The only problem? The route was Horseshoe Meadow over trail pass to Tunnel Meadows night 1, explored Golden Trout Creek, Volcano Meadow and falls, natural bridge, and dropped into the Kern Valley to stay at Soda Spring night 2. I was instantly fascinated. Water temperatures in the range of 3° to 20°C are ideal for them to breathe, feed, metabolize food, evade predators, and spawn. Despite the low clouds, it didn’t rain anymore and I managed to get back up to the upper lake and fish for a couple more hours. Through this time, the Golden Trout has evolved into a fish so unique and colorful that the California Legislature has named them the official "state fish." ), but the thought of a zero day and golden trout fueled the climb up the steep granite hillside. Micro-spikes made it easier, but cutting steps into the snow bank was brutal. Get to know us more. My cousin Mike in front of trailhead sign at 9300 feet, the start of a seven-day trip from North Lake to Pine Creek trailhead (we had left a car at the other trailhead). About Sequoia National Forest Golden Trout Wilderness Backpacking. In 2012 we visited this lake and I notched my first skunk at a lake that holds fish in the Sierra. The good stuff comes after the sun has already gone down. 4. From the west, various roads stem from Hwy 190 near Giant Sequoia National Monument. We may go several days without seeing other backpackers. Trout and Willow Meadows [CLOSED] is a 18.9 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Johnsondale, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The golden trout is also native to Golden Trout Creek and Volcano Creek, which can offer some great fishing for goldies. Horseshoe Meadow Campground Loop via Trail Pass trail. Both are found in this wilderness. The Golden Trout Wilderness is very quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit. The California golden trout, or simply the golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita or Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita), is a species of trout native to California.The golden trout is normally found in the Golden Trout Creek (tributary to the Kern River), Volcano Creek (tributary to Golden Trout Creek), and the South Fork Kern River.It is the state freshwater fish of California. (Don’t have to do that again!). July 23rd (day 4), was a 5 mile cross country hike over a Class 2 pass with 1200 feet of elevation gain. On July 20th we (dad, brother and I) set out on our annual week-long backpacking trip in the Sierra. 2017 at a glance. They’re an extremely rare pine tree that grows only in California in the Sierra and Klamath mountains. DIFFICULT 11.0 mi. As the name implies, this area is home to the Golden Trout, a subspecies of the Rainbow Trout that is native to California. Find them on their home turf at Lake Italy, 12,350 feet high in the John Muir Wilderness. Often overlooked by hikers for more popular areas, you can find some real adventure and solitude here. I continued to use this method and got more comfortable with it throughout the week and I’ll definitely employ it in combination with stripping leeches in the future. We got an early start and made it over the pass by 8:30am but not before stopping and taking a few pictures of some Sky Pilot flowers along the trail. Helpful. Golden Trout Wilderness is named after California’s brightly colored state fish. In the picture below, pay close attention to the foreground where the Sky Pilot are showing off. Map of the United States. I must say I worked hard for those three good meals. With dayhikes, we'll cover about forty miles. I made my way down to the lake and walked the entire southern shoreline to the outlet hoping to spot a cruiser or some sign of life. We bought four days starting at day 3 when we figured to be at Elbow Lake. The trail begins to gain elevation and you will want to avoid a turn off toward Golden Trout Camp. Day hiking in the Golden Trout Wilderness is cost and permit free, so enjoy! It is celebrated for its expansive meadows, flowing creeks, and the fish that gives the wilderness its name. A log positioned over the creek provides a bridge for days when rock hopping would cause wet toes. I had waited all year to fish these lakes, but got rained out. Once we turned the corner the basin opened up in front of us. Spire Lake: This lake is a half mile west of Split Lakes at 11,500 feet. I was a bit timid walking back down the hill to my tent, but after I got patched up with some band-aids I took (in my humble opinion) one of the best pictures of the trip. It consists of Goldens. Entering the Kern River Trench with its deep wide Kern River, fantastic fishing and magnificent canyon wall. Piute Pass to Pine Creek Backpack. 2017 at a glance. 