Killer Sunset at The Sisters near Carson Pass Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail Need a Map? Lost Al near Lost Keys Lake
Backpacking Map: Bensen Lake to Virginia Canyon on the Pacific Crest Trail route of the LakeTahoe to Mount Whitney Trails
Dicks Lake
           The Riveria of the Sierra: Bensen Lake
Lake Aloha
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

Bensen Lake to Virginia Canyon Backpacking Map

North Yosemite National Park Hiking Map

The "Washboard"
or
"The Five Canyons of the North Yosemite Backcountry"

30 minute USGS Backpacking Map

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass
                     
PCT-TYT
MAPS
TRAIL GUIDE
INFORMATION
Tahoe to Whitney
INDEXES
More Miles and Elevations 7.5 Map Series Weather, Map Data
PCT
MAPS
INDEX
Sonora
Pass

to
Tuolumne
Meadows
30 min map
NORTH

Sonora
Pass

to
Bensen
Lake

30 min map
SOUTH

Virginia
Canyon

to
Tuolumne
Meadows

Miles
and
Elevations

Sonora
Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows
Trail Guide
PAGE

Bensen Lake
Section
INDEX

Sonora Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows
Trail Guide
INDEX

Tahoe
to
Whitney
All Miles
INDEX

Tahoe
to
Whitney
All
MAPS

Tahoe
to
Whitney
Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass
  Section
MAPS

Sonora Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows
All
MAPS

Tahoe
to
Whitney

PERMITS

Hoover Wilderness

Yosemite

Resupply

Kennedy Meadows
--
Tuolumne
Meadows

Road Map

Map Info

           

FULLY LINKED
TOPO HIKING MAP

Click the Map
to
SEE
DETAILED MAPS

Backpacking Map:
Southbound
Pacific Crest Trail Exit
through the
NORTH YOSEMITE
"Washboard"


North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                  Click the Map                            South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

TYT-PCT at Bensen Lake Loop, Twin Lakes, Virginia Canyon backpacking map.
North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                   Click the Map                           South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

Click the Map
LINKED

to

Detailed
Emigrant and Yosemite Wilderness
Backpacking Maps


Also See
North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                  Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne Backpacking Map                           South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows
North Yosemite Backcountry backpacking map.
North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                   Click the Map                           South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

Also See
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
Backpacking Map

Location Notes

Main Features

Beyond the PCT and TYT
Our feature trails, the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes, track through this section of the North Yosemite Backcountry. This map is much larger than required to understand their specific routes. The unified TYT & PCT routes enter this map on the lower Left side to where they exit off its lower Right side.

This map includes the trails running up the canyons between the ridges running up to the Sierra Crest from our combined TYT & PCT route, which illustrates the trails leading over the Sierra Crest to Hoover Wilderness Trailheads along the East flank of the Sierra.

The reasons are twofold: first, to get as wide a context on the surrounding terrain and mountains as possible.

Second, the map above puts the Twin Lakes Trailhead over on the East Flank of the Sierra in the Hoover Wilderness into context with our long trails across and around the North Yosemite Backcountry, specifically the Bensen Lake Loop.

The map above shows the Bensen Lake Loop's shared section of trail on our main trails, the combined TYT and PCT, along with it's route down Kerrick Canyon to access the PCT and its route off the PCT up Matterhorn Canyon on the Bensen Lake Loop's route to and from Twin Lakes.

Hoover Wilderness
and Hall Research Natural Area on the East Flank

Our next 30 minute backpacking map to our South covers the Green Creek and Virginia Lakes Trailheads in the Hoover Wilderness on the East flank, and the trails leading into the top of Virginia Canyon and connecting with our PCT-TYT route.

The Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows 30 min map also depicts the Lundy Canyon and Saddlebag Lake Trailheads accessing the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, and the East Flank of Mount Conness, although these two East flank trailheads link with each other, they don't offer trail access to our PCT-TYT through-route running down Cold Canyon.

Click the PCT-TYT route on map above in Virginia Canyon to see detailed maps to our East of the Green Creek and Virginia Lakes Trailheads in the Hoover Wilderness and click the map lower down in Cold Canyon to see the detailed map of the Lundy Canyon and Saddlebag Lake Trailheads in the Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area.


Mapology

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS maps up into grids are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.

From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

That converts the diagonal distance into 4,639.8 feet or .88 of a mile.

Map Information Map Symbols

Online and Trail Maps Online Length Conversion

Tuolumne Meadows Roadmap

Tuolumne Meadows
Road Map and Backpacker Resources
Center and magnify the map on Tuolumne Meadows to locate the relative positions of the TM Post office, Store, Cafe, backpackers Camp, and permit office.

Detailed Tuolumne Meadows Maps
Tuolumne Meadows Resupply Page
Tuolumne Meadows Facilities Map Tuolumne Meadows Campground Map

 

Highway 120 Corridor
We also locate Crane Flat to the West on Highway 120 and Lee Vining and its resources on the Eastern end of Highway 120 on Highway 395.

 

Highway 395 Corridor
Access
North on Highway 395 we locate Bridgeport and its access into the North Yosemite Backcountry through Twin Lakes on the edge of the Hoover Wilderness.

Twin Lakes Backpacking Map

 

Highway 108 Corridor
Access
Continuing North on 395 we turn West on Highway 108 to find access points through Emigrant Wilderness into the North Yosemite Backcountry hiking the classic routes of the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails.

Highway 108 Backpacking Map

 

Hetch Hetchy Roadmap

North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                  Click Red Dots                           South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

Mapping, Mileage,
and
National Forest Information

The elevation information below highlights the visual presentation of this precipitous terrain above.

We are hiking through the Southern Half of the well-named "Five Canyons of the North Yosemite Backcountry," also know as "The Washboard."

The elevation figures below indicate our route rapidly ascends and descends a series of closely spaced High Sierra ridges just below the Western flank of the Sierra Crest.

This segment of our trail is composed of harsh climbs and steep descents, at least until we hike South into the bottom of Virginia Canyon.

Though we have another climb South up to the top of Cold Canyon, the terrain is noticably moderating, and once we reach the top of Cold Canyon we face a long downhill hike to Glen Aulin.

Click the red dots to see the trail guide entry for that location, and click the main route of the combined PCT-TYT for the underlaying highly detailed 7.5 minute topo map.

USGS Maps

Bridgeport Calif, 1985,
30x60 Topographic Map

Yosemite Valley, Calif, 1976,
30x60 Topographic Map

 

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is 16 and 1/2 degrees
East of True North

 

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

 

Backpacking permitting authorities:

National Forest, Northeast of Yosemite
Toiyabe National Forest

Wilderness Area
Hoover Wilderness

Toiyabe Ranger District
Bridgeport

 

North: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                                  Click Red Dots                           South: Virginia Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

PCT-TYT
Elevations
  FORUM

Seavy Pass: 9120 feet

Bensen Lake: 7581 feet

Bensen Pass: 10160 feet

Matterhorn Canyon: 8480 feet

High Point South of Miller Lake: 9560 feet

Virginia Canyon: 8560 feet

Trail Guide, Section
Backpacking the North Yosemite Backcountry
TYT and PCT

 

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
The
USGS

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Download all the maps you need for FREE!

Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to locate. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

USGS Topographic

Map Information Map Symbols
Trailhead
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail