Big Pine Lakes, Jigsaw Pass in John Muir Wilderness, California

Overview

The Big Pine Lakes basin is an easy-to-access high mountain wilderness near the little town of Big Pine in Central California, situated in the John Muir Wilderness in the eastern Sierra Nevada range. The entry portal to this basin is just 10 miles west of Hwy. 395, so it's popular with hikers, climbers and fisherman. Surrounded by 12,000-13,000' peaks, all of the nine major lakes offer spectacular mountain vistas—the higher you climb, the more impressive the settings.

The basin has many well-maintained and signed trails as well as several more remote lakes available to to intrepid cross-country explorers. Many of the lakes can be visited on a long day hike. Expect a challenging climb from the trailhead to the first two lakes, and then more climbing to each subsequent lake. It takes about 2.5-3 hours to get to First Lk.

The early explorers were busy attaching interesting names to the surrounding mountains like Temple Crag, Thunderbolt Pk. and Cloudripper, and seemingly named the nine larger lakes as an after thought, with uninspired names like First Lake, Third Lake & Seventh Lake. But someone managed to come up with Black Lake and Summit Lake too. As expected, the numerical lakes are named in order of appearance from the trailhead. The astonishing aqua color of the water is a result of glacial silt from the adjacent Palisades Glacier.

Lon Chaney cabin
North of Second Falls, just off the trail, is a large rustic cabin built along Big Pine Creek for silent film star Lon Chaney, completed in 1930. The cabin, constructed of rough hewn logs and stone, is shuttered to the public, but from a walk around one can appreciate the workmanship involved in building, and imagine the large porch filled with friends overlooking the rushing water.

Trailhead
Ten miles up the mountain from the little town of Big Pine, Glacier Lodge Rd. ends at rustic Glacier Lodge, a privately owned seasonal retreat popular with fishermen, and there is a small parking area at the trailhead for wilderness users.

The well established and signed trail begins as a dirt road under shady trees beside energetic Big Pine Creek.The trail to Big Pine Lakes is the North Fork trail. The trailhead for the South Fork, to Willow, Brainerd & Finger Lakes also starts nearby. Also at roads end are several seasonal residences. After 1 mile, the dirt road becomes a single track.

One quarter mi. east, just west of the group campground, a larger overflow parking area services stock parties as well as hikers. The trail from this lot joins up with the main trail after a quarter mile climb, but before it begins the steep ascent of the canyon. This is an unshaded climb and not as nice a start. It would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the dual trailhead situation via Google Earth or Maps as there are several divergent trails where the two meet, but all eventually lead to the canyon Northwest and up.

Trip Report

A journal of planning and hiking Big Pines Lakes and Jigsaw Pass, with some info that may be helpful to those considering this hike.

This trip was my season-ending solo backpacking/photography outing for 2014. As planned it was more ambitious than circumstances allowed.

From the outset, I intended to spend five days exploring for my first time three separate Eastern Sierra lake basins - Big Pine Lakes in John Muir Wilderness, then Dusy basin and Bishop Creek basin in Kings Canyon National Park. The pivotal obstacle was traversing a dividing ridge between the two areas via 12,700' Jigsaw Pass (yes, it's high!), an un-trailed cross-country route between the two basins. The eastern approach to Jigsaw Pass appeared to be a straight-forward but rugged boulder scramble up from Fifth Lk., but the west face down into Kings Canyon is an exposed vertical escarpment, three thousand feet down to the valley floor.

Here's a map of my planned route, a point-to-point trip of around 30 mi., including some out-and-back trips to explore some of the more remote lakes. I'd leave my car at South Lk. in the Bishop Creek basin, then find rides to my starting point at Big Pine Lakes, a distance of about 75 highway miles. After exploring the Big Pine Lakes, I'd climb over Jigsaw Pass, then over Bishop Pass into Dusy basin for a couple of days and finally back over Bishop Pass and up Bishop Creek basin to my car at South Lake.

Some snow was forecast for the final 2 days, and although I wasn't expecting it to be much of an impediment, I wanted to get over Jigsaw before that. I was looking forward to a dusting of white to add to the experience.

