Yosemite Forum

I am planning a 3 night backpacking trip in August using the Crabtree trailhead in the Emigrant Wilderness. I am hoping to do a loop that will go up to Chewing Gum Lakes, Wire Lakes and Buck Lakes. I've heard this area is great for off trail exploring due the openness and the granite, but I've never been here and I have a couple questions:
1. Any advice on what should I make sure to see on this trip? What areas should I avoid? I read about the horse packers in another post, which was good info, I'd appreciate hearing other experiences people have had in this area.
2. Is it feasible to go from the Wire Lakes area and hike off trail to Pinto Lakes, and reach the summit of Granite Dome from that direction?

Thanks.

In case no one else says anything...
I've been up Granite via Sardella/Upper Lewis and then down to Ridge and Iceberg...
that was pretty trivial in my noggin... and what you describe from Topo looks
even easier... I certainly wouldn't hesitate.

Other than that unlike Yosemite, I haven't been in large portions of Emigrant... yet...
I need to get out of Crabtree this year dangit!
It'll take me a few years now to remove the horse dookie from my memory of Kennedy
Meadows after coming out from there last year...

Have fun

HI Bill

I flew over this area yesterday. Snow is completely off the massive granite sections above Cherry Creek: Big Lake, Pingree and that area are completely snow free. Looks very appetizing right now. And if you went in through Grouse Lake (miserably place to camp---keep going to Louse Canyon) the first really tough ford might be all the way up in Louse Canyon....IF you can get across that, you have a lot of granite to explore!

But Wood Lake was just thawing, and Emigrant, Huckleberry , etc were all frozen over...and not looking like they were going to thaw any time soon. At those higher elevations there is a TON of snow still.

did you make it up there?

i did a x-country from crabtree to granite dome last fall from camp lake, through to granite lake, thompson canyon, over from upper relief valley to ridge lake, returning past y meadow lake.

granite dome is one of the most amazing places in the sierras. i love those rock formations on top, like some ancient ruin.

probably head up there from a different trailhead this summer. anyone have thoughts on hammill canyon?