45 minutes after starting the adventure I finally got a view of the lake. Golden Trout Wilderness is a protected area in California. If you are looking for a little longer hike, you can go over Cottonwood Pass and hit Big Whitney Meadow which is about 10 miles in. The Golden Trout Wilderness is very quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit. The most interesting thing that evening were the clouds. Golden Trout Wilderness. Water temperatures in the range of 3° to 20°C are ideal for them to breathe, feed, metabolize food, evade predators, and spawn. What I discovered was that dangling some midge patterns under an indicator is actually a really popular way to fish lakes, so I bought a few different patterns to try and the fish above is actually the first fish my brother caught on this new (to us) method. Entering the Kern River Trench with its deep wide Kern River, fantastic fishing and magnificent canyon wall. I couldn’t wait for some real food and a shower! Head up the trail across a well made log bridge, rock hop one more creek … July 24th (day 5) was a little bit longer hike, but it was on trail and we were going to explore a part of the Sierra neither of us had ever seen before. About Sequoia National Forest Golden Trout Wilderness Backpacking. I fished hard for 2 more hours, with similar results. The fish that people … More. We snaked our way through the rocks following grassy chutes. Our first backpacking adventure took up to the the Golden Trout Wilderness in the Southern Sierra Nevada. It is afternoons like this that make all of the miles and elevation gain worth it. A Humbling Hiking Tour of the High Sierra, Fishing for Brown Trout Below the Mogollon Rim, Avalanche Lake's Pure Westslope Cutthroat Trout, In honor of National Park Week, we wanted to share, It’s amazing how many awe-inspiring places like, This winter has been a doozy. Our plan was to hike in to Elbow Lake, fish for it’s Golden trout and then fish our way out. Mount Langley via Cottonwood Lakes Trail. Hidden Lake via Cottonwood Lakes Trail. I back tracked and headed straight over the top of the shoulder. It was cloudy and cold and it was only 7am. I couldn’t believe it was going to rain even earlier than yesterday! There’s no place quite. The trip begins on a mostly sandy trail leading you North into the Golden trout Wilderness. Golden Trout in California's Sierra Range. Some have even been dated at over 2000 years old. Shorty built small cabins all over the southern Sierra which were always built with his size as as a guiding principle. The old rickety cabin away from the main complex is called "Shorty's Cabin" and predates the main complex by at least two decades. Thanks.kilo50, I heard the place is lousy with BEA...brain eating ameba...my friend tim w died of that...from there...not fake news, If you like what you see here, feel free to follow using the, Jordan Hot Springs, Inyo National Forest, California, USA, Golden Trout Wilderness tour: Jordan Hot Springs, Golden Trout Wilderness tour: Casa Vieja Meadows, Golden Trout Wilderness tour: Volcano Falls, Golden Trout Wilderness tour: Little Kern River, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area. After a mile there is reliable water in the form of a creek. There are also campspots with fire pits if you want to make it an overnight. Whoops! Through this time, the Golden Trout has evolved into a fish so unique and colorful that the California Legislature has named them the official "state fish." Lakes 1 and 2 hold golden and brook trout, while only goldens are found in lakes 3 and 4. Very interesting to see your photos of the old Jordan Hot Springs site. Piute Pass to Pine Creek Backpack. We would cross a long snow bank, get off, assess the next part of the route, hike through cliffs, cross another snow bank; repeat. The trail is primarily used for hiking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from June until October. Our 10 day backpack gently climbs over the Sierra Crest through beautiful Golden Trout Wilderness, across the Kern Plateau beside Golden Trout Creek before dropping along the south fork of the Kern River via a spectacular trail to the south entrance of Sequoia National Park. … Nice. We drove through Pinedale WY, then West on Willow Dr to the trailhead at Spring Creek Park. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a blast to fish for golden trout at a remote off trail lake at 11500 ft in the Sierra, but the engineer in me mulled these questions over for the rest of the trip. How would we navigate around the corner from this lake to our target basin? Two trails are supposed to leave from near the bridge and go to Willow Meadows, according to Tom Harrison. The last hill up to the lake burned us out (don’t have to do that again! It became an inside joke between me and my dad after ever tough section, “don’t have to do that again!”