I spent considerable time reading and researching online to find out if the west face of Jigsaw Pass was doable from an average hikers perpective, rather than from that of a technical climber, which I'm not. Sierra expert Secor's book noted Jigsaw Pass was an "easy col", but I wasn't so sure. I spent many hours pouring over maps, photos, trip reports and Google Earth and it looked like a tough wall to tackle, especially with a loaded backpack. Apparently Jigsaw had once been a viable trailed pass, but an avalanche wiped out any semblance of a trail many decades ago. Despite this, several people had posted descriptions and photos of successful climbs, which routes to take, which to avoid. A ranger suggested I bring a rope to lower my pack, which I did.

So I decided that I could probably pull it off. If not, I'd turn around and climb back down the way I came. But since I'm leaving my car on one end and finding rides to the other, it would be unfortunate if I'd have to retrace that part too.

Turns out, Jigsaw Pass was much more difficult than I anticipated and after a long tough climb on day 3, I knew looking over that sheer precipice in fierce gusting wind that turning around was the only option. Oh well, c'est la vie. Big Pine Lakes basin is still a beautiful area to return to.

Day 1Wednesday Sep. 24Trailhead to Summit Lake

I head out late Tuesday afternoon. It takes 4 hours to drive from LA to Bishop and I get there after dark, my destination - some Bureau of Land Mgmt. land east of town in the desert where dispersed camping is allowed. I drive 3 miles east out Line Rd. past the ranches where the road turns south into the

Dawn, east of Bishop, dispersed car camping

desert. I go a little further to get away from town and after about 5 miles out, turn off at a flat spot near Black Canyon Rd. where the rolling hills climb from the Owens Valley. By the car headlights, I see trash and spent shell cartridges galore (ugly) but its chilly and dark so I'm hoping the BillyBob's won't come out for target practice tonight. It's very windy as I set up my big car camping tent so I park my car as a wind block and quickly fall fast asleep.

I'm up at 6:30am and get to see the terrain where I've camped for the first time as sun lights up the eastern Sierra. It's nice and frosty out - another perfect weather day. After a big breakfast at Jack's Restaurant, where they always remember my name (Honey), I head over to the USFS White Mountain Visitor Center to pick up my Wilderness Permit. The ranger isn't familiar with hiking on Jigsaw Pass and conditions there, but recommends I bring a rope to lower my backpack and reminds me of the snow forecast for the weekend, possibly up to 1 inch. I always carry a cord and I'm ready for snow, so check and check. Three young guys behind me are also getting a permit to explore Dusy Basin.

Hwy. 168 west from Bishop

From Bishop, I drive up to South Lake, 17mi. southwest on Hwy. 168, then turn on South Lake Rd. and take that another 7 mi. to the end, and park at the top backpacker's lot near the Bishop Creek trailhead. I get my pack ready, then hike down to the beginning of the parking lot. All of today is set aside for transit between South Lake and my entry trailhead at Big Pine Lakes. I have to find a ride 7 mi. back to Hwy. 168, 17 mi. back to Bishop, 12 miles down Hwy. 395 to Big Pine and then 10 miles up Glacier Lodge Rd. to the Big Pine Lakes trailhead. I expect it to take 3 or 4 different rides, and possibly all day.

The first likely candidate I ask is an older fellow with a big pickup truck taking pictures with his wife and grown son at the boat ramp. "Sure", he'll give me a ride down to Bishop, they're even going to Big Pine, if I want a ride there. First person I ask, very nice! They're from Chula Vista in San Diego county, just a few miles north of the Mexican border, and have just spent much of the last week fishing in the area, staying at Parchers Resort. They come here yearly to fish the creek and are dismayed by how low the water levels are because of the severe California draught. The conversation gets around to cross-border drug running, and the wife tells the story of how her milk company makes regular delivery runs south into Mexico. This was noticed by some narco-traffickers, who scoped her business out for days, asking surreptitious questions to employees as they left work. Then one day, one of their drivers got busted at Customs coming back into the US with several bales of marijuana hidden in the spare tire well underneath his truck, and spent days in jail. Turns out these narco-traffickers wired the weed under the poor guy's truck while he was at a motel stop in Mexico, preparing to follow him and retrieve it in the US somehow. Audacious. I'm sure they succeed like this many times.

I'm very pleased to get into Big Pine almost as fast as if I were driving. Then comes a long wait in the tiny town, trying to get a ride 10 miles west up relatively deserted Glacier Lodge Rd on a very hot Wednesday morning. I sure don't want to walk up the highway that far, but I will if it seems hopeless. I find a shady spot and pull out the thumb. In the first hour and a half, only a dozen cars are headed west, and almost all are obviously just going locally a few blocks.

