How I Found California's Best Kept Secret
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Emigrant Wilderness is Yosemite's lesser known neighbor to the north. Due to the close proximity, the landscape is extremely similar, despite only getting a fraction of the visitors.
I recently went on a trip to a region of Emigrant that gets very little attention. We were swarmed with early season mosquitos, had to climb over downed trees and walked through a crazy heat wave. But we found amazing alpine lakes without any crowds!
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and promptly ruinded it by sharing with everyone.
Hi from Australia. This is totally awesome, love Amazing American National Park Heritage. 😊
I live in Northern California. Our National Wildernesses Areas are stunning. You lose the crowds of the National parks, and the country is just as nice. I used to hike a lot. I've done hundreds of miles of the PCT. It's spectacular.
I have visited a small lake in the Trinity Alps at least 7 or 8 times. I have been going there since 1981 and never seen another person there. Not even signs of a campfire. Fish are small but you can catch all you want. I call it Michael's Lake.
Any places in particular you recommend? I’m also in nor cal looking for new places to explore
@@jacobimacbroom
The Trinity wilderness is very diverse. The view from Mt. Thompson (the highest peak in the Trinity's) is way cool, as are the sub-alpine glacial lakes that you will find. Look at a good map. The main trails are shown. Have a blast. Be alert. Bear-bag your food. No Internet (unless you climb a peak, and even then...maybe.)
I refrained from naming any one place. Please realize, these are not parks because they are too fragile for crowds. These are "pack it in/pack it out" areas. No motorized anything allowed. No bikes either. They would tear up the land. On foot w/backpack, or on horseback allowed. One of the magazines wrote an article and a lake that was crowded with 3 people, had over a dozen. It was a disaster. These are special places. To experience them requires responsibility. These are our National Wilderness Areas. Go Exploring. You'll love it.
Hint...RUclips has video of many places by name. Map.
@@jacobimacbroom no. Dont look into it.
@@that_guy_8177 too late bud 🤭
It's cooler if you hike out of White Wolf--up toward Tuolemne--Campground (and they have running water in their restrooms to wash, tho for tent camping nearby Porcupine Flats is a better campground--primitive and beautiful). May Lake is so pretty and there is a cool woods on the side of a mountain, then meadows of wildflowers before you get to the lake. Around the side of the lake to the right, is a switchback trail going down the other side or the small ridge (don't go near if if it's raining! You can't get back up it.) that heads past the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and eventually down near Yosemite Falls to the Valley! You trace the trail Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir took over 100 yrs ago (tho they had horses), they got to see the 2d valley of Yosemite b4 San Francisco turned it into a reservoir. I won't be alive for it, but I'm waiting for Gen Z to build a new reservoir somewhere and drain Hetch Hetchy, recreating the valley it was, but with what we now know would be far more ecological. No cars. Electric transit (train or?) could deposit campers in campgrounds created to protect plants and animals...and yet deal with the huge numbers of people who want to camp in Yosemite--paradise as beautiful as Yellowstone but a little kinder?
Then proceeded to put it on the internet for a monetary gain...
So you work for free then? You decline your paycheck from your employer? Thanks, so kind of you.
@bustaruckus5611 nope, but in my free time, you can find me at no name lake off lost mans trail all to myself, because thats what "secrets" are for, imo
@@FishDR That's great...but it doesn't mean she can't be helpful to people and also get rewarded for the time and effort it took her to shoot and edit this (as well as the video equipment and software costs). ✌️
@bustaruckus5611 thought I'd express my opinion on the ironic title and the ethical shortcomings. She can do as she pleases, though
@@FishDR There are no ethical shortcomings here. I was happy to have the info, and I'm happy that people are monetarily incentivized to keep putting out helpful information that they might not have otherwise shared if it wasn't worth their time. And that's not an ironic title. She's acknowledging that it's little-known, but now sharing the info with us. And "best kept secret" is also just a phrase people use...not a literal assumption that it's a secret. An example of irony is Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing having Oakland, CA stamped on the bottle. If you're going to get pedantic with people, at least construct a good argument.
Shhhhhhh
On holidays, prepare to park on Crabtree Road before you turn off toward the trailhead. Some idiots block the passable side of the road. Don’t bother looking for parking if you have a low clearance, or you’ll get damage like I did.
You mean "What used to be California's best kept secret". But hey, anything for hits.
There are a lot of secrets, even in popular areas if you are willing to do off trail travel and camping. Especially in the Sierra where cross country travel is relatively easy.
Garcia Donald Lewis Jeffrey Anderson David
My son and I just hiked a 30 mile loop there. With those loose rocks and huge slab steps, and river crossings, I’m impressed you guys were able to do it without hiking poles.
Thank you for sharing! Love the different hikes!
I've never hiked in Emigrant but Northern Yosemite and Hoover are right next door and offer phenomena hiking. There is one thing better than a swim in alpine lakes after a nice hike - soak in a natural hot spring (kern river Hot spring) and then a swim.
Emigrant Wilderness is the best, I like to soak my cotton t-shirt with stream or lake water to keep cool while hiking
You hike in a cotton shirt?!
@@Macc_spice normally I'm in a wetsuit surfing, but if I dress I'm in cotton, always
You probably know, wet cotton has an SPF of about 2. But you’re a surfer, so you probably have lots of melanin protection.
@@ricksonora6656 that's a strange choice for the backcountry..
@@Macc_spice I was warning. Most people don’t know you can get UV damage through your clothes.
