North Fork Trail to Big Pine Lakes has been on my to-do list for several years. Located in the John Muir Wilderness, this is arguably one of the most scenic hikes in the Sierra Nevada, making it extremely popular and therefore difficult to get permits for overnight stays.

We opted to backpack this trail due to roundtrip length being 15+ miles, which is too far for any of our 3 dogs to do in a day. We also wanted some extra time to explore and hike to the other lakes in the area so backpacking worked better for us.

We were originally going to drive up the afternoon before our trip and camp at one of the designated campgrounds, but the poor air quality and smoke from the Dixie Fire that day made us change our plans. Thankfully the winds were predicted to shift late that evening and push the smoke out. For those curious, this is the smoke map we used to find current and future smoke predictions.

How to get a permit

If you plan to camp overnight at Big Pine Lakes you are required to have a permit. You do not need a permit to day hike.

To explore available permits, click here and look for Big Pine Creek North Fork. You are able to book your permit 6 months in advance at 7am PST. A small percentage of permits are also available 2 weeks in advance, and this is how we got ours. We were very fortunate to get a permit considering they were gone in a matter of minutes. Getting a permit is very competitive, so be ready right when the permit system opens. Once you get your permit, you must check-in by calling or emailing the ranger district you selected (we chose the Mt. Whitney Ranger District in Lone Pine) 2-14 days in advance. They will then send you your permit that you need to print and carry with you during your entire trip.

*Due to COVID, the process to select and receive your permit differs from the procedure they used in the past. Please be sure to thoroughly read through the rules and regulations, as well as the need to know information listed on the permit website.

Day 1

August 10th, 2021

On our first day, we left home at 1am to make the 4.5 hour drive to the Big Pine Lakes trailhead. Backpackers are required to park in the overnight parking lot located a little over half a mile from the main trailhead. We timed our arrival perfectly, getting there at 5:30am, just before the sun would be rising. It is extremely important for us to begin our hike early, especially during the summer months, in order to prevent the dogs from overheating.

After gathering all our necessities, we made our way up the road for 0.6 miles to reach the trailhead. While there is a trail that takes you from the overnight lot to the main trail, we opted to walk along the road to reduce the amount of elevation gain. If you were to follow the map on AllTrails it shows that in the 5 miles it takes you to reach the second lake, you will need to do about 3000 feet of elevation gain, however our overall mileage and elevation gain did vary slightly from AllTrails.

Since we left early we were hiking in the shade for the first couple miles which was appreciated considering we were climbing up switchbacks and gaining elevation quickly. We opted to take the lower trail versus the upper trail, and although the lower trail is longer by just 0.2 miles, it keeps you in the shaded valley (unless starting late in the day) and lessens the overall elevation gain. We eventually connected back up with the main trail which takes you up several more sets of switchbacks and where you will enter the John Muir Wilderness.

Walking the lower trail. — Hiking along the lower trail.

Hiking up a set of switchbacks to connect up with the main trail

Views kept getting better as we continued on and we were thankful to have started early because it was warming up quickly especially once the sun started hitting the trail.

Scott and I both had 45lb packs on which made this hike more difficult for us. Typically the dogs would also have backpacks to help distribute the weight, but due to the nature of this hike, heat, steepness and elevation combined, we thought it would be best for them to not have to carry any extra weight. This meant that Scott and I carried several pounds of dog food for the 3 dogs along with a bulky 4-person tent. Though our packs were heavy, it was definitely the right call for the dogs sake.

Our destination was near the base of this rocky outcrop known as Temple Crag.

There are 9 lakes in this area, with 7 of them named numerically. At 5 miles in we reached First Lake. We then had just another half mile to go before reaching Second Lake where we would be setting up camp.

From left to right: Zeus, Bella and Maxi at First Lake.

When we reached Second Lake just before 10am there were several other backpackers camped above the lake. Since it was still early, we knew these backpackers would gradually filter out and give us more camping spot options. One of my biggest concerns on this trip was finding a location large enough to fit a 4-person tent. I went to scout out some unoccupied sites but most were too small. We eventually found a suitable spot with a view, though it was obstructed by large boulders all around. Because it was already hot we placed our bags down and decided we would set up the tent later when it was cooler (doing so ended up being in our favor). We then went to find some shade where we spent the rest of the day relaxing under the trees.

Cooling down in the shade. Bella looking back at us.

When we went for a brief walk to capture pictures of the surrounding area, we noticed people were no longer camped at what is considered to be THE place to camp due to the front and center unobstructed views of Temple Crag. We went to see if the area was large enough to fit our tent and surprisingly it was! We moved our bags to this location and continued to take pictures.

After taking pictures of the dogs, we found another nearby shady spot and waited for the sun to dip behind the mountains before eating and setting up the tent.

