Resupply
North
Lake Alpine

Resupply
South
Kennedy
Meadows

Local
Weather

Sierra
Weather

Trail Section
Here at the Silver Valley Trailhead we begin the next section of our hike South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. This section stretches 34.57 miles South from Lake Alpine on Highway 4 to the Saint Marys Pass Trailhead on Highway 108.

This hike will give us a great look at the Western half of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

Remember, the last 4.57 miles of this section are a significant climb up to and over 10,400 foot Saint Marys Pass on a pretty darn challenging Hard 1, Class 3, unmaintained route. I found a series of Wild Ducks marking key points in the route around Clarks Meadow high up off the North bank of the River and Meadow during 2010, the last time I hiked through here.

We explore both the unmaintained route over Saint Marys Pass as well as a set of very interesting maintained trail alternatives to crossing the unmaintained section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail over Saint Marys Pass.

We've got many route options across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

We can bypass Saint Marys Pass by hiking up to the Pacific Crest Trail along one of four possible routes. The Pacific Crest Trail brings us South to Sonora Pass rather than Saint Marys Pass along the TYT.
The Saint Marys Pass trail head is but a short mile West down Highway 108 from Sonora Pass.

The Silver Valley trailhead is a portal into short and long local backpacking trips and loops remaining within the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. The guide pages below introduces us to the lay of the land and gives us the tools to explore the Carson Iceberg Wilderness all at once or a little piece at a time.

Trail definitions used on this guide.

Index

Lake Alpine to Rock Lake

The Silver Valley Trailhead

1st Goal:
Rock Lake

First, we must navigate the trail junctions that compose the Duck Lake Loop South of the Silver Valley Trailhead.

Topo Map
Lake Alpine Region Backpacker Map
15 minute USGS hiking map

The far trail junction on the Southeast side of the Duck Lake Loop is 1.94 miles South of the Silver Valley Trailhead.

Rock Lake is
4.74 miles South of The Silver Valley Trailhead at Lake Alpine.

6.64 miles North of the Jenkins Canyon trail junction.

Lake Alpine to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

Rock Lake is
29.9 miles North of Saint Marys Pass, where the TYT hits Highway 108.

13.1 miles Southwest of Highland Lakes Trailhead.

Mileage
Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass
TYT miles and elevations

Good campsites are available at Duck Lake, the North Fork of the Stanislaus, and Rock Lake.

The Situation
Carson Iceberg Wilderness Backpacker

If we are hiking the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail we have just resupplied and fed up at the Lake Alpine Lodge on Highway 4, had an ice cold beer, or two, and are now rested, resupplied, and ready to continue South on the TYT through the Silver Valley Trailhead on the East Shore of Lake Alpine.

We deserved it after hiking 68 miles South from out starting trailhead out of Meeks Bay up in Desolation Wilderness, and especially after crossing the really fun, and really challenging unmaintained segment of trail hiking South through Summit City Creek on our way to Lake Alpine from Carson Pass.

Or, we could be beginning a backpacking loop, a local in-and-out trip, or hiking a point to point trip out of the Silver Valley Trailhead to another trailhead. No matter.
The Silver Valley Trailhead is good for long and short distance backpackers. Duck Lake, the North Fork of the Stanislaus River, and Rock Lake are all good short-distance destinations from the Silver Valley Trailhead for overnight camping or as part of a very short backpacking loops out to Elephant Rock and Summit Lakes and back.

Good Hiking Ahead in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness for everyone, be we short, long, or in-betweeners!

Duck Lake to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

No loops for us. We're going long. We're hiking the TYT 34.57 miles across the length of the Western Carson Iceberg Wilderness through Saint Marys Pass to Highway 108.
The Saint Marys Pass Trailhead is located on Highway 108 a bit less than a mile West of where the PCT crosses Sonora Pass.
Our other main option for hiking from Highway 4 to Highway 108 is on the PCT route through the Eastern side of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness from Ebbetts Pass down to Sonora Pass.

We have more than two ways to skin this cat.

FULL
Carson Iceberg Wilderness Topo Map
click black dots for detailed maps, red dots for location information on the large-scale maps.

Route Selection
Personally, I prefer to hike South out of Lake Alpine on the TYT, then cut up to the PCT via Highland Creek. I finish hiking the Southern end of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness on the PCT, or I drop back down to the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail for the final push over Saint Marys Pass through the Boulder Lake connector trail once I've hiked through the East Carson River on the PCT, and around the paved segment of the TYT up Clarks Fork Road.
I really enjoy the terrain we hike through on the PCT along the East Fork of the Carson River. I believe it is the most scenic and remote terrain in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. Nonetheless, we have lots of options for crafting a wide variety of routes South to either the Sonora or Saint Marys Pass trailheads on Highway 108 hiking South out of this Silver Valley Trailhead.

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Map Collection
These TYT Topo Maps lay out the relationships between the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail through the Carson Iceberg Wilderness and the 4 trails connecting them. Scroll down the page from the TYT map list to see the list of maps focused on the PCT across the Eastern flank of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.
This collection of Carson Iceberg Wilderness hiking maps allows us to craft our own custom routes down the length and width of the wilderness down to Highway 108, or help us create a crafty loop around the wilderness and back to this Silver Valley Trailhead.
Note that the black dotted routes on the 30 minute (large scale) maps are linked to detailed maps of that area while the red dots on all maps are linked to the trail guide information for that location.

This makes every map a handy index to the underlying trail guide information.

Use the arrows along the edges of the maps to click to the next maps up and down the trail.

