This week long trek through Kings Canyon National Park was to be the first of two, on our two week adventure in the Eastern Sierras. The drive to Onion Valley trailhead was scenic and incredibly steep! The trailhead was packed when we arrived at around 7:30am Sunday morning. Sam and I started our journey from the trailhead around 8am. There were quite a lot of people on the trail, which was to be expected. The majority of which were day hikers. There was some wildfire smoke in the air but it was a bright, beautiful sunny day.

The trail switch backed steadily and took us past several beautiful small alpine lakes. Little Pothole, Gilbert and Flower lakes. We took short breaks at each one but I was eager to get past the crowds and to our destination at Kearsarge Lakes on the other side of the pass. The trail didn’t waste much time getting us up there. Once you pass Flower Lake, you ascend past the tree line and the trail wraps around the rocky scree shores of Big Pothole lake below. At this point you get a good panoramic view of the rugged mountains in the area.

Kearsarge Pass had a quite a few people there, admiring the view. You could see Kearsarge Lakes in the valley below, under a ridge of impressive spires. North down the valley, you could see Bullfrog Lake. A famous and incredibly photogenic alpine lake. After taking in the sights, we descended down the rocky pass.

As we continued down the other side of the pass, the crowds thinned out dramatically. We finally approached the spur trail that took us down to the lakes. The Kearsage lakes unveiled themselves one at a time. Each one more charming than the last. We decided to set up camp at the lowest and largest of the lakes. We found a nice partially shaded spot in a grove of bristlecone pines about a hundred feet from the shore of the lake. Once our camp was set up, we spent the afternoon just taking in the gorgeous views. The dramatic rock spires above the lake were mesmerizing. The water was a sparkling and blue. Massive granite boulders were strewn about. The huge walls of the canyon really made you feel small. The sound of trickling water everywhere was like a lullaby to the ears. We inflated our pack raft and went on a little tandem boat ride to explore the lake. After a leisurely afternoon the sun finally set. We had dinner and went to sleep excited for the next day’s journey.

I woke up around 5am to clear skies. The wind had changed and blew the smoke away over night. I grabbed my camera and went on a walk around the lake, looking for some good photo spots in anticipation of the sun rise. I took some nice panoramas of the early sunlight shining on the spires above the lowest Kearsarge Lake. As the sun rose higher, I ventured to the smaller lake above. I got some more great panoramas of the mountains reflecting off the still water of the lake. It was hard to stop taking pictures but I knew we had a long beautiful hike ahead of us so I went back, had breakfast, packed up and took off.

We hiked back up the the main trail and headed North. The views were amazing. Everywhere you looked was breathtaking. Bullfrog Lake was hard to take your eyes off of. It lays a few hundred feet below the trail and is off limits to camping to preserve its beauty. We took a break at a nice vista and took some pictures of the lake and had a snack. We then continued above and then away from the gorgeous lake below, eventually leaving the Kearsarge Valley.

The trail then connects with the world famous John Muir Trail and steadily climbed, taking us far above Gilbert Lake and higher into the mountains. We rose above the tree line and into granite boulder fields. We took a lunch break at an unnamed high alpine lake below Glenn Pass. We finished our lunch and made the final arduous push up to the Pass. After several switchbacks across a steep and loose rocky terrain, we arrived at Glenn Pass, elevation 11,900 ft. We were rewarded with a grand view of the Rae Lakes Basin far below us and the rugged rocky topography of the surrounding area. After taking it all in, we began our long journey down to the Rae Lakes.

After a beautiful descent back into the tree line and crossing several creeks, we arrived at the shores of the first Rae Lake. A distinct and picturesque rock formation called the Painted Lady, lords over the crystal blue waters of the lake. We were greeted by a deer who seemed to follow us for a short while.

We continued our journey to the next and largest of the Rae Lakes. The area was stunning. A true alpine paradise. After some exploring we found a jaw dropping camp up on a rock outcropping, looking out over a peninsula towards the Painted Lady and surrounding mountains. We set up camp and took in the amazing views. It was a long hard day of hiking but we were at our premiere destination, with nothing planned for the next day except enjoying the area. The mountains turned orange as the sun set and we enjoyed our dinner and hit the sack after a long day.

I woke up around 5am to enjoy the morning and get some pictures of the sunrise. I ventured above our camp a few hundred yards to another rock outcropping that was above a grassy meadow overlooking the Lake. There in the meadow, three bucks were grazing. It was quite a scene and I took many pictures. The morning sun rose illuminating the Rae Lakes basin. I returned to camp having taken some great shots and Sam and I enjoyed our coffee and breakfast.

