Piute Pass to Humphreys Basin Backpacking Guide
Plan a backpacking trip into Humphreys Basin via Piute Pass in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range with this guide to overnight permits, weather, gear, and more!
Piute Pass in California’s Sierra Nevada is one of the best and easiest ways to access the High Sierra and all of it’s wonders.
This itinerary is probably one of the most bang for your buck trips in the Sierra Nevada. You’ll hike through a pine-laden forest that opens up to a gorgeous alpine wonderland, hiking along cascading creeks and lakes surrounded by beautiful granite mountains.
The best part of the Piute Pass trail is that it is one of the most forgiving climbs into the high alpine on the eastern slope of the Sierra. There are multiple camping options on the way up the pass and the average grade is less than 500 ft/mile. And, it stays pretty mellow on the western side of the pass.
In this guide, I’ll tell you the details of my 2-night backpacking trip into Humphreys Basin including camping spots, trail conditions, trailhead information, and more!
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Trail information for Piute Pass & Humphreys Basin
Trail Stats
- Where: Inyo National Forest, California
- Distance: 15.5 miles as described below, could extend.
- Elevation Gain/ Loss: +/- 3,300 ft
- Time to Complete: 3 days
- Trail Type: Out-and-back
- Permits Required: YES
- Pets Allowed: YES
- Trailhead: Piute Pass
- AllTrails hike information link. This is a route over Piute Pass.
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Piute Pass & Humphreys Basin 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: Piute Pass and Lamarck Lakes. You must select Piute Pass if you intend to hike towards Piute Pass and Humphreys Basin. Piute Pass permits are incredibly popular. You should be prepared to get permits immediately upon release and have a back-up plan if you can’t get them.
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 like this one 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, which this itinerary does not do.
Looking to score a permit for Piute 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.
Best time of year to hike Piute Pass
Piute Pass sits at 11,400 feet above sea level in one of the snowiest mountain ranges – the Sierra Nevada!
Since the Sierra sees snow from mid-October to June, the best time to hike this trail will generally be late June – mid October.
Note that the Sierra is not immune to climate change and every single winter season is different in this mountain range. Some years see very little snow over the winter and the hiking season could start as early as May, and some years snow will blanket the range until mid-July.
In a heavy snow year like the ‘22-’23 winter, make sure you hit the trail prepared. While there are few “no fall” zones on this hike, items like an ice axe and microspikes will still be necessary if there’s a lot of snow on the ground.
For your reference, the pictures in this post were taken July 4-6 2024, which followed a 110% of average snow year in the Sierra.
I never recommend backpacking into the Sierra in the winter unless you are a skilled backcountry skier and have taken avalanche awareness courses (minimum).
Weather in the High Sierra and Piute Pass
Generally, thunderstorms are a possibility in the mountains once summer starts. They aren’t a daily occurrence, but you should be prepared, especially since this itinerary is mostly above treeline. Thunderstorm risk for the area dies down in September.
Summer heat can be a doozy in the Eastern Sierra, even in the high country. This trail starts in a forested area, but quickly climbs up above treeline, where there is absolutely no shade. Wearing UPF clothing and SPF sunscreen on exposed skin will be necessary to avoid sunburn. And be sure to carry electrolytes and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and avoid altitude sickness.
Since Humphreys Basin is around 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 early July 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 met other hikers who were attacked by mosquitoes on this trip and I was so happy that I treated my clothes with permethrin before leaving. I also brought my Heat-It tool along on this trip to prevent itching from the mosquitoes who did break through the permethrin & picaridin.
Even though it’s summer, weather can dramatically shift in the mountains, especially at high elevations. If there is rain in the forecast, you should be prepared for the possibility of hail & snow. Luckily, these cold summer storms usually pass through quickly, but it’s why I always carry a rain jacket and a tent with a rain fly.
Trailhead & parking for Piute Pass
The trailhead for this hike starts at the North Lake Campground. However, there is no parking allowed for backpackers at this campground.