Resupply

However we get there, our next resupply spot for long distance backpackers headed South is located on Highway 108 at Kennedy Meadows Pack Station.

Northbound backpacker's next resupply opportunity on the trail is at the Echo Lake Chalet, 37.92 miles North of our position at Lake Alpine.

Even better resupply options await the Northbound hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail just a short ways off the trail in beautiful South Lake Tahoe, a few miles East of Echo Summit on Highway 50.

Lots of fun, rest, and relaxation in South Lake Tahoe!

Long and Short Distance
Backpacking Trip Options

Long Distance Carson Iceberg Backpacking Options

TYT PCT Hybrid Trail Routes
If we want to mix it up a bit we can hike South through the Silver Valley Trailhead on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail to Highland Creek. Rather than continuing South on the TYT through Jenkins Canyon, we hike up Highland Canyon and past the Highland Lakes at the top of the canyon to the Pacific Crest Trail at Wolf Creek Pass. From Wolf Creek Pass we can hike South on the PCT down to Sonora Pass.

This TYT-PCT hybrid pushes the length of this section of trail between Highways 4 and 108 up to 43.42 miles and adds thousands of feet of climbing. I prefer the terrain along the TYT on the Northern and Southern ends of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness, and the terrain along the PCT through the center of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

This route modification can achieve three goals. First, it extends the length of our trip and expands the scope of our understanding of the terrain. Second, it brings us around the paved segment of the TYT past the packed car campgrounds along the Clarks Fork Road. Third, if offers a detour around the challenging unmaintained and untrailed segment over Saint Marys Pass at the Southern end of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Detouring around this unique route would be a shame. These challenging segments of unmaintained/untrailed route are what make the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail so unique. It's good to have a detour around the upper Clarks Fork segment of the TYT if our fitness or skills are not up to Hard 1 trail difficulty requiring route finding demanding Class 3 skills.

We will miss this unique segment of trail if we stay on the Southbound PCT. We can cut back down to the TYT on the South side of the Carson Iceberg through the short but sweet Boulder Creek trail down to the TYT just below where the challenging climb to Clarks Meadow and over Saint Marys Pass begins.

In any case, there's lots of beautiful long distance hiking options that remain within the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. We can set up the route that suits our skills and fitness.

This article will give you some insight into the long and medium distance loops we can hike in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness by mixing together sections of the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes via the four trails that connect them across the length of the wilderness.
Also See
Four Backpacking Loops Around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness

Short Backpacking loops and trips in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness
There are many fine short and medium distance backpacking trips that we can craft out of the Silver Valley Trailhead, or any of the other three main PCT and TYT trailheads on the Northern and Southern ends of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

Access Points
A Circle of Trailheads around the Carson Iceberg
These are the Lake Alpine and Ebbetts Pass trailheads on the North side of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness along Highway 4, and the Saint Marys and Sonora Pass Trailheads on the South side of the Wilderness on Highway 108.
We also have trailhead accessing the long trails the Clarks Fork Road offering a set of great trailheads across the heart of the Carson Iceberg up to the PCT from the South off of Highway 108 just West of Kennedy Meadows, while the Highland Creek Road off of Highway 4 a bit to the West of Ebbetts Pass offers access into the heart of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness from the North.

Access to the PCT from the East via the East Fork of the Carson River is a hard, but very rewarding way in.

Check out the Road Maps for more context on our potential access point trailheads around the Carson Iceberg, and the Sonora Pass Trailheads page for more ideas about local loops and short distance backpacking North into the Southern Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

A Very Long Trail...
Once we hike the whole TYT from Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass, and then the PCT from Ebbetts to Sonora Pass, we can start coming back for years of short, medium, and long distance explorations of the spider web of trails crisscrossing the Carson Iceberg that tie our main routes across the wilderness together. Some trails take us through the unmaintained segment of trail through the Upper Clarks Fork to Saint Marys Pass, others the East Carson River to Sonora Pass.

We can plan local backpacking trips in the Carson Iceberg that can run from a few short miles up to the mid-teens and low-twenty mile distances up to 80 or 90 miles for a full loop of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness tying together most of the lengths of both the PCT and TYT.

Check the Highway 4 to 108 Trail Guide Index for more information. Here we cab find access to the maps, mileage, elevation, and trail guide information that can help plan our own custom adventures through the Carson Iceberg Wilderness from the North. The Sonora Pass Trailheads page shows trail access North into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness from the Southern end of the wilderness.

So Many Killer Routes and Trails
Though I suggest hiking the Carson Iceberg along the TYT as part of hiking whole length of the High Sierra Crest from Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney, there are a heck of a lot of excellent short and medium distance backpacking trips within the Carson Iceberg Wilderness that justify trips of up to ten days long remaining within the Wilderness.
Though the Silver Valley Trailhead at Lake Alpine is required hiking for backpackers on the TYT, is also a great point to begin and end these local and long distance backpacking trips into the Carson Iceberg.

Come back after you finish hiking the Tahoe to Whitney and pick them off to fill in more of the blank spaces on the map in your head.
Or even better yet, start backpacking larger and larger loops around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness until it can no longer constrain your capabilities. Then push North to Lake Tahoe and South to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite as your skills and desire to see more grows in lockstep.

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Topo Map
USGS 30 topo backpacking map

Silver Valley Trail Head, Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, East side of Lake Alpine.

