Backpack to Upper Twin Lake - Sierra National Forest
If you’re looking to get a taste of the Sierra backpacking experience but don’t want to sell your soul for coveted permits, you should have the Kaiser Wilderness on your list! Upper Twin Lake is a beautiful camping area, and with multiple trailheads giving access to this spot, you’re nearly guaranteed a permit here! Because of this ease, it is slightly crowded on weekends, but we were still able to find some solitude even at the height of summer.
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Trail Stats
Where: Kaiser Wilderness, Sierra National Forest
Miles: 9.5 miles round trip to Upper Twin Lake, 12.75 mi total RT, including day hike to George and College Lakes.
Elevation Gain/ Loss: +/- 2,600 ft, 3,700 total with day hike.
Time to Complete: 3 days, can easily be a 1 night trip as well.
Trail Type: Out-and-back
Permits Required: YES
Pets Allowed: YES, on-leash
Trailhead: Deer Creek
Itinerary & Trip Planning
Route Description & Trail Notes
Day One: Deer Creek Trailhead to Upper Twin Lake. 4.75 miles, +2,000 feet, -700 feet elevation.
The trail to Upper Twin Lake starts at the Deer Creek Trailhead, right next to the D & F Pack Station (see trailhead section below for specifics). We started our trek up after consulting the map and doing our business at the trailhead pit toilets. We (unknowingly) opted to take the Deer Creek trail that also leads to the summit of Kaiser Peak, a 10,320 foot mountain that looks pretty fun to climb (next time!), following signs toward Potter Pass.
As I said, we didn’t exactly realize which trail we were on, as this was the only noticeable trail option from the trailhead! So we were a little surprised that this trail seemed to be relentlessly climbing instead of the anticipated gradual climb we thought we signed up for. Once we reached an unsigned (but obvious) trail junction that crossed Deer Creek, we realized we needed to cross the creek and take that trail to join the Potter Creek Trail. After getting that straightened out, we were finally on our expected track.
The initial climb wasn’t too exciting, in terms of views. The trail weaves through a combination of burnt and still-alive forest, with some views of Huntington Lake appearing once you’ve gotten a little elevation gain under your feet.
Still hiking through the forest, we managed to find a relatively mosquito-free and flat patch of ground to enjoy some lunch at right before the trail started climbing steeply again. With happy, full bellies, we began the last steep push up the trail that paralleled Potter Creek. Here the hiking began to get a little more visually appealing, with many wildflowers appearing around this creek, and more views opening up as the trail continued to climb up to Potter Pass. Good thing too, because gaining 800 feet in a mile warranted many breath-catching stops.
Luckily, the view at Potter Pass was worth the huffing and puffing. Looking to the north we could see Mt. Ritter and the Minarets, along with many other peaks of southern Yosemite in the distance. It was a gorgeous sight, and one that I had never seen from this vantage point before!
After taking a snack break and discussing our camping plans at Potter Pass, we joined the trail again switchbacking directly down the pass. After only a short distance, we reached another trail marker in an area with remarkably bright, white rock (possibly quartz?). We took the trail to the left, toward Lower Twin Lake. Lower Twin Lake is not a desirable camping area, as it is pretty marshy and meadowy, without any visible dirt areas within Leave No Trace guidelines for camping, so it’s best to continue on to Upper Twin Lake, which is about a quarter of a mile down the trail, for camping opportunities.
After emerging from the trees at Upper Twin Lake, it’s pretty hard to not be blown away by the view! The lake is expansive, the cliffs that drop right into the water across the way beg you to jump off of them, and the huge rock island beckons to be swam to. Even though we originally planned to hike up to George Lake to camp, we were pretty enamored with Upper Twin Lake (and a little tired of hiking) and decided to find a nice place to set up camp for the next two nights.
We determined that the area on the south-western side of the lake had much better campsites than the north and eastern side of the lake, which had “camps” that were right on the trail or lake, and definitely not 200 feet away from either. We found a nice site on top of a large, sloping chunk of granite, with enough dirt patches to easily stake out our three tents.
After setting up camp, we couldn’t resist taking a swim before cooking dinner. The water was warmer than I expected it to be, but it was still incredibly refreshing after the 2,000 feet of climbing for the day. After dinner, we went back down to the lake and were treated to an amazing sunset!
