Up to Rubicon Lake
Climbing South above & away from the Southwestern Shore of Stony Ridge Lake we find ourselves switch backing up nicely graded trail through dense forest.
We note the frequency of granite boulders and features pushing out of the forest floor are increasing. The granite emerging through the forest floor is also turning vertical, and joining together to begin forming-up into sheer canyon walls squeezing out the forest as the walls around us climb to their mountain-tops.

A couple of wide switchbacks finally brings us high enough up to where the trail turns into a granite cut, still upholstered with dense forest, up into a channel scooped out by ancient glaciers to create this bit of terrain complexity to properly top-off our contemporary rock and forest mountainside. It is very nice.
Up here approaching Rubicon Lake the granite is not as densely shrouded by forest, but the great granite faces and cliffs which were almost invisible under the dense forest cover below are now fully exposing themselves as we approach the top of the mountain. Here granite becomes visible emerging through the thinning forests surrounding it, while now projecting above the top of the surrounding sea of trees. We get a feeling of great motion in stillness, of past and future potential energy frozen in the present scene.

Very Hokusai-like, but this artist works in heavier materials.

We are getting high enough the naked power of the granite is rising above the limits of its thinning terrestrial forest cover. Granite rising out of the Earth from under dense forest is now becoming Sky Granite.

I like Sky Granite!

Entering the nifty cut scooped out of the top and flank of the granite and forest mountainside terrain of the mountaintop we turn again. Pushing into the cut the trail soon turns us North over to Rubicon Lake sitting on its tiny flat shelf. I see Rubicon Lake as a tiny island of liquid peace wedged in the profound complexity of this sweet solid rock mountainside terrain.

Water on the Rocks... is a nice feature of Desolation Wilderness.

The constricted expanse of the surface of Rubicon Lake itself creates the opening in the surrounding forest and boulder field bringing a shifting spotlight of sunlight across the lake every day.

Meeks Bay to Dicks Pass
15 minute Backpacking Map

Rubicon Lake's tiny size and unique location nestled on its tiny, cozy flat in between rock and forest high up high under Phipps Peak gives me a feeling of security. It is cozy in here at Rubicon Lake.

That changes a few short feet South of Rubicon, where we begin to get expansive long views to the East-Southeast from atop precipitous cliffs.

Just feet South of Rubicon Lake we also find the unmarked trail dropping Southeast down to Grouse Lakes, which is followed by a tough scrambling route down to the Eagle Falls Trailhead on Highway 89.

See the Eagle Falls Trail Warning on the Next Page

This is the first trail breaking off the TYT since the General Trail at Genevieve Lake.

Unmarked
Grouse Lake Junction

The trail to Grouse Lake is blocked by big rocks to keep hikers on the TYT, so they do not accidentally wander off the main trail.

You would be amazed at how many people just wander off the trails.

Keep your eyes open and pay attention.

Out to Eagle Falls
1.87 miles to Eagle Falls

This trail down to Grouse Lake was the old trail around Phipps Peak to the Pacific Crest Trail. Carefully observing the terrain we can see that this route also heads down the canyon through steep terrain towards Eagle Creek past Grouse Lake.

30 min map with Old Trail Route

30 min map with Old & New Trail Routes

DANGER
Any route below Grouse Lakes to Eagle Falls would be a radical scrambling route.

There is no trail from Rubicon Lake to Grouse Lake to Eagle Falls on Highway 89 marked on any of the maps. The 1992 Rockbound Valley USGS Map shows a trail down to Grouse Lakes from above Rubicon Lake, then back up to the TYT a few steps to the North of Phipps Pass. There is no trail shown below Grouse Lakes.

Meeks Bay to Dicks Pass
15 minute Backpacking Map

The map contours indicates and our eyes have shown us some very steep and bushy terrain between the end of the level of the hanging canyon holding the Grouse Lakes and Eagle Creek below.

I've never hiked this radical scrambling route down to Eagle Falls and its Trailhead, but I estimate it is 1.87 miles to Eagle Falls from this unmarked trail junction just a bit South of Rubicon Lake. But I may underestimate the distance. It is likely up to 2.25 miles in length.

The reason for this variability is that the route will be defined by terrain and bush growth, which requires more or less deflections of our route, depending on growth and erosion.

Approaching Phipps Pass hiking South on the TYT we can spot this trail dropping from Grouse Lake down towards Eagle Falls as our perspective of the terrain shifts while hiking South and climbing higher up near Phipps Pass.

Check out the 30 minute map for an estimate of the route from observations.

I've never hiked this section of scrambling route down to Eagle Falls via Grouse Lakes, but I would anticipate a challenging steep section getting down to Eagle Creek.

DANGER-DANGER
We have a note from a local hiker at Phipps Pass.

If you have information about this route post it up on the

Rubicon Lake Trail Forum.

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Backpacking North

Trail Guide

Stony Ridge Lake

Backpacking South

Trail Guide

Phipps Pass