Check out this 15.4-mile out-and-back trail near Big Pine, California. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 8 h 36 min to complete. This is a very popular area for backpacking, camping, and fishing, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are May through October. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas.
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: Temple Crag BRUTAL trail for me. While I knew what I was getting into I didn’t back down. I hiked all the way up to Lake 2 during the summer heat. It was intense but yet rewarding. I recommend to have layers of clothing that is light yet protective if you’re doing this one during summer. Also bring snacky snacks and pain killers for headaches and possible heat exhaustion. I parked near the upper trail starting point. There are two. The ground one has a steeper climb and the second one is flat but slowly elevating before getting to the meadow. For the first time in a hike I was exhausted when leaving lake 2 back to my car. I got lost and some how couldn’t get back on the trail when taking pics near the boulders around lake 2. It was still worth it. Pics on Instagram: hexxiigon
Hiked on 27Nov2023 to First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Summit and Black Lakes. Started at 7AM and saw no one on the trail or at the parking for the entire day. Both of the First and Second falls were partially frozen. First and Second Lakes were partially frozen and appeared turqoise from the overlook; the rest were completely frozen. They are all beautiful. Heard the sound of ice melting and cracking under the surface; it sounded like the lakes were howling. Suggest going the loop clockwise if starting in the morning to see the color of the First and Second lakes - they are in the shadow of the mountains in the afternoon. Recommend bringing the poles and microspikes - I used poles but not microspikes, but I would still bring them just in case). If I were short on time or stamina, I would do First through Fifth lakes and skip Summit and Black Lakes. Road condition: road up to the trailhead is free of snow and ice. I had no problem driving my FWD sedan. Trail condition: many icy spots on the trail. Some sections were completely covered by ice especially before the loop. Snow could be ~10 inch deep in the northern section of the trail around Fifth Lake as well as between the junction (by the Fourth and Fifth Lake) and Black Lake, having a gaiter would help. The trail was obscured in the snowy sections but footprints were visible to follow.
It is my third time on this trail and like the previous two, incredible... just as a fact... It was very cold this time, and in many areas the road was icy... microspikes were not required... just walking carefully. The 2nd lake was almost completely frozen, the 1st was still not frozen... we made the ascent in 2 hours and 45 minutes... and we descended in 2 hours. Considering that the sun would not leave the trail... at 3 pm we were back in the cars... as a matter of fact... we camped at Baker Campground. .he has what he needs and he was alone..
This is hands down my favorite trail in Cali :) So beautiful the whole way. There was snow and ice so be careful, we didn’t use any spikes we just walked around the super icy spots. Once you reach Lake 1 and Lake 2 the temp drops drastically, so have proper gear for cold temps. Other than that is was magical
We went on Thursday 23rd Thanksgiving day. Took us about 6 hrs to get to Lake #2. it took us about 15 minutes to find the path to the camping spot . We stayed overnight.Quite a bit of ice on the path from half way and up... Cleats were not needed but hiking poles definitely helped. Super cold after sunset but worth it. We woke up to a frozen lake.Views along the way were stunning. We will definitely come back in summer. Still a lot to explore.
Day hiked to Lake 6 and back on Nov 12. Fantastic weather. Lakes 3, 4, 6 were completely frozen (stunning nevertheless). Plenty of running water along the creek and other thawed lakes for water source. Some ice on the trail. Lake 4-5 onwards to 6 there’s snow on the trail. We were able to follow foot prints/AllTrails map easily to Lake 6, but lost the trail going to 7 so turned around. Brought spikes and trekking pole, however didn’t have to use either. Took us the entire daylight ~11hrs (found ourselves power walking the last mile to beat the dark), but was absolutely magnificent. Lake 5 was our favorite - peaceful, warm and sunny, with a perfect backdrop of snow-capped mountains behind a stunningly clear lake :)
Nov 10. Lake 1 -3 - trail is clear, free of ice. Lake 4-5 snow but trail is still visible. Lake 6-7, is the same condition as lake 4-5,, but the last section, around 0.3 need off line map to find trail. No foot print to follow. I bring micro spike, but didn’t need to use. It’s manage for an advance hikers. At the end of the trail, Lake 6-7, are brushes blocked the views. I like to complete the hike so make it here. But strongly recommend turn around at lake 4-5 at this time.