Day Two: Upper Twin Lake to College Lake & back. 2.25 miles, +/- 500 feet RT to George Lake, additional 0.75 miles, +/- 400 feet cross-country to College Lake
We woke up in the morning and had a leisurely time eating breakfast and getting ready for the day, prepping our packs for a day hike up to George Lake and possibly going off-trail to some of the other lakes in the area.
We started our hike getting back on the main trail and walking around the northern side of Upper Twin Lake. We instantly knew the camping on our side of the lake was much better. We had way more shade and better access to the lake, for sure! Once we started climbing, I was feeling pretty happy we decided to set up camp at Upper Twin yesterday instead of continuing on. The hike was nice though, much more scenic than yesterday. We were still mainly in the forest, but the streams and wildflowers made for a more idyllic setting.
Soon enough, we emerged from the trees and were greeted with a stunning view of George Lake and the unnamed peak, whose shape vaguely resembles a deer hoot print, reflecting in the calm waters. We found a nice lunch spot on some rocks near the shore of the lake, and chowed down while studying our topo maps, aligning ourselves to the topography of the area, and trying to identify the area where the off-trail lakes were located.
After lunch we took off in the general direction of College Lake, aiming for the most gradual approach up the rocky cliffs. Off-trail travel is always more exhausting than on-trail. You must constantly place yourself on the map, regularly scan the terrain for the best route, and watch your footing more to avoid any accidents. The choose-your-own-adventure aspect is freeing though, and is fun.
Eventually we found some cairns and then the outlet to College Lake and knew we were close to the lake. We hung out at the shore, watching a meandering marmot, and trying to identify another animal we saw scampering across the snowfield on the other side of the lake (I later realized it was just a marmot with the zoom capabilities on my computer - we swore it was a weasel or marten in the field!). Feeling tired and noticing darker clouds rolling in, we decided to hike back down and back to camp. I had to hike up a little rise of granite though and take in the view of the mountains in the distance on our way down. I could see Lake Thomas Edison in the distance - that is where the popular JMT resupply point is - VVR!
When we got back to camp, the stormy clouds moved past, and we took the opportunity to swim again before dinner. Eventually, we did get to enjoy a lightning and rain storm after dinner. We watched lightning dance through the clouds in the distance until the thunder seemed to be coming quicker after the bolt. Then we got to experience ground-shaking thunder and pouring rain from the “safety” of our tents.
Day Three: Upper Twin Lake to Deer Creek Trailhead. 4.6 miles, +560 feet, -1,900 feet elevation.
We had another relaxing morning in camp, slowly eating breakfast and packing up for the hike back to the car. We were a little wet this morning though! The hike back out was mostly the same way we hiked back in. We climbed back up to Potter Pass, with a more clear view of the mountains in the distance today.
The hike down the pass went fast as we chatted and soaked up the last of the high country air. Once we got much lower, all of the trails that we saw on our maps made more sense approaching from this downhill direction. We saw the split to the Potter Pass Trail - a different trailhead. Then we saw the split to the Deer Creek/ Kaiser Peak trail. Feeling adventurous and wanting to see where exactly the beginning of the Potter Creek Trail was, we opted to stay left on the Potter Creek Trail instead of re-tracing our footsteps.
The Potter Creek Trail was very pleasant, much more gradual than the Deer Creek Trail. However, there were multiple creek crossings on the Potter Creek Trail, one of which was a little tricky to cross and keep the feet dry. The trail flew by otherwise, and soon we were walking past a bobcat machine, belonging to the pack station, plastered in the middle of the trail. We realized this trail didn’t really look like a trail from the trailhead. Instead, it looked like a road that belonged to the pack station. But it is a trail and it’s an option if you’d rather go that route! I’d probably recommend the Deer Creek/ Kaiser Peak trail route though if you don’t want to deal with log-balancing creek crossings.
Permits
Sierra National Forest requires wilderness permits for all overnight trips. These permits are awarded by entry trailhead. The Ansel Adams Wilderness trailheads are the most popular options and the most likely to sell out upon release, but Upper Twin Lake is in the Kaiser Wilderness, which is a lot less visited. The trailhead for this itinerary as described is the Deer Creek Trailhead, but there are multiple trailheads that can take you to Upper Twin Lake, including the Potter Pass, Potter Cutoff, and Sample trailheads.
There are two types of permits for the Sierra National Forest: “Overnight” and “Overnight Exiting Mt. Whitney”. For this itinerary, and all others that do not involve exiting at the Whitney Portal Trailhead, you’ll want to select “Overnight”.