This is mile 0 for the Tahoe to Yosemite miles figures across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

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Highland Creek Trail

As the old sign above indicates, this section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail is also known as the Highland Creek Trail. This trail leads directly up to Highland Lakes, near the Pacific Crest Trail at Wolf Creek Pass.
The Highland Trail also takes us South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, though TYT hikers turn Southeast up Jenkins Canyon just after entering Highland Creek's fine upper canyon. The lower sections of the canyon are filled by Spicer Meadow Reservoir.
The Highland Creek Trail continues North up Highland Canyon to the Highland Lakes past our TYT trail junction.
Highland Lakes are served by a dirt road from Highway 4.

Gabbott Meadow, listed on the sign below, no longer exists, having been drowned by the extension of the Spicer Meadow Reservoir during the late 1980s. Our contemporary destination is the set of campsites up on the end of the reservoir above the drowned location of Gabbot Meadow.

1979 USGS Topo Map with and without
Spicer Meadow Reservoir.

2009 National Forest Service Map with
Spicer Meadow Reservoir (pdf).

The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail skirts around the flooded section of Highland Creek's canyon that once hosted Gabbott Meadow, but now is filled with reservoir water. Both the creek and the meadow are now deep under Spicer Meadow Reservoir's waters.

The TYT now pushes further Northeast around the upper limit of Spicer Meadow Reservoir where Highland Creek feeds it, then turns Southeast for a short distance above the reservoir to bend itself around to enter the narrows of Highland Creek Canyon.
There are a bunch of nice campsites on the Northeast side of Spicer where Highland Creek feeds the reservoir and the trail(s) down from the Pacific Grade Summit on Highway 4 connects with the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

(Correction: One trail now.)

Lake Alpine to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

A few feet South of where we enter Highland Creek Canyon the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail turns South (Right) at a well-marked trail junction up Jenkins Canyon. The Highland Creek Trail continues Southeast up towards Highland Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail.

We can carve many fine short and medium distance hiking trips out of the network of trails that connect the Tahoe to Yosemite route South of the Silver Valley Trailhead with the Pacific Crest Trail's route across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.
The Highland Trail up Highland Canyon is the first of four.

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I did not see this sign last time through, 10-26-11. The Stanislaus National Forest is either repainting it, or they have decided to take it down. Gabbott Meadow is now submerged under the East end of the Spicer Meadow Reservoir.

Gabbot Meadow is now replaced by the campsites on the far Northeast edge of Spicer Meadow Reservoir as the backpacker's destination 10 miles from this trailhead.

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National Forest Information, Silver Valley Trailhead.

Trees, nature, bears, water, and warnings of beauty with a "bite!"

Take care!

This is the standardized format that we now see at all National Forest trailheads.

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Just a few feet South of the Silver Valley Trailhead we encounter this junction with the "Emigrant Trail."

Between seasonal trips I noticed this junction showed up. I think it was sometime around, maybe after, 2004.

Yet another "Emigrant Trail."

I was a little irritated at the time. Yet another new trail to explore. Jeeze, I was pushing hard to explore my "must hike list," and the damn list kept getting longer and longer with each new hike, rather than shorter...

This trail is pointed 90 degrees off the route of our North-South TYT, to the Northeast, and it was not pointing into great granite or any especially remarkable terrain.

So I put it on my "new information" list, and stopped worrying.

It was not listed on any Federal maps until the new 2009 Forest Service Map of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness was published.

The map indicates a route climbing moderately over 3 miles as the bird flies moving East roughly parallel with Highway 4 to and through Stanislaus Meadow up to the headwaters of the North fork of the Stanislaus River flowing out of Mosquito Lake.

This information promoted this trail up to my "explore for suitability for future Winter Trips" list.

I've entertained dreams of crossing the Sierra during Winter for quite some time. I've gotten to the crest from the East and the West many times, but have never put together full crossings.

I've been eyeing the Sonora Pass Road for years, but circumstances have never come together properly.
Now the Ebbetts Pass road is on the list...

Then I caught some frostbite, which was manifesting a deeper weakness. These physical events slowed down my Winter plans as well as Summer excursions.

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About a quarter mile beyond the trailhead we enter the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

We notice that our Southbound trail route makes a big turn to our Left, to the Northeast.

Looking carefully at the terrain we also notice that an old trail route continues straight through this bend to the Southeast.

We come to the conclusion that this big Left-turn is designed to break up the old, straight route of trail down to the West shore of Duck Lake into a new segment of trail that makes two great switchbacks down to the West shore of Duck Lake.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

We can still see indications of the old trail which once continued straight down the side of this low ridge to the West shore of Duck Lake.

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Bright morning light slashes across ancient forest and human trail between Silver Valley Trailhead and first Duck Lake junction.

I'd say the width of the trail here is relative to the number of car campers at nearby campgrounds.

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The Duck Lake Loop Presents Long Distance Backpackers with two routes South.

Two Ways South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
West Shore Route
If we take the West trail (Right) down to the West shore of Duck Lake from the first trail junction we must turn Left at the next Duck Lake trail junction, just past the wrecked ranch house on the Southwest corner of Duck Lake, to hike South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.
The post at this next trail junction is marked "Rock Lake," and it directs us to our Left, being East by the compass (South on the TYT) towards Rock Lake. We will be hiking along the South shore of Duck Lake from this second junction to the last and the furthest Duck Lake Loop trail junction from the trail head, which is located on the far Southeast corner of Duck Lake.
We hike straight through this furthest junction to continue South on the TYT.

