Backpack the Rae Lakes Loop
Backcountry Emily contains affiliate links and I may receive compensation - at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more information.
There’s nowhere in the world like the High Sierra. Sparkling alpine lakes, huge granite mountains shaped like nature’s cathedrals, meandering alpine meadows filled with green grasses and wildflowers… I could go on, but you don’t have to keep imagining it. You can experience it for yourself on the Rae Lakes Loop.
There’s a reason the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon is so popular. Rae Lakes is a series of three lakes on the famous John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails, sitting beneath the towering Glen Pass. But don’t worry – you don’t need to thru-hike hundreds of miles to experience it!
Rae Lakes hold a special place for many – they’re easy to access, offer tons of campsites, and feature some of the most captivating views in the High Sierra. This loop is ideal for first-time backpackers and seasoned hikers alike.
I’ve hiked through the Rae Lakes three times: on my PCT and JMT thru-hikes, and once on the full loop. This guide covers everything you need to plan your Rae Lakes adventure — from permits to campsites and insider tips from my own experience.
Rae Lakes Loop Quick Facts & Stats
- Location: Kings Canyon National Park
- Distance: 40 miles
- Elevation Gain: 7,500 feet
- Difficulty: Hard
- Route Type: Loop
- Time to Complete: 3 – 5 days
- Best Time to Go: July – September
- Permits Required?: Yes, $15 + $5/person
- Water Availability: Frequent
- Campsite Availability: Many, established and dispersed
- Pets allowed: No
- Trailhead Coordinates: 36.79479232360438, -118.58195806865591
- Parking & Fees: $35 park entry to Kings Canyon, plenty of parking space.
- Cell service: No
Try AllTrails+
Download offline maps, preview trails in 3D, access National Park guides and more! Use code “backcountryemily30” to get 30% off of AllTrails+.
Highlights of the Rae Lakes Loop
Is it dramatic if I say the entire trail is a highlight?! I’m not kidding – I’ve hiked Glen Pass and through the JMT in this section three times and I still haven’t gotten tired of it.
I also love the entire hike along Bubbs Creek. And if I had to pick a favorite, I think the views are more stunning along Woods Creek in certain places, but overall, Bubbs Creek just has a certain charm with all of the plants and boulders along the trail.
The Woods Creek suspension bridge is also a really fun feature of the hike. Since only one hiker is allowed at a time – make sure you get your buds to take a picture and video of you crossing it!
Best Time to Backpack the Rae Lakes Loop
Summer is the best time to hike the Rae Lakes Loop. When in summer really depends on how much snow fell in the winter. I’ve hiked in the Rae Lakes area in June, July, and August, all in average snow years, and the time I hiked the full loop in July was my favorite.
I think July is the best month because the alpine meadows are green, there’s still a bit of snow in the high mountains, which gives great scenery, but Glen Pass is usually clear of snow, wildflowers are out, there’s plenty of water, and day time and nighttime temperatures are pleasant and warm.
How To Reserve Permits for the Rae Lakes Loop & SEKI Parks
The Rae Lakes Loop is the most popular trail in Kings Canyon National Park. Thousands of people attempt to get a permit every year, and only a fraction of people will be lucky enough to do the loop.
Permits can be reserved 6 months in advance to the day on recreation.gov at exactly 7:00 am PT. This means if you’d like to start your backpacking trip on July 4th, you need to be booking the trip on January 4th. Advance reservations cost $15 plus $5/person for each trip.
Walk-up permits are available beginning at 1:00 pm the day before you want to start your trip. You must go to the permit-issuing station that is closest to your trailhead. In this case, the Road’s End Permit Station in Cedar Grove. They cost the same as a reservable permit. I would highly recommend showing up before 1:00 pm to line up for permit releases, especially on a weekend.
Do not attempt to hike this trail without a permit. We were actually stopped on our hike right before the ending trailhead to have our permits checked. The rangers were checking permits of everyone who was leaving the wilderness to make sure they weren’t illegally camping since there were multiple reports of it. I also had my permit checked at Middle Rae Lake while hiking the JMT. There is a very high likelihood of having your permit checked on this loop.
In 2025, the permit numbers are limited from May 23rd – September 27th. Before or after these dates you are able to visit the Road’s End Permit Station and get a permit without competition.
If you plan on using a stove or making a fire, be sure to obtain a free California Fire Permit.
Stay up to date on all national park backcountry permit regulations here.
Trailhead Entry and Exit Options
Clockwise
Enter: Woods Creek Exit: Bubbs Creek
Counterclockwise
Enter: Bubbs Creek Exit: Woods Creek
Alternate Trailhead: Kearsarge Pass
It is possible to do the Rae Lakes Loop as a “lollipop” and use the Kearsarge Pass trail from Onion Valley off of Highway 395 as a starting point. Kearsarge Pass is another super popular trailhead, but the quotas are much different than the National Park.
If you are interested in doing the loop this way, inquire about permits through Inyo National Forest at recreation.gov. Permits need to be booked 6 months in advance like for Sequoia-Kings Canyon, but also have a 2 week “online walk-up” option.
Hiking the Rae Lakes Loop from Onion Valley adds 13 total miles to the loop, but you have the chance to camp at Kearsarge Lakes, which are gorgeous!
Itinerary & Camping Options for Rae Lakes
Should I Hike Clockwise or Counterclockwise?
You really can’t go wrong with either direction. I went clockwise, and I would only recommend clockwise a little bit more because its a more gradual ascent, overall, and by the time you are doing the steepest climbing (Rae Lakes and Glen Pass), your pack is a little bit lighter. There are also more camping options before the big climb to Glen Pass if you’re looking for a longer itinerary.
But views-wise, you’re in for a treat no matter what! You will be happy with whatever direction you manage to get with a permit.
3 Night/ 4 Day Itinerary (My Trip Plan)
- Night one: Upper Paradise Valley
- Night two: Middle Rae Lake
- Night three: Junction Meadow
I think our itinerary was very well-balanced for hiking this trail. We had lots of time during the day to relax and take our time. I felt like we didn’t have a ton of time at Rae Lakes themselves though, and I think on a future hike, I’d like to have a layover day at Rae Lakes and do some side trips.
I also think this is the ideal itinerary for a counter-clockwise hike.
4 Night/ 5 Day Itinerary Option – Perfect For a Side Trip!
- Night one: Upper Paradise Valley
- Night two: Lower Rae Lake
- Night three: Middle or Upper Rae Lake
- Night four: Charlotte Creek
My Top Campsite Picks for the Rae Lakes Loop
My favorite camping areas on the Rae Lakes Loop are Woods Creek and Middle Rae Lake.
On my full loop hike, we also camped at Upper Paradise Valley (which was just ok) and Junction Meadow. Junction Meadow was really nice but very buggy in early July. When we hiked past the Charlotte Creek camping area, I had wished we camped there instead of Junction Meadow.
Camping Restrictions
There are a few camping restrictions you need to be aware of on the Rae Lakes Loop:
- No camping at Bullfrog Lake
- Camping is currently closed in Lower Paradise Valley (hazards)
- Only 2 nights camping allowed in Paradise Valley
- No camping at Dollar Lake
- You can only camp 1 night at each Rae Lake (1 at lower, 1 at middle, 1 at upper)
- 2 night camping limit at Charlotte Lake
Rae Lakes Loop Trip Prep: What You Need To Know Before Your Trip
Weather
The High Sierra is generally warm and sunny in the summer. But, you do need to be aware of summer thunderstorms, especially from July – September. This is important for climbing Glen Pass. Make sure you are beginning your climb in the morning and finish the climb by noon and be descending.
Water & River Crossings
There is lots of water available on this hike, but sometimes it can be very inaccessible, especially in some areas along the Bubbs Creek and Woods Creek trails, where the trails are actually quite a bit higher and not directly on the creek.
Make sure you’re always treating your backcountry water! The Sawyer Squeeze is my favorite water filter. I’ve used it for thousands of miles of backpacking!
There is one river crossing that can be a little hairy on this trip: the South Fork of the Kings River in Upper Paradise Valley. The very tall, large bridge over this river was washed away in the record-breaking winter of 2016-2017, and has not yet been rebuilt.
On my hike in early July 2020, it was a low snow year and we had no issues crossing the river. However, it was a pretty long crossing and my feet were NUMB by the time I got to the other side.
I’m usually a proponent of leaving your shoes on during water crossings, but in this case since it was the first crossing immediately in the morning and I knew I’d get soaked, I took them off and crossed in my camp sandals.
The park service does warn that this river could be unsafe to cross early in the season, and warn people hiking counter-clockwise to have a plan to backtrack if they can’t safely cross the river.
Glen Pass & Altitude
Glen Pass is 12,000 feet above sea level – pretty wild! And you have to hike up and down it to complete the Rae Lakes Loop. Be aware of signs of altitude sickness like lightheadedness and confusion, and stay hydrated and well-fed during your hike.
The north side of the pass can hold snow well into June or even July depending on the snowfall in the winter. Please be safe if there is snow on this pass.
I had to descend the north side on my PCT thru-hike in early June and it was pretty scary with all the snow. I actually ended up falling while scrambling on scree and luckily, it wasn’t a bad fall, but a fall in certain places can be deadly.
Know your limits, and carry safety gear like microspikes and an ice axe if needed.
Bears & Other Wildlife
Kings Canyon wilderness is black bear country! They are very common and actually can be a bit of a problem in this area. For this reason, bear canisters are required on this trip and are the only approved food storage method on this trail.
I use the BV450 canister on hikes shorter than 5 days.
Bears are generally not an issue though. If you do come across one, consider yourself lucky. Make your presence known to them by being loud, but back away and give them space to move away from you. The only time you should make a big commotion or bluff charge a bear is if they are trying to encroach on a space where you are camped with food.
On my hike of the Rae Lakes Loop, I was treated to two bear encounters! The first was a mother and her cubs on day 2 after paradise valley and the second was a lone bear along the Bubbs Creek trail on our last day. We did have to hike off-trail around the mom & cubs since the mom would not move off the trail after her cubs ran up into the trees – which is ok to do to stay safe!
Note that bear spray is prohibited in Kings Canyon National Park, so don’t bring any.
Other animals you’re likely to see: mule deer, marmots, pika, squirrels, and chipmunks! Be prepared, and remember, never interact with or feed a wild animal!
Mosquitoes & Bugs
Mosquitoes can be horrendous on this hike. We were swarmed by them in certain areas – particularly Vidette Meadow and Junction Meadow and the Bubbs Creek Trail.
I always recommend treating your clothes with permethrin and carrying picaridin to ward off mozzies.
Campfires
Campfires are prohibited above 10,000 feet in elevation. They could also be prohibited during fire restrictions if wildfire warnings are high, which frequently happens in the summer.
Luckily we didn’t have restrictions when we camped at Junction Meadow because the mosquitoes were so bad there that we decided to have a small fire in hopes it would keep them away. It worked ok. Something I like to do is use my bear canister as a water jug for putting out my fire when backpacking. Safe fire practice is to drown with water and stir your fire to put it out.
Navigation
Tom Harrison maps are my favorite, and this map shows the Kearsarge Pass and Rae Lakes zones in great detail.
I’d also recommend downloading offline maps on a system like Gaia GPS or AllTrails+.
Side Trips
The Rae Lakes loop has some options for side trips, which is really exciting and a good reason to extend your trip by a night or two.
The most popular side trip is the Sixty Lakes Basin, which you’ll see a sign for as you leave Upper Rae Lake and begin your climb up Glen Pass. For more advanced explorers who are looking for off-trail scrambling, the Gardiner Basin is supposed to be incredible.
Kearsarge Lakes and Charlotte Lake are other side trips where you can spend a night camping.
Leave No Trace
Brush up on the principles of Leave No Trace.
This entire trip takes place in designated wilderness. Designated wilderness in the United States has special rules for recreation which state that motorized and mechanical equipment is not allowed to be used. This means that items like drones, bikes, and strollers can’t be used here.
It is important to stay on the established trail, even if it is muddy or covered in water, which can be possible on this trail in the early season.
You must camp and go to the bathroom at least 100 feet away from water sources and any trail. Make sure you bury your feces properly and pack out all of your toilet paper and trash – leave nothing but footsteps behind so we can all enjoy this wonderful place for many years to come.
Getting to Road’s End Trailhead
Fresno, CA is the closest large city to Road’s End and Kings Canyon National Park. If you’re planning to fly in to complete this hike, you’ll want to fly into Fresno. You will need to rent a car to drive to Road’s End since there are no shuttles to take you there.