Permits can be reserved on recreation.gov 6 months in advance. They release permits for the summer season during the first week of January, which releases dates in May and June as well, and then the 6 month in advance cadence begins. For example, if you wanted to start your trip on July 24th, those permits will become available on January 24th.
60% of the permits are available in advance, and the remaining 40% are available as “walk-ups” online. The Forest Service is pretty vague on when walk-up permits are released online - they say 1-2 weeks in advance of your start date. Permits can be booked online up to the day before your wilderness entry date if there is quota space available. The Forest Service does state that permits may be given to another party if you don’t pick yours up on time, so in-person walk-ups may be available, but I would not rely on this method.
Sierra National Forest requires you to pick the permit up in person at one of their ranger stations by 10 am on the day of your permit start date. Late pickups can be arranged.
Permits cost $6/permit and then an additional $5/person.
Special Rules - Camping
Upper Twin Lake has a camping restriction to 200 feet away from the lakeshore. This is approximately 80 large steps. There are numerous signs around the lake prohibiting camping as well. Please abide by the regulations. We saw many groups camped way too close to the lake, in direct violation of the 200 feet rule. The best Leave No Trace-friendly campsites are on the southern and western sides of the lake, up on the hillside and in the rocky areas.
Campfires
Campfires are prohibited above 10,000 ft in Sierra National Forest. Some areas in the national forest have more strict campfire regulations as well. Be sure to read up on the wilderness regulations. If you want to have a fire, you’ll need to have a California Campfire Permit in your possession.
Bears
Bears are prevalent and active in the Sierra National Forest. There are two approved methods for storing food to protect your food and the bears.
First, the most fool-proof method, is using a bear canister. Second, the counter balance method is approved in the Sierra National Forest. Your food must be hung from a branch 10 feet away from the trunk and 15 feet in the air. I prefer the bear canister as it is the safest way to store food.
Seasonality & Weather
Summer is the most popular time for backpacking in Kaiser Wilderness, though any time between June to the end of October is potentially feasible for a snow-free backpacking trip. Upper Twin Lake sits at 8,600 ft, so depending on the snow levels and snowmelt throughout the spring, you might be able to go in a little earlier. The flip side is that with heavy winters, there could be snow on the trail into mid-July. The 2023 summer season was at the end of the highest snow year on record, and the trail completely dry by my trip on August 11. It’s a relatively popular trail for day hikers and backpackers, so reading reports on AllTrails is a good bet for getting decent conditions beta.
Generally, thunderstorms can be a possibility once summer starts. They aren’t a daily occurrence, but you should be prepared. Thunderstorm risk for the area dies down towards the end of August and into September. During my trip we experienced afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms!
Summer heat can be a doozy in the Sierra National Forest. This trail is mostly forested, with plenty of shade, but when the temperatures soar, it still feels hot! Be sure to bring your sunscreen and plenty of water.
With the elevation at 8,600 feet and being in a lake area, it can get cold at night. Most people will want a sleep system rated between 15*-30* depending on their personal preferences.
The lines on the trees indicate the snow and/or water level - crazy how much snow there was this last winter!
Trailhead & Parking
The Deer Creek Trailhead is a small side-of-the-road lot right before the road turns into the D & F Pack Station. There are pretty clear signs that backpackers should not park at the pack station, so please be courteous to this business.
The “parking lot” can hold about 10 cars, so its pretty small. Luckily, this is not the most popular trailhead.
The road to the Deer Creek Trailhead is unpaved and a little bumpy, but should be fine for 2WD cars.
After you park, follow the “trailhead” sign posted to the tree, but IGNORE the “hikers U-turn” sign - this is a sign telling cars to U-turn back to the parking lot. Hikers should continue left and slightly uphill, past the main pack station building and horse corral. You’ll see a large signboard and an outhouse-looking building tucked away in the trees.
The trail right next to the signboard is the trail that climbs up toward Kaiser Peak, which you can take for this hike, and is the trail we took on the way in. To take the more gradual incline trail that has more creek crossings, you’ll take the wide service road to the right of the pit toilets and past the horse corral.
The trailhead has a water spigot and 2 pit toilets, which is a nice luxury! I believe that the pack station controls the spigot, so I can’t guarantee that it is always on and working.
There are no trash facilities at the trailhead, so make sure you pack out all of your garbage!
What To Pack
When backpacking, gear can be an important factor to happiness on the trail.
Check out my post: Ultimate Lightweight Backpacking Gear List for the items I always bring backpacking and my favorite pieces of gear!
