Mid Sierra Musings: Hiking The North Fork Of The Big Pine Creek Trail To The Palisade Glacier

Hiking The North Fork Of The Big Pine Creek Trail To The Palisade Glacier

Dale Matson

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The trailhead for this hike is off Glacier Lodge Road out of Big Pine CA. Overnight parking is available near the store at the end of the road for a small fee or you can park off Glacier Lodge Road in the backpacker’s lot. This is a 21-mile round trip hike with about 4,500’ of gain outbound.

We drove from Fresno through Yosemite and arrived at the White Mountain Ranger Station in Bishop CA for our “walk in” wilderness permit. We opted for two nights at Third Lake. This is a popular trail for day hikers, back packers and alpinists. We then drove west to the end of Glacier Lodge Road (Crocker St. in Big Pine) and parked near the store. We paid our fee for two nights and filled out emergency information.

We had stayed overnight at Second Lake a few years ago and enjoyed hiking along 5 of the green glacial lakes but our goal was more ambitious this year with a plan to hike to a view of the Palisade Glacier which is the largest Glacier in the Sierra Nevada. The glacier is located in a cirque below several 14’ers including Mount Sill, Thunderbolt Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak.

What is somewhat misleading is the fact that the hike from Third Lake is only about 3 miles one way but the “Glacial Trail” ends about a half mile before the end of the climb to the view. The last half mile weaves through a boulder field marked with occasional cairns to guide the way. Additionally, it had snowed the previous week and we had snow and ice to contend with on the trail and through the boulders. At one point we had to use the tips of our trekking poles to break the ice off areas where we had to step on to climb up. The boulder part was slow and difficult for us up and down. Our last rest stop, I looked at my GPS and said to Sharon, “Only another 100’ of climb”. It took us about 9 hours for the six miles round trip.

We headed back down after about a half hour on top because the wind had picked up considerably and clouds began to roll in. We “rushed” back to our camp at Third Lake and arrived about 6pm. It was a slow hike out the following day and a very long drive back to Fresno. We could not have done it without two drivers.

Was this worth all this effort for this 74-year-old man and his bride? Yes, I think of all the views I have seen in the Sierra this may be the most awe inspiring and beautiful yet. In addition to the typical view of Lakes One through Three from above, Lake Four, Lake Five, Black Lake and Summit Lake can also be seen. White Mountain Peak can also be seen far to the Northeast.

Most of my photographs were taken with my Sony A7R3 and 16-35mm GM 2.8 lens. I also used my Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8 lens and Sony RX1R2 for backup shots. It is a lot of gear but I think the views warranted it.