Big Pine North Fork Trail - 2020
Inyo National Forest, California
Third hike of the season, completed the lollipop loop counter-clockwise, up past Black Lake, Fourth, Fifth, Third, Second and finally First Lake.
Going to the popular First through Seventh Lakes up the canyon north of Mount Sill, this trail also offers views of Temple Crag and the Palisade Glacier. The trail that begins at First Falls in the shade of Jeffrey Pine and Aspen. An altrenate trail from the backpackers parking follows a sunny slope and joins the trail above First Falls. The trail goes across sage and Manzanita covered slopes to enter the wilderness boundary near Second Falls. As the trail climbs past the chain of Big Pine Lakes there are many opportunities to observe the affects of glacial activity, such as cirques, glaciated granite and glacial erratic. A side trail loops to Black Lake, offering views of glaciers and the Sierra Crest before rejoining the main trail near Fourth Lake.
Common Destinations: First through Seventh Lakes, Sam Mack Meadow, Palisade Glacier
