Backpacking Granite Park, Inyo National Forest
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Granite Park is the epitome of what an alpine paradise looks like in the High Sierra. Huge mountains, sloping granite ridges that reveal off-trail passes, and lakes interconnected by creeks, cascading into one another.
When I got permits for Italy Pass, I had fully intended on making it all the way to the pass. But little did I know that Granite Park, the amazingly stunning granite and lake filled basin below the pass would be the star of the show. I may not have made it past the park, but I know I’ll need to return to keep exploring.
To learn more about this beautiful, but difficult trail in the Eastern Sierra’s Inyo National Forest, including how to get permits and trail information, keep reading on.
Trail Stats
- Where: Inyo National Forest
- Distance: 14 miles as described, could extend.
- Elevation Gain/ Loss: +/- 5,000 ft
- Time to Complete: 3 days, could be extended to complete other objectives in the area
- Trail Type: Out-and-back
- Permits Required: YES
- Pets Allowed: YES
- Trailhead: Italy Pass
- AllTrails hike information link. This is an extended route over Italy Pass.
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Granite Park Backpacking Trip Planning
Permits for Inyo National Forest
Inyo National Forest requires wilderness permits for all overnight trips. These permits are awarded by entry trailhead based on a quota system.
There are two permitted trailheads that embark from this physical trailhead: Italy Pass and Pine Creek Pass. You must select Italy Pass if you intend to hike towards Granite Park and Italy Pass. Italy Pass permits are popular, but not the most in-demand of the permits in Inyo National Forest, so you probably have a decent chance of getting the date you’d like.
Permits can be reserved on recreation.gov 6 months in advance, on the matching day (i.e. July 4th permits are released on January 4th). Permits are released at 7 am PT exactly.
Quota season for Inyo National Forest begins on May 1st and ends on November 1st. Permits are still required during non-quota season, but they are unlimited.
60% of the permits are available in advance, and the remaining 40% are available as “walk-ups” online. The online walk-up permits are released at 7 am PT 2 weeks before the start of the trip, on the same day of the week (i.e. if you want to start your trip on a Wednesday, you would book it two Wednesdays prior). Popular trailheads will be booked immediately.
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.
Inyo National Forest lets you print your permit at home. Your permit will be cancelled if you do not print it by 10:00 am on the day of entry, and you can print your permit beginning one week before your permit start date. You may elect for traditional permit pick-up at a ranger station as well – you have the choice when making the reservation.
Permits cost $6/permit and then an additional $5/person for this permit. Permits in Inyo are more expensive if you plan to exit via the Mt. Whitney zone.
Looking to score a permit for Italy Pass but everything is sold out? You can use the tracker below and sign up for personalized alerts for this trailhead (and many more) on Outdoor Status!
If you will be operating a backpacking stove, you must have a California Fire Permit. Getting one is easy and free. You can get one at this link.
Campfires
Campfires are prohibited above the wilderness boundary when entering Pine Creek Canyon, and are generally prohibited above 10,000 feet in the John Muir Wilderness. Effectively, campfires are prohibited on this itinerary.
Bears & Other Animals
Black bears are prevalent and active in Inyo National Forest, and you must store your scented items properly on your hike and while at camp.
Storing your scented items in a bear canister is the easiest way to keep your food and the bears protected. My favorite bear canister is the BV450 – perfect for solo outings up to 4-5 days long!
In this area of Inyo, counterbalance hanging is approved – as long as it’s done correctly (15 feet above the ground and 10 feet horizontally from the tree trunk) and the trees are tall enough (which, there are no appropriate trees past Honeymoon Lake).
Inyo National Forest has a bear canister rental program in case you don’t have one. You can inquire about the rental at any visitor center.
In all honesty, the smaller critters, like marmots, and the even smaller ones like mosquitoes, will probably cause you the most problems on this trip! Marmots love to poke around and watch you cook. They usually won’t approach, but they certainly could, so keep your kitchen away from camp.
Leave No Trace
Brush up on the principles of Leave No Trace.
It is important to stay on the established trail, even if it is muddy or covered in water. There are spots on this trail where the path is not super identifiable, do your best to stay on sturdy surfaces like rock and firm dirt.
You must camp and go to the bathroom at least 100 feet away from water sources and any trail. Make sure you 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.
Seasonality & Weather in Granite Park
Granite Park, where we set up camp, sits at 11,000 ft in elevation, which is high up! The trail up to Pine Lakes is very exposed and will melt out much earlier than the rest of the trail which is further into the lake basin and at a much higher altitude.
The High Sierra sees variable winters year-to-year. You can guarantee that Granite Park and Italy Pass will receive some amount of snowfall no matter how dry the winter is, but how fast it will melt will depend on how warm the spring temperatures are.
In a heavy snow year like the ‘22-’23 winter, snow will linger well into the summer, so make sure you hit the trail prepared. There is some steep and rocky terrain on the way to Granite Park and beyond to Italy Pass, so items like an ice axe and microspikes will be necessary if there’s a lot of snow on the ground.
