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!