About a month ago, my friend and I decided to take a spontaneous, last-minute 3-day backpacking trip. It was early October and the whim came upon us, we knew we need to get out somehow, but we were worried and stressed about how. I mean, it was the day before, meaning surely all the good spots were taken up. Right? Or even if not, how on earth would we get a permit in one-day?
We crammed our hiking research in that night as if it were University finals week. What places within reasonable driving distance from LA could work? Big Sur didn’t require a permit, but getting there was a nightmare with all the road closures. There was also Yosemite, but most trails required a permit. We settled on Sequoia National Park, as most websites suggested it’d be open merely because nobody wanted to freeze to death. If freezing to death was the cost of getting away from smoggy, dirty, busy LA then we’d take it.
We drove up early that morning with no clue what we were doing, simply that we’d be sleeping in the woods one way or another. Upon arrival, my friend had one of his better ideas. We asked the park ranger what two guys could do for three days/two nights. She recommended the High Sierra trail, and in particular Hamilton Lakes. She sold us on the idea that it was utterly secluded, with a journey as beautiful as the destination. The ranger also sold us on the idea that there were campsites and bear canisters located throughout the trail. The killer part was that backpacking permits were free. You simply go to the Main Lodge, ask for a form and leave it there.
What we did — and what I highly recommend — is driving to Crescent Meadow and leaving your car there. From Crescent Meadow, it’s a six-mile hike to the first campsite and a nine-mile hike to the second campsite. To get to the first campsite before nightfall, I’d start the trail at least by 2:00pm. To get to the second, a 12:00pm start time should leave you in the clear. The best part about the campsites is the firepits, making the threat of cold obsolete.
The first stretch of the hike is not too steep, it’s heavily shaded with lookout points along the way to help ease you into it. Me and my friend only made it the first campsite though, as we had arrived late and were still getting accustomed to the weight of our backpacks. The first campsite is not a bad option, it’s clean, flat and has stunning views. However, it’s very difficult to find. It took us about an hour to find it, even with a map. It’s hidden away from the main trail, behind the rather confusing sign-post. Once you see the sign post, immediately turn around and start climbing alongside the rocks for about forty-fifty feet and you should see it. If you’ve traveled any more than a hundred feet upwards, you’ve probably missed it. As I said, it is a bit removed from the trail.
My recommendation, if you can, is to push yourself that extra couple miles to the second campsite and stay there your first night. It’s right there in the open, and it’s very close to Bearpaw Meadow which is the first real marker. From there, it’s barely a mile to Bearpaw where you can take a nice breakfast or lunch by the stream. And after that, the hike starts getting interesting!
After Bearpaw, you finally exit the heavily forested parts of the High Sierra trail and enter the more open-aired, ridge line sections. 2–3 miles from Bearpaw, there is a cluster of unfinished wooden houses overlooking the entire valley. The views are astonishing and there are even a few benches, making it the perfect spot for lunch or some mid-afternoon snacks.
From here, I have to be honest with you, it gets tough. I recommend taking an honest physical inventory. From this rest area, you will see a sign saying 4.4 miles to Hamilton Lakes. What it doesn’t tell you is how difficult those four and a half miles are.
The first two miles are essentially all downhill. My friend didn’t mind that part too much, but if you are like me and your knees are made of jello, it’ll be a grind. That said, if you can brave the pain, it’s worth the descent. My favorite part of the whole hike was actually the little ravine at the bottom, where the river winds its way down the mountain in a series of pools reminiscent of a large-scale Japanese garden.
From this bridge, the hike to Hamilton Lakes is “2.2 miles”. Me and my friend still doubt the accuracy of that estimation, as it felt like 22 miles. From here on out, it’s nothing but switchbacks going up and up and up and up and… you get the point. I’d be lying to you if I told you it wasn’t brutal. I wouldn’t recommend it to any amateur backpackers, but if you are either as crazy as me or as fit as that eighty-year old man who flew by us on the way there, then it will all be worth it.
It’s important to note the plural in Lakes. Perhaps justifiably, my friend and I’s grammar was not at it’s peak when we were reading the signs. We merely read Hamilton Lake, so when we reached the first lake we sunk to the floor in disappointment. Thankfully, our eighty-year old friend had already enjoyed his bath and sun tan, and encouraged us to go that extra hundred meters. And my word, thankfully we did.
It’s cliche, I know, but it’s cliche for a reason. The pictures don’t do it justice. The crispness of the air, the scale of the mountains, the color of the trees, the pristine water. The pure, unadulterated silence. It is one of the few places on earth where I have felt truly secluded.
Hamilton Lakes was undeniably the hardest hike I have done (22 miles in one day), but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was one of the most rewarding hikes I have done. And the best part was, I could do it all last-minute!
I hope you enjoyed the article, please like and share! If you have any hikes or trails you’d like me to write about, let me know if the comments. Cheers, and safe hiking!