After breakfast we inflated the pack raft and went on a boat mission to circumnavigate the lake and take in the sights. We spent most of the afternoon on the boat exploring the many inlets and sandy beaches of the lake. Some box wine was also enjoyed. It was slightly windy but warm most of the day, but around late afternoon we could see some storm clouds rolling in. We decided to return to camp and right as we got back the raindrops started falling. We took shelter inside the tent and waiting out the rain for the next couple hours. Around 6pm the rain stopped and we emerged from the tent to have dinner. We were treated to a beautiful orange sunset. It had been a lovely day.

Again, I awoke early to get some pictures. It was slightly overcast. I wanted to scramble up the sides of the canyon to get some nice sweeping views of the area. My first destination was a high tarn, nestled on the slopes above the middle Rae Lake. The tarn turned out to not offer the most open views, so I ventured higher, climbing up some boulder fields until I found an open vista of the valley below. There were lots of clouds with breaks of sunlight. After taking my pictures I began my off trail descent back to camp.

Our destination for the night was only a few miles away and I convinced Sam to take another boat ride before we left the beautiful Rae Lakes Basin. After the boat ride we continued downhill to Arrowhead Lake which offered a great view of the mighty Fin Dome above it. We continued past the lake, through some beautiful alpine meadows. Our plan was to follow the JMT past Dollar Lake and then leave the trail and ascend to the 60 Lakes Basin on a route I had scouted on Google Earth.

The weather became overcast and foreboding. Raindrops began falling gently at first and then it started pouring. Thunder started erupting nearby and echoed loudly through the canyon. It appeared we were getting more than we bargained for. After reaching our creek crossing we broke away from the trail and began climbing off trail uphill towards the 60 Lake Basin. The weather did not let up. After a short while it became clear to me it would be unwise to continue back above the tree line in the deluge so we set up camp between two trees and spent the night hiding from the relentless storm outside.

It had finally stopped raining by the morning. We quickly broke down camp, had a quick breakfast and continued our off trail quest to the 60 Lakes Basin. After about an hour of steep climbing we reached the Basin and the terrain leveled off. The rocky boulder fields gave way to a series of grassy open meadows with pockets of alpine trees. As we continued, alpine tarns and small lakes appeared. The clouds started to give way to sunlight. It was a gorgeous area.

We finally stumbled onto a beautiful alpine lake dotted with small islands which featured a grand mountinous backdrop. It was clear this would be home for the day and night. I was suprised the lake had no name on the map. It was simply stunning. I fittingly gave it the name Paradise Lake. It was a perfect place to spend the day.

We enjoyed some wine and boated around the lake, exploring the many inlets and islands. The white puffy clouds glided high above. We had the whole place to ourselves. It was a magical afternoon. As the day grew later it got overcast and rained a little but never got too bad. After a full day of alpine enjoyment, we had dinner and retired for the night.

I arose early to scramble the small ridge that divided the 60 Lakes Basin from the larger basin below, containing Arrowhead and Rae Lakes. I took some pictures of the dramatic and beautiful landscape around me. I could see the Rae Lakes, the Painted Lady, the Fin Dome and the 60 Lakes Basin.

After enjoying the sights, I went back down to camp and we packed up. We had a long day ahead of us. We had to hike off trail through the rest of the 60 Lake Basin and hook into a trail that would take us back down to the Rae Lakes and the JMT, where we would need to make it over Glenn Pass again. The rest of the 60 Lakes Basin was beautiful but we had made the right choice staying at Paradise Lake. It was indeed the highlight of the area. We took a small side trip to one of the larger lakes in the area and got some pictures. We returned to the trail, made our descent back down to Rae Lakes and headed towards Glenn Pass, our major obstacle of the day.

It started raining as we ascended up the pass. I became nervous that we would get stuck in another thunderstorm so I decided we should hunker down in one of the last groves of trees before the shelterless rocky expanse that lay ahead. The rain got a little worse before dying down a bit and luckily the lightning never came. We continued up the pass, in the light sporadic rain, and finally made it to the top.

The clouds slowly began to dissipate as we continued down the other side of Glenn Pass, back towards Kearsarge Valley. We were pretty tired and soggy as we finally made our way back over Bullfrog Lake. We found a very scenic open vista to set up camp with a wondrous view of Bullfrog Lake and the valley. As we set up camp, the golden setting sun burst through the clouds and illuminated the lake and valley below. I got some great photos. As the sun set, we enjoyed our dinner then turned in for the night.

We awoke to mostly clear skies. It was hard to leave this incredible place but we were also eager to get some hot meals and showers back in town. After our last breakfast and some more photos, we got back on the trail and headed back up the valley towards Kearsarge Pass. It was a bright and sunny day. Up at the pass, we enjoyed the spectacle one last time, and continued down the busy trail to the car.

It was an incredibly beautiful and scenic trip. We had seen lot. Our route took us through some of the finest scenery in the Sierras. The weather made it challenging at times but overall it was in incredible trip we would not soon forget. We still had one more week long trek on our Sierra vacation which would prove to be quite more challenging than this one.