Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail
The main reason why I considered hiking this trail is because I was bored with the Mt. Whitney trail, which I had been hiking, either as a day hike or as an overnight backpacking trip, almost annually for the past six years. This trail is about an hour north of the Whitney trail, so it's also within striking distance of Southern California. Like the Whitney trail, this trail requires a permit. Fortunately, you can dig a hole to bury your own poop, instead of carrying the wag bag with your poop in it as required on the Whitney trail. However, you are still required to carry a bear canister for all your food. Apparently, rules are made on account of the number of human visitors, but bears don't obey rules.
Since there is no lottery, I got online at recreation.gov and picked off a two-day overnight permit. That was fairly easy. The plan is to set up camp the first day at the second lake, hike up to the Palisade glacier the second day, and make the exit on the third day. Compared to the Whitney trail, this trail is fairly gentle. It starts at around 7,800 feet, and after five miles, reaches the second lake at 10,000 feet. The glacier viewpoint is another 4.5 miles in, at 12,100 feet.
Right at the trail head, you face a decision about where to park. The parking lot for backpackers is about a mile from the trail head. If you come with a group, people leave their packs with a buddy at the trail head and walk the one mile load free. However, you can also drive to the trail head and ask the nice woman (with a baby) at the Glacier Lodge Store to let you park there for five dollars a day. This is what I did.
There are also a lot of trail junctions at the beginning part of the hike. To be fair, they are all marked. But I was walking too fast to notice one of the signs and went onto the much less used South Fork Trail instead (you can tell by how much the trail has been overgrown by brush). Fortunately, I found my way back to the North Fork Trail by adding around half a mile to my hike.
On this trail, you are never out of an earshot of rushing waters, like this.
Though streams and lakes are all around you, what you won't see much are people. Granted, my hike started and ended on weekdays, but on my way to the camping site, I encountered only one family with young kids and a handful of other people. On the second day's hike to the glacier, I saw only three people on a four mile stretch. Mt. Whitney will easily have ten times the crowd on a weekday.
Before you start hitting the lakes, you will first come across Lon Chaney's cabin, described in its interesting history here:
Here's the first lake with its amazing turquoise color.
And the second lake with Temple Crag in the background.
Here is a 360 degree view taken from a rock between the first and second lakes.
Here is my camp site with the second lake and mountain in the background.
On the second day I first came across the third lake. I went down to its shore on the return leg and snapped this better photo.
The trail splits for the fourth lake and the glacier, and it's a left turn for me.
The trail then crosses Sam Mack Meadow.
After you rise above the lush green meadow, you can see all three lakes one on top of the other like an escalator.
At this point, the trail completely disappears, and you look up at the rock field, which you will have to clear before you can see the glacier.
After climbing over this rock pile, you find out that there is more! Another quarter miles to go! Now that's deflating.
After carefully hopping giant boulders and small rocks, the Palisade glacier is finally before you. I never said it was easy!
On the way back down the rock field, I triggered a rock fall by stepping on a boulder two feet across. Normally such a big boulder is pretty secure and you would look for it to provide footing, but on that steep slope, all it took was a tap for it to slam down the hill. Thankfully there was nobody miles around at the time. It could easily kill someone if they are hiking below me. I was pretty shaken, and in fact had slid earlier on the slippery slope, scraping my knee. Suffice it to say that I am just an average hiker - rock climbing is not my thing.
Overall, what is my take on the Big Pine North Fork Trail? I love it! The three lakes are beautiful, and being in the wilderness for a sufficient amount of time allowed me to explore these lakes fully. To see the mighty glacier requires a difficult hike, but we are talking about the southern most glacier in the entire North American continent! Normally you have buses full of tourists around these glaciers. Here, the solitude is all mine with a $15 camping fee and a 19-mile round trip hike.