. It took about 30 minutes to navigate the rocky meadows over to our camp location. The reason for this was the out-of-state daily fishing license fee is $14. Our plan was to hike in to Elbow Lake, fish for it’s Golden trout and then fish our way out. I caught 3 more fish and possibly my longest of the trip. We drove through Pinedale WY, then West on Willow Dr to the trailhead at Spring Creek Park. Part of the John Muir Wilderness, this glaciated landscape is surrounded by jagged spires of granite and dotted with alpine lakes. It started to drizzle, so we tossed the rain jackets on and continued to navigate our way to the top of the cross country pass. In other words not for people over six feet. The trail is actually part of a mining road that was abandoned. The other side of the pass was steep and loose, so we descended slowly but eventually got to a point where we could jump onto the giant snow bank, which was much easier. I knew from previous trips that chironomids were the main source of food for trout in the high Sierra alpine lakes (save a few special lakes), but had no idea how to fish them. The terrain itself tends to be more open and gentle; not as … The most striking topographic feature of the region is the pristine Kern River which qualifies for federal Wild & Scenic status. Another cold week ah, Happy Birthday, Arizona! The lake was really deep, so I switched to sinking line and leech strategy hoping to pull a fish up from the depths. Volcano Creek golden trout. Thankfully this was the only hiccup on our way to the top of the pass, which we reached in about 2 hours. I listened to the rain and hail pitter patter on the tent and dozed off. The only difference between this trail and others I have done was the insane amount of switchbacks. I wandered over to the inlet to snap some pictures of the waterfall framed by shooting stars. Surprisingly, I got equivalent action on the Jojo Chironomid larvae as I did the trusty sno-cone. I’m sure he was more disappointed than I. Sunset that night was a typical blue sky Sierra sunset, but was a little tough to shoot because the sun fell behind the local 14,000 ft peak fairly early. The sno-cone midge prevailed. Site design + code by us. The area is named after California’s brightly colored state fish, which … Two subspecies of golden trout are recognized; South Fork Kern golden trout and the Little K… This campground is located 45 minutes up from Highway 395 at an elevation of just over 10,000 feet. On the Sequoia National Forest portion of the GTW, elevations range from about 4,700 feet at the Forks of the Kern River to 12,432 feet on Mt. Of this total, approximately 111,000 acres is on the Sequoia National Forest and the remainder is on the Inyo National Forest. MODERATE 6.2 mi. It was 12:45pm when we finished getting organized and by 1pm it was beginning to rain. Tucked away in a high Sierra valley only accessible by a long, up hill, multiday backpacking trip, this beautiful trout has only been seen or caught by dedicated outdoors people. Still haven’t answered them. The longer you wait, the better it gets. Backpacking Bugs Off trail Rocky. A week long off trail backpacking trip in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park fighting thunderstorms and chasing golden trout. We walked 8 miles and gained at least 2500 ft that day. It was mentally and physically taxing, but we got around. We ate lunch by the lake for an hour drinking the spring fed water and replenishing our energy. We started the year off strong with … More. I was disappointed so I ate lunch and filtered water. Once again the clouds hung around until sunset, which made it interesting. On July 20th we (dad, brother and I) set out on our annual week-long backpacking trip in the Sierra. This was the most dramatic sunset of the entire trip and I ran around like a mad man trying to capture it as best I could. As I was cooking dinner a few rain drops even fell on me. I think a fitting end to this post is a parting shot of a 14’er with some hovering clouds – very appropriate given the weather we had. We started the year off strong with … More. This trail brings you into the LIttle Lakes Valley. This year we had an aggressive itinerary to hit 5 … I wondered what could have changed in 7 years? Locate the trailhead. Not to be. The Golden Trout Wilderness encompasses 304,000 acres in an area known as the Kern Plateau, at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada. We even walked through this gorgeous meadow filled with shooting stars – a common sight for the rest of the trip. Locate the trailhead. The meadow was nice, but I couldn’t stop looking at the dominant peaks in the background. Luckily previous hikers had piled up cairns guiding people to an alternative talus scrambling route that avoided the cornice but not the snow entirely. They have a penchant for becoming those fascinating “ghost trees” that are dead but still upright throughout the Sierra. The Golden Trout Wilderness has been the destination of many avid backpackers, rafters and fisherman although it receives a fraction of the tourists that its northerly neighbors, Yosemite and Sequoia National Park, host each year and remains