Distance: 13.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 8973' (Watchtower), 9577' (Pear Lake)
Elevation Gain: 3496'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.8
Round trip time: 7 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 100 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee
Difficulty: Strenuous
Leisa and I drove to the end of Wolverton Road and started up the Lakes Trail. Alta Peak starts at the same trailhead, but you continue on to Panther Gap instead of staying on the Lakes Trail. The lower part of the trail is shaded and soft, something we appreciated on the way back. About 1.6 miles in, we took the fork to stay on the Lakes Trail, and shortly thereafter came to the fork with the Hump trail. To reach the Watchtower, stay left on the lower trail. The Hump trail is a bypass for winter conditions. It adds unnecessary gain and misses the incredible views along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River.
The Watchtower is a granite prow, splintered from the rest of the mountain and only 300' off the main trail. At the last switchback before the top of the ridge, we continued on a use trail. A group of three was in front of us, and we followed them up a wide, class 2 crack. The summit was a small pile of boulders above that. We waited for the other group to finish their photos and climb down. The summit boulders were a relatively easy scramble, though the final mantle move I rated class 3. Most people stayed on the trail and looked over the gap at the Watchtower. We marveled at the view, then climbed down. The trail past the Watchtower was carved out of the cliff. While never narrower than 4', some hikers might be nervous at the precipitous drop along this section.
The first lake we reached was Heather Lake. We took a short detour to visit the shore where several groups were resting or fishing. We pressed ahead another mile to Aster Lake. The trail circles Aster. Emerald Lake was south, along a separate short trail, but was not visible from the main trail. On the north side of Aster, we considered taking a break, but decided to soldier on the last mile to Pear Lake. The final mile of the trail was more rocky, with big 18" and 24" steps. It also had some gain. We finally relaxed at Pear Lake with campers and multiple groups milling about. Pear was nestled below Alta Peak and surrounded by granite walls. It was the nicest lake of the three. The water was cold, but probably as warm as it ever gets. A few people were wading in shallow water and a couple brave youngsters took a dip. None of them stayed in the water for more than a minute. We had a leisurely lunch before returning the way we came.
The stretch of that trail between the Watchman and Heather Lake is really spectacular. I've never gone all the way to Pear. Would like to spend the night there. Isn't there a seasonal ranger station at Pear?
ReplyDeleteMadison,
DeleteThere was a side trail to the ranger station and winter hut. We didn't go down there. Also chemical toilets at Aster Lake and Pear Lake. About half the camp sites were taken at Pear. There were several large groups of campers (20-30 people) on the way up. Hope they all found good spots. It is super nice up there.