Emigrant Wilderness is a part of the Stanislaus National Forest to the north of Yosemite. It's a unique wilderness area in California where the permits for overnight camping are available without prior reservations and the hike, while being challenging in terms of the terrains and climbs, is so well marked that it's easy to navigate as a private group. I first attempted to hike this loop in 2022 as part of my training for the Grand Canyon backpacking trip, but on that attempt, we only managed to hike 12 miles of the 20 mile loop and I've been wanting to go back and hike to complete loop ever since. Four years hence, I'm so pleased to have completed this hike.
Pri and I decided to do this hike over the Juneteenth weekend. We reached the ranger station at Pinecrest at about 9:30 on Friday and after collecting the permits for camping and fire, drove to Crabtree trailhead to start hiking at about 10am. The parking lot was already full by that time, and we had to park along the street. This was turning out to be a popular destination indeed. Our plan for the first day was to hike about 9 miles to reach the Gem Lake and camp for the night, with the caveat that we were going to play by the ear and end the day when we felt like it. This was a backpacking trip with no designated spots for us for each night and we were free to do as we pleased. Our total planned mileage for the trip was about 20 miles, with 3000ft of elevation gain. Our highest elevation would be at Gem Lake, which is at 8500ft. Our pack weight was about 30lbs.
The trailhead was crowded at the start. There were families with children headed out to Bear Lake and some groups were going to Camp lake for fishing. The trail started off as a gentle undulating hike, all the way until we got to the beautiful Camp Lake. We had a moment of nostalgia as we spotted our camp site from our last trip, gorgeous spot it was! After this, it was a downhill climb until we reached Lily Creek where we stopped for lunch - Pri had made chapati rolls with homegrown zucchini and chickpeas, it was delicious! With our bellies happy and full, we crossed Lily creek and started our first major uphill climb to Lily pond. We climbed 500ft in a mile, over crude granite stairs designed such that no two were at the same height. Our glutes and quads were shocked, in fact Pri's legs were cramping during this climb. We had to stop every 10-20 steps to catch our breath. While the legs were busy trying to get through this grueling climb, the mind was busy in it's own way analyzing the impact of the strain and the exhaustion and making me question if this was a signal to the end of my hiking days. Was I getting old?! It didn't help that there were a group of boys, maybe in their early 20's bounding up the trail as if it was a walk in the park. There was a family with 2 young children too, which was impressive to see. By this time, the trail was not as crowded, and with lots of stops to catch our breath, we finally reached the impressive Lily Pond. What a tranquil spot filled with floating lilies, some blooming, many waiting for the next day's sunrise to begin life.
Pri was in some pain with her cramping muscles, and we considered options to shorten the hike, but she decided to hike on like the champ she is. Our next downhill section brought us to Piute Meadow, a beautiful meadow in a valley with a creak and stunning wild flowers. There were so many beautiful areas to camp here and it was very tempting, but we decide to push on and tackle the next uphill climb. After the first climb, our expectations were now set somewhat correctly, and the next section of granite hill to climb over the granite trail, stepping over granite stairs and granite boulders (majestic, painful granite), didn't feel too difficult. By this time, we realized that we couldn't make it to Gem Lake for the night, and decided to stop at Piute Lake. We reached camp at about 6:15, having hiked 9.2 miles and 2200ft. We setup camp on a granite platform overlooking the Piute Lake surrounded by the majestic granite peaks. After a dinner of Maggi, we went to bed as soon as the sun set. I did manage to get a picture of the night sky as I had to leave the tent at night, but we managed to get a restful sleep until well past sunrise the next day.
Day 2: We set off at 8am to tackle the 3rd climb of our trip to Gem Lake. By this time, we were seasoned granite climbers, and this hike felt mellow. We crossed some creek, got our feet wet, heart rate soaring and soon, we were at the absolutely majestic Gem Lake. This was the highest point of our trip, sitting at an elevation of 8250ft. An absolutely still alpine lake bordered by granite boulders and pine trees which were artfully reflected in the waters. We sat along this lake to take in calm serenity of the lake, lazing like lizards on the rocks. The next 2 miles were a grueling downhill climb - over a variety of - you guessed it - granite variations. We had some welcome distraction in the form of horses and cowboys on the trails, it was a like a scene from a western movie! There were also gorgeous water falls, and I got a kick out of spotting a patch of snow! The downhill climb was so intense that I found myself wishing for some uphills instead - that's how hard it was.. We encountered a couple of more groups of horses, one with a dog too, a cute bubbly black creature who was running circles around the horses. His energy was magnetic.
The downhill climb ended at this gorgeous creak where we could sit and soak our feet and give our tired legs a well deserved rest. We continued along a more gentle terrain, bordered by vibrant wild flowers and lush green meadows. After a short stop for lunch (rava upma, left over from lunch, with a sprinkling of masala peanuts), we arrived at our campsite for the day at about 3pm, Grouse Lake. We hiked about 7.5 miles today, mostly losing elevation.
We quickly setup camp and managed to squeeze in a nap, like all good backpackers must. We had a leisurely evening with tea, short walks, lots of chatting, soup and bisibelebath, and got sublime sunset views over the lake and the peaks.
It was another early night for us, time to rest up those legs for one last climb on the last day.
Day 3: We woke up well rested, and after breakfast, we broke camp at 8am to start the hike to the car. We caught sight of the mist rising from the Piute lake as the first rays of the sun hit the waters - it was surreal!
The first stretch was a level trail, walking on pine needles and soft sand, what a symphony for the feet and knees! We enjoyed this section while we could because we knew another grueling climb was just up ahead. Soon enough, the climb began, one mile of steady climbing with some steep switchbacks. But being prepared for the worst, we were able to finish the climb with energy to spare, and seeing the view at the top of the hill gave us a new burst of hiking energy. After that it was an easy downhill climb and before we realized it, we were back at the car, by about 10:20, in good time to make it to a good Indian restaurant for a well deserved, carb heavy lunch.
The Emigrant Wilderness is just an amazing landscape of granite peaks with meadows and alpine lakes, much like an extension of Yosemite, without any of the crowds / traffic or distractions. The air was crisp, everything shone. The weather couldn't have been better, clear skies with a slight breeze and cool nights. The trail was very well maintained, a shout out to the trail maintenance crew that managed to keep this trail in hiking condition over what was essentially granite peaks. There were barely any downed trees, and the trail was very well marked. Wild flowers were blooming, in some places carpeting the rocks and meadows and in many others, bordering the trail to add charm and encouragement. We took some moments to acknowledge and be grateful for the privilege of hiking this trail, all things considered. The hike was strenuous, placing demands on our body, especially with the 30lb packs we were carrying, but the views, tranquility and grandeur of the place more than made up for it.
Four year ago, when we attempted this hike for the first time, we were denied permission, this time, we were privileged to be permitted to complete this grand loop. For that we are grateful.
Leaving you with nature's wild flower bounty to keep you smiling :) All photos are here
