wabenho
Member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2017
- Messages
- 138
August 19-21, 2022
The trip started out on a Friday morning when I left my home in Las Vegas around 6:00 AM. The shortest route from my house to the Big Pine trailhead is through Death Valley National Park, but due to recent floods, which closed the highway trough the Park, I had to take a slightly more northern route through Beatty, NV. This was OK with me because Beatty is home to Spicer Ranch which is of interest to the mountain biker in me. I didn’t have time to stop and check out the ranch (I didn’t have my bike anyway), but it was cool to see the town.
I pulled into the small town of Big Pine just before noon. I stopped at a convenience store to grab a few last-minute items and then stopped next door for a burrito. Another 20 minutes up the road and I had arrived at the Big Pine trailhead.
There are two parking areas for the Big Pine trail. One starts near the campground and is for day hikers. The other one is for backpackers and is about a mile down the road from the campground. From the backpacker lot, the trail climbs gradually past some horse corrals and eventually above the campground and day hiker lot. From here there are nice views up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek drainage.
After climbing more, I entered the Wilderness Area
After the Wilderness Boundary the trail leveled off a little and followed the creek through the forest.
A few miles from the trailhead you pass a structure know as the Lon Chaney cabin. Apparently, it was built by a 1920’s actor prior to the Wilderness declaration and has since reverted to government ownership.
A couple more miles past the cabin and I arrived at Second Lake. This would be camp for the next two nights.
After finding a campsite and setting up camp, it started to sprinkle a little. I ended up climbing in my tent and dosed off for a while listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the tent fly. Once the rain stopped, I hung out around camp, fished a little, gathered water and ate dinner. After dinner, I fished a little more and watched the sun set. It was a very nice evening.
The next morning, I woke up early to catch the sunrise. I ate breakfast while enjoying the light show.
After breakfast I packed a day pack and set off for a hike around the Big Pine Lakes circuit. I was camped at Second Lake and there were seven numbered lakes and two bonus lakes in the basin. I would see them all today.
Third Lake is a beautiful color with a different vantage of Temple Crag
Fourth Lake is not much more than a pond. Fifth Lake is a bit more substantial. I stopped here for a bit, fished, and talked to some other backpackers.
From Fifth Lake it was a bit of off trail bushwhacking to get to Sixth and Seventh Lakes. Both were nice, but not much to write home about.
After getting back to the trail, I continued my way around the circuit clockwise. My next stop would be Summit Lake, and it would be my favorite stop of the day. Very scenic, good fishing and solitude were a recipe for a fantastic afternoon.
After spending most of the afternoon at Summit Lake I decided I should head back to camp for the evening. I completed the circuit past Black Lake and worked my way downhill to my campsite. There I ate dinner, organized my gear for the hike out the next day, and watched the sunset.
The next morning, I enjoyed the sunrise on Temple Crag once again
After enjoying my second sunrise at Temple Crag, I picked up camp and headed down the trail. It was a quick five miles downhill to my car where I changed my clothes and headed back to civilization.
My first trip to the “Range of Light” could not have been better and I started planning my return as I drove home that afternoon.
The trip started out on a Friday morning when I left my home in Las Vegas around 6:00 AM. The shortest route from my house to the Big Pine trailhead is through Death Valley National Park, but due to recent floods, which closed the highway trough the Park, I had to take a slightly more northern route through Beatty, NV. This was OK with me because Beatty is home to Spicer Ranch which is of interest to the mountain biker in me. I didn’t have time to stop and check out the ranch (I didn’t have my bike anyway), but it was cool to see the town.
I pulled into the small town of Big Pine just before noon. I stopped at a convenience store to grab a few last-minute items and then stopped next door for a burrito. Another 20 minutes up the road and I had arrived at the Big Pine trailhead.
There are two parking areas for the Big Pine trail. One starts near the campground and is for day hikers. The other one is for backpackers and is about a mile down the road from the campground. From the backpacker lot, the trail climbs gradually past some horse corrals and eventually above the campground and day hiker lot. From here there are nice views up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek drainage.
After climbing more, I entered the Wilderness Area
After the Wilderness Boundary the trail leveled off a little and followed the creek through the forest.
A few miles from the trailhead you pass a structure know as the Lon Chaney cabin. Apparently, it was built by a 1920’s actor prior to the Wilderness declaration and has since reverted to government ownership.
A couple more miles past the cabin and I arrived at Second Lake. This would be camp for the next two nights.
After finding a campsite and setting up camp, it started to sprinkle a little. I ended up climbing in my tent and dosed off for a while listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the tent fly. Once the rain stopped, I hung out around camp, fished a little, gathered water and ate dinner. After dinner, I fished a little more and watched the sun set. It was a very nice evening.
The next morning, I woke up early to catch the sunrise. I ate breakfast while enjoying the light show.
After breakfast I packed a day pack and set off for a hike around the Big Pine Lakes circuit. I was camped at Second Lake and there were seven numbered lakes and two bonus lakes in the basin. I would see them all today.
Third Lake is a beautiful color with a different vantage of Temple Crag
Fourth Lake is not much more than a pond. Fifth Lake is a bit more substantial. I stopped here for a bit, fished, and talked to some other backpackers.
From Fifth Lake it was a bit of off trail bushwhacking to get to Sixth and Seventh Lakes. Both were nice, but not much to write home about.
After getting back to the trail, I continued my way around the circuit clockwise. My next stop would be Summit Lake, and it would be my favorite stop of the day. Very scenic, good fishing and solitude were a recipe for a fantastic afternoon.
After spending most of the afternoon at Summit Lake I decided I should head back to camp for the evening. I completed the circuit past Black Lake and worked my way downhill to my campsite. There I ate dinner, organized my gear for the hike out the next day, and watched the sunset.
The next morning, I enjoyed the sunrise on Temple Crag once again
After enjoying my second sunrise at Temple Crag, I picked up camp and headed down the trail. It was a quick five miles downhill to my car where I changed my clothes and headed back to civilization.
My first trip to the “Range of Light” could not have been better and I started planning my return as I drove home that afternoon.
