Dusy Basin via Bishop Pass

The paved Bishop Pass Trailhead is at South Lake, nearly 9,800 feet above sea level. The path climbs through a forested valley between the Inconsolable Range and Hurd Peak, with Long Lake about two miles in. Saddlerock and Bishop lakes follow as the valley opens and the trail steps onto granite benches. Long Lake makes an approximate four-mile out-and-back if you need a shorter walk. A separate Chocolate Lakes loop branches nearby and rejoins at Long Lake; it is not part of the Dusy Basin route.

Above the lower lakes, the trail gets rockier and the climb steepens. Granite steps and switchbacks lead up the final headwall to the broad, nearly level saddle at Bishop Pass. At 11,972 feet, this is the route’s high point and the point where you leave the John Muir Wilderness and enter Kings Canyon National Park. Turn east for the view back across the lakes you climbed past; the basin is on the other side of the pass.

The maintained path drops roughly 600 feet from the pass into Dusy Basin, where small lakes and tarns sit below jagged granite peaks. The basin is the payoff for the long approach, but reaching a particular lakeshore or campsite can mean extra walking from the route’s mapped endpoint. Stay on the established trail rather than treating the line as a cross-country basin loop. Farther along, the trail continues toward LeConte Canyon and the John Muir Trail; that longer connection is outside this out-and-back.

The walk back is not simply downhill: regain Bishop Pass from the basin, then descend the long approach to South Lake. The elevation makes a steady pace more useful than chasing a fast time, especially on the rocky upper switchbacks. Snow can linger on the shaded north side into early summer and obscure the tread, so check current conditions before setting out. Day hiking requires no permit, but overnight trips require a wilderness permit year-round; a seasonal quota applies from May through early November. Treat natural water, carry the required bear-resistant food storage, and leave pets behind because they are prohibited on park trails.