Solo day hiked Thurs 11/9/2023 – Hiked to Sam Mack Meadow using the North Fork Big Pine Creek & Palisade Glacier trails. Light snow and several icy trail sections to navigate on the North Fork while the Palisade was entirely covered with a nice layer of powdered snow with good grip. Felt like a winter hike with clear weather but a 19°F/-7°C cold morning at the meadow. Traversed the snow covered talus field at the meadow’s SW end and up the drainage chute towards Sam Mack Lake until my ice axe poked through a void/bridge. Couldn’t skirt the sides of the chute with its deep Bergschrund like crevasses next to the ridge walls so I traversed right to the class 3-4 ledges and ran into unclimbable ice on the rocks. Went further right and up the ledges to Sam Mack Lake which has its first layer of surface ice. Even with the warmth of the sun, winter is knocking on the door. Down and back to Fifth, Fourth and Black Lakes on beautiful loop trails on the way out with a stop at the Lon Chaney Cabin to cap off a great fall season in the Sierra. Was nice to see the spectacular fall colors and capitalize on an unusual number of clear weather during the last half of this year. Logged 18.3 miles/4646 vertical ft. with All Trails.
Beautiful hike although hard with elevation gain and lots of exposed areas and hot sun! We did this on Nov 5 and it was sunny and honestly hot (felt like 80s in the sun). Beautiful lakes but you have to hike 5 miles of OK beautiful landscape uphill to get to them. There’s a lot of elevation gain the first couple of miles so be mindful of altitude sickness. Some areas were muddy but quite easy to go through. Can imagine it gets worse later in the season. We unfortunately started late and ran out of time to complete the full loop. Only reached to lakes 1 and 2. The lakes are beautiful! Lots of people camping next to the lakes which would be my dream!
Did this hike on 10/29. AllTrails points to the overnight parking lot, which in my opinion is more straightforward, trail-wise. We parked at the big pine creek trailhead at 1040am with few spots remaining. Took a steep switchback to join the main trail. The first couple of miles are completely exposed. As we got into the forest, the trail was shaded on and off. Even with the fall completely gone, the trail is so pretty with the streams and waterfalls. There is some mud and ice on the trail, but nothing too bad. We went to first, second and third lakes, and loved all of them. The third lake was frozen on the surface. We could see fish swimming underneath the frozen surface, so cool. We are slow hikers and we spent good amount of time at the lakes. We took a little over 8 hours to finish 12+ miles. If you are a slow hiker, I would advise you to start earlier during the day to avoid hiking in the dark (like us, lol). Would definitely recommend.
We had an amazing time hiking the Big Pines Lakes Trail from October 11-13, 2023. The weather was perfect and the views from the trail are unforgettable. We hiked all seven lakes, but Lake 2 was our favorite and we ended up camping there both nights due to cold temperatures higher up. The fishing at Lakes 2 and 3 was great, I caught plenty of brook trout and was able to find a consistent bite. The trail was well-maintained and, while it can get a bit busy as the weekend approaches, it was definitely less crowded than other popular trails with less strict permitting. There are also plenty of good camping spots to choose from although the main ones right on the view get taken up. Just be prepared for a steady climb right from the start, all the way up to Lakes 6 and 7 at about 11,200 feet. You can really feel the altitude, but the trail does a good job of winding through the terrain to make the ascent manageable. The first part of the hike is a bit rough but things get easier after the John Muir trail sign by the waterfall and are the toughest hiking up to 6&7. With plenty of water sources along the route, staying hydrated wasn't a problem. Overall, it was a fantastic trip that'll be hard to top. Also side note, we encounter no mosquitoes during our stay.