For reference, the photos in this post were taken June 21 – 23 2024, which followed a 110% of average snow year in the Sierra.
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.
Summer heat can be a doozy in the Eastern Sierra, even in the high country. This trail is a mix of forested and exposed, but mostly exposed in the beginning and in the camping area – Granite Park. Where the trail is more forested, the trees aren’t very thick, so you should still make sure you are wearing UPF protective clothing and/or SPF sunscreen!
Since Granite Park is at 11,000 ft in elevation, nights can be cold, even in the middle of the summer! A sleep system rated down to 20° F is usually sufficient for most summer backpacking in the Sierra. Make sure to bring an insulated puffy jacket too! In late June it was pretty warm though, and I was perfectly happy in my 40° quilt with a sleeping pad R value > 4.
Be aware that there is a lot of water along this trail, and that’s great for filtering water whenever you need it, but that also means mosquitoes during early summer! We were attacked by mosquitoes on this trip and I forgot to treat my clothes with permethrin before leaving (biggest mistake ever). Let’s just say that my Heat-It tool was used once I was back home and I wish I brought it with me on this trip.
Italy Pass and Beyond
Granite Park could make an excellent basecamp for exploring the surrounding area if you are an experienced backcountry hiker.
I am not going to get into too much detail because we did not have the time to explore, but we used this trip to scout cross-country routes and get acquainted with the area in hopes of returning one day to see more.
Hiking Italy Pass to Mt. Julius Caesar is a very doable day hike from Granite Park. It would also be possible to take Granite Park Pass, an off-trail, cross-country Class 2 pass to Royce Lakes. You could make this an out-and-back, or hike through the full basin and loop around to Pine Creek Pass. This would also be the easiest way to access Bear Lakes Basin and the Sierra High Route for a more extended backpacking trip.
If you’re interested in exploring any of the above areas, I highly recommend using a paper and digital map (Tom Harrison maps are my person favorite for the Sierra) to plan ahead, and reading RJ Secor’s book, The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails. It’s one of the most comprehensive guides to off-trail travel in the High Sierra.
Pine Creek Trailhead & Parking
The trailhead for this hike is a large dirt parking lot.
There are no facilities to use (bathroom or potable water), so make sure you do your business before arriving, or be good with finding a place to dig a hole nearby and away from the creek.
There are bear lockers in the parking area. Make sure you place any scented items that you are going to leave behind in the lockers instead of your car, and remember to remove your items when you leave!
Since there is no campground at this trailhead, we all slept in our cars before hiking out the next morning.
What To Pack for Granite Park Backpacking
When backpacking, gear can be an important factor to happiness on the trail. Everyone’s needs are different, but I highly suggest you bring lightweight, durable gear into the Sierra. Carrying a bear canister already adds on a lot of weight, so do yourself a favor and make the rest of your pack as light as possible.
Read next: My Ultimate Lightweight Backpacking Gear List. I’ve backpacked thousands of miles across the USA and the world, and these pieces of gear are the ones that have always done the job to keep me safe & happy on trail.
Route Description & Trail Notes for Backpacking to Granite Park
Day One: Pine Creek Trailhead to Lower Granite Park
- 6.75 miles, +4,200, -650 feet
We started our day as early as we possibly could, trying to give ourselves as much time to sleep as possible given how tired we all were after driving over to Bishop yesterday evening. I got very little sleep sadly, and almost felt nauseous during parts of the night, but luckily, did not feel sick in the morning.
We got started a little later than we wanted – 7:30 am – and it was already pretty warm at the trailhead even at 7,500 feet! It was going to be a hot weekend.
Our day started with climbing immediately. At first we were in the trees for a bit, but quickly the trail spit us out on exposed switchbacks for the majority of the climb. We gained 2,300 feet in the 2.75 miles we hiked to the wilderness boundary.
Even though the climb was rough with minimal shade, we did have a few areas with running water and a larger creek to cross on these exposed switchbacks, and the views were pretty cool.
We looked out on the desert of eastern California and the White Mountains, the Tungsten Mill, and as we climbed, we were greeted to views of the mountains we’d be hiking further into.
Once we reached the wilderness boundary, the trail leveled out a bit and we were welcomed with a little more shade. About a mile later, we reached the creek crossing of the outflow of Lower Pine Lake. At this point in the year, the snowmelt was at it’s strongest and the water was covering the downed crossing log, but it was still doable to use it for crossing.
After the creek, it was another quarter mile to the lakeshore. We enjoyed the views, and then opted to continue on the trail to the west side of the lake where there was more shade to take a snack break.
After our break, we packed up again and hiked another half mile to Upper Pine Lake, which had even more expansive views. The mountains were gorgeous!
After Upper Pine, there was a large water crossing through the braided inflow to Upper Pine Lake, with easily accessible large stone steps to assist. This crossing was wide enough that even with the peak snowmelt, the stone steps were tall enough to be able to use and keep your feet dry. Maybe not in a super heavy snow year, though!