Around the North Shore
If we take the North trail (Left) from the first trail junction South of the Silver Valley Trailhead we will be hiking around the North shore of Duck Lake down around the East shore to where we encounter the furthest Duck Lake trail junction on the Southeast corner the lake. We will turn Left here to continue South to the North Stanislaus River and Rock Lake beyond.

This furthest Duck Lake Loop trail junction is the point where the two wings of the Duck Lake Loop come together on the Southeast side of the lake.
Hikers on the Duck Lake Loop will make their respective turns to continue hiking around the Lake to complete this nice little backpacking loop back to the Silver Valley Trailhead while Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hikers point themselves East towards the North Fork of the Stanislaus River on the Southbound Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Doing the Loop
Turning Right at this furthest Duck Lake trail junction after hiking around the North shore of Duck Lake points us West towards the trail junction on the Southwest edge of Duck Lake, where the ranch houses are located. From there hikers on the Duck Lake Loop turn Right back towards the Silver Valley Trailhead.

Check the pictures and videos on the guide page below for more details.

Duck Lake Loop for Local Backpackers
The Duck Lake Loop is a 2.94 mile loop around Duck Lake South out of, and then back to, the Silver Valley Trailhead.

Lake Alpine Area Backpacking Map
15 minute USGS topo backpacking map

The Duck Lake Loop
Miles

.54 of a mile South of the Silver Valley Trailhead in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness we encounter the first of the Duck Lake Loop trail junctions. This is where we decide to go around the North Shore (straight) or the West Shore (Right)

Distance to the junction on the West shore of Duck Lake past the wrecked ranch from the Silver Valley Trailhead: 1.08 miles.

Distance to the far junction on the Southeast side of Duck Lake from the Silver Valley Trailhead taking the route around the North shore of Duck Lake: 1.28 miles.

Distance between the Southwestern and Southeastern Duck Lake Loop trail junctions on the South side of Duck Lake: .58 mile.

Total distance around the Duck Lake Loop: 2.94 miles total.

Through Hiker Options

Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hikers can take either route from the first Duck Lake Loop junction pictured below, as both routes bring us around Duck Lake to the same location on the Southeast side of Duck Lake.

The real difference between the two is which side of Duck Lake we hike around on our way South.

Though both trails join up at the Southeastern side of Duck Lake I far prefer staying to my right at the first trail junction to hike around the West, then the South sides of Duck Lake.

Faint Shortcut Trail Visible

The first Duck Lake Loop junction is a bit confusing because a faint trail cuts off from the trail prior to reaching the first Duck Lake Loop junction, breaking off to the Southbound backpacker's Right. Well, we go straight onto the faint trail where the regular trail turns Left, so that's a practical Right turn...

This unmarked trail heads directly towards the West side of Duck Lake, bypassing the first Duck Lake Loop trail junction altogether. (Map) This little shortcut route meets up with the Western (Right) Loop trail coming down from the Duck Lake junction on its way to the West side of Duck Lake.

Note how this shortcut route "straightens up" the trail down to the West side of Duck Lake by cutting off the trail loop to the Southeast. The reason this is not still the official trail route is that the straight line of the old trail route down the slope pulls runoff too directly down mountain, causing erosion damage.
Therefore the trail to the West shore of Duck Lake now loops into a couple of switchbacks.

Your Choice

I prefer the Western leg (Southbound-Right) of the Duck Lake loop because this route offers great pastoral scenes of Duck Lake while hiking around its Western Shore. The Western route also gives us access to the break spots in the granite formations near the trail along the Southern Shore.

The Duck Lake Loop around the North shore (Southbound-Left from the first trail junction) of the lake bypasses the Western and Southern shores of Duck Lake and therefore misses the beautiful lake views the Southwestern leg of the loop offers, as well as the nice lunch & break spots along its South shore.

If your trip is the Duck Lake Loop which way you hike down through the first trail junction matters little, as you will return by the other side of the loop.

Campsites

But, the best campsites at Duck Lake are on the Eastern side of the Lake. If you are hiking down to the East Shore campsites then taking veering left at the first Duck Lake junction is the shortest route to your East shore campsites. But this leg of the loop is not as scenic as the Western route around the lake. This is not a consideration as our loop will bring us around the whole lake anyway.

I consider the East shore campsites superior to the South shore sites because the East shore sites are more distant from nearby meadows, and their terrain is set in rockier, harder, and therefore drier soil which does not support as many mosquitoes. The South shore sites are surrounded by verdant meadows which harbor huge mosquito populations until they dry out.

Which route and which campsites you select as you hike South may be best decided by which of your available options is the drier choice, especially during the height of the Mosquito Population Bomb that explodes during the wetness of early Spring. It very well may be the direction of the wind selects your campsite. Never camp downwind of a wet meadow during mosquito season...

Always camp upwind of a mosquito source.

Nonetheless, the most scenic route around Duck Lake is around the Western and Southern shores of Duck Lake.

Lake Alpine Area Backpacking Map
15 minute USGS topo backpacking map

comments-questions

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The first Duck Lake Loop trail junction is .29 of a mile South of the Silver Valley Trailhead, and .57 of a mile South of the Backpacker's Camp.

Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass
Backpacking Miles and Elevations

Southbound hikers on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail or the Duck Lake Loop can hike either way from here.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

This is the wrong image... would someone take a picture of this junction and send it to me?

Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass
Backpacking Miles and Elevations

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Duck Lake Loop Video: 8:07.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

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This view is from the trail West, or Right past the first Duck Lake Loop junction.

We're pushing to the Southeast traversing down the ridge before turning South to pass around the West Shore of Duck Lake.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

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After a downhill hike a little longer than a mile we exit the forest into the wide flat meadow apron extending around the Western shore of Duck Lake.

