Backpacking Grouse, Lilypad, and Bear Lake Loop (2D/1N)
Trip Details:
- Total distance: 15.7 miles
- Total elevation gain: 2,107 feet
- Route Type: Loop
- Wilderness Area: Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest
- Season: Mid (mid-July in a big snow year)
- Permits: Online permit reservation via Stanislaus National Forest, no quotas
Itinerary:
Day 1: Crabtree TH to Lilypad Lake (8.2 miles, 1,467 ft)
Day 2: Lilypad Lake to Bear Lake to Crabtree TH (7.5 miles, 640 ft)
July 13-14, 2019
We backpacked this lake loop in Emigrant wilderness as a quick 2-day 1-night adventure. We decided to hike counterclockwise in order to front load the mileage and elevation on Saturday, our one only day fully dedicated to wilderness. Drove up Friday night and car camped at the Crabtree trailhead (there are a few nice sites in the parking lot, in addition to some more dispersed camping options).
On Saturday we hiked in, had some snacks at Grouse Lake, and set up camp at Lilypad Lake. Lots of nice flat camping spots up on the granite ledge south of the lake & trail at Lilypad. Plenty of trees for hammock camping too 😉 In mid-July, the lilypads were just starting to emerge and looked like alien life forms below the surface. The water was surprisingly NOT ice cold and made for a super pleasant swim after that hot sunny climb! Along the way, there were multiple creeks to cross, but none too precarious – the deepest was about knee high, so a pair of water shoes were pretty clutch. Mosquitoes were pretty annoying at dawn and dusk but absent during the day. I would 300% recommend climbing to the top of the ridge on the south side of Lilypad Lake. Views are so much more expansive than I would have expected! Great spot for sunrise & sunset.
On Sunday, we went for some more refreshing morning swims in Lilypad. Rather than deflate our floaties and reinflate them upon reaching Bear, Econ and I strapped the fully inflated alligator and American flag to our packs, and hiked them all the way up to Bear Lake. Bear Lake was magnificently beautiful but painfully ice cold. Floaties were ESSENTIAL. I paddled the American flag out to the granite island in the middle of the lake, my hands throbbing in the ice melt. After some more snacks and lounging, we deflated, packed up, and completed the loop back to Crabtree.