It takes about 2.5 hours to drive from Fresno to Road’s End. The Rae Lakes Loop trailheads are at the Road’s End Permit Station. Just follow signs for Woods Creek & Bubbs Creek.
Where To Stay Before & After Your Hike
Because it is a bit of a drive to get to this trailhead, if you are arriving the day before your permit starts, you’re probably looking for somewhere to stay for the night before your trip begins. The closest drive-in campgrounds will be Sheep Creek, Sentinel, Canyon View, and Moraine.
Campgrounds fill up quickly, and can be reserved on recreation.gov. Be aware that not all campgrounds are open for the full backpacking season!
There are also non-reservable, first-come, first-served USFS campgrounds on the way to Road’s End, and plenty of roadside pull-outs for van/ inside of your car “camping” on national forest land along Highway 180 near Crystal Cave. Some of these options have no facilities so you need to start your backpacking, cat hole digging, Leave No Trace Skills a little early.
There are some private lodging and camping options on the way to Road’s End as well, but not a ton. There are more closer to Grant Village and Hume Lake. I stayed at the Kings Canyon Campground before my hike and was able to just drive in and pay. But it looks like they’re on Hipcamp now, so you might want to be safe and reserve!
Route Description & Itinerary for Rae Lakes Loop
Day One: Road’s End to Upper Paradise Valley
Day one Trail Info
Starting at the main Road’s End parking area, you’ll walk past the ranger station and onto the very wide, flat Kanawyers Trail. Follow this trail for about two very exposed miles until the junction to the Bubbs Creek Trail.
If you are going to Mist Falls and Paradise Valley, you’ll stay left at the fork, and start climbing towards Mist Falls, paralleling the South Fork of the Kings River. There are lots of places along the trail to take a break and go down by the river to relax. Just be careful as it can be raging at times, even in a low snow year.
The trail gradually ascends to Mist Falls, a beautiful waterfall with lots of space at the base to take a lunch break and enjoy the water. The trail gets steeper above the falls as you switchback up and up, partially on both exposed granite and shaded shrub. Eventually, the trail flattens out at Lower Paradise Valley, and you’ll continue on this flat path until Upper Paradise Valley, where there are many tent sites along the river.
Day Two: Upper Paradise Valley to Middle Rae Lake
Day Two Trail Info
After fording the South Fork of the Kings River, the trails climbs through shrubs and some patches of trees before opening up to a vast meadow under the Castle Domes. Even though the trail parallels Woods Creek for many miles, the creek is largely inaccessible, so make sure you fill up at the start of your day.
About 5 miles from Upper Paradise, the Woods Creek trail meets with the John Muir/ Pacific Crest Trail. You will get to turn south onto the JMT and cross the Woods Creek Suspension Bridge, which is a pretty cool feature of the hike. The creek is accessible on the southern side of the bridge, and the camping area has some good spots for lunch.
From here, the trail steadily climbs for 4 miles through mostly open terrain up towards Dollar Lake. Be sure to stop and look behind you every so often, as the views of the mountains in the distance are gorgeous. This part of the trail can be tiring and grueling since it is exposed.
From Dollar Lake to Rae Lakes, the trail continues to gradually climb with beautiful views of the meadows and creeks running off from the lakes. It is a stunning area, especially in the middle of summer with green grass and wildflowers in abundance. Middle Rae Lake is the most popular camping area, but there are opportunities at Lower Rae Lake as well, for a quieter atmosphere.
Day Three: Middle Rae Lake to Junction Meadow
Day Three Trail Info
Next up: climbing the rest of the way to Glen Pass. The good news is that most of the climbing was done on the way to Rae Lakes. The bad news? There’s still another 1,400 feet to climb and it is pretty steep. The views only get better the higher you climb, though! Remember to stop and look behind you frequently, as the hidden tarns tucked away behind granite ledges start showing themselves the further up you climb.
Once you top out at Glen Pass, you’ll have great views of Rae Lakes down below and the surrounding mountains and unnamed tarns. From here, it’s quite literally all downhill. You make a short and steep descent down switchbacks to a tarn below the pass, and continue downhill to the Kearsarge Pass/ Charlotte Lake junction. Continuing south on the JMT, you’ll reach another set of switchbacks with views of East Vidette and other mountains while you descend to Vidette Meadow.