At the far South side of the meadow we can see an old wrecked ranch house and barn.

Note the cow ass poking into the left-middle of the frame. This is grazing Land.

Duck Lake comes into view. Passing to the West of the lake looking Eastward. Note the extensive meadow-flats around the lake. This place is a swamp during early Spring, and surging with mosquitoes... This image was taken during a very hot July. Temps were running in the high 80s before 11am.

I have encountered very hot hiking conditions along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, especially along the lower elevation sections of the trail during the past 12 years. Temps in the high 80s and low 90s, which demand that we carefully monitor our water intake, sweating, how we "feel," and the color of our pee, all to maintain optimal hydration.

Weather Page

Heat Safety Information

The weather in the Sierra has changed considerably over the past 12 years, with Summers getting much longer, hotter and drier. Consider heat safety, especially when hiking at lower elevations.

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Duck Lake Detail. I'm looking at the granite boulders along the right (South) shore of the Lake for a nice break spot. There's campsites over there too.

The cows are working the fresh greens along the boggy West shore of Duck Lake.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

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Second
Duck Lake trail junction

Hiking past the wrecked ranch house brings us to the next Duck Lake trail junction, located on the Southwest side of the lake.

This junction by the wrecked ranch house is 1.38 miles South of the Silver Valley Trailhead.

This is the Southwest Corner of the Duck Lake Loop. Here the Southbound Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hiker turns Left, to their East, to continue South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route.

The Southwestern Duck Lake Tahoe Yosemite Trail junction past the wrecked ranch house. The Southbound TYT hiker will turn Left here towards Rock Lake.

Lake Alpine Region Hiking Map
15 minute backpacking map

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Here the Southbound Hiker on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail takes a Left, turning East to follow the TYT South.

Short and Looping
Backpacking Trip Options

Elephant Rock and Summit Lakes

Continuing straight through this junction brings us through beautiful granite terrain down to Elephant Rock and road access at Summit Lake.

The trail is very quiet and has some very faint segments down to Elephant Rock Lake. The trail was subtly ducked last time through.

Or, from Elephant Rock we can hike Northeast up to Rock Lake on the TYT and loop back to Silver Valley Trailhead by coming North on the TYT.

A bit further down the trail past Elephant Rock Lake the Summit Lake trail runs up to the TYT 1.19 miles South of Rock Lake.

Lake Alpine to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

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A hot July day at the wrecked ranch trail junction on the Southwest side of Duck Lake.

View looking North towards me before the trail junction. The trail behind me beyond the junction heads North up to the Silver Valley Trailhead.

Southbound on the Tahoe to Yosemite towards Rock Lake is to the right side of the image.

Heat Safety Information

Heat Index
(NWS website)

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Duck Lake, West Shore

From the trail junction South of the Wrecked Ranch House we Southbound hikers on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail turn left (East by the Compass) to continue hiking South on the TYT towards Rock Lake.

Though we turn East by the Compass at the ranch house junction, we are heading South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

As we hike past the South shore of Duck Lake looking Left, or North across Duck Lake, we see various granite formations and mounds under the thin canopy of trees all decorating the scenic South shore of the lake.

Nestled within the folds of this rocky terrain are a few great places to camp or take a break, though the low water quality at Duck Lake is an issue, especially late in Summer when the water is low.

See the Duck Lake Notes below, about the camping and water quality issues at Duck Lake.

Tahoe to Yosemite Trail zags through rock channel along the South shore of Duck Lake.

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Duck Lake Terrain

Hiking around the South shore of Duck Lake brings us through a variety of terrains. Granite rock outcroppings under thin forest shades part of the South shore of Duck Lake.

Not much shade on a blazing day.

Hiking around the South shore of Duck Lake we see faint trails leading to South shore campsites breaking off to our Left, off of the main Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route.

We're hiking across fingers of vibrant green meadow reaching out from Duck Lake between rounded granite mounds.

The flat meadows ringing the West and South shores of Duck Lake mark its expansive overflow zone during the high waters of the Spring Thaw.

This whole scene of tiny lake and its fine rock formations are surrounded an apron of meadow fenced in by deep forest.

This whole meadow area is filled with water during the Spring Thaw

The ranch houses, rock, and old campsites give Duck Lake a bucolic, rustic feeling.

There are a couple of fine little sites along the South side of Duck Lake. This one has a nice granite boulder table-chair combination along with a small fire ring.

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Meadow around the South shore of Duck Lake. This area fills with water overflowing out of Duck Lake during the Spring Thaw overflow.

Grazing cows are likely what is keeping Lodgepole Pines from invading the expansive meadows around Duck Lake, and are certainly what degrades Ducks Lake water every Summer.

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Duck Lake Notes

You can see Duck Lake is belted by flat meadow aprons on its Western and Southern shores which are frequented by grazing stock.

These terrain factors mean three things to backpackers.

First, the green apron of lush meadows around Duck Lake are big-time breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This is true of all Sierra Lakes surrounded with lush meadow aprons. Mosquitoes dominate the exposed terrain from the opening of the Spring Thaw until whenever its moisture is finally dried out of the meadows.

The dryout time changes with the character of each year's seasons.

The trajectory of each year's moisture cycle controls the mosquito population levels. This is the fundamental truth driving each season's mosquito profile from Spring into Summer, and determines when mosquito populations will decline each year.
The character of each year's weather and our timing walking through it are the vital bits of information we need to properly plan, gear ourselves up for, and select the best campsite locations for the prevailing mosquito conditions.

