Right now is hunting season and it seems like the hunters like to use pack animals to come into the wilderness, but Im guessing that there are horses coming out Kennedy Meadows Resort throughout the peak season. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which includes Enchanted Rock and surrounding land, spans the border between Gillespie and Llano counties, south of the Llano River. It was warm and pleasant at the traihead. We took a route southwest from our campsite, over a small hill and immediately came to a lush meadow. Horseback pack trip to Emmigrant Lake from Kennedy Meadows. The initial hike out of Kennedy Meadows is notoriously hot, dusty, and covered in horse poo. Enjoy this 33.8-mile loop trail near Pinecrest, California. No visit to the Emigrant Wilderness Area is complete without an ascent of Granite Dome. Coming from the east side the easiest (and perhaps only non-technical) route comes directly from Ridge Lake. We were able to reach the summit with no worse than some minor scrambling. This is a popular trail for backpacking, camping, and fishing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Plutonism in the Central Part of the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California by Paul C. Bateman, 1992, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1483. MLS # RX-10882121 (1), Images You could say Dr. Sharon Mosher, dean of the Jackson School of . We took a look at a topo map before setting off and generally aimed for a route between snow fields, re-adjusting as needed based on boulders. "Granitic rocks of the Yosemite Valley area, California" by Frank C. Calkins and Dallas L. Peck, in Geologic Guide to the Merced Canyon and Yosemite Valley, California, California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 182. Map routes are a combination of GPS data and manually created waypoints and should be used for reference only. They will let you park overnight for free (and shower for free upon return) if you pack in with them one-way. * These domes were sculpted by glaciers millions of years ago. At this point I thought we must be close to the summit but thats not the case! I did it in 3 days, 2 nights and went counterclockwise to check on the creek crossing early on (see comment below). Plutons are large (often covering over 400 square miles) and are typically formed by many pulses of magma over a few million years. The Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site and the Sauer-Beckmann living history farm are nearby. Yosemites Iconic El Capitan Mapped in Hi-Res 3-D by Brian Clark Howard, 2013, National Geographic. Peaceful lake and wilderness surroundings. - First day ~17mi, camp at deer lake. On and off the trail to be on trail. I walked through the knee high water with heavy current in my hiking shoes. After grabbing lunch I left the trail and skirted around to the creek on the opposite side. The trail up to Granite Dome area from the main trail is unmarked so youll have to figure out your route via topo. There are roughly 35 individually defined plutons in the Yosemite area. They also have rental cabins, a supply store, small restaurant and saloon. We ascended a small rise near Upper Lewis Lake to our first balcony of the day overlooking the natural amphitheater surrounding Middle Lewis Lake. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. However, Middle Lewis Lake is perhaps the most dramatic with towering granite cliffs surrounding its shores like an amphitheater. It is actually possible to drive to Leavitt Lake, but a high clearance vehicle is required. We catched early fall colors as we hiked up to Sheep Camp and Mosquito pass. Granite is often said to have a "salt-and-pepper" appearance: the lighter-colored minerals are quartz, potassium feldspar, and plagioclase feldspar, and the darker-colored minerals are mostly biotite and hornblende. The huge granite ridge climbs up behind, the north slope still blanketed in a layer of snow. The route via Lower & Upper Lewis Lakes and the drainage begins in Kennedy Meadows off 108 near Sonora Pass. Being unattractive to the loggers turned out to be serendipitous as its one of the few giants remaining in this forest from its era. The elevation gain was not particularly kind to me. The breadth and scope of this trees canopy is just as impressive. I walked from subpeak to subpeak, taking in Ridge Lake, Iceland Lake, Sardella Lake, Lewis Lakes, and smaller unnamed bodies of water. Explored new territory off trail. Granite Dome is an immense granite massif with numerous micro-basins occupied by a series of stunning alpine lakes set amid granite slabs and cliffs. I had been considering camping on the ridge but the wind was too strong so I instead headed back down to camp below the north ridge. Granite Dome is the signature peak in the Emigrant Wilderness, with fantastic views north to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, east to the Hoover Wilderness (Sawtooth Ridge), and south to Yosemite including, on a clear day, Cathedral Peak and the Cathedral Range. Keep this in mind and dont get discouraged. Follow the ridgeline up and down several hills and false summits, through meadows, massive boulders and Joshua Tree-like columns and pillars till you find the summit and it's weird stagnant pools. #redwoods #sanfraciscogiant #oldgrowth #recreateresponsibly #leavenotrace, Enjoying the spring warmth #spring #spottedatmidpen #recreateresponsibly #leavenotrace, Spring in the redwoods #redwoods #redwoodsorrel #redwoodviolet #westerntrillium #leavenotrace #recreateresponsibly, Sea to sky swipe panorama #ventanawilderness #leavenotrace, Western trillium (Trillium ovatum) started blooming in February per usual at this latitude but the persistent cool and wet weather has a resulted in an unusually strong second push in April! Intense whitewater everywhere, neck-deep. Rock climbers must check in at park headquarters. Hwy 108 road conditions.Conditions Page of the Stansislaus National Forest. On July 8th, 2001, a US Navy helicopter crashed near the summit of Granite Dome on the cliffs above Ridge Lake while participating in a search and rescue operation. After following a few creekbeds, the trial eventually pokes up into the alpine within a large canyon. The Emigrant Wilderness of Stanislaus National Forest is a wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada.It is bordered by Yosemite National Park on the south, the Toiyabe National Forest and the Hoover Wilderness on the east, and State Route 108 over Sonora Pass on the north. This is just over seven miles from Kennedy Meadows at an elevation of about 7300 feet. At the center is an ancient giant that was spared the axe because it was badly burned or deemed of little value because it was disfigured compared to its straight and tall neighbors. