Secret Sierra Canyons of the Emigrant Wilderness

After a rendezvous at a gas station with your guide and fellow backpackers, we’ll caravan to the trailhead. There, we’ll distribute gear and food supplies, do a thorough gear check, then leave our cars and civilization behind. The trail ascends gradually into the wilderness and up to the first of many remote alpine lakes. The hiking is all on-trail today, and we’ll pace ourselves as we get used to our packs and the altitude. Camp will be near a meadow abutting a clear creek. We’ll have our first lesson on ultralight cooking, then settle into our tents beneath a canopy of stars.

Hiking distance:
6.1 mi

Elevation gain / loss:
1,437 ft gain / 1,058 ft loss

Meals included:
Lunch, Dinner

A hearty breakfast with hot coffee and tea will reward us as we rise with the sun. After breaking camp, we’ll continue along the trail until we get to our first canyon. From here, we’ll leave the trail behind and follow a decommissioned path as it leads us along and across a creek flanked by granite ridges. We’ll practice our off-trail navigation skills as we find a path up the canyon walls to a lake perched above us. From there we’ll navigate to one of the highlights of the trip, what many local hikers refer to as a “granite superhighway.” As we make our way towards one of the largest lakes in Emigrant Wilderness, we’ll connect patches of magnificent and ancient Sierra Juniper. Camp will be in a secret spot favored by your guide.

Hiking distance:
7.8

Elevation gain / loss:
1,396 ft gain / 1,871 ft loss

Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Another early start as we break down camp and continue our off-trail descent into a granite wonderland. As we pick our way along a creek, we’ll discuss the immense glaciers that carved this landscape. We’ll come to a natural swimming hole and take a dip (if you want!). Later in the afternoon, we’ll reconnect with the trail as it takes us through forests of pine and fir on our way to tonight’s lakeside camp. We’ll cook up another hearty dinner and reflect on the day as we count the stars above.

Hiking distance:
8.6 mi

Elevation gain / loss:
2,100 ft gain / 829 ft loss

Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ll awake at sunrise again, fill our bellies, and break down camp. By now you’ll have a rhythm together, as your days have been simplified to the basics. Sleep, wake up, eat, and hike, feeling present and connected to your surroundings. More of that today as we get back off trail to explore canyons, lakes, and babbling creeks. We’ll celebrate our last night in the Sierra together with a final dinner and sleep to the sounds of the creek and the gentle breeze.

Hiking distance:
8.7 mi

Elevation gain / loss:
1,329 ft gain / 2,260 ft loss

Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our last day awakening in the High Sierra. We’ll be on trail today as we wind through aromatic forests, cross our last creeks, and rest alongside another alpine lake. The last stretch before we return to our cars will be downhill. Once back at the trailhead, we’ll do a final reflection, collect any borrowed gear, and part ways, filled with appreciation for the wild Sierra Nevada.

Hiking distance:
8 mi

Elevation gain / loss:
1,326 ft gain / 1,575 ft loss

Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch

Rating: Intermediate-Advanced

We’ll be camping for four nights and carrying five days of food.

Rating: Intermediate

7.9 miles daily average, relatively evenly distributed across all five days of the trip.

Rating: Intermediate

8.7 max daily mileage with full gear on day four, including several miles off-trail.

Rating: Intermediate

1,520 feet average daily elevation gain.

Rating: Intermediate-Advanced

2,100 feet max elevation gain.

Rating: Intermediate-Advanced

On-trail sections are maintained but still uneven and with some loose debris. Off-trail sections will primarily be easily navigable across wide open granite slabs. But there will also be some steep ascents and descents that may require stepping between large boulders. There are only a couple occasions when you may want to use your hands to scramble up or down, but there’s nothing technical that would require rope or rigging. There will be limited off-trail forest walking and no bushwacking. We will cross several creeks, streams, and rivers. We may be able to cross by hopping between rocks or by using downed trees, but we may also need to walk through the rivers and may get wet up to our waists.

Rating: Advanced

The majority of the hike has limited height exposure, but a few sections off-trail have significant height exposure combined with steeply graded and loose hiking surfaces requiring careful and deliberate footwork. Expect some mosquitoes near water sources. We’ll have extended sun exposure with periodic shade while hiking and at rests.