen it referred to as the “granite superhighway”: this huge granite bowl between Hyatt and Big Lakes that empties into Cherry Creek Canyon.  We stood in awe of the immensity of the “bowl”. 

After taking a ton of photos that wouldn’t do it any justice, we skirted around the upper flanks to a notch where our route would take us over to Big Lake.  Climbing up the boulders, we were amazed to see horse poop, a sign that they too ventured along this steep path.

We were treated to more bear scat while passing Big Lake, not wanting to stop as we were eager to reach our destination. I would like to go back to enjoy this lake another time, as I hear the fishing is pretty good. Following our GPS, we eventually made our way over to the highlight of our trip: the historic Yellowhammer Camp.

Located 15 miles into the Emigrant Wilderness near Yellowhammer Lake, the existing Yellowhammer Camp was constructed in 1922 by Fred Leighton at the site of an old cow camp cabin from the 1890s. Most of the buildings were made with local sugar pine logs and seemed to be in pretty good shape. They included a few small cabins, a barn, a hitching post, an outhouse, and various dilapidated items.  There were remnants of recent visitors (Aspen Meadows Pack Station leads multi-day horse packing trips out here), but on this day we had the entire place to ourselves.  It was fun exploring the camp in such a remote area and it felt like a mini ghost town!

After spending over an hour at the camp enjoying our lunch, we decided to do a little cross-country navigation over to Pingree Lake.  We headed straight up the granite behind the camp. This required some steep climbing in the heat of the day, but proved to be a fun adventure. With our GPS and good sense of direction, we made our way up to Pingree Lake and enjoyed its cool water as the smoke from nearby wildfires closed in. 

As the smoke gradually began to thicken, we decided to make our way down towards Rosasco Lake for the night.  Donning neck gaiters over our faces, we followed a horse trail down to what we thought was our trail intersection, but we were wrong! We were following cairns that led us away from our destination. Luckily after some backtracking, we found our original route and headed over to Rosasco Lake, only to find a large group of campers with some aggressively barking dogs at the only viable site.  Since we wanted more privacy, we found a small tarn just below the outlet creek and pitched our tent in a clearing. We soaked our tired feet in the cold water and happily ate our dinner.  

Because of the fire ban that summer, we couldn’t use any fuel sources to cook our meals.  This was a perfect opportunity to experiment with cold soaking!  For this evening, we had soaked brown “minute rice” with dehydrated black beans and a little taco seasoning for about an hour.  We then added crushed BBQ bean chips and turkey jerky.  It was surprisingly delicious! After dinner we climbed up the cliffs for a sunset view. The smoke cast an eerie glow to this pic.

The next morning, the smoke had cleared. We decided to venture down the “outlet creek” from Rosasco to see where it led, since it appeared like it drained into Hyatt Lake. After following the creek downstream for 15 minutes or so, we were cliffed out, but we could see Hyatt Lake way off into the distance. We vowed to come back sometime to explore. Once we packed up camp, we began the climb back down to Louse Canyon. 

We enjoyed the different scenery for our return trip along the Bell Meadows trail, and found a few groves of yellowing aspen along the way.  Trail engineers had carved stairs into the granite in a few sections, and we marveled at the high cliffs. We crossed through the charred tree trunks of Pine Valley, which showed hopeful signs of regrowth after a devastating wildfire ripped through there in 2003. It was hot and stagnant in the valley with the lack of shade and vegetation. At the trail junction, we turned north and climbed 500ft up a ridge to the intersection with Crabtree Trail, ultimately making our way back to the trailhead.  Along the way we chatted with a friendly older gentleman who was going out for 2-3 weeks with his fishing gear. Much respect!

Once back at the car, we changed our clothes, wiped the dirt and dust off our bodies with baby wipes, put our sore and tired feet in our trusty Crocs, and headed down the mountain. We clocked over 5000′ of elevation gain and 32 miles over three days. We were proud of ourselves for adding yet another amazing trip to our backpacking memories. 

Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite National Park, California, USA

July 2020

Getting There and Logistics

The Hoover Wilderness Robinson Creek Trailhead, located in Twin Lakes just outside of Bridgeport, is the best access point for this lollipop loop into NE Yosemite. While this route contains over half its miles in Yosemite National Park, overnight permits must be reserved through Hoover Wilderness. This is because the trailhead entry/exit is outside of Yosemite. Any trips that begin/end in Yosemite must be made following national park reservation guidelines. From June 15 – October 15, there is a daily quota for each trailhead for overnight visitors. Bear canisters are required for overnight travel into both Hoover and Yosemite. While traveling throughout any Wilderness area, all rules and regulations must be followed, including fire restrictions. More information can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/detail/htnf/passes-permits/

We made the 5 hour drive from the Bay Area and spent the night at Robinson Creek Campground to help with altitude acclimatization, securing one of the last walk-in sites. Early the next morning, we drove to the end of Twin Lakes and paid the $15 overnight backpackers parking fee at Annette’s Mono Village. Bears frequent the area, so any scented items were stored in our extra bear canister and stashed underneath our car. To access the Robinson Creek trailhead, we walked straight through the campground (there are no signs) along a road with an open meadow on our left. The wilderness trailhead sign is posted next to the fire road after the last campsites disappear.

The Route

Trip Report and Route Description

The wide trail meandered through a forest of large Jeffrey Pine while maintaining a gentle incline before emptying out into a meadow with views of little Slide Canyon and the Sawtooth Range. In about 3 miles, the trail climbed for another mile up easy switchbacks through groves of quaking aspen, until it reached photogenic Barney Lake. This is a very popular destination for dayhikers to enjoy swimming, picnicking, and taking in the views. (Scroll down to check out our photos of Barney Lake from the hike out, as the incoming storm clouds made for dramatic effect!)

After a quick stop to adjust our packs and eat a light snack at the lake, we continued along the right side of the lake towards the beginning of our loop. This part of the trail has full sun exposure, so we were glad to be hiking it in the morning hours. Wildflowers lined the trail and clustered around the runoff creeks, so the going was slow because of all the photo ops!

We crossed Robinson Creek and began our partially shaded climb along the trail, staying within earshot of the creek. 1.5 miles and several switchbacks later, we came to a fork in the trail that would begin our giant lollipop loop over the next few days. We hung a left, gradually climbing just over 1.5 miles to the scenic Robinson Lakes and Crown Lake. The views became more majestic as we neared 11,364′ Crown Point. Colorful wildflowers continued to line the trail, and the clear blue water beckoned our aching feet.

We soaked our feet in the cold waters of Crown Lake then began an intense 1000′ climb over 1.5 miles up to Mule Pass. We had left the crowds behind, enjoying the feeling of solitude on the empty trail. As we climbed, we observed alpine songbirds defending a nest, tiny frogs and fish in glacial runoff creeks, and wildflowers as far as the eye could see. Patches of snow lined the trail the further we climbed. We reached a high meadow, navigated our way across a large flooded meadow, and eventually made it atop Mule Pass.

At 10,470′, Mule Pass is located just below Slide Mountain. This is the boundary of Yosemite National Park. We soaked in the expansive views from the pass, noting our destination in the distance. We had planned to camp in the valley below the Sawtooth Range, but a group of backpackers advised us that the camping near the tarn below the Finger Peaks was amazing. This area was about 4.5 miles further along. It would be a push, especially on our first day at altitude, but we were willing to try! The trail descended through lush pine forest to the base of what I call “upper Slide Canyon” and a beautiful meandering creek. The sounds of running water accompanied us for the remainder of the hike. It was getting late and we were hungry for dinner, so we stopped to boil water and soak our dehydrated meals. We usually start night 1 with our favorite meal to share, the Backpacker’s Pantry Three Sister’s Stew. We lumbered along for another 30 minutes while the food soaked and decided to eat on some rocks overlooking a verdant meadow. The trail disappeared a few times due to some flooding in the meadow, but we eventually climbed our way up to the unnamed tarns below the Finger Peaks. It was windy, so we found a spot to pitch our tent in the shelter of some big rocks and settled in for the night. We woke several times to see the amazing star-scape, including Venus and the moon rising above the Sawtooth Range.

It was a chilly morning when we awoke, so we packed up after finishing a quick breakfast of Poptarts and dried fruit. Even though 10,650′ Burro Pass was only a half mile away, our bodies moved slowly as we sucked air, still not used to the low oxygen at higher altitude. We had been taking Diamox for a few days, but acclimating has always been a struggle for us flatlanders. Reaching the top of Burro Pass, the wind whipped up Matterhorn Canyon and felt refreshing. With Matterhorn Peak directly in front of us, we took tons of photos and relished the views of the canyon.