Backpackers can drive up to the campground and unload gear if needed, but need to park at the North Lake Hiker Parking lot, which is about 0.7 miles before the trailhead.
There are 2 large dirt parking lots in this area along a creek that runs into North Lake.
There are well-maintained pit toilets and trash receptacles in the parking lot, but no potable water.
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! As always, these lockers are not secure and you can’t add locks to them, so be wise with what you leave behind.
Since there is a first-come, first-served campground at this trailhead, you could drive up the night before and stay there, but there is no guarantee there will be a spot available. We drove over late the night before and stayed out in BLM land closer to Lee Vining.
What to pack for Piute Pass 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.
Campfires in the John Muir Wilderness
Campfires are prohibited along this trail starting from the trailhead to Piute Pass. You can only have a campfire if your itinerary dips below 10,000 feet in elevation. The route described in this post does not go below 10,000 feet after Piute Pass, therefore, fires are prohibited.
Please do not think that the rules do not apply to you when it comes to fire: the last thing any of us want is wilderness destruction due to the unintended consequences of any fire: in control or not.
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 Loch Leven Lake, only a few miles into the hike).
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.
This entire trip takes place in the John Muir Wilderness. Designated wilderness in the United States has special rulesfor 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 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.
You can learn more about the wilderness regulations in Inyo National Forest here.
Beyond Humphreys Basin
Hiking up Piute Pass is one of the best (and easiest) ways to get into the heart of the Sierra Nevada.
There are countless lakes, valleys, and basins to explore in this area, and I highly recommend pulling up a map and exploring for yourself.
One of the most popular multi-day backpacking trips in this area is to do a semi-loop and connect this trail to the Bishop Pass trail, which is the neighboring pass. Or you could do a different semi-loop and connect to the French Canyon trail to Pine Creek Trailhead.
There are also a ton of off-trail lakes to visit all over Humphreys Basin, and this may be the most beginner-friendly cross-country hiking area in the Sierra range.
If you’re interested in exploring any off trail 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.
Route Description & Trail Notes for Backpacking to Humphreys Basin
Day One: North Lake Trailhead – Lower Desolation Lake
- 7 miles, +2,500, -650 feet
After getting a little under 5 hours of sleep from the looong drive to highway 395 from the SF Bay Area, we finished our drive to the North Lake trailhead outside of Bishop, CA. We had great luck getting a parking space in the first dirt parking lot even though it was the 4th of July and around 9 am.
Something we did not realize before we got to the trailhead was that the parking lot was about 0.7 miles from the actual trailhead and we had to add that onto our miles for the day. Luckily it was an easy walk, but it was a little uphill and very dusty. Once we got to the official trailhead, we said goodbye to the last pit toilet of the weekend, and started our hike up.
I had been backpacking just north of this area two weekends prior, so I was prepared on what to expect condition-wise, but it sadly didn’t help that much with starting this hike at 9,000 feet elevation!
The first 2 miles of the hike were uphill in forest hiking alongside the North Fork Bishop Creek. This part was the steepest continual climbing of the entire trip, so thankfully there were trees to give a little shade, even though their density decreased as we approached Loch Leven Lake.
At the east end of Loch Leven, there was a huge tree right off the trail in a large flat area, which we knew had to be our lunch stop, even though it seemed like we hadn’t hiked far enough for lunch yet. We probably hadn’t, but at altitude, we knew it’s better to get ahead of hunger and fuel ourselves to avoid later hanger.
After a relaxing lunch and filtering a little more water from the lake, we got up and hiking again, climbing toward Piute Lake and Pass. This was the most idyllic part of the hike: we gained only 200 feet in about a mile of hiking and were just admiring all the beautiful scenery around us, taking our time to soak it in and enjoy it.
The next push was the next 500 feet in a mile to the pass itself. It was such a beautiful part of the trail that I barely felt the elevation gain. The views were incredible! As we approached the pass, we had to traverse a small snowfield, but luckily it was not high angle since Piute Pass is a pretty flat, mellow mountain pass.
