fossana
Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2018
- Messages
- 913
![80563 80563](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80580-274b84be204327398b3cda9a283e1a36.jpg)
Intro
The fabled Bear Lakes Basin has been on my to do list for several years. There's no easy way in between the mileage, elevation gain, and 12-13,000 foot passes. I decided to suck it up and do it as an overnighter. My original plan was to loop back over Feather Pass through French Canyon and back over Pine Creek Pass, but with the late snow melt and associated mosquitoes, staying above treeline as much as possible seemed more appealing. Instead I found a alternate pass into Royce Lakes, then dropped down a glacial slabbed drainage to Honeymoon Lake (the normal approach for the N Buttress of Merriam Peak). Unfortunately, my fur niece, Pika, had torn ACLs and could not join me.
Logistics
Start/end: Pine Creek trailhead (alt routes from Mosquito Flat TH and over Cox Col near Bear Creek Spire, or from Piute Pass TH via French Canyon)
Mileage: ~21 miles
Elevation gain: 6200'+
Navigation: topo map at a minimum, includes x-country travel
Filterable water: many creeks and lakes
Backcountry permits (overnight trips): White Mt Ranger Station in Bishop (reservable online)
Dogs: allowed
Nearest town/gas: Bishop, CA
Approximate Route
dotted line = off-trail
![80564 80564](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80581-3f7ba94f7c0404835a9534903823ea0c.jpg)
Photos
Trailhead to Honeymoon Lake
![DSC02457.jpg DSC02457.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80582-47ae300975b466db51c3965b9ec8cc4c.jpg)
![DSC02461.jpg DSC02461.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80583-fe63aee1efcec57f03b5c6e946ad2f41.jpg)
![DSC02466.jpg DSC02466.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80584-6b1269168ece9aa7405cca7216f8e942.jpg)
![DSC02469.jpg DSC02469.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80585-7648eedafec40bc64e8c72a19be2d34e.jpg)
![DSC02479.jpg DSC02479.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80586-df62a4e46c559cdefa9f475a1a7d32a2.jpg)
![DSC02481.jpg DSC02481.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80587-97c7b3c7aea1181fd8bbad5821eeba0e.jpg)
![DSC02501.jpg DSC02501.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80588-fc203036a0369955556e62be60ede6d4.jpg)
to Granite Park/Italy Pass
![DSC02506.jpg DSC02506.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80589-3bd1750a5bf7a74c3187c4eee3f169b3.jpg)
![DSC02525.jpg DSC02525.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80590-77ccf5c6bc9374d163d15e9e20108933.jpg)
![DSC02526.jpg DSC02526.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80591-f0cb39776ee8543a9a33ce53e4a3af8b.jpg)
![DSC02531.jpg DSC02531.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80592-73f4d801835258662c310d17a4bc8b25.jpg)
![DSC02539.jpg DSC02539.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80593-2edc909479cd9d972be53e0a2b4e3e4a.jpg)
![DSC02542.jpg DSC02542.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80594-4e2a04b2e58e26dcd97ceea719d3940f.jpg)
![DSC02552.jpg DSC02552.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80595-b370af8d5bf7db134667b274fcbd0fd9.jpg)
![DSC02553.jpg DSC02553.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80596-402d697ec20e105f1e819c1a7af8d8b5.jpg)
![DSC02562.jpg DSC02562.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80597-67269c91b98eef89e5e849caa70a1a9c.jpg)
![DSC02566.jpg DSC02566.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80598-2d9dd5af6e26eedf347a91cd2cfbf485.jpg)
![DSC02569.jpg DSC02569.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80599-fdbc022a119e5b29b09357faadab5e95.jpg)
![DSC02584.jpg DSC02584.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80600-3f78e58690350507e5edab82bd3e8e25.jpg)
Italy Pass and Bear Lakes Basin
![DSC02592.jpg DSC02592.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80601-c95549a9c5963de51dfeef1a2ed1f258.jpg)
![DSC02615.jpg DSC02615.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80602-8268e207106238bf8a435881ac756e86.jpg)
![DSC02637.jpg DSC02637.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80603-a518d68d004b082a1b5e02506e4970a8.jpg)
![DSC02640.jpg DSC02640.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80604-90c893370daed34b791717b7db8444e4.jpg)
![DSC02645.jpg DSC02645.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80605-4fda3ecd5a00f805d0c70596cc5ff139.jpg)
![DSC02649.jpg DSC02649.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80606-d297c14fa8abd5bca5e34e95e77400c1.jpg)
![DSC02660.jpg DSC02660.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80607-35865da829d8bdb32e3b85a61e3cef73.jpg)
![DSC02726.jpg DSC02726.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80609-68ec0b44049174195c875e98445f3898.jpg)
![DSC02729.jpg DSC02729.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80610-ffe7f3a6ad123b68cc3889295f14564c.jpg)
![DSC02769.jpg DSC02769.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80613-9a5e64a414cb89d9f2dffc24781b5757.jpg)
Royce Lakes to trailhead
![DSC02771.jpg DSC02771.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80614-e1edc8b3521eb1d65692c5e066a8504f.jpg)
![DSC02805.jpg DSC02805.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80615-5ae8d3b823bb60c725a5620496c44193.jpg)
![DSC02812.jpg DSC02812.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80616-6f5cbd04a443ea48047b145b511cd14c.jpg)
![DSC02840.jpg DSC02840.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80617-7a384ec69e2c0ee4f241a30332a0c680.jpg)
![DSC02849.jpg DSC02849.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80618-b32f166220327bbae1cc032f777f1af5.jpg)
![DSC02859.jpg DSC02859.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80619-3abeeb3477623710c512a86e690422c1.jpg)
![DSC02870.jpg DSC02870.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80620-f8adb8182b4cdc3eba23f597359f469a.jpg)
![DSC02879.jpg DSC02879.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80621-c55f9064bec251b343b6ae1c76bf2bee.jpg)
![DSC02881.jpg DSC02881.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80622-960d43c4fbdb010694d63c1295784c65.jpg)
![DSC02891.jpg DSC02891.jpg](https://backcountrypost.com/data/attachments/80/80623-fea216896224cdfd24c7ab9b5d62d747.jpg)
Attachments
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