The descent into Matterhorn Canyon was unreal… it felt like we were in another country. We didn’t see another person in the entire canyon. In fact, it wasn’t until early evening that we saw another human on the trail! We took our time hiking down the 5+ mile long canyon (it was all downhill, after all), stopping several times to splash our feet in the water and cool our knees. Once again, the wildflower displays were fabulous and the cascades plentiful. The day warmed up and by the time we hit the PCT at the Matterhorn Creek crossing in a large, flat meadow, it was downright hot. Thus began our 4.5 mile ascent up Wilson Creek canyon towards Benson Pass. We were surprised to see a plethora of small trout in the creek! The combination of Diamox, heat, and perhaps dehydration (although I was drinking a ton of water and electrolytes) had me feeling quite weak, so after a few miles of switchbacks we lumbered over to the creek to rest. To our delight, we found some great potholes to “swim” in and took almost an hour cooling off in the refreshingly cold water.

We returned to the trail and continued our climb up to 10,140′ Benson Pass. Hungry for dinner, we boiled water at the crest and let our dehydrated food soak for about 20 minutes before scarfing it down on some rocks halfway down the other side of the pass. We reached Smedberg Lake in about 2.5 miles, and set up our tent on a ledge overlooking the water just before dusk. There were several solo campers scattered around the lake, which was to be expected now that we were on the PCT superhighway. That evening, while falling asleep, we heard a small mammal (a weasel or pine martin perhaps?) fiddling with our hiking poles. By the time we got out of the tent it had chewed through the straps and gnawed off the foam handles on 3 of them!!! Lesson learned–from then on we stored our poles inside the vestibules. The mosquitoes were relentless at dusk and dawn, later noting that this was the worst spot for the little blood suckers on the entire trip.

We set out early the next morning and spotted a family of Sooty Grouse (aka forest chickens) on the trail. Instead of following the curve of the trail, we opted for some fun off-trail navigation and ventured toward the outlet creek for Smedberg. It was a little tricky going down some steep granite slabs and required some minor bouldering. However, we were treated to a nice waterfall and the chance to fill our hydration bladders with some delicious water. After chilling in the sun for a bit, we met up with the trail and began a long, steep, and arduous 2000′ descent to Benson Lake. At 7581′, Benson Lake would be the lowest point on our route, not counting the trailhead. Taking the 0.4 mile spur trail to the lake itself led us through a marshy forest full of leopard lilies, butterflies, and (no surprise here) mosquitoes.

Often referred to as “the Riveria of the Sierra”, Benson Lake sports a long sandy beach and gorgeous mountain views. Luckily, we had the entire place to ourselves! We couldn’t help but chill in the sand for over an hour after taking a dip in the icy cold water. We reluctantly left the lake in the afternoon, and climbed steadily in the heat towards 9150′ Seavy Pass. I neglected to fill up my hydration bladder at the tarns along the pass, so by the time we left the PCT and descended down to Rancheria Creek, I was thirsty. We filtered the cool water and emerged into some of the loveliest meadows I have ever seen. It was iconic Yosemite high country, and we couldn’t take enough photos. We took off our shoes for each creek crossing (there were several wide crossings) and enjoyed the feel of the soft sand beneath our feet. Evening was upon us, so we stopped to eat our dinner on some boulders next to the trail. We met a friendly couple who eagerly chatted with us for about 45 minutes about backpacking, gear, trails, and adventures (all the fun things!). We noticed that the light in the canyon was beginning to dim, so we said our goodbyes after exchanging emails and lumbered on another mile or so before leaving the trail to find a good camp spot.

When we woke the next morning, we decided to venture further off trail to peaceful Arndt Lake. We climbed some rocks above the lake and were rewarded with an expansive view of valley containing Rancheria Creek. Instead of making our way back to the trail, we paralleled it by crossing through the meadow, following the meandering creek northward. Eventually we hopped back on the trail, climbed a few hundred feet through a pine forest, and emerged in scenic Kerrick Meadow. Here the trail skirts the fragile meadow for 1.4 miles before reaching a junction with the Barney Lake trail. We took a right and followed an easy path for 1.2 miles to gorgeously picturesque Peeler Lake.

