Copper Creek Trail to Granite Pass

This is a 22-mile out-and-back from Road’s End to Granite Pass, following Copper Creek Trail through Granite Basin. The mapped corridor is about 10.9 miles each way; the pass sits near 10,700 feet. The familiar 20-mile figure describes the shorter Granite Lake endpoint, so don’t use it for this pass trip. This is a backpacking objective for most people: Budget two to four days for the round trip. Save it for strong hikers who want a long, steep climb and high-country views, not a casual day out.

From Road’s End, sandy switchbacks climb an open slope with little shade. You get a view back toward the canyon and Grand Sentinel early; a granite outcrop near the first mile makes a sensible shorter turnaround if you want a taste of the climb. The trail keeps rising through patches of forest and open hillside. Start early to avoid doing the exposed lower climb in the heat.

Lower Tent Meadow, about four miles in, is the first allowed campsite. The route continues climbing toward Upper Tent Meadow, a scrubby opening rather than a lush lawn. Views stretch down the Copper Creek drainage toward Grand Sentinel. The first seven miles gain roughly 5,350 feet, so the meadows arrive after a serious ascent, not an easy warm-up. Overnight travel requires a wilderness permit; check the current process before setting out.

Past the steep climb, the trail crosses a lateral moraine and drops into Granite Basin. Small tarns and wildflower meadows soften the rocky approach, with glacially carved Sierra terrain all around. The basin is a natural place to catch your breath, but the route still has one more climb: it skirts the basin and rises steeply to the pass. Side explorations to nearby lakes are separate mileage and are not part of this mapped line.

Granite Pass is a high saddle, not a built overlook. Look south across Granite Basin toward the Great Western Divide, then north into Middle Fork Canyon and toward the Goddard Divide. For a photograph, keep some of the basin or trail in the foreground so the view reads as the payoff to a long approach. The way back retraces the same steep route.

Begin at Copper Creek Trailhead in the Road’s End parking area. There’s an information kiosk and animal-safe food storage there; there’s also a bear box at Lower Tent Meadow. Pets aren’t allowed on park trails. A wilderness permit is required for an overnight trip.