We got to Honeymoon Lake around 3 pm and after nearly 6 miles of hiking. We debated setting up camp here since we were getting tired, but honestly, the areas we found were either not LNT friendly (<100 feet from the trail), or not conducive to creating a nice campsite for three tents. To be fair, we didn’t look on the lower elevation, eastern side of the lake, only the western side.
But knowing that we wanted to possibly hike Mt. Julius Caesar the next day, we wanted our basecamp to be higher up, so we decided to keep going, despite the heat and our tiredness. It was all of our first time back in the Sierra and at elevation for the summer, and we were definitely feeling the altitude.
The last mile and almost 600 feet of elevation were the most tiring of the day. Thankfully, we were mostly in the trees again and clouds started rolling in, saving us from the sun, but some of the climb was pretty ruthlessly uphill and sometimes it was not a completely clear path.
But, we trudged on, until we hit an odd and slightly dangerous patch of snow which made us decide to go off trail a bit around a rock formation to skip the melting, slippery mess.
After this detour, we were pleasantly surprised to look up and really see where we were: Granite Park. This place was so stunning. Alpine meadows just about to turn green, a pristine creek, multiple mountains towering above us: it was alpine paradise.
After the day we had and then seeing this beauty, we knew we had to call it soon. And luckily, after just a little more walking and quick hop across the creek, we found the most perfect campsite with stunning views.
All the hard work for the day paid off and we quickly set up camp, changed out of our sweaty hiking layers, and got water boiling for our dinners.
Today was the summer solstice, and we had to fight to stay awake to watch the sun set behind the mountains surrounding us, but it was definitely worth it to catch this alpenglow.
Day Two: Lower Granite Park – Granite Park Day Hike
- 2.5 miles, +/- 750 feet
We woke up very early this morning to catch the sunrise alpenglow on the east-facing mountains: before 5:30 am! Sunrises & sunsets during the longest days of the year are no joke! It was so worth it though, as it usually is.
With how physically exhausted me & another gal felt, we knew climbing Julius Caesar was not going to happen today. We just weren’t acclimated yet to the altitude or for backpacking season yet. So we took our time enjoying breakfast and getting ready for the day.
Around 8:30 we took off to head deeper into Granite Park. We had to go off trail for a bit, navigating the handful of snowfields that remained but would probably melt out soon. The trail at this point is not super defined anyways, you do need to keep an eye out for cairns and other tell-tale signs of trail up in the rocks to stay on track.
Once we reached the first real lake in Granite Park we were blown away. The water was so clear, the reflection of the mountains was so perfect. We were in heaven!
After oo-ing and ahh-ing, we kept hiking and soon stumbled upon an amazing campsite between this lake and another. It was huge and definitely a great spot, but a wag bag would have been needed to camp there: there was almost no cat-hole diggable ground around.
We decided to take our first snack break of the day at this campsite and just marvel at the beauty around us.
After our break, we kept hiking and climbing until we reached a rise that overlooked the large, unnamed, still-frozen, lake below an off-trail mountain pass. At this point, we decided to not make any more forward progress towards Italy Pass as we watched two trail runners breeze past us, running downhill to the lakes below and then climb back up the snowed-in granite ledges.
I was exhausted despite how generally easy the day had been, and didn’t want to overdo it. So instead, we admired the view, then turned around and decided to scramble up the ridge behind us, giving us a view of Chalfant Lakes below.
We then took a lunch break back at the awesome campsite by the lake, soaking in the beauty, and eventually, walked back down to camp, taking notice of areas of snow that completely melted during the day.
It was a relaxing afternoon and evening back at camp, and we just hung out, ate dinner, and attempted to hide in our tents from the swarms of mosquitoes outside. I actually didn’t leave my tent to photograph sunset since I counted 40 mosquitoes on the mesh of my tent door, waiting for me to emerge and swoop in for the bloodbath. Luckily, it wasn’t any different than the previous night, and I enjoyed it from the safety of my tent.
Day Three: Lower Granite Park to Pine Creek Trailhead
- 6.75 miles, +650, -4,200 feet
It was a little colder this morning as we woke up early again to photograph the sunrise. Today we got ready quickly though, as we all had long drives back home to make, and I had to work tomorrow.
We hiked out the exact same way we hiked in, and were out in record time! On the trail by 8:15 am and in the cars, ready to hit the road by 12:30 pm! Amazing how fast we can hike out and downhill.
The only thing of note was that the water crossings were actually running higher on our way out than they were on the way in, which checks out with our experience of watching higher elevation snow continue to melt while we were out there.
We had wet feet from the two main crossings: Honeymoon Lake and the Lower Pine Lake outlet. But they quickly dried. It may have been a cooler morning at 11,000 feet, but it was blazing hot once we hit the exposed switchbacks below the lakes leading back to the trailhead.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip into the lakes basin, and I was blown away with all the opportunities for extending a trip in this area. My biggest regret was not being at peak fitness and altitude-acclimated. If I had been feeling better, we could have explored much more. Having a longer trip into this area would also be amazing. There are multiple cross-country lake basins to explore and Granite Park would be an excellent basecamp for accessing them.
Pin For Later
Have any questions, comments, or memories about Granite Park that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!