Peeler Lake, located at the boundary of Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite NP, is situated on the Sierra Crest. It is one of few documented lakes that have outlet creeks down both sides of the Sierra Nevada: east into the Walker Basin (Nevada) and west into the Pacific Ocean. There are several designated campsites around the lake, as it’s popular for both fishing and swimming. With Crown Point as a backdrop, this lake is prime for photo ops.

Leaving the lake, we had about 7.5 miles and 2400′ to descend back to the trailhead. Clouds were just beginning to form to the south, and the further we trekked the more they increased in size and intensity. By the time we hit Barney Lake, we could see thunderheads forming in the distance. These puffy clouds made for some amazing photos at the lake. We huffed it out of there, hiking quickly over the final 4 miles as thunder boomed in the distance. Fortunately, we outhiked the storm and made it safely back to our car. We treated ourselves to an indulgent (read: unhealthy) and delicious take-out meal at Annette’s Mono Village cafe: Casey with his cheeseburger and fries and me with a grilled cheese with bacon and tomato and chips. After an amazing trek, our legs were tired, but the trip wasn’t quite over. We drove the 5.5 hours home and arrived just before midnight, immensely proud of ourselves for completing another adventure in the Sierra!

Hikers love trails, but not all states are created equal. See how your state compares to others and review the map to find the regions and states that have the most trails.

Ultimate Backpacker and Hiker Guides

For more information on couples backpacking check out our Ultimate Couples Guide to Backpacking.

For more information on hiking and backpacking supplements check out our Backpacker and Hikers Guide to Supplements.

Live Map with Miles of Trails by State

All 50 States, Ranked by Trail Miles

#1 California | 18,467 total trail miles

#2 Colorado | 11,516 total trail miles

#3 Washington | 10,590 total trail miles

#4 Oregon | 7,652 total trail miles

#5 Arizona | 6,540 total trail miles

#6 Massachusetts | 5,752 total trail miles

#7 Utah | 5,478 total trail miles

#8 New Mexico | 5,237 total trail miles

#9 Pennsylvania | 4,840 total trail miles

#10 Maine | 4,490 total trail miles

#11 New York | 4,447 total trail miles

#12 Wyoming | 4,102 total trail miles

#13 Michigan | 3,588 total trail miles

#14 Minnesota | 3,238 total trail miles

#15 Virginia | 3,194 total trail miles

#16 Texas | 3,170 total trail miles

#17 Wisconsin | 2,872 total trail miles

#18 Idaho | 2,854 total trail miles

#19 Florida | 2,670 total trail miles

#20 North Carolina | 2,634 total trail miles

#21 Alaska | 2,408 total trail miles

#22 Montana | 2,176 total trail miles

#23 Georgia | 2,152 total trail miles

#24 New Hampshire | 2,085 total trail miles

#25 Connecticut | 2,036 total trail miles

#26 Maryland | 1,975 total trail miles

#27 Nevada | 1,964 total trail miles

#28 Illinois | 1,749 total trail miles

#29 Missouri | 1,703 total trail miles

#30 Iowa | 1,697 total trail miles

#31 Ohio | 1,528 total trail miles

#32 Vermont | 1,525 total trail miles

#33 New Jersey | 1,494 total trail miles

#34 Tennessee | 1,262 total trail miles

#35 West Virginia | 1,163 total trail miles

#36 Alabama | 1,042 total trail miles

#37 South Carolina | 827 total trail miles

#38 Indiana | 738 total trail miles

#39 Hawaii | 725 total trail miles

#40 Arkansas | 633 total trail miles

#41 Kansas | 547 total trail miles

#42 Rhode Island | 519 total trail miles

#43 Oklahoma | 502 total trail miles

#44 South Dakota | 424 total trail miles

#45 Nebraska | 393 total trail miles

#46 Kentucky | 364 total trail miles

#47 Mississippi | 337 total trail miles

#48 Delaware | 215 total trail miles

#49 North Dakota | 200 total trail miles

#50 Louisiana | 181 total trail miles

Background

All trail data was aggregated via OpenStreetMap. While this OSM data gives a good idea of trail miles per state, the data may not capture all trails.

