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Bear Dam Junction 7017’; 11S 322442 4134284

Information and Permits: This trailhead is in Sierra National Forest: 1600 Tollhouse Road, Clovis, CA 93611, 559-297-0706, www.fs.fed.us/r5/sierra/. Permits are required for overnight stays, and quotas apply; reserved permits and on-demand permits are available.

Driving Directions: From Fresno, take State Hwy. 168 northeast for 42 winding, slow miles toward its end at a T junction on the east shore of Huntington Lake at the community of Lakeshore. Just before reaching Lakeshore, turn right onto the Kaiser Pass Road at the Eastwood Forest Service Center. The road quickly becomes very steep, narrow, and bumpy before Kaiser Pass and is even worse beyond the pass. Blind curves and reckless drivers are problems on this stretch. Allow time to drive very slowly (about 10 mph). As the road descends north and then east from the pass, find seasonally open High Sierra Ranger Station, where you can get on-demand permits. One mile beyond is the Lake Edison/Florence Lake Y junction. Turn left to remain on Kaiser Pass Road and head toward Lake Edison. Bypass the turnoff left to Mono Hot Springs, and go 2.5 miles from the Y junction to the Bear Diversion Dam Road junction, on the right. This is the “Bear Dam Junction” from which these trips start and whose elevation and UTM are given at the start of this section. Most vehicles can go no farther, so park near this junction and walk 2.5 more miles east on a rough 4WD road, to the dam proper and to the true trailhead above the reservoir. (A high-clearance 4WD vehicle, not the average, urban SUV, can travel this road those 2.5 more miles to the true trailhead above the reservoir.)

16 Bear Lakes

Trip Data: 11S 339738 4132346 (at Vee Lake); 39 miles; 5/1 days

Topos: Mt. Givens, Florence Lake, Mt. Hilgard

Highlights: This spectacular hike tours a wide variety of High Sierra delights. Starting from the forested depths of Bear Creek Canyon, this trip climbs to the picturesque and secluded Bear Lakes through glacially carved valleys and lush meadows. Although several parts of the terrain are strenuous, solitude and breathtaking beauty richly reward the determined hiker.

HEADS UP! This trip is for experienced hikers only. The route involves some cross-country travel.

DAY 1 (Bear Dam Junction to Twin Falls, 5.5 miles): From the junction with the paved road, the unmaintained 4WD road to Bear Dam heads east. The dusty road first descends to cross open granite slabs, and then it climbs for 2 miles before reaching the trailhead above Bear Diversion Dam (7400´; 11S 325053 4134161).

Here, the rocky road becomes a wide, northeast-bound trail that soon passes the sign for John Muir Wilderness. For the first mile, the path is gentle and easy, with many inviting pools and fine campsites to be found next to the creek and among the live oaks. Once past the unmapped cutoff for the Bear Ridge Trail, the path branches east up the hill and parallels the course of Bear Creek. The creek here runs over short, rocky falls and swift rapids, and it collects in long, quiet pools shaded by aspens.

After ascending at a gentle but continuous grade for a mile, the trail passes out of the last of the live oak trees, and you will encounter damp ground conditions in early season. Skirt these patches, beyond which Twin Falls appears ahead to the north. The twin cascades flow over silver-flecked granite slabs, and the waters collect in an inviting pool at the base.

While the water may be chilly in the swimming hole, the small, sandy beach and sun-warmed rocks make idyllic spots to rest and dry off. A well-used campsite is located several hundred feet farther along the trail, near a grove of aspens (8000´; 11S 328338 4136603). There are less obvious campsites located across the creek below the falls.

DAY 2 (Twin Falls to Lake Italy, 11.5 miles): The path leading away from Twin Falls begins with a steep climb northeast for the first 2 miles, and then rapidly levels off to a gentler grade. The route travels sections of steep, stony trail interspersed with stands of aspen. Rocky outcrops and steep ravines testify to the glacial forces that hewed the valley through the granite, leaving the boulders and other debris in the bottom of the canyon. The trail climbs up the north side of the canyon wall here to skirt this difficult landscape.