This place is unreal! Backpacked here about 10 years ago, would love to go back
Emigrant is awesome. Great hike. Those lakes may be nice but West Cherry Canyon is one of my favorite places. Amazing waterfalls. Amazing River. But you need to go in the spring when there are no mosquitoes! :)
I love Emigrant! But I have never been in spring time! I was thinking about it this year and I probably should have - I just have never seen mosquitos like that in my life!
That heat wave was brutal. We hit 117 degrees in Oregon. Good for you getting out there in the heat and mosquitoes.
Ugh - I do not envy you up in PNW! With a heat wave like that, you are almost crazier not to go to the mountains! It was a good 20 degrees cooler above 8,000!
My partner and I hiked a little east of this in the last week of June 2022. Heat was an issue, but the mosquitos were insane. We couldn't stop for a second without being swarmed. Our hiking buddies bailed after one night. The only break we had from mosquitos was a mid-day thunderstorm. Despite the bites, it was a great trip.
My Boy Scout troop used to do a yearly backpacking trip in to the Emmigrant WIlderness area. The last two times we did it via pack team. The trails we always used were the Huckleberry Trail which starts at Kennedy Meadows Resort, and the Walker River trail on the Nevada side of Sonora Pass. There are pack stations at both trailheads. Love that area, but have not been back since the late 1980s... My favorite lake to stay at was Cinko Lake just north of Yosemite. Emmigrant Lake also was very nice.. About the only mosquito repellent I found that worked in that country is Muskol 100% DEET.
Super inspiring - definitely checking this out!!! Thank you!!
Haaaa..... Walking past lake after lake while complaining about how hot it is.... Must have forgot your pool noodles.
Great video 🙌 we liked the journey and the destination. Beautiful scenery 🤩🤩
TY. Awesome video. Was fortunate enough to have hiked thru Emigrant Wilderness areas back in the Day! Instantly recognized the specific crunch boots make on that crumbling granite on those enormous slabs! Gods Country I called, such mesmerizing and serene wilderness. New Subber here! Off to check out your other vids. 😀Cheers and Happy Backpacking!💪🏻👌😎
I’m backpacking Kennedy meadows area this Labor Day weekend, meet me out there!
How the hell are you taking a small backpack and with so little things. I'm going to weaver lake (March 3) and my great wouldn't fit in that backpack hell it doesn't even fit in my backpack.
Tom Harrison's maps are both the best & worst thing you can buy if you like backpacking in California. You'll find so many cool places to go and explore.
We have camped there for many years. Very well known place for Californians.
🫶🫶🫶🫶
Noooo! My reaction when you said you were taking the lower trail back. Ugh. Such a sandy mess. LOL. Nicely done however. :)
Live near there . Gets hot every year , same time. Never disappoints for 50 years . Then fall hits fast , two weeks later .. Winter . That quick.
Thanks for this video! I'm looking to go somewhere fourth of july weekend and trying to find spots without permits.. Would you recommend Bucks Lake or other similar spot in the area?
It use to be a secret. My dad and I have been going there since the 70s and could stay a week and never see a soul. We would go to Downey and Milk lakes. Great video thanks for sharing your adventure.
Way to keep it a secret lol
GPS is good. But you just can’t beat a real map!
Great video. I’m just trying to figure out how to get there.
:) The trailhead is called crabtree - it's just outside of Pinecrest/Strawberry
@@ElsbethWeeks thank you for getting back to me. It's been super hard finding info on how to get to a place, park, permit and where the trials are. I was able to contact the ranger station Tuesday and they stated that the park isn't open u til April 15
@cbingham40 Yeah I totally understand! WIth all of the different agencies managing their areas differently, its especially tough. Sorry it took so long for me to respond! Have fun :)
I love your videos. May I ask what type of backpack you have?
Oh thank you! That’s so sweet! I use a gossamer gear gorilla 50! I really love it and do recommend it for most people :)
Where do you park to start your hike? In Yosemite?
There is a lake in Baja called Laguna Hanson that you might like.
Years ago, I used to backpack to and around huckleberry lake in Emigrant Wilderness. Great fishing. For scenery we would make side trips to nearby Upper and lower Twin lakes in Yosemite right on the border between Emigrant Wilderness and Yosemite.
That's why I never post anything on the Internet.
The thing that sucks about hiking is hiking back. 😅
Thank you for this excellent video tour.
Thank you for the nice comment :)
10 paces behind at all times 😂
Love to come back to this video to hear the sound of decomposing granite under foot. The map talk at the beginning and your zest for the trip remind me of those trails years ago.
What time of year was this
Guess it's not a secret now
This is very cool.
What time of year did you go?
I did this trail !!!
Such an amazing video props for crushing it in that heat. I agree there's something majestic about nightfall in the mountains
Thanks so much! Yeah the heatwave last summer was insane!
Nev-ADD-duh
I live very near there. At the same time I decided to backpack Peeler Lake outside of Twin Lakes/Bridgeport area. After permits and paying for parking it was 10:30a and the heat rose to 100. Ag. Didn’t do well but made it. Looking forward to my own back yard this year.
Hiking up Buckeye get you to the the same area (Kerrick Meadow) - but there are a lot fewer hikers.
Quite the gems indeed!
We camped in the same spot at Piute Lake in 2022 after setting out for Gem Lake and being like “wtf this is not where it said it was”! We had awesome chilly weather for June though so the mosquitoes were minimal!
It truly is
Did you need a permit to hike/camp?
Yes, but it’s free and there is no quota or cap. You can get them at a near by ranger station and can self permit if the station is closed
They're not really secrets
A drone that fly's along with you as you walk will save time setting up the camera. The mosquito cells will also help tremendously. Great video!