About this Guide

• This is a living guide and is added to and updated frequently
• We are open to feedback; if you have a suggestion or something you would like us to add please email us at info@destinationhikers.com
• This guide is based on experience–if we recommend a product it is because we use it ourselves

Pain, Soreness, and Inflammation Prevention and Recovery

There is always some pain to be had on the trail. Pain, soreness, and inflammation on the trail are caused by numerous reasons: heavy packs, longer mileage days, prior injury, age, etc. Between us, we have both torn our ACLs (sports injuries) and have sore neck and back issues. While solutions like Advil and Aleve work, we like to limit these and utilize natural alternatives. Some of our favorite and most effective supplements to prevent and reduce post-exercise soreness are:

Electrolyte and Hydration Mixes

Like most hikers and backpackers we both enjoy energy boosts to make it to the top of a tough climb. We also like to add electrolyte mixes to our water to ensure our bodies stay hydrated. To accomplish this, we both keep a small reusable water bottle separate from our hydration packs for adding powdered energy supplements. Here are our favorites:

Energy

We forgo coffee and instead augment early mornings and tough uphill climbs with caffeine bars, energy chews, and chocolates. Here are our favorites:

Verb Bars

Containing 80 mg of green tea caffeine per bar, Verb Bars are a welcome source of energy both pre-hike and throughout the day. These chewy bars are delicious and made with simple organic ingredients to fuel your adventures. They offer both mini caffeinated bars (3g protein) and more substantial caffeinated protein bars (10g protein), sweetened with organic agave. With such a large variety of flavors, we never get sick of these little treats. Available at grocery and outdoor stores, as well as online. Use code CASEY15428 for 30% off if ordering direct (best pricing and lots of ongoing promos).

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

About this Guide

• This is a living guide and is added to and updated frequently
• We are open to feedback; if you have a suggestion or something you would like us to add please email us at info@destinationhikers.com
• This guide is based on experience–if we recommend a product it is because we use it ourselves

About Us

Katy and I love the outdoors! Our love of the outdoors brought us together and helps to keep us together. We can do things together we would not try alone, and we both have our best friend as a hiking and backpacking partner for life!

Many couples love the outdoors, but there are few resources online for backpacking couples. Katy and I put together this guide to help other couples get the information they need to explore the outdoors together.

Planning

Planning trips around family and work schedules can be difficult, so we make it a goal to go on a destination hike on average once per month. We budget for our monthly trips and we usually only get extended weekends due to work and family schedules. We know our situation, and what we can do. Each couples’ situation is going to be different, but we think it is best to push yourself to do just a little more than is entirely comfortable.

Budgeting

Budgeting for regular destination hikes is not too complex and is very helpful. As a financial priority, Katy and I set aside our monthly travel funds based on estimates of typical travel expenses. We like to keep costs low, getting the most value possible. We budget for all expenses including low-cost airfare, food, car rental, lodging, and gas. We regularly check our estimates versus our actual expenses and even look to cut costs, where possible.

The good news is that backpacking and hiking, once you have the gear, is not terribly expensive. If we have a month that we cannot travel due to budget constraints, we will typically just hike or backpack locally to avoid the higher costs of long-distance air travel.

Set a Goal!

One of the best things we ever did was set a goal to go on a destination hike once a month. This allows us to budget for the trips, pushes us to make plans, and gives us something to look forward to every month.

Others may need to plan differently based on circumstances, perhaps destination hiking once every few months or based on the seasons, or even staying closer to home. But in the end, having a goal will help you plan and budget and make your dreams a reality.

Couples Shared Gear

Being able to share gear is a great benefit to backpacking as a couple. While two-person tents, quilts, and sleeping pads are typically heavier than their one-person counterparts, the weight can be divided amongst two people, which ultimately lightens each individual load.

We share the load not just with our sleep system, but by also only taking a single bear canister, one satellite messenger, one pocket knife, one trowel, a single bathroom accessories bag, one stove, one water filtration system, one phone charging battery, and only one emergency kit. Being able to work as a team on the trail is helpful, just as in life.

Shared Weight

Typically, I carry a little more of the weight than Katy. We try to keep our total load to no more than around 20% of our own body weight when backpacking. This is harder to stay under with more petite body types. As I am close to 185 lbs and 5’11”, I typically carry between 25 and 30 lbs at the start of a trip, which is well under 20%. Katy is closer to 105 lbs and 5’4″, so 20% for her is closer to 20 lbs, though she will typically carry around 25 lbs when starting a trip or on longer or colder trips.