As luck would have it, a nice resident named Steve is walking by on his way to the post office, and offers me a ride if I'm here when he returns, which of course I am. So we walk a few blocks to Steve's house, jump in his car and he drives me up to the Big Pine Lakes trailhead at the end of the road, filling

Autumn colors in Big Pine Lakes basin

me in on local trivia like the endangered frog conservation effort at Sixth and Seventh Lake. Steve is retired from Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power and has worked as a conservation/land use spokesman for big oil in Alaska. I didn't know the extent of LADWP's holdings, but Steve says they own most of the land in the entire Owens Valley, purchased cheap early in the 20th century to supply water to Los Angeles 230 miles south. For the locals, there's sometimes a love/hate relationship, that a "foreign" entity has such a stranglehold on the land and resources for use elsewhere, while at the same time, this ownership prevents development and for the most part, keeps things the way they are in perpetuity.

So a big thanks to Steve and I'm on the Big Pine Lakes trail by early afternoon - perfect! I couldn't have hoped to make better time. Actually, it's kind of what I'd expected because the people of Owens Valley have big hearts and the many outdoors types who come here are often receptive to helping out backpackers, but I was prepared for a worst case scenario - not getting any rides, or just partial rides.

Aspens

It's little windy but a beautiful clear Autumn day as I start out the North Fork trail along playful Big Pine Creek. The leaves are turning all over the mountains, with the gold from the aspens fluttering in the breeze, catching the sun. In no time, I've climbed the first switchbacks, past First Falls, a cascade hidden beneath rocks and trees. There's no one to be seen as I cross the big plateau between above First Falls and start up the steep switchbacks west.

At the top of Second Falls is the sign marking the entry into the John Muir Wilderness and

Sign above Second Falls

soon I'm passing the silent era movie star Lon Chaney's cabin in a small clearing, marked on my Nat. Geo map as a place called Cienega Mirth. The big cabin, finished in 1930, is shuttered and closed to the public, but you can see the workmanship that went into the stone chimney and foundation, and the big front porch. Gurgling Big Pine Creek is right at the doorstep and 11,630' Mt. Alice rises above it. I'm a little surprised at the somewhat confined location it was built, surrounded by big shady conifers that thoroughly constrict any view. Maybe the trees have grown up considerably in the last 100 years, but there are certainly many more dramatic spots in the Sierra for a rich Hollywood superstar to have built an extravagant cabin in the 1930's. Although he and his guests camped in the area for many years, apparently Mr. Chaney got to stay in the finished cabin only a few seasons before he died. The Forest Service initially thought to tear it down when this land became their jurisdiction, but that was decided to be too much trouble.

First & Second Lakes
First Lake is mostly hidden from the trail, but a glimpse through the trees show it to be pretty much run-of-mill and nondescript. Second Lake is definitely scenic destination material, with it's dramatic blue color and a full view of 13510' Mt. Gayley and 12976' Temple Crag to the southwest. It's the biggest of the nine in Big Pine Lakes basin. Much of the shoreline is steep rockfall slope and giant boulders, but the north side where the trail passes by has ample camping opportunities.

Third Lake
From Second Lake, the trail climbs dramatically around the mountain, high above the lakes, closer to the big peaks. Almost 4 hours out from the trailhead, Third Lake comes into view, and its aquamarine color is startling in the late afternoon sun. As the trail climbs west, more dramatic views open up and most of the lake is visible, directly beneath the jagged spires of Temple Crag. Like Second Lake, the shore is mostly moraine and boulder but at the northwest end, there's a flat area to camp. I meet a solo hiker lady, a tough, wiry 60-something French native, who's been exploring at the glacier, and camped at Third Lake. Getting down to Third Lake from the trail involves a steep descent on a use trail.

Four way intersection near Fourth Lake

Fourth Lake
The higher you climb in Big Pine Lakes basin, the more dramatic the scenery. Beyond Third Lake, another trail intersects that leads south to the Palisades Glacier and Sam Mack Meadow. By early evening, I've climbed to the 4-way junction for Fourth, Fifth, Summit and Black Lakes. Fourth Lake is a few hundred yards

Fourth Lake peninsula

through the forest, but the others are out of view. Some guys are camped on the finger peninsula that sticks into Fourth Lake. It looks like an idyllic spot to camp at first glimpse, and the natural place any hiker would gravitate to. They call out a hello as I walk by and even though its several hundred yards away, our voices echo clearly. I ask if they know of any camping at Summit Lake and they say there are 1 or 2 spots, and that I'll have it all to myself.