Following 1000 feet of elevation gain, clear vistas begin to appear to the south and southeast. As the route climbs, the Jeffrey pine and aspen of the lower canyon are left behind. The ubiquitous lodgepole pine begins to make her appearance, and will provide shade and company along the remainder of the trek. The route traces the natural curve along the north side of the canyon and follows this contour as it curves east.

After crossing a ridge, the trail turns back toward Bear Creek and heads down the hill, leveling off after reaching the creek. Well-used campsites begin to appear along the banks of the water. As you continue east, Old Kip Camp appears after a wet, muddy area. Just beyond is the junction with the PCT/JMT (8975´; 11S 332792 4137402).

Turn right on the PCT/JMT, now heading south. This section of trail parallels Bear Creek, running at the bottom of the canyon, for the next mile. Several granite slabs rise from the rushing water, providing relaxing lunch spots along the banks. The path jogs west briefly before entering a narrow section of canyon, and then it levels off while heading away from the creek.

Soon after the trail levels, reach the Italy Pass Trail junction (11S 333831 4134908). Here, this trip turns left (east), leaving PCT/JMT and heads east up open granite slabs. The trail may be faint here, but it becomes quite definite under the trees. Pass a drift fence and a welcome sign announcing that Hilgard Meadow is closed to grazing. From here, the trail threads gently under lodgepole pine for an easy mile to reach the grassy expanses of Hilgard Meadow (9600´). Mt. Hilgard looms almost 4000 feet above, and the meadow underfoot supports thousands of purple Indian paintbrush plants in mid-season. Excellent campsites border the northwest side of this subalpine meadow.

Skirting the north side of Hilgard Meadow, the trail stays near Hilgard Branch as it climbs moderately over slabs and crosses the outlet of Hilgard Lake before passing another drift fence. The path then rapidly crosses several small creeks before leaving tree cover behind. Here, the route may become faint as it climbs away from Hilgard Branch and crosses an open, rocky slope. The path then passes through a wet meadow and becomes indistinct. Descend slightly before meeting the edge of the forest, where the trail becomes more obvious and resumes climbing. The track passes a nice campsite near the main creek before crossing another spring-fed rill.

Now far from the main creek, the trail climbs up steep slabs, following the curve in the canyon as it turns east, steepens, and narrows. Downstream, the canyon is wide and gently sloping, and beyond the narrow gorge, the canyon floor again becomes a meadow, wide and gently sloping. This variation in form is due to differences in the structure of the bedrock.

EFFECTS OF GLACIAL EROSION

Although stream erosion did most of the difficult work to carve this canyon, glaciers have also modified its shape. Before glaciers come, stream canyons usually have a V-shaped cross-section. After the passing of glaciers, the canyons usually have a pronounced U-shaped cross section.

Glaciers, then, tend to do most of their erosion horizontally for several reasons. Primarily, Sierra glaciers are wet based: They ride along on a thin layer of water between the ice and the rock. (Water occurs there due to heat and pressure trapped under the heavy, insulating river of ice.) With this kind of lubrication, the ice tends to slide over, rather than dig deeply into, the bedrock. However, out at the margins of the glacier, colder air and thinner ice allow the glacier to freeze to the ground. Being “glued” to the sides of the valley, the passing glacier tears out pieces of bedrock and carries them away. This action is called glacial quarrying.

In order to account for the variations in canyon slope and width, you can look at how erosion reflects bedrock structure. In this canyon, the primary variable of structure is joints—cracks in the bedrock. Since joints are planes of weakness, then the more there are, the faster the rock is weathered (broken down) and carried away.

Where joints are mostly oriented vertically, glaciers break off column-like pieces from the valley sides, thereby undermining the canyon walls above. In such a place, the valley will be exceptionally flat-bottomed and steep-sided, like Yosemite Valley.