Backpacking Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail

Big Pine, California

Note: This is a multiday backpacking trip. If you're new to backpacking, check out our backpacking basics and tips page HERE.

The Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail will lead you to one of Southern California's most colorful gems - the glacier fed, turquoise colored Big Pine Lakes. You really have to see the colors of the lakes with your own eyes to believe the hype. Once you make the trek, I guarantee you’ll be hooked on going back. This guide provides some general travel tips, details on permits and parking, and our recommended itinerary.

General Travel Tips

A map of the trail can be found HERE.
Camp at 2nd or 3rd Lake – you’ll get the best views of Temple Crag.
If you plan day hikes to lakes 4-7 or the glacier, I’d recommend bringing at least 3 liters of water plus a water filter.
The elevation at the hiker parking area is 7,750 feet, so please take altitude sickness into consideration. If you end up with really bad symptoms, make sure to get to lower elevation.
As part of this trip, be sure to hike to the Palisade glacier - our write up on this additional day hike can be found HERE.
Grab a tri-tip sandwich and root beer float at the little shop in Glacier Lodge after you make the hike back down.

Permits & Parking

Wilderness permits are required for overnight trips here and can be reserved at recreation.gov. On the website, search for Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits. Select 'Overnight' and 'Big Pine Creek North Fork' to check for availability. Walk-in permits are also issued at Inyo National Forest visitor centers. The closest visitor center is a few miles away in Lone Pine, CA. Contact information, location and hours for the center can be found HERE. The visitor center issues 10 free walk-in permits a day that are good for camping the following day.

To find the main trailhead for the Big Pine Creek North Fork Trail, you’ll have to get to the town of Big Pine, California. Once there, head west on Crocker Avenue which becomes Glacier Lodge Road and follow this road until it ends. You can either park at the hiker parking area which is about one mile away from the trailhead or you can pay a daily fee to park at Glacier Lodge. It’s best to pay for parking at Glacier Lodge because 1) it’s worth every penny not to carry your gear one more mile to the hiker parking area and 2) you can grab some good food there after your hike back down.

Recommended Itinerary

The trail will lead you to the area's 7 lakes, so creatively named First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Lakes. You can camp at any one of the lakes. There are several other lakes nearby, but I wouldn't recommend them if you're looking for the more picturesque locations. Below is the mileage (one-way) and elevation gain for each of the lakes from the hiker parking area.

First Lake: 4.5 miles 2,150 feet
Second Lake: 4.8 miles 2,250 feet
Third Lake: 5.5 miles 2,650 feet
Fourth Lake: 6.5 miles 3,000 feet
Fifth Lake: 6.8 miles 3,050 feet
Sixth Lake: 8.0 miles 3,350 feet
Seventh Lake: 8.5 miles 3,450 feet

On your way up the trail, you’ll pass streams and waterfalls until you finally reach First Lake. You’ll want to keep heading up past First Lake as the best campgrounds with a view are at Second and Third Lake. If you're looking for more seclusion, head up to Fourth or Fifth Lake. We recommend taking 5 days to fully enjoy this trip:

Day 1 - Hike to Second or Third Lake and setup camp.
Day 2 - Hike to the Palisade glacier. Our write up on this hike can be found HERE.
Day 3 - Hike to Fourth and Fifth Lakes.
Day 4 - Hike to Sixth and Seventh Lakes. Know that getting to Sixth and Seventh Lakes can be tricky, and the path is definitely less developed and easy to lose.
Day 5 - Hike back down to the trailhead.