Once at the bottom, you will leave the JMT/ PCT and head west on the Bubbs Creek Trail and follow the beautiful and powerful Bubbs Creek the rest of your trip. The final descent towards Junction Meadow has views of waterfalls on Bubbs and big mountains in the distance. Once you reach Junction Meadow, the campsite is about a quarter mile past the junction to East Lake, continuing down the Bubbs Creek Trail. This is a nice campsite with a bear box and access to the creek, but we found the Charlotte Creek sites ~2 miles further had nicer sites.
Day Four: Junction Meadow to Road’s End via Bubbs Creek Trail
Day Four Trail Info
The downhill continues on, as the trail parallels Bubbs Creek for the remainder of the trip. This trail can be very exposed in the heat of day, but in the morning, there was lots of shade, and there are patches of trees as well.
We saw multiple smaller campsites along the way mainly between Junction Meadow and Charlotte Creek, with Charlotte Creek having great sites. Sphinx Creek is the last (or first) campsite you can camp at between that point and the trailhead. After that, you descend down another set of switchbacks before crossing the many footbridges over Bubbs Creek.
Some years, Bubbs can be overflowing its banks and this can be a very challenging rock-hopping and navigational nightmare, but for us, most branches of the creek were dry until the very last footbridge. Cross the last large bridge over the beautiful river before linking up with the Kanawyers Trail again. From this point, you’ll retrace your footsteps back to the trailhead.
What To Pack For the Rae Lakes Loop
I bring my regular three-season lightweight gear set-up on all of my Sierra backpacking trips.
On this trip and this summer I tested wearing a merino wool tank top and a lightweight sun shirt over it for sun protection. I liked having 2 shirt options and being able to hang out in just the tank top at camp, but I had a sweaty back when I was wearing both.
This is why I recommend just wearing a sun hoody for full sun protection, and if you’re not a UL hiker like me, you might want to throw in a camp shirt for relaxing after swimming in the lakes.
I’d also recommend wearing swim-ready undergarments so you can enjoy swimming in all of these beautiful lakes. My favorite are Tera Kaia. They’re specifically made to be worn for hiking and swimming and are quick-drying!
You should still bring warm layers on this hike. Once the sun sets behind Fin Dome, it gets pretty cold around camp. This is my go-to ultralight puffy jacket.
I also recommend bringing electrolytes on this hike to stay hydrated. I’m a big fan of Cure since there’s no added sugar or artificial dyes or sweeteners!
And don’t forget – you’re required to carry a bear canister! My favorite is the BV450 and I find I can fit 5 days of food if I pack it well. If you need more space, the BV475 might be better.
Trail Journal
Day One:
After a wonderful reunion with Hot Pants and meeting of new friends in the parking lot, we started the nice, flat walk on the Kanawyers Trail. The smell of the pine trees and dirt was re-invigorating, and it was fun catching up and chatting. Since we are doing the trail clockwise, we split off to the north on the Paradise Valley Trail towards Mist Falls.
The trail gained steadily but not too quickly through the trees and shade following the South Fork of the King’s River. The River was super beautiful. Clear water that was tinged with blue and green. We couldn’t help ourselves and had to stop frequently for picture breaks and to dunk our hats in the water. Eventually we reached the base of Mist Falls and took our lunch break in the shade and a little bit of mist. Perfect for a super hot day. Mist Falls are gorgeous and we saw many day hikers at the large base and in the river.
After lunch, our climb got a little steeper and more exposed. We climbed through some of the largest fallen granite boulders I’ve ever seen, and I felt so small. The view behind us also opened up to see The Sphinx formation towering above the river. It was so grand. After a few more breaks in the shade, we officially reached Paradise Valley. This part of the trail was pretty flat and we walked through shaded woods and listened to the sounds of the river.
After a water filtering break at the Middle Paradise Valley, we pushed on to Upper Paradise Valley, our campsite for the night. We arrived with plenty of daylight left and immediately found a great campsite for all of our tents with easy river access. I was able to get my small towel wet to scrub some dirt off of my legs, which was very refreshing. We also located the river crossing point since the bridge was broken a few years ago. It is right across from our camp, and will be easy – but cold – to do first thing in the morning.
After setting up camp & relaxing, we made dinner and a fire at our little fire pit area, which thankfully kept the bugs at bay. After cleaning up and chatting more, we were invited to our neighbors fire, which was nice since ours went out pretty quickly after finishing dinner. We hung out with them for a bit before retiring to our tents.