The basic rule is that wetter Winters bring wetter Spring Thaws, which bring larger mosquitoes populations and preserves them deeper into Summer. Drier Winters bring less mosquitoes through the Spring Thaw, reducing their overall numbers as well as reducing the time they can survive into Summer.

It is important to stay as high and as dry as possible during the height of the High Sierra Mosquito Season. Wet meadows are to be avoided.
High Sierra Mosquito Information

Second, the grazing cows screw up the water quality in Duck Lake, big time.

Backpacker's Forum
Water Quality

Third, we can see no invading Lodgepole Pines in the meadows around Duck Lake, unlike High Sierra Meadows that are not under grazing leases.

Grazing cows appear to keep High Sierra meadows intact by eating all the Lodgepole saplings trying to invade the meadow. Logical behavior preserves resources. Cows eating saplings preserves their meadow-feasts.
Otherwise we would be noting the rate of infiltration and absorption of the meadow by Lodgepole Pines. Instead, we have meadows surrounded by walls of mature California White Pine. Interesting...

This brings up an interesting conflict in the Sierra between purists and the practical. Should check dams be removed? Should all grazing leases be terminated?

The purist would say yes to both, but the practical person would question removing the great water source check dams are providing during a drying era. The practical hiker would see grazing stock as a replacement for the natural grazers that Western development removed.

I'm not defending over-grazing, water spoilage by grazing, or fish stocking. I'm saying that all of our activities must preserve or move towards restoring natural balances.

Speaking practically, the water quality issues caused by grazing must be addressed by all backpackers.

Gear Note
Water Filtration

The water conditions in Duck Lake are real crappy due to the grazing cattle standing in it while pissing and crapping. You will find lakes like this up and down the areas that allow grazing.

If you are running an MSR or Sweetwater style filter that is already hard to pump, "cow-lakes" such as Duck Lake will really challenge your patience by significantly increasing your filtering time.

MSR and MSR Sweetwater utilize ceramic or latticework style filters, which I call "hard" filters. The other style are the paper filters, which I define as "soft" filters.

The "hard" filters clog instantly trying to filter "cow-lake" water, and clog rapidly filtering the hard waters of the Sierra Nevada. The "soft" filters, such as the Pur Hiker, have little problem with the cow and hard waters we encounter in the Sierra.

I've used the MSR and Sweetwater filters in clear and crappy water, resulting in the Pur Hiker being my device of choice for High Sierra use. I have not noticed any real difference in water quality or taste between the various filters, nor have I had any stomach issues with any of these filters.

Final Water and Grazing Thought

I like cowboys, horses, and cows. I don't like cow-lakes. There's got to be a way to maintain grazing leases while preserving water quality.

I don't want cows or clean water, I want cows and clean water.

Gear Forum

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Forest beyond meadow hiking South around the South shore of Duck Lake.

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We come to the final Duck Lake trail junction off the Southeast corner of Duck Lake, no matter which leg of the loop we hiked to get here.

This furthest Duck Lake trail junction on the Duck Lake Loop is 1.94 miles from the backpacker's camp just outside of, and a bit South of, the Silver Valley Trailhead.

1.66 miles separate the Silver Valley Trailhead and this Eastern Duck Lake Loop trail junction.

This Southeastern junction is where the trails coming around from the North and South shores of Duck Lake connect up to complete the Duck Lake Loop.

Lake Alpine to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

In our case we will break out of the loop to continue hiking South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

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This junction marks the point that hikers on the Duck Lake Loop circle back towards the Silver Valley Trailhead. Southbound hikers on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail continue South towards our next landmark, the North Fork of the Stanislaus River.

We hike straight through this junction if we are coming South from the Wrecked Cabin trail junction. If we are coming South around the North side of Duck Lake we'll turn Left at this junction to continue South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

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Duck Lake Route II:
The Northern Route
Hiking Left from the 1st Duck Lake Trail out the the Silver Valley Trailhead.

This route brings us around the Northeast side of Duck Lake.

This video shows the forest and rough trail down to the East side of Duck Lake.

Duration: 2:10.

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South past the far Duck Lake Loop trail junction on the Southeast side of the lake we are now hiking South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail, independent of which way we came around Duck Lake.

Rock Lake is 2.73 miles South of the far Duck Lake Loop trail junction.

Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass
Backpacking Miles and Elevations

South of this last Duck Lake trail junction parts of the trail suffer from a lack of maintenance as of October 2011. This has been subsequently confirmed through 2014.

Post up updates if you hike through here.

Many downed trees cross the trail, underbrush has grown over parts of the trail, and the light hiker traffic during the short Summer of 2011 did little to keep the trail open.

From Duck Lake to the high point of the trail above Spicer Meadow Reservoir the trail crews and likely the Carson Iceberg Wilderness Ranger has put up bits of orange construction tape marking the lightest sections of trail.
I don't like that.

No big deal. The government is starving the National Park Service, and the NPS is starving the National Forests for bucks, and here on the ground trail conditions suffer.

Get used to it.

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Note that only one of the three trees across the trail has been sliced and rolled. This image was taken in late October of 2011. These trees have been down for a while.

The trail is present and easy to find to and past the North fork of the Stanislaus River.

We enter an old burned are once we make part of the climb past the North Stanislaus where the trail becomes more diffuse and requires close attention to follow.

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Duration: 3:39 minutes.

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Looking Southeast into and across the fold in the granite terrain the North Fork of the Stanislaus River runs through.