Slowly the sun lowered and illuminated the jagged peaks of Temple Crag. We then boiled water for our dehydrated meals and set up the tent. We spent the rest of the evening on the rock overlooking the lake just in front of our campsite, and then all 5 of us climbed into our tent for a restful night.

For those interested, we have the Marmot Limelight 4-person tent. Scott and I positioned ourselves so that our feet and heads were facing the doors, which allowed for the dogs to have a little bit of extra room to my left (see one of the images below). The tent itself is quite heavy for backpacking (8.8lbs) especially when split between just 2 people, but it was perfect for the amount of space we needed with 2 people and 3 big dogs.

To make it to Second Lake, which sits at an elevation of 10,291 feet, we hiked 5.5 miles with 2,650 feet of elevation gain.

Below you can swipe through more pictures from this day.

Day 2

August 11th, 2021

On our second day we woke up around 5:15am and watched the sun hit Temple Crag as the dogs ate their morning meals and the humans ate granola.

We packed up our bags with the necessary gear for the day and were on the trail early to hike to several other lakes in the area. There are 9 lakes total, including lakes numbered 1-7, Summit Lake and Black Lake. We had passed First Lake yesterday and camped at Second Lake, so we planned to hike all the way up to Sixth Lake and tackle Summit and possibly Black Lake depending on how hot it was.

Refer to the map at the very end of this blog for the route we took and a visual of the lakes in the area.

About half a mile past Second Lake is Third Lake. Third Lake was yet another stunning lake that offers an alternate view of Temple Crag.

After a brief stop at Third Lake we then continued up another set of switchbacks that provides you with views overlooking Third Lake.

After about a mile, we came to a 4-way junction. We decided to go to Fourth Lake first, then up to Sixth and loop back to Fifth Lake while tackling Summit Lake on the way down. Fourth Lake wasn’t exactly special, especially when compared to the first three lakes we’ve seen, though it still had some nice mountain views and it’s worth stopping at if you have the chance.

The next lake for us was Sixth Lake. Getting there required a 1.2 mile hike with about 500 feet of elevation gain. The trail was steep, rocky and in the sun in places, but the views at the top made it all worth it!

Though Seventh Lake is located just past Sixth Lake, there is not a true trail to get there and requires you to cross over a marsh, hence why Seventh Lake wasn’t on our itinerary. Sixth Lake was the perfect turn around point for us, though we did still have a couple more lakes to look forward to seeing on our way down.

Overlook on the way down from Sixth Lake

On our way down we briefly veered off to Summit Lake where we filtered some more water as we were running low. 128 ounces of water doesn’t last long between 3 dogs and 2 humans!

Though we’re glad to have checked off Summit Lake, it was our least favorite of all the lakes in the area and if we were to ever come back we would skip it. The images of Summit Lake below should explain why.

Last but certainly not least was Fifth Lake. Instead of passing Fourth Lake again we took a different route that takes you past Fifth Lake. Make sure to download the GPS map (like we did) because the trail taking you to Fifth Lake isn’t exactly obvious on the way back from Sixth Lake. This was another beautiful lake with turquoise water and mountainous views.

After spending quite some time at Fifth Lake we eventually reached the 4-way junction again. By this point it was already very hot and because we had been taking our time at all the other lakes it was almost 11 o’clock (this is late for us). Scott and I decided we wouldn’t head up to Black Lake since the trail would be all in the sun which wouldn’t be fair to the dogs.

We headed down another 2 miles back to our campsite at Second Lake. We took multiple water breaks in the shade on our way down.

We then spent the rest of the day in the shade near the river between First and Second Lakes.

Around 5pm we made our way back up to our campsite and began making dinner. After hiking for 7.5 miles with 1,500 feet of elevation gain, the dogs were worn out and were fast asleep for most of the afternoon and evening.

We had a quick thunderstorm roll through that evening. Fortunately the rain only lasted for about 30 minutes as I was hoping to capture the stars later that night.

Below are more images taken this day.

Day 3

August 12th, 2021

On our last morning at Second Lake, we packed up our tent as we watched the sun hit Temple Crag for the final time.

Before we knew it, we were back on the trail hiking out, enjoying the last glimpses of Temple Crag.

We hiked 5.5 miles back to the overnight parking lot and quickly started the car to blast the AC for the dogs. We then made the 4.5 hours back to my parents’ house and that concluded our Big Pine Lakes backpacking adventure!

*Please follow Leave No Trace principles when in the outdoors. Pack out what you packed in and bury your waste. We packed out the dogs waste using an airtight container that attached to my backpack. Enjoy the outdoors responsibly!

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Backpacking Big Pine Lakes