Summit Lake
After almost 6 hours of non-stop climbing up the trail, I'm kind of beat and looking forward to making camp,

Dusk arrives at Summit Lake

but it's still a long steep climb to Summit Lake. The wind has picked up dramatically and big gusts slam through the treetops. On the way, I scout a large empty stock/horse camp high above Fourth Lake that could easily hold dozens of tents, but there's no water. I'm really pushing myself up the last big hill to Summit Lake and find that indeed I have it all to myself. Summit Lake, as expected, is surrounded by steep embankments and massive boulders. After a look around, I find there's really only one readily accessible clearing that could hold 2, maybe 3 tents, somewhat sheltered from the wind in some trees. I'm glad I don't have to share.

Crazy wind
After I set up camp, I have a few minutes to look around before dark, admiring the suns last rays on Temple Crag. After dinner, I boulder hop around the lake by the light of my headlamp to grab some star field shots. The wind gusts are now somewhat crazy, sustained blasts of 35-40mph that go on for five long minutes, then die down for five more. All night long, the wind rips through Big Pine Lakes basin, racing across the lake, ripping through the trees. The straining branches and rustling leaves of every tree within miles echoes across the high basin, a kind of dramatic roar that I haven't heard in all my years of hiking in the High Sierra—not a howling shrill noise, but kind of a thunderous softened woosh that fills the air like a hundred freight trains wearing fur coats.

It's a little unsettling to hear all that unrestrained power hour after hour, because there are trees above this, the only campsite. But they're all sturdy and healthy looking, so rather than concern myself with the sleep I'm losing, I find myself marveling at the dramatic sound. Those poor guys down on the peninsula at Fourth Lake - I bet they're wondering what they were thinking setting up in that exposed spot on the water now!

I'd overlooked when packing that my $160 ultralight sleeping pad had developed a slow leak, too small to be detected with water. It's been great for years, but may have seen it's last days. I had tried to convince myself when it began deflating on previous outings that it was just the sensitive material reacting to the change in air temperature. But now there's no denying - it's leaking. Every 3 hours I have to struggle to pull it out from underneath me, blow it back up, and then struggle to put it back. arg..

Day 2Thursday Sep. 25Summit Lake and Fifth Lake to Jigsaw Pass

In the morning, there's a welcome respite from the wind and it's clear and sunny. I'm going to dayhike even further up the mountain to remote Sixth and Seventh Lakes in the morning, then return to Summit Lake, break camp and make a push up and over Jigsaw Pass into Kings Canyon in the afternoon.

Dry lake on the trail to Sixth Lake

Sixth & Seventh Lakes
At the base of the Summit Lake spur trail, I get back on the only trail northwest up the mountain and start climbing through forest and meadow, up then down, up then down. After an hour, a big body of water comes into view and soon the trail evaporates into a tangle of brush and saplings high on a hill. I'm sure it's Sixth Lake. Looking at the shape of the surrounding mountains, this is where Sixth Lake should be. Then I check my GPS, which indicates I'm only on the north side of Fifth Lake. At first I think my gps most be malfunctioning because I had been going in the direction intended and I was careful

View southwest on the trail to Sixth Lake

not to miss any trail crossing, but maybe I overlooked something faint. To get to Sixth and Seventh Lake from here, I'd have to bushwhack and that would be time-consuming. I could see a sliver of another lake in the distance, so I could say I saw Sixth Lake, but decided to head back. I still have a big climb ahead of me today. If you're climbing to Sixth and Seventh Lake, make sure to

The north shore of Fifth Lake

check the route carefully. It's not as straight forward as it seems and may involve more of a cross-country route than maps show.

After I break camp, I head down the mountain past Fourth Lake and turn west up the Fifth Lake trail. Fifth Lake is big and blue, surrounded by giant peaks, the most beautiful yet IMHO. I scout out the route to Jigsaw Pass. There are two steep ravines leading west/southwest above Fifth Lake, on either side of a giant peak, and either looks like it would lead in the right direction. But my map and GPS indicate the southern-most one.

Big clouds are blowing in fast from the southwest, possibly the leading edge of the approaching weather front, and the sunny day quickly becomes partly sunny. The wind is gusting again, getting stronger each hour.

I follow the path around the south end of Fifth Lake through a huge stock camp where the trail peters out. Now I have to push through thick bramble and vegetation and across a marshy wetlands to reach the big jagged boulders at the base of the ravine up. Now and then, a semblance of a trail appears in this wet area but then meanders off-route. Its early afternoon as I start climbing the ravine in earnest. The eastern sky behind me is clear but in the rugged high ridges above me, it's disconcertingly gray. It will take at least three hours of cross country climbing to reach Jigsaw Pass if I'm lucky, and another one to get down to the other side.

Scrambling over jagged boulders up the steep ravine is slow going with my full pack, and tiring. It's taking longer than anticipated. After an hour, I've scrambled high above Fifth Lake but still far below Jigsaw Pass, which is out of view behind high ridges and giant jagged peaks. The sky west above Jigsaw Pass looks more threatening than I care for, the temperature is dropping fast and the wind is once again gusting like crazy. I keep climbing but now I've decided to find a campsite and see if the weather clears overnight.

The wind rips down the huge ravine and it seems unlikely I'll find much shelter, but I reach a plateau where a small lake use to be, and up the slope near some trees I find a giant split boulder that will offer some protection and set up the tent. It's only 3pm.

As soon as I have the camp completely set up and the tent guyed out

Worsening weather above Jigsaw Pass

tight as a drum, the sky clears dramatically and I'm annoyed at myself for stopping so early. But then slowly, it grows dark again, and cold blasts push through. I'm really happy with my discovery of the protective boulders, the only sheltered spot I saw in the jagged, exposed high canyon between Fifth Lake and Jigsaw Pass. But if the storm arrives tonight, a day earlier than forecast, I'll probably have missed my window to get down Jigsaw Pass safely. Resigned to my fate, I find a view spot on a cliff overlooking the basin, the lakes an indigo blue, and spend my afternoon reading my book in the sunspotted light. As evening approaches, the sky is covered in ominous clouds and the temperature drops into the low 40's and below. All night, the wind howls down from the high ridges. I make a mental note to throw away the leaky pad when I get back. But I didn't come here to sleep anyway.

Day 3Friday Sep. 26 Jigsaw Pass, Fifth Lake

Shelter behind split boulder, morning

Thankfully, Friday morning dawns bright and mostly clear but still gusty. After a quick bite, I pack up and start up the mountain at 9am, carefully picking my way up the steep slope. The terrain is like a huge mountain collapsed down a steep ravine, leaving a giants path of ice chest-sized rubble and scree strewn about haphazardly, a moonscape of rocks resting precariously atop each other as far as the eye can see. Several maps I'd used in planning - my Garmin GPS map & Google maps, as well as some trip reports, indicate a path up

Cross-country to Jigsaw Pass

the north side of the canyon but there is no path and no easy route here. There are cliffs to navigate around, rock walls to scale and immense refrigerator and truck size rocks to scramble between and over. Boulders weighing hundreds of pounds shift as you step on them. At any time, it seems the entire valley could just collapse in a colossal avalanche.

View east above Fifth Lake

Thankfully, the sun holds out the entire morning. The view back down to the east is almost worth the climb!

Jigsaw Pass denied
As far away as one half mile from the top, I can make out the notch on the ridgeline that is Jigsaw by the distinctly silhouetted 4x4 pole sticking out of some rocks. A lower saddle further north is marked with a cairn. After 3 hours of strenuous ascent, I'm scrambling up boulders the final few yards to the precipice. The wind is

Jigsaw Pass chute

Jigsaw Pass
chute detail

rushing over the edge in powerful gusts. Then the magnificent panorama of Kings Canyon opens up before me, 3000 ft. below and I'm standing on Jigsaw Pass. Up on this windy exposed ridge after hours of climbing in the thin air, it's literally breathtaking.

But I'm instantly disheartened by the sheer drop below me. The only likely chute down seems to end in thin air just 150 feet below me. Maybe there’s a route visible once committed and beyond that point, but I elected to explore the lower saddle and hopefully find an easier route.

Jigsaw Pass is the notch

I scramble down to the lower saddle of the ridge line marked with a big cairn. It takes 12-13 minutes just to scramble the 100 steep yards. I leave my pack and do an exploratory downclimb over the edge about 100 ft. to a spot where I could see a potential route, which would involve free-climbing with 2-3 in. handholds for about 20-30 extremely exposed feet. There was no platform or shelf visible below that point. Once again it would take a real commitment to trusting other’s previous success to pull it off. Just the exploratory downclimb was way beyond what your average run-of-the-mill cross-country backpacker (like myself) would ordinarily attempt. The wind made it doubly dangerous and I was shaking when I got back up, mostly from the adrenaline it took.