Day Two:
Our longest & most elevation gain day started off a little slow. We finally got hiking when the sun hit the valley floor, but first had to cross the South Fork of the Kings River. The footbridge over the river washed out a few years ago and it is always a hot topic of conversation about this new ford. It was totally uneventful. We all crossed in our flip flops and then put on our dry socks & shoes on the other side. It’s nice to be able to start the day without super wet shoes and socks if possible.
The hike started with a gradual climb following Woods Creek. This climb was slow going for us. It was already very warm and we were trudging up a bit. Around a pretty wooded area, we heard a huge snap, and then looked up and saw a black bear and her cub up in a tree! The mamma was WAY up in the tree, almost to the very top, and her cub was about halfway up and looked so small in the tree. They were so cute!
But we had to wait for them to get down and out of there. We were afraid to cross under because the cub was below mamma and she could get down to us super fast if she wanted to. Eventually they got down, and moved along, only for us to see them in another tree right next to the trail a few minutes later! This time just the cub was in the tree and mamma was at the base. We detoured further around in order to keep moving. They weren’t going anywhere.
After that delay, we took a water filter and snack break at a stream to recoup, and then we all set off for the rest of the climb to the Woods Creek Suspension Bridge at varied speeds. This part of the hike seemed to go on forever. Lots of PUDs (pointless ups and downs), unfortunately. The views were nice though, especially when we got to Castle Domes Meadow.
We finally got to the bridge, and found a nice shaded spot to eat lunch and chill for a bit, but not too long since we still had 6 miles and 2,000 ft to go to camp. After eating, we set off at our own paces again. I surprisingly had a decent amount of energy and was able to just keep trucking along. It was difficult in the heat, and I was getting pretty tired, but it was just one foot in front of the other for the climb.
The terrain was nothing like I remembered from the PCT – I swore the descent to the woods creek bridge was way more forested two years ago, but I must have mixed up the passes/ descents, because this was pretty exposed. About halfway up the climb, the views of the mountains really started to open up behind us, and I had to stop a few times and take it all in.
Finally, we reached Dollar Lake, the first lake in the series of lakes on the way to Rae Lakes and Glen Pass. We stopped and took a longer break there to filter water, and me and Alicia talked to a PCT thru hiker named Kaleidoscope for quite some time. He was super nice and it was fun to hear about his late spring desert experience and how the trail is during the coronavirus time.
The rest of the hike had a decently gradual final ascent to Arrowhead and then Rae Lakes. The views of the mountains behind us, Fin Dome in front of us, and then the Painted Lady and Mount Rixford and Glen Pass beyond were just amazing. We walked past lower and settled into Middle Rae Lake for camping. We spent the night taking photos, meeting new trail friends, and watching the full moon rise, which casted amazing light onto the mountains. It was spectacular.
Day Three:
After our longer day yesterday, we took our time getting ready in the morning. I took some photos of the sunrise alpenglow on the mountains, but the color wasn’t super great. Should have gotten up a little earlier! After that, I cooked breakfast and finished getting ready. When the sun hit our campsite, we took photos with Rae Lakes and the Painted Lady, and then we finally got walking around 8:30.
The first bit walking between the upper and middle Rae Lakes was easy, enjoyable, and brought back memories of speeding through this area on the PCT. Then, we started climbing. We had about 1,400 ft of gain to the top of Glen Pass in about a mile. On the PCT, I remembered hating Glen Pass because it was so steep going down and I slipped a few times.
This time, going up the north side of the pass without any snow, was much more enjoyable. It was still difficult and super steep in places, but it was easy to stop and take breaks because of how beautiful the views behind us were. We eventually topped out at Glen Pass, and it was very warm and pleasant to hang out there, unlike when we were on the PCT. We were there for about an hour eating snacks and taking pictures, and then started our descent down the pass.
We decided it would soon be lunch time, so we quickly filtered water at the lake below the pass and speed-hiked to the Kearsarge Pass junction. We found a little bit of shade and all plopped down. I ate my food and was feeling pretty tired and just wanted to lay down, so I did and took a little nap in the process. I only slept for a bit, but woke up in a daze.