Did a overnight trip (to the first 3 lakes, camped at 2nd lake) on 10/12/23. Perfect sunny conditions w minimal wind. Trail is wet and muddy in sections but easily passable w/o getting your shoes/socks wet. Night time temp did get down to 19° (per fellow camper w a thermometer). No mosquitos (yea!) Really loved my LifeStraw Peak to drink water from the streams and lakes! Took us 3 hours up & down. I did run into a hiker that was dealing w altitude sickness. Please be informed w the symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Any time you go above 8,000 feet, you can be at risk for altitude sickness.
I hiked this in 2019 and loved it so much I wanted to come back for a special occasion. Cue my 50th birthday and here we go!! Stayed in Lone Pine at the Best Western Frontier. Woke up before dawn and made it to the trail head (the over night lot) just as the sun poked it's head over the horizon around 7 am. There are pit toilets at the trailhead. The weather was absolutely perfect. Blue bird day. Temps were in the low 80's for the majority of the day. You get in some good elevation gain in the first couple miles up to the waterfall. It flattens out a little after that into a forest section that is quite lovely with some beautiful aspens. They are shining gold this time of the year. The ones on the ground look like gold coins. A few muddy sections and EZ creek crossings. This was on a Monday and I encountered about 30 people that had camped over night and were on their way down before Lake 2. After that... I did not see a single person during the loop. I did all 6 Lakes (I skipped 7) including Summit Lake. I still can't believe it. After you catch your breath on the flat forest section there is steady moderate incline up to Lake 1. Lake 2 is a short section up the trail and then some more moderate incline up to Lake 3. In most places in the U.S. Lake 1 by itself would be a "destination" spot. It's a beautiful lake. And it sure was gorgeous this day. Lake 2 is like a calendar pin-up. EPIC. It was incredibly windy on this day. But only at this lake. So weird. The last time I had visited Lake 3 it was almost completely dry. This time it was nice and full and a pleasant surprise. The steepest part of the trail are the switch backs between 3 and 4. They are not that long though and ease up through another nice forest section. I took a break and refueled here. I remember not being too impressed by Lake 4 last time.. mostly because it was crowded. But this time it was empty. A light wind was blowing on the far side of the lake sending this little ripples to where I approached. It was so tranquil and chill and beautiful. Lake 5 was my favorite last time and once again... it did not disappoint. There is just something about the mountains in the background and the way the sun light ripples off the water making it twinkle that just gets me. I was outta gas last time and skipped Lake 6 and 7 so this time I made a point to make it out there. It was steep and farther than I expected... but then you turn a corner and there is Lake 6. Absolutely amazing. Unreal!! The highlight of the hike. Once again though.. I skipped 7. It looks like the trail ends well before the lake and you need to scramble over a boulder field. I could also see the lake in the distance... and it just didn't look worth the effort. In my humble opinion. Once back on the trail I did go the short distance to Summit Lake and that was quite lovely as well. Downhill climb took me passed Black Lake and although quite large... was ok. It didn't impress me as much as all the others. Great views of Lake 1 and the Sierras as well as all the fall colors on the way down. I started seeing people again once I completed the loop. I was out all day and made it back to my car as the sun was setting. I have to say... weather + solitude + beauty = my favorite hike of all time.
9/28-9/30 - some muddy/sloshy sections and creek crossings. Trail is well marked and easy to follow. Views were absolutely stunning!! We got lucky with the majority of our time with sunny, clear skies and had a decent rain/snowstorm overnight. Daytime temps were in the high 50’s and high to low 30’s at night. Day 1, Hiked to Fifth Lake and camped overnight. Day 2, hiked to Sixth and Seventh Lakes then to Second Lake to camp for the night. Day 3, hiked out. A must do for backpacking or day hiking! My husband fished at second and fifth lakes and caught a bunch of Brooke trout.