I could've climbed back up to the notch for another more detailed look, but with the vertical exposure and the howling wind, I decided no way. Jigsaw

Dusy (L) &, Bishop Pass (ctr.) & Bishop Creek basins from Jigsaw Pass

Dusy (L) & Bishop Creek basins from Jigsaw Pass

Pass is a beautiful spot to view the Bishop Creek basin and I got some nice shots, but I wasn't going to risk it. It's taken me 3 hours today plus 2 yesterday; 5 hours to climb here from Fifth Lake, and now I have to go back down the same way I came up. Yeah… bummed, but returning the way I came was always an option. The altitude and heat, and possibly the sense of defeat, has sapped my appetite, and the lack of food has diminished my energy. Going down requires the same careful foot

East down from Jigsaw Pass

placement and takes just as long as coming up. Fortunately, the eastern skies are clear so the view east down the mountain is spectacular. As the incessant descent continues, the clouds fill in from the west, the wind rushes down from the top and it's steadily getting colder and colder. Tonight we'll get some weather for sure. But

Rugged route to Jigsaw

there are many sun breaks to enjoy the magnificent colors of the lakes below. Now and then, much of the cloud cover blows off and the translucent blue Sierra sky shines through.
By the time

Terrain to Jigsaw entry ravine

I reach the steep ravine above Fifth Lake again, it's late afternoon and I'm thoroughly exhausted. There's still 1/2 mi. of picking through the wetlands and the brambles before I find a proper trail.

Last light at Fifth Lake

Today's climb to Jigsaw and back was an all-day adventure I don't regret. I might even return to try again some day... The view on the return was the payoff. Fifth Lake is gorgeous in the evening light. I make it to an established campsite around 6:30, and make an extra effort to secure the tent tightly against the coming storm. It's very cold, already in the low 40's with the wind blowing through. To the southwest where the weather's coming from, snow clouds are closing in. After a quick dinner, I collapse in my bag and get the best three hours of sleep I've had on this trip, before I have to blow up the @#! leaky pad again. It sounds like drizzle against my tent all night.

Sky Haven mountain above Fifth Lake,
Big Pine Lakes CA

Day 4Sat. Sep. 27 Back to the trailhead

It sounded like rain all night but it was snow

I wake up to bright skies and a fresh coat of snow. Not much has accumulated because the wind has been steady, but enough to add color. I'd hoped to spend these next two days on the other side of Jigsaw Pass in Kings Canyon, where I'd be just a few hours from my car, but now I have a long day ahead of me not only hiking out of Big Pine Lakes, but trying to catch rides multiple rides 70 mi. back to my car.

More snow is coming

Hiking out is pure pleasure. The sky promises more snow is coming but the sun is fighting back. The lakes are brilliant shades of blue and the leaves are waving their finest autumn colors in the breeze. The best part is that it's downhill all the way!

Before long, tiny flakes are drifting through the air and the high peaks disappear into clouds.

Blue skies poke through snow clouds

Soon light flurries drift down and then it's full on snowing. Then just as quickly, its gone and blue skies poke through. Near Third Lake I meet my first inbound backpacker, who has lots of questions about the lakes, and I'm happy to pass on what info I can.

Snowy Autumn Sierra day

It's the weekend, and although snow is forecast, Big Pine Lakes can still be an enjoyable dayhike to those prepared for cold, wet weather and ready for a workout. The next trio of dayhikers I run into looks to be neither - little in the way of supplies and looking pretty beat by the climb and snowy weather.

Aspens on Big Pine Lakes trail

But young enough to pull it off, the pretty girl and friend following her guy, who's sure that lake is only just a little farther!

Between Second Lake - about a 2.5 hour climb from the trailhead - to the exit, I pass 15-20 more dayhikers and 4-5 backpackers, including two different solo women backpackers. Some of these hikers are obviously unprepared for anything adverse to happen. This a mountain wilderness in a snow shower after all... One young Barbara Streisand lookalike is climbing in a knee-length knit/crochet cotton sweater coat.

The creekside path above 2nd Falls

It's all I can do not to laugh at how inappropriate that is. When it gets wet, it'll weigh 20 lbs. and suck out almost all of her body heat.

As I finish the last mile to the trailhead, the snow is swirling down and the clouds drop low into the valleys. It's very beautiful.