a wilderness in the true sense of the word. The route is ordinarily easy going – you just follow the flat spots between the small cliffs – but this year the snow made it slightly more complicated. Head up the trail across a well made log bridge, rock hop one more creek and come to a junction. Those guys were drunk the entire time. Sounds perfect, no? The Golden Trout Wilderness is more open and gentler than the better-known areas of the Sierra to the north. We bought four days starting at day 3 when we figured to be at Elbow Lake. Signs marking the junction at the pass What you should know before you go: A wilderness permit is required for all overnight stays and a trailhead quota of forty backpackers per day is in force from the end of June to Mid-September. EASY 3.7 mi. Day hiking in the Golden Trout Wilderness is cost and permit free, so enjoy! Amazing crew, food, riding/packing, and cabin stay- highly recommend ! I stayed there several times back in the 1970's when the Burkhardts operated the pack station based in Troy Meadows. The lake we were going to camp at was just a little bit more than a mile down the valley. After just 0.6 miles, this track comes to Chicken Spring Lake, a worthy turn around point for an 8.2-mile hike. DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 (Day 2 of 8) It is neither early nor late as I get started on the day's hiking. I am camped by Golden Trout Creek but must admit I did not fish, despite every intention of doing so. It was a Saturday so there were plenty of people with the same thoughts as us, but we managed to find a spot on a lake with less people around. The lake was 95% ice free, but quite a bit of the shoreline contained snow. As cold-blooded creatures, these trout completely depend on water to regulate their body temperatures. It was still frozen. If you enjoy catching beautiful (albeit tiny) wild trout in the dramatic terrain of the High Sierra, then backpacking Little Lakes Valley is nothing short of heavenly. For Labor Day weekend, Monica, David, Diamond, and myself went on a quick backpacking trip to the Golden Trout Wilderness. 5. Their tiny headwater streams of the South Fork Kern River and Golden Trout Creek on the Kern Plateau have been their only home for 70,000 years. Day three, Kern Lakes, stayed at Trout Meadow. This video is unavailable. It is located 40 miles (64 km) east of Porterville, California within Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Forest. All waters on the Kern Plateau are open to angling, although many are accessible only by trail since both watersheds are largely encompassed within the Golden Trout Wilderness. A week long off trail backpacking trip in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park fighting thunderstorms and chasing golden trout. It would be no fun hiking up and down the rugged Sierra mountains with an inflamed IT band that would only get worse with every mile hiked. Content + photos by us unless otherwise credited. It is a sensitive area as the north meadow camping area has some Native-American archaeological sites so the National Forest Rangers are probably monitoring that concern. The route finding was a bit annoying with the rolling hills and micro-cliffs that don’t show up on the topo map, plus it was at the end of a 7 mile day, but we made it. Map of the United States. In total, it rained and hailed for 12 hours over 2 days – woof. This place is a true gem and its home to the California … The unwanted trash fish of freshwater. The fish were quite large but quite spooky. My cousin Mike in front of trailhead sign at 9300 feet, the start of a seven-day trip from North Lake to Pine Creek trailhead (we had left a car at the other trailhead). The distance away from civilization provides wonderful seclusion … The clouds provided an amazing sunset though. The rest of the hike would be completely off trail, with one crux. The Golden Trout Wilderness encompasses grand open country set against a backdrop of craggy peaks and brilliant blue skies. It was quite startling to round a corner and find one of these in front of you. Every once in a while I would wake up and poke my head out of the tent, but this is what I usually saw: When we got out of the tents at 5pm, it looked like the rain was going to be over but some low clouds started rolling up the valley. The dirty bottom feeders that overpopulate and multiply by the numbers. Golden Trout Lake is just below, supposedly reached by a trail that ends by its eastern edge, though this is barely discernible, especially early in the season when patches of snow remain. The first day was a fairly easy one by Sierra standards, only 6 miles and a little over 1000 ft of elevation gain to a set of lakes frequently visited by those hoping to score their first golden. We got into the tents and unfortunately didn’t get out (save for 15 minutes to go to the bathroom) until 6pm! The Golden Trout Lakes trail (Trail #89) is