We can see bits of the Sierra Crestline running roughly parallel to our route in the furthest distance.

A rare break in the dense Forest Cover past Duck Lake reveals the surrounding terrain. We are dropping down towards the North Stanislaus River hidden under the forest running along its drainage below us.

We're hiking to our South (right), and are about to bend South and down to the North Stanislaus.

Lake Alpine to Spicer Meadow Reservoir
15 minute backpacking map

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Black ponds, otherwise known as Vernal Ponds exist in many notable locations. The black pond off the PCT above Boulder Lake, the black ponds between Wilmer Lake and Stubblefield Canyon, and the black ponds stuck up in Seavy Pass come instantly into mind.

Most sit in wind-sheltered locations, and sit as 24-hour mirrors of everything around them. Including the starry sky at night. This is a small black pond.

But it is amazing that it is still looking so full during October, when this shot was taken.

Wikipedia
Vernal Ponds

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Black Ponds

Black Ponds are depressions in the terrain that collect up substantial amounts of groundwater during the Spring Thaw, but have no other source of water feeding them nor a drainage flow.

Black Ponds just sit there, operating on a long clock.

Black Ponds shrink during Summer, until they are dried out, if they dry out. Some do, some don't, and that list changes with the changes in rainfall between the seasons.

Many Black Ponds are characterized by the tannin that dyes their waters and the rocks around them.

I figure their color is a product of the standing water leaching the dyes out of the dead tree bark they contain.

Granite rising towards the Sierra Crest above & East of the North Stanislaus River at this position on the TYT.

We are hiking South dropping down to the North bank of the North Fork of the Stanislaus.

We are about 15 miles West of the Sierra Crest Line here.

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Terrain Notes

Note how the last section of our hike over Mount Reba was through rich red volcanic terrains. North of Reba we were in Summit City's granite gorge.

Red and White Baby!

Hiking into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness South past the East side of Lake Alpine we have again entered granite terrain. Hell, Lake Alpine itself is an artificially filled-up granite basin, as the series of Utica, Union, and Spicer Meadow Reservoirs established in this series of fine granite basins.

This stretch of granite terrain will not last long, as we can plainly see, for every now and then when we get long views South we get glimpses of the great ancient volcanic hulk of The Dardanelles sticking up through thin sections of forest cover, and visible when we cross highpoints along our trail route South.

The great volcanic feature of The Dardanelles towers above the length of the whole South shore of Spicer Meadow Reservoir, while the forest and granite terrain we are now passing through extends South from Lake Alpine, all the way down to where the granite terrain twists around the North shore of Spicer Meadow Reservoir up Highland Creek.

The granite ends when we turn South on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail up Jenkins Canyon.

From Lake Alpine past Duck and Rock Lakes, to Spicer Meadow Reservoir, and up Highland Creek if we cut off the TYT to the PCT, we will be traveling through granite terrain.

But we reenter volcanic terrain when we cross over the Northeast shoulder of The Dardanelles hiking South on the TYT.

We get back into granite when we get down to Clarks Fork Road.

The vast majority of this section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail South to Saint Marys Pass from Jenkins Canyon we will be pass though small granite sections and observe the interface line between the volcanic and the granitic terrains as we continue South.

If we continue on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route South out of Kennedy Meadows Pack Station we will walk the dividing line between golden granite and rusty red volcanic terrains as we climb up Summit Creek towards Brown Bear Pass.

Brown Bear Pass itself marks the a unique line dividing volcanic from granite terrains.

I guess what I'm saying is that we should not just pay careful attention to the terrain under foot and around us, which is very important.
But we should also look as far and wide as we possible can, when we can, to not just observe the complex interfaces between volcanic and granite terrain, but to follow the logic of the terrain as we follow the track of the trail.
Astute observation reveals terrain features that tell us interesting things about the past, hopefully explain the current physical situation, reveal the current inhabitants, and show us the future.

Once we hit Yosemite boundary the granites pretty much take over, until we exit Yosemite and enter the Volcanic Hot Zone around Mammoth.

Again, the volcanic terrain will end once we hike South of Mono Creek, and we will mostly travel across granite with bits of ancient metamorphic and some really ancient pre-granitic terrain from Kings Canyon NP South to the Whitney Portal.

Let's keep our eyes on the nature of the terrain. This terrain will enrich our spirit as it drains us physically.

Terrain does all sorts of nifty things in the present, and it is timeless, in the sense that it stretches further into the past and the future than we can see.

So we have a Geology and Terrain Forum to share observations of the unique and beautiful characteristics of our physical world.

Terrain Forum

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The North Fork of the Stanislaus is almost always a placidly flowing river. Except during the Spring Thaw, and I imagine it can get really charged up by heavy Summer Thunderstorm downpours, though I've never seen that happen here. It could!

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A bucolic landscape downstream along the North Stanislaus River, July during a hot Summer and low water.

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Break and water at the North fork of the Stanislaus River.

The socks on the pack have been Sun-dried and Sun-bleached from my secure sock cleaning station on the top of my pack.

Sock System
I run two pairs of socks at a time. One on the feet, and one on the top of the pack getting bleached out clean and dry by the Sun. I change socks every two or three hours.

Using this system I can keep two sets of socks clean and dry for up to five days before I have to pull out and use my third pair, and field wash the two working pairs.

The two washed pairs are deployed on the top of my pack in the Sun and dry quickly.

I then Sun bleach and dry the third pair on the pack before re-packing them in a waterproof zip-lock, ready to be redeployed the next time I have to wash the 2 working pairs.