Finally, I'm down the first switchbacks and walking along Big Pine Creek to the trailhead, arriving just as the sun reappears. I approach a couple of drivers if they might be going down the mountain, but no deal. So I walk to the end of the parking lot, grab a seat and read my book.

Big Pine Creek near trailhead

The first people who come by give me a lift in their big 4 door pickup, not only the 10 mi. down to Big Pine, but also the 12mi. north to Bishop, where he and his wife are staying. Great luck! They're a Bay Area couple planning a hike to Second Lake for fishing, and up here on a preliminary exploratory drive. They're delighted to find that I've just come from 4 days in Big Pine Lakes and full of questions. She has never done a backpacking trip in the Sierra. He'd here decades ago, back when he was in shape he laughs, and wanted her to see it. It's obviously been a long time since he was in top shape. They'd inquired with a horse outfitter about hauling their packs and fishing gear for them, but decided it was too pricey (about $300, which I thought sounded pretty good). When the conversation came around to what they were bringing, I stifled a laugh when he said folding camp chairs - he didn't like to sit on the ground. Backpacking heavy non-essentials up a giant mountain in the snow into the Sierra wilderness when you're not in top shape, is asking for an agonizing trek and possibly one of those relationship-ending fights! But I was very grateful for their good company and generosity and said nothing but a heartfelt thanks.

Once in Bishop, catching a ride west on Hwy. 168 proved difficult as most people are just going up the road a short ways and turning. The 23 miles to South Lake is a long way out of town. So I walked and walked, potentially 3mi. to the edge of town where I could be fairly certain that most traffic was highway bound. Along the way, I happened across Bishop Burger Barn, a homespun hangout obviously popular with locals, and ordered a meal. While eating, I struck up a conversation with a couple at the next table and asked if they'd be interested in $30 for a ride to South Lake. They said they've just come from a drive there, checking out the autumn leaves. Darn! But if I'd wait 15 minutes for them to do an errand, they'd come back and give me a ride. Perfect! While eating my Double Hamburger, one of the three hikers that were at the Ranger Station when I was, and who'd been in Dusy Basin, stopped by after they finished their burgers. They'd gotten the crazy wind and plenty of snow in Dusy too.

The couple came back and gave me ride. On the long drive up the mountain, we had a nice chat about what it's like to live in Bishop, and what things people here do for work and fun. They drove me not only the 17 mi. to South Lake Rd., but also the 7 mi. up to South Lake itself and dropped me off right at my car. Then they refused the money and wished me well, simply because they were awesome!

Back at the South Lake trailhead to Bishop Pass and Dusy Basin

Back at the South Lake trailhead to Bishop Pass & Dusy Basin

It's way colder up here on the mountain than back in Bishop, and snow flurries are coming down. Looking south up the South Lake trailhead where I'd hoped to be coming back, the weather looked rough, much worse than over at Big Pine Lakes, which is on the more sheltered east side of the mountains. I asked a hiker there to take my pic.

So the road trip portion of this hike ends with the same good karma from the good people of Owens Valley as it began. I explored the beautiful Big Pine Lakes basin and pushed myself to climb a rugged pass I was lucky to get to experience. I didn't get to discover Bishop Creek and Dusy basins this time, but they'll be here when I come back.

Thanks for reading this far. If anything helps you, or you have comments or questions, please let me know. -Larry

Info

Permits
An Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit is required for overnight trips into the John Muir Wilderness. All wilderness permit reservations are handled by the government website Recreation.gov. Rangers can give you some trip information but not reservations. There are quotas for each trailhead — popular weekends get filled up early in the season. After you make a reservation online, pick up your permit at the Ranger Station in Bishop or Lone Pine the day of the hike. On Recreation.gov, the trailhead for Big Pine Lakes that you want to enter in the Search field is Big Pine Creek North Fork (see link below). As of 2014, the reservation fee is $5 and the processing fee is $6. Make sure you follow the "confirm" link on the email notice you receive to verify your intentions as they've made changes from previous years, and you could lose your spot. Some walk-in permits are usually available each day at the Ranger Station on a first-come/first-served basis.

Pick up Wilderness Permits:
White Mtn. Ranger Station Visitor Center
798 N. Main St. (1 block N. of Bishop City Park)
Bishop CA 93514
760.873.2500

or

Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center
(Junction of Hwy.395 & State Route 136, 1 mile S. of Lone Pine)
Hwy 395 and SR 136
Lone Pine, CA 93545
760.876.6222

Bear canisters are recommended in Inyo National Forest but not required. If you're parking in a trailhead parking lot, you are required to remove all food from your car, mark it with your name and place it in the provided steel bear boxes at the trailhead. It will be discarded after one week.