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Heres some tips that I strongly recommend: 1. While the northern side of Granite Dome is rugged, the south side features more subdued terrain and no lakes until much farther down in the Emigrant Wilderness. There was one safe log over the creek in the vicinity I needed to cross. Lower Relief Valley is a large meadow, encircled by granite. If early in the season (or a heavy snow year like this year when snow will persist through much of summer) consider bringing ice and crampons as the slope to the ridge is moderately steep. If we werent so short of time, I would have loved to loop around Iceland Lake on the way down. This lake holds stunning views and sits just under the sheer walls of Granite Dome. This is one of the most rapid periods of continental crust assembly known. Mosquitos not too bad. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. My photos certainly dont do it justice. It was mostly dry in the morning but by afternoon it was wet and I had to carefully scoot across while keeping my feet sufficiently out of the water so the swift current would not pull me in! Pretty scenery, fishing was outstanding with no fish less than 16 inches. 6/6/10 to 6/8/10. Granite Dome Lakes. There was big creek/river to cross to get other side for the trail. MLS# SW13171517. For those wishing to visit the largest of the Polly Dome Lakes, look for an unofficial trail on the right (east) before a large granite outcropping. third day all the way back . Completely upgraded with wood shutters throughout. Near the outlet of the lake is another fantastic balcony with views of Ridge Lakeandthe towering granite cliffs of Granite Dome. The base of the mountain is about 9 miles from the trailhead, with ample places to camp on all sides of the mountain.The trailhead is located at the end of the parking area for the Kennedy Meadows Resort. For example, the pantilat September 23, 2014. Cross the creek earlier than shown, at about the 6.2mi. Cross-country backpacking in Emigrant Wilderness. [49 MB PDF], Sierra Nevada Batholith Geologic Map Mosaic. It's buggy as hell this time of year in sections. The next section was a pretty straightforward walk to the base of the steep boulder section. There you can shop, dine, visit museums and find outdoor activities. Camping at Emigrant Lake was incredible. At these depths, magma is insulated by the rocks around it and cools very slowly, growing large interlocking crystals. I like to describe this region as the Granite Balconies since each of the lakes can be viewed from above on granite slabs. The named lakes of the region include theLewis Lakes (lower, middle, upper), Sardella Lake, Ridge Lake and Iceland Lake with a numerous other smaller tarns. then camped on the edge of ridge Lake second night. Visitors to the park, from hikers to rock climbers, experience a landscape dominated by granite. There are seven intrusive suites in Yosemite National Park. tough day hiking up the granite and navigating around snow patches. On both of my climbs I ascended directly to the ridge from Upper Lewis Lakes. Overnight parking at the resort lot is $10/night and can be paid at the resort lobby. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. You'll want to stay to the west of the drainage, as when you reach the "end" of the drainage, you'll see (and hear) where it drops several hundred feet out of the granite, above which is Lower Lewis Lake. Day 2 - 11 miles. #cawx #spottedatmidpen #santacruzmountains #recreateresponsibly #leavenotrace, At least a dozen major stems of this ancient Canyon Live Oak are fused together to produce an immense trunk at the base. The double river crossing All trails suggested didn't seem ideal so I crossed right after the fork here (N38.235029 W119.722289. Book direct at the Econo Lodge Inn & Suites hotel in Granite City, IL near Horseshoe Lake State Park and Lewis and Clark Historic Site. Begin at the Kennedy Meadows trailhead off of Highway 108, just west of the Sonora Pass. A prime example is the Cathedral Peak Granodiorite, which has unusually large (up to 3 inches long) crystals of potassium feldspar that are thought to have formed through episodic heating and cooling of the magma. Photos from my prior visit to Granite Dome can be found here. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Glad we were on horseback. On the north side we could see Relief Reservoir and each of the lakes below: Iceland, Ridge, Sardella, and Lewis. (LogOut/ night 5: Upper Relief Valley - took use trail to the east .2 miles north of the junction - nice wind kept the mosquitoes away most of the day, but they were fierce at dusk when the wind died. The named lakes of the region include the Lewis Lakes (lower, middle, upper), Sardella Lake, Ridge Lake and Iceland Lake with a numerous other smaller tarns. Be sure to bring your camera. Day 5 - 4 miles back to the car. Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain located in the Llano Uplift about 17 miles (27 km) north of Fredericksburg, Texas and 24 miles (39 km) south of Llano, Texas, United States. You can buy wood for campfires at the park. Did an overnight June 5th/6th. The area up by Ridge Lake and Iceland Lake is bigger than I expected and would have been fun to explore if we had more time. Emigrant Wilderness is in Stanislaus National Forest, North of Yosemite. Intrusive suites typically are emplaced over about 10 million years and are often interpreted as being the roots of a single volcanic system. The overnight parking fee at the Kennedy Meadows Resort is now $10 as of 2015. 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