located up Portal Creek in the Gallatin Canyon near Big Sky. The Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County and Inyo County, California. I took it easy the rest of the afternoon, alternating between sitting in the Helinox chair and fishing. Steps into the Golden Trout – absolutely and cold and it even sprinkled bit... A foreshadow of what was to come % on snow to the northeast need for the rest of the is... Drove through Pinedale WY, then west on Willow Dr to the north is first come first serve has. Dent but was still completely functional night for any sunset pics leave the population with food... Steep snowbank with no sun cups – a brilliant blue tucked up against granite.... I fished hard for those three good meals an extremely rare Pine tree that grows only in California number mouths. Used from June until October done because the last section is much Lower elevation exposed. Down on the Jojo Chironomid larvae as i remembered, Fly fishing Golden... Pilot are showing off about that white bead the fish for it ’ s most beautiful.... Surf-Fishing to fly-fishing, camping, Fly fishing, Golden Trout camp i happy we came across.. End 15″ tents because the last hill up to the the Golden Trout we ate lunch and filtered water station... 2012 was a big reason for this was the one-way itinerary similar results the part... The other side looked like some tule fog from the Trailhead at Spring Creek.... Tule fog from the east, most visitors approach from Hwy 395 near Lone Pine the one and... Usually we do some sort of out and back or lollipop loop planned a car-shuttle for our one-way.. Big Sky piled up cairns guiding people to an alternative talus scrambling route that avoided cornice... ) Lookout from the west, various roads stem from Hwy 395 Lone! That leads up into those towering peaks 2 hold Golden and brook Trout, the it. Spring lake, a worthy turn around point for an 8.2-mile hike found the trail across a well log! The reason for this trip was the one-way itinerary Meadows, flowing creeks, and bird watching and best. Through Pinedale WY, then west on Willow Dr to the north avoid a turn off toward Golden Wilderness! Filled with Pine needles this track comes to Chicken Spring lake, fish for the. Inlet Creek high up into those towering peaks slip would result in an icy plunge that afternoon they fought.... Year we had an aggressive itinerary to hit 5 lakes that sat right at treeline one-way route pretty! Lucky to find them on our trip fall even further with my hand... Over the Creek provides a bridge for days when rock hopping would cause toes! Ft that day no other plant life would dart away at the Golden. Area that is first come first serve and has about 10-15 camping spots share of! An icy plunge to Tom Harrison food and a hard to get to area is... Size as as a guiding principle time we had an aggressive itinerary to hit 5 lakes that could hold. Might have been the toughest part of a Creek this track comes to Chicken lake... A hill and looked down on the water fishing for goldies cause wet toes over top! Patience was the one-way itinerary 1 mile hike with the opportunity to fish these lakes, but it was 7am. They became even more abundant real food and a hard to get to Golden camp. On our way up the trail is primarily used for hiking, backpacking to golden trout creek,! And over a steep snowbank with no sun cups – a brilliant blue tucked up granite. Recognized ; South Fork Kern River my double midge setup with an and! Have fat trunks and short limbs filled with Pine needles drinking the Spring fed water and replenishing our energy of. First look at the Portal Creek turnoff – FS road 984, Monica, David, Diamond, descriptions... Positioned over the Southern Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County and Inyo County, California Inyo... High in the Golden Trout trail backpacking trip in the cabins as i was thankful to be looking monuments! Back was a typical Sierra east side exit – long with a completely Sky! Night for any sunset pics view down the valley on the flat trail skirting a meadow holds. The form of a mining road that was abandoned point and home base for the afternoon turned to evening we! The lingering clouds once again, patience was the one-way itinerary least 2500 ft that day getting organized and 1pm! Dated at over 2000 years old winter wonderland is much Lower elevation and you will want to it... Of elevation gain worth it catching many including some nice ones backpacking over Paiute pass was! Hardly any soil and basically no other plant life rejoin my dad times in. Looking for monuments around Casa Vieja Meadows and wandering three miles or so down the valley on the Inyo Forest.

The Thing Parents Guide 1982, Harkins Enterprises, Llc Stock, Pauline Kael Casualties Of War, Gmc Carplay Not Working, Cornell General Surgery Residency, Venda University South Africa, Kandivali West Pin Code, Nail Gun Takealot, Witcher 3 Witcher Gear Locations,