Sierra backpacking: 5 days loop to Cottonwood Lakes, Mt. Langley, Soldier Lake, Miter Basin

Описание: Sierra backpacking: Five days loop to Cottonwood Lakes, Mt. Langley, Soldier Lake, Miter Basin, Chicken Spring Lake

Eastern Sierra - Five days backpacking loop from the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead (Horseshoe Meadow): Cottonwood Lakes Trail, Cottonwood Lakes No. 3, 4 and 5, Old Army Pass trail, Old Army Pass, Mount Langley Trail, ascent to Mount Langley, Soldier Lake Trail, Soldier Lake, Rock Creek Lake Trail, Miter Basin Trail, Miter Basin and Sky Blue Lake, back to Miter Basin Trail to Upper Rock Creek Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Chicken Spring Lake, Cottonwood Pass, Cottonwood Pass Trail to Horseshoe Meadow and Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead.

John Muir Wilderness - Inyo National Forest
Golden Trout Wilderness - Inyo National Forest
Sequoia National Park
Lone Pine, California.
Eastern Sierra, Sierra Nevada.

Trailhead: Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead - Horseshoe Meadow

August 2024


Itinerary:

Day 1: Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead (Horseshoe Meadow) to Cottonwood Lakes No. 4 and 5 via the Cottonwood Lakes Trail. Camp at Cottonwood Lake No. 5.

Day 2: Cottonwood Lake No. 5 to Soldier Lake. Cottonwood Lake No. 5 to Old Army Pass on the Old Army Pass Trail. From the Old Army Pass, Mount Langley Trail to the summit of Mount Langley (final section is easy cross country hiking). Return to the Soldier Lake Trail Junction on the Mount Langley Trail. Soldier Lake Trail to Soldier Lake. Camp at Soldier Lake.

Day 3: Soldier Lake to Sky Blue Lake in Miter Basin. Soldier Lake Trail to Rock Creek Lake Trail to the Miter Basin Trail. Miter Basin Trail to Miter Basin. Easy Cross country section to Sky Blue Lake. Camp at Sky Blue Lake. Early evening hike around and above Sky BLue Lake after afternoon rain.

Day 4: Sky Blue Lake to Chicken Spring Lake. Return to the Rock Creek Lake Trail from Miter Basin on the Miter Basin Trail. Rock Creek Lake Trail to Upper Rock Creek Trail. Upper Rock Creek Trail to Pacific Crest Trail to Chicken Spring Lake. Camp at Chicken Spring Lake

Day 5: Chicken Spring Lake to Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead (Horseshoe Meadow). From Chicken Spring Lake, Pacific Crest Trail to Cottonwood Pass. Cottonwood Pass Trail to Cottonwood Lake Trailhead in Horseshoe Meadow.

41.18 mi 7,503 ft elevation gain.

AllTrails Map:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/rec...

Notes about the map: the map is indicative of the trip itinerary although mileage and moving time cannot be considered as reference as I often deviated from the route for filming and photography; also the moving time on the map includes all stops and breaks during the day as I stopped recording only once camp was setup for each day.


Hike Notes:
Another fantastic and easy backpacking trip in the amazing Eastern Sierra from the busy Horseshoe Meadow Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. We really enjoyed this itinerary very much, despite the weather did not cooperate in Miter Basin where we had to spend an entire afternoon in the tent under heavy rain. The plan for the afternoon was to hike to Crabtree Pass and back from Sky Blue Lake. It will be for another time.
All areas we visited in this semi-loop itinerary were absolutely beautiful and absolutely worth hiking and camping at. The ascent to Mt. Langley was very easy, the views from the top were astonishing. Miter basin was the highlight of the trip, as beautiful as the best of the Sierras high basins. There is much more to hike in this area of the Eastern Sierra. Can't wait to go back up there!


Music:
Finding Melody by Gavin Luke
Licensed by Epidemic Sound.


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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
01:56 - Trip Highlights
06:34 - Day 1: Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to Cottonwood Lake No. 5
10:48 - Day 2: Cottonwood Lake No. 5 to Old Army Pass, Mt. Langley, Soldier Lake
18:14 - Day 3: Soldier Lake to Miter Basin, Sky Blue Lake
24:44 - Day 4: Sky Blue Lake to Chicken Spring Lake
30:04 - Day 5: Chicken Spring Lake to Horseshoe Meadow Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead