Beginner Backpacking in the Western Ansel Adams Wilderness, California
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Backpack
Highlights
- Develop backpacking skills with like-minded adventurers
- Enjoy wildflowers and great views
- Swim in beautiful alpine lakes and creeks
Includes
-
Enthusiastic and supportive leadership
-
Delicious, vegetarian-friendly, homemade meals
-
Learning opportunities about backcountry travel
Overview
The Young Adventurers Fund is offering adults 18-35 years old a full $300 off this trip. Visit our scholarships page to apply.
The Trip
Our trek out of Clover Meadow in the Ansel Adams Wilderness offers an ideal location to get introduced to the Sierra high country and learn backpacking basics. We’ll cover 24 miles of moderate terrain, both on and off trail, with two layover days. This trip will allow plenty of time for learning wilderness skills and natural history, exploring the area on day hikes, relaxing, and simply enjoying the great outdoors
The Young Adventurers Fund is offering adults 18-35 years old a full $300 off this trip. Visit our scholarships page to apply.
The Trip
Our trek out of Clover Meadow in the Ansel Adams Wilderness offers an ideal location to get introduced to the Sierra high country and learn backpacking basics. We’ll cover 24 miles of moderate terrain, both on and off trail, with two layover days. This trip will allow plenty of time for learning wilderness skills and natural history, exploring the area on day hikes, relaxing, and simply enjoying the great outdoors.
This trip is tailored to beginner backpackers who are interested in developing skills associated with wilderness travel. Basic instruction will be provided on organizing gear, ensuring wilderness safety, reading topographic maps, cooking backpacking cuisine, using tarps, and following Leave No Trace principles.
Our objectives are to enjoy spectacular country, complete the trip safely as a group, and learn backpacking basics. While this is a beginner backpack, participants need to be fit, be dedicated to training to meet the demands of this specific trip, invest in proper equipment, and come prepared to meet the variety of challenges that outdoor travel brings when exposed to high altitude, primitive camping, extreme weather changes, and sore feet from carrying heavy packs.
As successful backpacking experiences require thorough advance planning and preparation, the leader will provide pre-trip correspondence and resource information to help with backpacking gear selection and physical conditioning.
“In wilderness lies the hope of the world.” — John Muir
Itinerary
Day 1: We meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Clover Meadow Ranger Station. Before we begin our hike, we will do a gear check and go over each hiker’s equipment to be sure he/she is properly prepared and not weighed down. Once our packs are ready, we’ll carpool to the trailhead at Granite Creek campground (rough dirt road, helpful to have 4-wheel drive). We’ll hike 5 miles and gain 1,200 feet to lower Cora Lake (8,340 feet) for our first night’s camp. Lunch is not provided on this day
Day 1: We meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Clover Meadow Ranger Station. Before we begin our hike, we will do a gear check and go over each hiker’s equipment to be sure he/she is properly prepared and not weighed down. Once our packs are ready, we’ll carpool to the trailhead at Granite Creek campground (rough dirt road, helpful to have 4-wheel drive). We’ll hike 5 miles and gain 1,200 feet to lower Cora Lake (8,340 feet) for our first night’s camp. Lunch is not provided on this day.
Day 2: After breakfast, we load up our packs and begin our trek to Sadler Lake (9,380 feet). We’ll hike 5 miles and gain 1,040 feet. We expect an early afternoon arrival, which will allow plenty of time to swim, day hike, fish, or simply relax by the lake.
Day 3: Our first layover day. Options include an off-trail hike up to McGee Lake (10,200 feet) and further up to the border with Yosemite (10,800 feet). A layover will provide opportunities to practice outdoors skills, bird watch, or just appreciate the beauty of our natural surroundings.
Day 4: After breakfast, we’ll continue our adventure to Joe Crane Lake (9,625 feet) in a 4.5-mile day. We’ll descend 540 feet, then gain 785 feet. An early afternoon arrival will again allow opportunities to explore the area or simply to relax.
Day 5: Our second layover day. The more adventurous may want to try to get as close as possible to Post Peak (11,009 feet) by an off-trail route.
Day 6: We hit the trail again, retracing our steps back to upper Cora Lake (8,600 feet) in a 4.5-mile day with a 1,000-foot loss.
Day 7: We will return to the Granite Creek trailhead in a 5-mile day with our now-light backpacks. We’ll descend 1,500 feet as we return the way we entered. We expect to have an early afternoon arrival back at our cars.
The route and itinerary are a general plan and may be changed due to unforeseen conditions or circumstances. Snow conditions, stream runoff, progress of the group, campsite availability, and other factors may require the leaders to make adjustments. Please plan to be flexible and bring a good sense of humor to the trip.
“And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” — Shanti
Logistics
Getting There
The closest airport is located in Fresno, California, approximately 50 miles away. Alternatives include the San Francisco and Oakland airports, both about a 250-mile drive from the Clover Meadow Ranger Station. Ridesharing is strongly encouraged, and a roster of trip members and driving directions will be sent well ahead of time to facilitate this. Return flight reservations should be made for the day after the trip ends, or later
Getting There
The closest airport is located in Fresno, California, approximately 50 miles away. Alternatives include the San Francisco and Oakland airports, both about a 250-mile drive from the Clover Meadow Ranger Station. Ridesharing is strongly encouraged, and a roster of trip members and driving directions will be sent well ahead of time to facilitate this. Return flight reservations should be made for the day after the trip ends, or later.
Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
The trip price includes all meals from dinner on day one through lunch on day seven. Group camping gear (stoves, cooking pots, fuel, etc.) will be provided. The staff enjoys creating wonderful meals from home-dehydrated fruits and vegetables. The food will be nutritious, high energy, and tasty. Please indicate to the leader if you have any food allergies or limitations, or are vegetarian, when you complete your trip paperwork. Chicken, fish, cheese, and some red meat will be on the menu. Vegetarians can be easily accommodated, but participants unable to eat dairy or gluten should consider another outing. Participants will be divided into cook crews and share in meal preparations and cleanup in the Sierra Club tradition.
Trip Difficulty
The trip difficulty is rated 2 on a scale from 1 to 5, where a rating of 1 would correspond to the least difficult of the trips that we offer and a rating of 5 would denote the most difficult. Mileage on our hiking days is about 5 miles per day, with a total of 24 miles for the trip (not including layover day hikes). Our camp at lower Cora Lake will be at 8,340 feet, and our camp at Joe Crane Lake will be at 9,625 feet. Much of our hiking will be on established, well-graded trails, although we may try some cross-country if the group is up for it. Wet creek crossings are also possible.
Although participation in this outing does not require previous backpacking experience, carrying a 40-pound pack on trail with elevation changes is physically challenging. Participants must be in good physical condition and be prepared for the rigorous physical demands of such a trip. The leader will provide physical conditioning recommendations to participants.
Our campsites are between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, so acclimatization to the altitude is also important. If you are not used to these elevations, or if you acclimate slowly, you may want to arrive early to allow time to adjust.
Known for its temperate summer weather, the High Sierra can also experience sudden, unexpected spells of rain, hail, snow, heat, and cold. Daytime temperatures can soar into the upper 80s, while nighttime temperatures can dip into the 30s or lower. It is essential that you be prepared for extremes in weather conditions, and also be flexible so that we can adapt our route to accommodate unexpected conditions or events. Mosquitos can be a problem at this time of year, so it is essential that participants bring insect repellent or wear insect-proof clothing.
Equipment and Clothing
The Sierra Club will provide the following items: food (including all trail snacks), pots, cooking utensils, stoves, fuel, bear-proof canisters, and water purification treatment. At the beginning of the trip, you will be issued one bear canister loaded with food, plus a portion of the group gear, which together may weigh up to 15 pounds. You will be required to limit your personal gear to 20 pounds or less, so that your total pack weight is less than 40 pounds, including up to 2 liters of water, which can account for almost another 5 pounds.
We require sturdy, fully broken-in boots with rubber lug soles for this trip. We recommend that you waterproof your boots before beginning the trip. For shelter, we strongly encourage you to bring a tent with a rain fly — a lightweight waterproof tarp is the required minimum. For raingear, bring a waterproof jacket and pants instead of a poncho. The leader will send detailed equipment recommendations to participants well in advance of the trip.
References
Maps:
- Tom Harrison Map: Ansel Adams Wilderness Trail Map
- USGS Topo Maps: Timber Knob, Mt. Lyell
Books:
- Laws, John M, The Laws Field Guide To The Sierra Nevada. An excellent field guide to plants, animals, and more.
- Storer, Tracy I., and Robert L. Usinger, The Sierra Nevada Natural History. Gives more details on specific plants and animals.
- Whitney, Stephen, A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to the Sierra Nevada. An excellent trip and/or pre-trip read to understand Sierra ecology.
Conservation
Ansel Adams was a visionary figure in nature photography and wilderness preservation. He is seen as an environmental folk hero and a symbol of the American West, especially of Yosemite National Park. Adams' dedication to wilderness preservation, his commitment to the Sierra Club, and of course, his signature black-and-white photographs inspire an appreciation for natural beauty and a strong conservation ethic.
During our trip, we will honor the legacy of Ansel Adams by living the Sierra Club motto "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet." While we’re exploring and enjoying this spectacular slice of the planet, we’ll also protect it by minimizing our impact wherever we go. This means we’ll encourage you to join us in following the Leave No Trace ethic while we’re together in the wilderness. During the evenings, after a deliciously satisfying dinner, we’ll have the opportunity to deepen our experience with short readings about the history and habitat of the areas we walk through, as well as learn about Sierra Club’s current initiatives to preserve this wonderful landscape and its wild inhabitants. You are encouraged to come prepared to discuss issues affecting your home community.
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies. Sierra Club Outings operates this activity under a U.S. Forest Service special use permit in the Sierra National Forest.
Staff
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners