Classic High Sierra Backpacking
Bass Lake, CA
Trip Highlights
- Pristine Wilderness
- Yosemite Solitude
- Alpine Lakes & Rivers
- Mountain Peaks
- Breathtaking Views
- Fascinating History
Description
The alpine lakes, rivers and summits of the Ansel Adams Wilderness are beautiful beyond description! Forming the southern boundary of Yosemite National Park, these dramatic mountains are a seemingly unspoiled subalpine environment where granite peaks, clear lakes, cascading streams, and wildflower-laden meadows captivate the senses. We spend our days exploring, hiking, fishing, and swimming in this incredible landscape. Designed for a wide range of hiking backgrounds (novice to expert), this trip is perfect for people who want to experience the wonders of the High Sierra with the convenience, safety and enjoyment of professional mountain guides. We’ll hike on and off trail, venturing off the beaten track to visit places seldom seen by the vast majority of Yosemite visitors.
This trip is operated in partnership with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides: a permitted outfitter on the Sierra and Inyo National Forests.
$1275 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This trip features moderate daily hiking distances with moderate elevation gains and losses. Backpack weight is 25-35 pounds, and elevations go up to 10,000 feet. All of these details combined make this trip a Level 3 difficulty trip.
Hiking Distances:
Up to 6 miles
Backpack Weight:
25-35 pounds
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
Up to 2000 feet
Heights Exposure:
Moderate
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 25-35 lb backpack for 4-6 hours, at elevations of 8,000 to 10,000+ feet.
- Maintaining balance and footing on terrain that can be uneven, steep, rocky, snowy, or muddy
- Hiking with moderate heights exposure
SOLITUDE LEVEL 3
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this High Sierra backpacking trip a solitude 3. You can expect several hours of solitude at a time.
PRIVATE TRIPS
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
PRIVATE RATES FOR THIS TRIP
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
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ITINERARY
Day 1
Today you can check in to the Pines Resort at Bass Lake anytime after 4:00 PM. You will rendezvous with your guide and group at 6pm in the main lobby for an orientation meeting. At the orientation, we will review the itinerary, check gear and answer any questions you have. Tonight dinner is on your own, and you can choose from several local restaurants.
Day 2
- Drive Time: 1 hour
- Hiking Distance: 3.4 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1966 feet
- Elevation Loss: 401 feet
Breakfast today is on your own: there is a restaurant & bakery with tasty breakfast options in the village. After breakfast we will shuttle to the trailhead (roughly an hour). Today’s hike is a short 3.4 miles, but with significant elevation gain, to gorgeous Upper Jackass Lake where we will set up camp. This evening there will be down time to explore around camp, swim in the lake, or relax while your guide(s) prepare a delicious backcountry dinner.
Day 3
- Hiking Distance: up to 6 miles
- Elevation Gain/Loss: Up to 2,000 feet
After a tasty backcountry breakfast, your guide will lead the group on one of multiple day hike options. We can hike to Burro Notch, summit Madera Peak, or explore the upper lake basin. Another delicious dinner and incredible stargazing top off an unforgettable day in the High Sierra.
Day 4
- Hiking Distance: 3.4 miles
- Elevation Gain: 401 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1966 feet
After an early breakfast we’ll break camp and hike back down our trail from Day 1. Our departure returns us to the resort on Bass Lake in the early afternoon with time to take a refreshing dip in the lake before heading home.
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
- High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use) – or bring your own.
- Use of trekking poles
- All meals are included from lunch on Day 2 through breakfast on the final day
- First night’s lodging at the Pines Resort in Bass Lake, CA
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- Transportation originating and ending in Bass Lake, CA
- Bear cannisters for food storage
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Day 1 dinner, Day 2 breakfast
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What to Expect
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs, Kelty or Big Agnes tents
- Sierra Designs, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware synthetic-fill sleeping bags (or bring your own)
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki trekking poles
- Cooking stoves and cookware
- Bear cannisters
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Packing List
When you register for this tour you’ll receive access to a printable, downloadable trip information packet with a detailed packing list specific to this trip (click here to see it now.) All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, rain gear, a recommended clothing system, a headlamp or flashlight, a hydration system (water bottles and/or bladder) and other items specific to each trip.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
How Do I Register?
Reserve your spot today! In the Trip Dates & Booking section of this page, the green and red dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you’re ready to register we’ll email you a link to a registration profile. You’ll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit.
Feel free to call us for more info – we’re here 7 days a week!
Where Do We Meet?
This trip meets at Pines Resort in Bass Lake, CA at 6:00 PM on Day 1, where we’ll conduct an orientation meeting. Your guide will be in contact approximately 10 days prior to coordinate the rendezvous.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Travel to Bass Lake, CA
Travel to Bass Lake is not included. You will need your own vehicle to get you to the Pines Resort.
Start/End Times
This tour begins at 6:00 PM at the Pines Resort in Bass Lake with an orientation meeting. On the final day we will be back into Bass Lake normally around 2-3 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time.)
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Guide Shifts
High Sierra guides work daily shifts from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. During off hours (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.) the guides’ time is their own, and they are free to sleep, rest, take personal time, postpone guest requests until the next morning, and any other legal, reasonable activity people engage in when not working. We ask all guests to respect the guides’ off-duty hours by not waking or asking anything of them unless there is a true emergency. Also, state law requires that employees receive an uninterrupted 10 minute break every four working hours, so guides are required to take four 10 minute breaks between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 10 and older to join private tours, with final approval on a case by case basis
- specific logistical requirements (such as porter or stock assist) determined on a case by case basis
Weather in the Sierra
Being a high mountain environment, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are prone to sudden temperature and weather shifts. This is an exciting aspect of being in the mountains. On trips in June, snow is a possibility, and the rest of the summer rain is always a possibility on your trip. To be fully prepared, please follow the recommended clothing list closely (this list comes as part of your trip packet when you register). See below for average summer temperatures:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) | ||||||
|
Month
|
Valleys
|
Alpine
|
||||
|
hi
|
low
|
hi
|
low
|
|||
|
January
|
49°
|
26°
|
45°
|
25°
|
||
|
February
|
55°
|
28°
|
46°
|
26°
|
||
|
March
|
59°
|
31°
|
48°
|
27°
|
||
|
April
|
65°
|
35°
|
54°
|
30°
|
||
|
May
|
73°
|
42°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
June
|
81°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
July
|
89°
|
57°
|
77°
|
50°
|
||
|
August
|
89°
|
56°
|
81°
|
53°
|
||
|
September
|
82°
|
51°
|
71°
|
46°
|
||
|
October
|
74°
|
39°
|
62°
|
37°
|
||
|
November
|
58°
|
31°
|
51°
|
29°
|
||
|
December
|
48°
|
26°
|
46°
|
25°
|
||
Accommodations
Pines Resort at Bass Lake
1 Night
Amongst the pristine pines and delicious mountain air of the Sierra Nevada Range in California, and on the shores of Bass Lake, is a hidden treasure – The Pines Resort. With cozy accommodations, a gorgeous setting, and a perfect location for night 1, this quaint lodge starts our trip off on the right foot.
Backcountry Sleeping
2 NIGHTS TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your trekking guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Of course campsites vary tremendously by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your llama trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
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