Big Pine Lakes Trail
Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scenery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mileage: 12.5 mi
Region: John Muir Wilderness
Elev. Gain: 2,746 ft
When to Go: May—Oct
Avg. Time: 6.5 hr
Parking: Small paved lot
Type: Out + Back
Pass: None
Know Before You Go:
The stats above refer to the portion of the hike that takes you to 2nd and 3rd lakes only - If you continue the hike to the rest of the lakes you will add about 4 miles to your trip.
The upper lakes typically thaw later in the year and can be harder to reach in shoulder season without the proper gear.
Overnight permits are required for camping here and can be reserved at recreation.gov (we highly recommend snagging one if you can!)
Bear canisters for food storage are required in this area.
Lake 2 has the best views of Temple Crag.
There is a separate parking lot down the road from the trailhead for overnight hikers, it is well signed.