#granite
28 trips tagged “granite”
granite backpacking at a glance
CaliPeaks documents 28 California backpacking routes tagged granite, ranging from 5 to 36.6 miles with 1,000–3,200 feet of total climbing. Difficulty spans 0/100 (Easy) on Cathedral Lakes up to 75/100 (Moderate) on Lake Aloha via Glen Alpine, which also carries the tag's biggest climb at 3,200 feet. All of these routes require a wilderness permit — each trip page links the booking window.
These routes cross Desolation Wilderness, Emigrant Wilderness, Trinity Alps Wilderness and Yosemite National Park, and the months most of them share are July, August, September. Every stat below is cited on its trip page, so you can compare them like-for-like and follow any number back to the managing agency.
Bayview to Dicks Lake
The Bayview Trail is the steep, direct line from Emerald Bay to Dicks Lake: 5.3 miles of switchbacks past Granite Lake to the Velma basin, w…
Bell Meadow Trail
The Bell Meadow Trail is the Emigrant's long, quiet door: 11.2 mapped miles from the Cherry Lake side into the wilderness's deep lake countr…
Loon Lake to Buck Island Lake
Buck Island Lake is the Rubicon country's classic lake camp: a 6.1-mile walk from Loon Lake past the reservoir's granite shore into the Deso…
Gianelli to Burst Rock
Burst Rock is the Emigrant's roadside overlook: 4.2 mapped miles from the Gianelli trailhead to a granite dome with views across the wildern…
Canyon Creek Lakes
Canyon Creek Lakes are the Trinity Alps' most popular prize: two granite-bound lakes at the head of a waterfall staircase, reached by a mode…
Gianelli Trailhead to Chewing Gum Lake
Chewing Gum Lake is the Emigrant's classic first overnight: a 5.3-mile climb from the Gianelli trailhead into a granite basin of lakes benea…
Eagle Falls to Dicks Lake
Dicks Lake is the deep-blue centerpiece of the Desolation high country: 4.3 steep miles from Eagle Falls, beneath the 9,974-foot peak of the…
Eagle Falls to Fontanillis Lake
Fontanillis Lake is the alpine reward at the top of the Eagle Falls corridor: a 4.9-mile, mostly uphill walk from Emerald Bay to a granite b…
Van Vleck Trail to Forni Lake
Forni Lake is Desolation's northwestern outpost: 4.9 miles from the Van Vleck trailhead through granite and forest to a quiet lake most Taho…
Loon Lake to Rockbound Lake
Rockbound Lake is Desolation's western granite gem: a 6.7-mile walk from Loon Lake past the Rubicon's pools to a deep-blue lake under Rockbo…
Bell Meadow to Pine Valley
Bell Meadow to Pine Valley is a 3.2-mile one-way hike (6.4 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Bell Meadow trailhead (…
Blue Canyon to Blue Canyon Lake
Blue Canyon to Blue Canyon Lake is a 2.7-mile one-way hike (5.4 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Blue Canyon trailh…
Box Springs to Chain Lakes
Box Springs to Chain Lakes is a 2.5-mile one-way hike (5 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Box Springs trailhead (7,…
Kennedy Meadows to Relief Reservoir
Kennedy Meadows to Relief Reservoir is a 3-mile one-way hike (6 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Kennedy Meadows tr…
Cathedral Lakes
Cathedral Lakes are two granite-ringed tarns at the foot of Cathedral Peak's iconic spire, 3.5 miles up the John Muir Trail from Tioga Road.…
Crabtree Camp to Bear Lake
Crabtree Camp to Bear Lake is a 3.9-mile one-way hike (7.8 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Crabtree Camp trailhead…
Crabtree Camp to Chewing Gum Lake
Crabtree Camp to Chewing Gum Lake is a 4.4-mile one-way hike (8.8 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Crabtree Camp tr…
Shingle Springs to Kibbie Lake
Shingle Springs to Kibbie Lake is a 4.3-mile one-way hike (8.6 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Shingle Springs tra…
Vogelsang High Sierra Camp
Vogelsang is Yosemite's highest corner of the high country: a 7.2-mile climb up Rafferty Creek to a camp at 10,154 feet beneath Vogelsang Pe…
Lake Aloha via Glen Alpine
Lake Aloha is Desolation Wilderness's crown jewel: a shallow, island-dotted lake spread across granite slabs at 8,116 feet beneath Pyramid P…
Kennedy Meadows to Kennedy Lake
Kennedy Meadows to Kennedy Lake is a 7.5-mile one-way hike (15 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Kennedy Meadows tra…
Kennedy Meadows to Lunch Meadow
Kennedy Meadows to Lunch Meadow is a 9.5-mile one-way hike (19 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Kennedy Meadows tra…
Bell Meadow to Gem Lake
Bell Meadow to Gem Lake is a 10.1-mile one-way hike (20.2 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Bell Meadow trailhead (6…
Crabtree Camp to Gem Lake
Crabtree Camp to Gem Lake is a 9.5-mile one-way hike (19 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Crabtree Camp trailhead (…
Leavitt Lake to High Emigrant Lake
Leavitt Lake to High Emigrant Lake is a 9.2-mile one-way hike (18.4 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Leavitt Lake t…
Crabtree Camp to Deer Lake
Crabtree Camp to Deer Lake is a 11.9-mile one-way hike (23.8 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Crabtree Camp trailhe…
Kennedy Meadows to Emigrant Lake
Kennedy Meadows to Emigrant Lake is a 14.7-mile one-way hike (29.4 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Kennedy Meadows…
Shingle Springs to Huckleberry Lake
Shingle Springs to Huckleberry Lake is a 18.3-mile one-way hike (36.6 miles out-and-back) into the Emigrant Wilderness from the Shingle Spri…