The wind at the pass was crazy blustery though, so we spent very little time there and continued down the opposite side, following the obvious trail to the north of Summit Lake. We kept hiking for about another mile, enjoying the slight descent into Humphreys Basin and admiring the Glacier Divide mountains to the south.
I kept checking the map because I wasn’t sure how obvious the trail turn-off to Lower Desolation Lake would be – or if there would even be one. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see that while it wasn’t signed (since the basin is mostly off-trail), it was pretty obvious that the social trail led north and away from the descending canyon that the main trail went down.
At this point we were 6 miles into our day and getting tired, but still pushed on towards the lake. We still didn’t know exactly where we’d camp for the night, but once we crossed a large stream that flowed into Lower Desolation Lake, we started looking for a good place to camp.
The lake seemed to far down to venture camping closer to the shore, plus the terrain looked like it was getting more marshy and fragile, so we stayed up closer to the social trail and found a nice bench between the lake and the trail with good access to the large creek.
It was a gorgeous spot and we enjoyed relaxing, watching the sunset, eating our freeze-dried dinners, and later, taking astrophotography photos of the Glacier Divide.
Day Two: Lower Desolation Lake – Muriel Lake
- 3.25 miles, +500, -350 feet
Since we were up in the middle of the night taking pictures, no one was chomping at the bit to wake up super early today. We ate breakfast and discussed our plans.
Originally, we planned to do a cross-country day hike up Carol or Star Cols to get views of the more remote lakes in Humphreys Basin, but we were hurting a little bit from the lack of sleep 2 nights in a row and the altitude, and didn’t know how the entirely off-trail hiking would make us feel. Plus, our campsite had some terror marmots that seemed like they were just waiting for us to leave so they could eat our tents.
So instead, we packed up and hiked back to Piute Pass the way we came, then took another trail southwest over to Muriel Lake. Some hikers we met on the way in told us that the best sites were on the east side of the lake. Always wanting to do a little research of our own, we scouted the entire lakeshore, but couldn’t find great sites for three tents that were also scenic and nice to hang out at.
So we went back to the east side and found a few good spots up high, and then an amazing one with plenty of room for three tents and closer to the lake. We got our tents set up, and since we had plenty of daylight left, decided it was definitely time for a swim!
Muriel Lake was perfect for swimming, and the wide rocks near the shore made for excellent lay-out spots to dry off and admire the view while doing so.
After this swim, I went back to my tent to change into my base layers and have a nice little lay down in my quilt to warm back up a bit since 11,000 feet snowmelt water is pretty icy!!
Again, we relaxed in the evening, enjoyed the beautiful sunset and our yummy dinners, and tucked into our tents: this time though, not going to sleep right away. Since we were closer to the bigger mountains, we needed to see the milky way early in the night, before the core got hidden behind the mountains. I love using my PhotoPills app for the AR milky way positioning tool for help in making these desicions.
After more photography, it was really time for bed, and this time, we did have an early wake up call because the drive home was going to be a long one and we needed to get going early!
Day Three: Muriel Lake – North Lake Trailhead
- 5.3 miles, +300, -2,300 feet
A 5:30 am wake up call had us admiring the sunrise and the glow it was giving Muriel Peak. I hopped around, trying to get some last shots, all the while staring at my map and the mountains around us, wondering what the other little lakes tucked away in the basin looked like. As usual, I was already planning my return.
We ate breakfast, packed up, and got hiking by 7 am. right after we left camp, we saw our first cool wildlife (besides marmots): a white-tailed ptarmigan! I couldn’t believe I saw it: it blended in so well with the speckled granite and the snow patches around it. We stood and watched it for a bit before it rambled along, and then we kept moving back to Piute Pass.
At the pass we enjoyed our last views of Humphreys Basin and descended on the east side, quickly covering ground along the gentle descent, and enjoying our last Sierra miles before having to get in the car and deal with driving back to civilization.
Pin For Later
Have any questions, comments, or memories about Piute Pass or Humphreys Basin that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!