We packed our things up, and continued down the JMT. I saw the spot where Hot Mess, Butters, LOL, and I camped before hiking over Kearsarge the next morning and had all the PCT memories flood back to me. It was nice being with Hot Pants, at least, to share some PCT memories. We started going down the switchbacks to Vidette Meadow and had such great views of the valley and mountains! I didn’t really remember this on the PCT, but it just goes to show you: always stop and turn around to look behind you! You never know what views you’ll miss otherwise.
At the bottom, we turned away from the PCT/ JMT and went west on the Bubbs Creek Trail. We immediately began going downhill again, following the flow of Bubbs Creek. The views were really nice and I felt lucky to be there, despite how tired I was. While we were resting at a big waterfall, we ran into a father/ daughters trio who we met (and delivered a lost fishing license to) at Rae Lakes.
They were all really sweet, and we were going to be at the same camp tonight too. We kept descending, and chatted with the dad part of the way down while the daughters were ahead of us. He was pretty amazed to hear about me and Hot Pants hiking the PCT and that I was coming back later in the summer to do the JMT with my mom! I told him to keep hiking with his girls, because it’s such a great time and a gift. They were all so nice.
We were pretty exhausted when we got to camp, and my feet were killing me! It was so much descent and they were not used to that. Once we got there, I immediately went to the bathroom and set up camp. We all meandered down to the creek, which was flowing really strong, and found rocks to sit and lay down on while we soaked our feet, cleaned our legs, and filtered water for dinner and the next day.
Dinner time was fun as we made a fire and sat around and talked about our trip. It was so relaxing and just felt so nice to be out in the wilderness. As usual, I was so tired by the end of the day, and once the sun went down, I was ready to sleep.
Day Four:
We all decided on an early wake-up for our final day since we all had to drive back home too! And had 10 miles to hike. I predicated we’d be at the cars by 12:00 pm when we started hiking at 7:00 am (spoiler alert: I was right). We quickly packed up and started our hike in the faded morning light. It was so peaceful and so nice to be amongst the ferns and trees. Daniela and I chatted most of the first half of the hike, whispering when we would pass a tent nearby.
We took our first water break at Charlotte Creek and were immediately jealous of this campsite. It was not marked on any map, and we would definitely have rather stayed there than at Junction Meadow. Much larger campsite with better water access and less horse poop. Oh well, next time!
After the water stop, the trail seemed to fly by. The sun fully came out from behind the mountains as we made our way down to Sphinx Creek, where we took another longer break and chatted with a family about to go on a super cool sounding cross-country trip. I almost wanted to turn around and tag along! Once hiking, we passed the junction for the trail to Avalanche Pass, which is one of the starting points for the Big SEKI Loop, another hike on my list. The climb looks terrible, but also really beautiful. I’ll save that one for another summer.
Before we knew it, we were speeding down the last set of switchbacks and crossing over the footbridges of Bubbs Creek and all reconvened at the large bridge over the South Fork of the Kings. The water was so blue-green and see through, all I wanted to do was hop in. The water was sooo luscious!
We still had a 2 mile mostly flat walk back to the trailhead, which seemed to take forever to finish. But we eventually did, and were greeted by the front country NPS officers who wanted to see our permit. Apparently there were lots of reports of illegal backpacking over the 4th of July weekend! 🙁 Come on, people! Get your permits! They shared in our excitement of completing this amazing trip though, and gave us recommendations to eat in Hume Lake.
Unfortunately, I wanted to get home as early as possible for work the next day, so Panda Express on the way home was the option I went with! But overall, we had such a nice trip in such a beautiful place. Making new friends and finally getting to see an old one was so great and worked out really well on this trip.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide has made you more inspired than ever to backpack the Rae Lakes Loop and full of stoke to plan your backpacking trip!
Rae Lakes is a truly amazing hike and is one of the best backpacking trips in Sequoia-Kings Canyon. It’s a great way to get a taste of the John Muir Trail without having to take a few weeks of work off, and a challenging, but doable trip for a beginner backpacker.
Just don’t forget your permit, bear canister, and a strong set of legs – those climbs lead to unforgettable views.
Got questions about planning your trip? Drop them in the comments and I’ll help you out! And if you’re ready to level up and hike an equally beautiful but more challenging trail, check out the Mineral King Loop or High Sierra Trail!
Pin For Later!