My sock system keeps my feet clean and dry hiking long days and lots of miles over weeks on the trail. In my opinion having clean dry feet are vital for long term, long distance, and high mileage trips.

I remind those of you who are skeptical that anyone can be a pig on the trail. That's easy. But keeping your feet and ass clean prevents a lot of problems down the trail.

Those of you who have been hiking down along this trail guide from Meeks Bay with me have likely concluded that I have a system for everything. True.

And that does not include the fact that I have contingency plans for everything.

And I am always recalculating all the changing factors along the trail, knowing that the system, the plan, and the contingency plans require constant modifications to keep them current.

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North Stanislaus River Campsite on Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

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Fire ring and seats at North Stanislaus River Campsite, Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

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Continuing South Past the North Stanislaus River Campsite

WARNING

The route of the TYT degrades into unmaintained status and even down to "route" condition South of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River.

Trail Definitions

Read the Trail Status Reports from a range of backpackers on this route during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Lake Alpine to Rock Lake
Forum

Read the Comments
TRAIL STATUS REPORTS

Add your Perspective

Meadow and forest looking South from N Stanislaus campsite hiking South.

We can see the delicate nature of wild beauty from the North Stanislaus campsite.

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On the far South side of the campsite we have to look carefully to see ducks marking the Southbound TYT route up the ridge side. Look downstream, then pan Left until you see the above boulder and duck marking the trail South.

Yeah, time to climb again.

A steady grade of moderate difficulty brings us out of forest and into the
"Burned Zone"

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Video: North Fork of the Stanislaus River to Rock Lake.

THE BURNED ZONE

Duration: 6:30.

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A variety of obstacles required our attention through here during late October 2011.

Hiking South of the North Stanislaus River we notice the trail begins to degrade a bit before we cross out of verdant forest into a great burned zone.

The trail fades further once we enter the burned zone. Fallen snags and the power of runoff over the exposed terrain have both covered and obscured alternating stretches of our trail South. These factors demand heightened attention to the ground at our feet and the logic of the surrounding terrain to maintain our proper course South to Rock Lake.

Post up your experiences hiking here through the comments link.

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Burned and whole forest sections intermingle South of the North Stanislaus River.

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Burned Forest

Crossing the North Fork of the Stanislaus River we notice fingers of burned areas penetrating the green forest cover around us.

As we head South towards Rock Lake the fingers of burned forest broaden out into great stretches of forest that burned long ago, and is having a hard time reestablishing itself.

The burned section stretches from South of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River to where the Tahoe to Yosemite trail comes to first overlook Spicer Meadow Reservoir.

This whole area is not uniformly burned. The center of the burn is South of the North Stanislaus River, with great fingers of the burn extending all the way to Spicer Meadow Reservoir.

I don't know why this forest is growing so slowly. Maybe it's the soil being burned, or the diminishing Winter rains and rising temps making it hard for the old forest to restore itself. Possibly both.
Sections of the burned forest are bursting with young firs, other sections sport manzanita and other after-burn shrubbery.

The burned forest imparts a strange feeling when we hike through, and physically we are going to get more heated up crossing many trail obstacles as we rise and fall over these now-exposed massive Sierra ridges dropping down from Bull Run Peak.

As we approach Rock Lake the green fingers of forest thicken up a bit and fill out into a reasonably shaded forest around Rock Lake.

Ari Breaking through and over Obstacles

Heavy brush and fallen snags keep the route interesting. All of the snags along the trail are going to eventually fall down, and at least 25% of them are going to fall across the trail.

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Note how green veins of live forest intermix with the old burned snags.

Our Southbound TYT route continues South past Rock Lake towards the far Left end of The Dardanelles at the far Left side of the image. Climbing over the last ridge separating us from The Dardanelles reveals Spicer Meadow Reservoir sitting beneath the Northwest flank of the Dardanelles.

These ridges are rolling off Bull Run Peak.

We will hike Southeast (towards the Right in the image above) over the lower end of the ridge in the middle-distance above, then turn Northeast on the other side of that ridge to get around the North shore of Spicer Meadow Reservoir.
This route brings us all the way from the far Right of this image to its far Left, as we continue South past Rock Lake. After making our way around the top of Spicer Meadow Reservoir we will enter Highland Canyon following Highland Creek for a short distance.

Compare the maps below with the image above, and that will open understanding of the route of the trail across this segment of terrain.

From Highland Canyon we of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail turn Right off of the Highland Creek Trail to hike Southeast up Jenkins Canyon to pass over the Northeast shoulder of The Dardanelles. Our route over the shoulder is out of view on the far Left side of the Dardanelles formation in the image above.

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Rock Lake Trail Junction
The trail to the Right heads down to Elephant Rock, Elephant Rock Lake, and road access. Or, from Elephant Rock Lake we can loop back up to join the Duck Lake Loop at the wrecked ranch house trail junction on our way back to The Silver Valley Trailhead.

The trail to the Left continues Southbound on Tahoe to Yosemite Trail towards Spicer Meadow Reservoir.

1.46 miles South we encounter the Summit Lake trail junction, also branching off to the South, and also running down to the trail running up to Elephant Rock, and back up to Duck Lake.

Thus we could turn a loop back to Silver Creek Trailhead from here, or continue South down to turn a bigger loop back through the Summit Lake trail junction.

Or we can continue South towards Spicer Meadow Reservoir on our way to complete the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

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Backpacking Trail Guide

North
TYT

Mount Reba
to
Lake Alpine

Backpacking Trail Guide

South
TYT

Rock Lake
to
Jenkins Canyon