From Devils Postpile to Donohue Pass to Agnews Meadow

Thanks for the info. I have about 10 days total to spend. I want to spend 4 in Mammoth and 5-6 on the trail. My thought was to either depart Agnew Meadow or Devils Postpile. It all depends on available camp sites. My wife has not been out more than one night on the trail. So this will be a long trip for her. The elevation is not too bad compared to Snowmass (Aspen)last year. But I want to spend most of the time around the lakes. We plan to fish and also have lunch on Donohue Pass before returning to Mammoth. The map (Trails Illustrated 206) does not include Agnew Meadows. I need to get #809. But I would like to depart Agnew Meadows to the JMT to access the lakes and maybe return via PCT from Donohue Pass . I have read a little about the River Trail which runs parallel to the PCT. Do you have any additional links to read? I plan to use the Yarts going to Reds Meadow then stop at Agnew TH. I'm thinking I could spend more time at the lakes if I departed there. This area has a lot to offer and public transportation is great! I plan to return many more times.......

My backyard - live in Mammoth...

Never been a fan of hiking the JMT north out of the Postpile...those first 5 miles are dirty and dreary...so much better/shorter to start out Agnew Meadows instead. As you have to take the DPP shuttle down anyway - stops at AM, DPP, RM, (probably a later start), and you want to make things as easy/scenic as possible for the wife too, suggest:


Take/ start out on the River Trail, Agnew... and stay first night on the San Joaquin (maybe 5 miles in), just before that last 1000 foot push below Garnet - (see TOPO). Next day up to Garnet but go off-trail at the outlet and follow South-side use-trail to backside Garnet - a little saddle back there easily leads to backside 1000 Island. (Use trail starts behind big rock/stream inlet on the far west end Garnet) Great fishing for 'Bows and Brooks both lakes, and this backside agenda avoids the cluster-flock (crowds, bears, no camping at) both big lake's outlets. After Island Pass, maybe Davis Lake - (easy, lots of wild-flowers but small fish) - or Marie (harder to get to but lunker city) come to mind. BTW, avoid Waugh as it is a fishless bog. Nothing wrong with just staying over a second night at 1000 Isl too...well worth it.

When/if going all the way to Donahue Pass, instead of just lunch and return...less than a half a mile over the other side of the pass is the famous Green Glacier tarn...mind-blowing arena - killer views down the Lyell Canyon, able to see the glacier above, light green glacier silt, amazing rock formations...etc. Easy to find too, just off the trail. Camp there.


After Donahue again, can return via any of 3 trail options - JMT, High trail, or River again, back to Agnew.

Agree with others about starting at Agnew Meadows.

Camping down on the San Joaquin River along the trail is asking for bears. Also the trail up the outlet creek from Garnet Lake requires fording the river. Even by late August that may be crotch deep. Also the steep trail up beside the creek to the lake can be hard to follow. Also the south side use trail around Garnet actually consists of several unpleasant routes across a steep bedrock slope with one route less unpleasant.

Since your wife has just been out a single night trail backpacking you may be wise to not over-stress or scare her. Well you can expect bears at night anywhere along trails. I would also suggest only modest mileage and vertical with plenty of spare hours after setting up camps. Only you know her abilities but many people will find crosscountry travel unpleasant carrying a backpack until they normalize a few days walking without a pack over awkward terrain. Thus you may wisely consider staying on the trail.

If so you could take the River Trail out of Agnew Meadows and cross the bridge over the San Joaquin River that then climbs up to famous Shadow Lake (no camping) that many day hikers visit. That trail joins the John Muir Trail up a beautiful section of cascades along Shadow Creek. At the Ediza Lake junction take that trail west. If your wife is ready to make camp will suggest camping at the crosshairs of this satellite image that is about 200 yards beyond the junction in a location you are likely to find privacy. Switch to the topo tab and back (zoom in again) to see where this is at.  (join the link as the forum software is breaking the link)

http:// 
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.68921,-119.14545&z=18&t=H

Thus the trail follows the north side of a meadow to a bedrock rib where 100 yards south you can look for campspots in a small grove of trees. There will be lots of people along the JMT camping everywhere trailside but few will bother to look there. This is the largest branch of the San Joaquin headwater streams and has abundant brook trout mostly upstream. An easy afternoon dayhike would be up the trail to famous Ediza Lake (no camping east shore and poor lakeside camping westshore).

The next morning head north on the JMT up and over the ridge and your wife will very much enjoy the views of Garnet Lake west dropping down. Per marksfor continue around past the outlet and take the use trail. On the crosshairs you can see the use trail by the shore with the JMT off to the right where one vectors off.

http://
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.71318,-119.15601&z=19&t=H

Although the fishing is best at the southwest end of the lake, there are few trees to get out of the sun and level spots to tent are uncommon. Your wife may find the north shore mid way at the large peninsula better camping as there are many pines and the peninsula affords better views west towards Ritter and Banner. A delightful place to be in during a quiet breezeless early morning. I would recommend not breaking camp to late morning the following day as these Ritter Range lakes are far more beautiful during morning hours than during afternoons when looking west is looking into the sun.

The third day at noon return to the JMT and hike past pretty Ruby Lake and on to Emerald Lake. The northeast zone above Thousand Island Lake is one of the highly impacted and camped at areas in the Sierra Nevada range. The best views of the world class scene are from where the footbridge crosses the outlet stream for a couple hundred yards along the north shore and along the outlet stream for a couple hundred yards downstream. But no camping anywhere for a 1/4 mile circle centered at the bridge. That is why all the tents are up above where mentioned. Much better camping is southwest of Emerald Lake in a bedrock hollow full of trees that cannot be seen from the trail.

http://
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.72421,-119.16591&z=18&t=H

From there one can readily walk over to Thousand Island. Also usually much better fishing at little Emerald Lake. A couple days later on your return leg, find a place to camp about the north side Summit Lake.

Behind the Clark Lakes is a very colorful volcanic formation that is well worth climbing up to. For an interesting morning hike climb up to the plateau above the lakes where there are sweeping views of the Ritter Range.

http://
mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.73662,-119.14213&z=18&t=H

David
www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_Chronicles/2015_Trip-Chronicles-0.html

I've done a few different combos and for some reason, my preference out of Agnew Meadows is hiking in on the PCT and coming back out via the JMT then Shadow Lake. Don't care for the river trail as far as coming or going to 1000 Island or Island Pass. And that last part coming from the Shadow Lake Trail back to Agnew Meadows via the river trail, maybe because it's at the end of a long day, is quite a slog, but has to be done.