We distribute the weight based on our understanding of each other’s abilities and circumstances. As an example, Katy’s knees don’t handle going down steep grades as well as mine. During these situations, I offer to take a little of the burden as it often makes the difference between an enjoyable experience and a painful one.

Couples Shared Warmth

For us, when looking for gear we also wanted to ensure we could snuggle and share warmth when sleeping on the trail. We enjoy being close to each other and did not want to sleep on two different pads with our own quilts or sleeping bags.

It took many hours of researching reviews from many different locations, but we have found the best couples backpacking sleep system available. We have since trail-tested our couples’ sleep system in Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Idaho’s notoriously cold Sawtooths, and Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness, along with many other destinations. We do make some adjustments for below-freezing temperatures, but those additions would be wise for any sleep system and they allow us to only add weight when it’s needed.

Individual Gear

While we can share many things, we do have personal preference for our individual gear. We obviously don’t share clothing, backpacks, hydration bladders, or sunglasses. Each couple will have a pretty good idea of what they feel comfortable sharing. As an example, one couple might be okay sharing a toothbrush or bathroom accessories, but another couple might not be. The choice is yours, but do plan accordingly.

Preparing

To prepare for our trips, we have a generic, all-weather, inclusive checklist (editable version) that I make a photocopy of before every trip. This is our template and checklist to ensure that we don’t forget anything for each trip. As we pack our gear we check each item off our list indicating we know it has been packed.

We will add or remove items as needed from the checklist based on expected conditions. For example, we will leave the ice axes and microspikes at home if we don’t expect snow or ice travel.

One final note on preparing is knowing your gear. It is always best to understand a nuance, or if something is not going to work well for you in your backyard versus 15+ miles in the backcountry.

Training

Training depends on what we are planning for, but we typically go on walks every day in our neighborhood and augment that with longer local hikes or workouts at the gym to train as frequently as possible. Katy is a huge fan of using the stairmaster to prepare for intense climbs.

If training for a specific hike, like the Grand Canyon, for instance, we will typically go for longer day hikes a week or two before and try to mimic the topography of the hike. In this case, we hiked from the top of the tallest local mountain (about 3800′) to the base and back up again to simulate and train for the Canyon.

Supplements

We take supplements to reduce inflammation and soreness from overexertion, give us energy, and provide us electrolytes. Some of our favorite and most effective supplements are found in our backpacker and hiker’s guide to supplements.

Nutrition

We do generally watch our nutrition intake by eating healthy, nutrient-dense food. For breakfast and snacks on the trail, we like to balance nutrient-dense protein bars, dried fruit, and salty snacks. Katy portions out the snacks by day into separate quart-sized Ziploc bags. An example of a typical bag would be:

• 2-3 protein or snack bars
• a baggie of mixed dried fruit (we like dried baby bananas, raisins, prunes, and blueberries)
• a baggie of salty snacks (we like a mix of pretzels, crackers, seasoned almonds, and broad beans… sometimes we add extra salt!)
• We are also fans of pre-made trail mix and freeze-dried fruit.

We usually stock up at Trader Joe’s before we leave, as the prices and variety cannot be beat!

We really only crave one hot meal per day, so we bring a 2 serving size freeze-dried meal for dinner, and sometimes a freeze-dried dessert. Our favorite dinner is the Three Sisters Stew by Backpacker’s Pantry.

Remembering to take photos and videos

While this may not be true for everyone, we need reminders to take photos and videos. It may be because we are so happy outside, or because I had shunned all social media accounts prior to this website, but early on we would forget to take pictures to remind us of our journey. We would always take some photos, but memories sometimes fade and having a photo or a video during a destination hike helps us remember. Plus, our kids and extended family love seeing our adventures through our photo albums.

As an idea, we also started taking videos of us together during our hikes. We check-in and address them to our “future selves”. It is really neat to go back and look at these videos and share the memories of our adventures together in this way.

Conclusion

We understand that adventuring is not for every couple, but for those that do enjoy the outdoors, backpacking and hiking together can be the keystone to a happy and successful relationship. It brings you together, forming lifelong memories, a sense of accomplishment, and physical and mental strength.

Getting out and into the wilderness takes time, planning, lots of gear, and working together. If the idea of being outside adventuring with your partner sounds appealing, backpacking as a couple is an experience you should not miss.