It's recommended all water be filtered/boiled before drinking against Giardia.

If you're climbing over 10,000', its a good idea to acclimate to the altitude by camping one night at trailhead elevation to avoid altitude sickness.

Large stock (horses,mules) parties are allowed throughout the Sierra. Usually they are private expeditions but some resupply the backcountry rangers in season. Expect to sidestep piles of manure on any trail. When stock approach, hikers are encouraged to step off and below the trail, so as not to spook the animals.

Camping
There are 4 campgrounds at the end of Glacier Lodge Rd, reservable at Recreation.gov.

There are numerous campsites on every lake, but the best spots on First and Second Lakes fill up fast on weekends because they're closest to the trailhead. Most of the lakes are surrounded by high rocky cliffs or marshy areas which limit access to the water.

There are large party stock camps south of Fifth Lk. and up the mountain NW of Fourth Lk. Summit Lk. has only 2 established campsites near the trail.

There are no campfires allowed in Big Pine Lakes basin.

More info:
Inyo National Forest
351 Pacu Lane
Suite 200
Bishop, CA 93514
760.873.2400

Links
Inyo National Forest site
Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI) website
SEKI Wilderness Permit info and reservations
Get a wilderness permit for Big Pine Lakes North Fork at Recreation.gov

Pictures

Getting there & back
It isn't New England but the Sierra puts on a respectable autumn foliage show	Sierra aspens turn their most golden late Sep.- early Oct.	Hwy. 395 south on the drive out

On the trail
Kid Mtn., view east near the high plain above Second Falls	Second Lake	Temple Crag above Third Lake, late afternoon	Summit Lake is one of the highest of the Big Pine Lakes

Fifth Lake from the north shore		The peninsula on Fourth Lake	Fourth Lake	Fifth Lake and Sky Haven mountain

Late afternoon above Fifth Lake, view east to White Mtns, 25 mi. across Owens Valley	Climbing cross-country through scree and talus 1.6 mi. from Fifth Lk. to Jigsaw Pass	East to Big Pine Lakes basin, with Summit Lk (ctr L), Fifth Lk. (bot.) & Fourth Lk. visible	Nearing the top of Jigsaw Pass, a wooden pole (L) marks the correct spot on the ridge line	Looking north (L) and east (R) from Jigsaw Pass. The saddle on the ridgeline at left is lower but is not Jigsaw Pass. The first peak (L foreground) is unnamed. Left of center is Picture Puzzle Pk, and right of center, Gendarme Pk.

Jigsaw Pass marker. If you're standing here, you, IMHO, are tough!	Contemplating the descent down the sheer dropoff that is Jigsaw Pass. 40mph wind gusts howled "Don't do it!"	Downclimbing here from the lower saddle on the ridgeline revealed an even more treacherous descent	A 280 degree south(L) to north(R) view into Kings Canyon Nat'l. Park from the ridge of 12,700ft. Jigsaw Pass. Aperture Pk (near L) & Mt. Agassiz (distant L) above Jigsaw Pass (notch between the two), Dusy Basin (distant L of ctr.), Bishop Pass, (ctr.), Bishop & Saddlerock lakes, Picture Puzzle Pk. (2nd from R.)

Mt. Goode above meandering 4 part Bishop Lk. (ctr) and Saddlerock Lk. (R)	West towards Jigsaw Pass (out of picture) on the descent to Fifth Lk.	Rugged terrain of the east approach to Jigsaw Pass	The access chute to Jigsaw Pass above Fifth Lk	Sky Haven mountain presides over a late afternoon at Fifth Lk.

View south from Fifth Lk.	Unnamed peak on the west side of Fifth Lake	Fresh snow morning on Fifth Lk., Big Pine Lakes basin, John Muir Wilderness, California		Late September Sierra morning above Third Lk.	The NE side of Third Lake

Silt from adjacent Palisade Glacier causes the vivid aqua color of Third Lake		Late Sep. morning on Third Lk., Big Pine Lakes basin, John Muir Wilderness, California		Third Lk and Temple Crag (ctr.)

Lon Chaney cabin on Big Pine Creek		The big porch overlooks the creek	Snow flurries fall on the high plain above Second Falls		Last look west as snow arrives at Big Pine Lakes basin