Crabtree Lakes Trail

Crabtree Lakes Trail is a 7.1-mile round-trip out-and-back from the PCT/JMT corridor at Crabtree Meadow to Upper Crabtree Lake. That distance includes about three-quarters of a mile on the lower-to-upper meadow connector before the named lakes trail. Add the separate wilderness route that gets you to Crabtree Meadow; this is a remote side trip for hikers already on the Whitney-area trails.

Allow about 5½ hours from the meadow. The route starts near 10,300 feet and climbs to roughly 11,400 feet, so altitude makes the mileage feel harder. There is no drive-up parking at Crabtree Meadow. Plan the wilderness permit around the entry trail you use to reach it; the mileage here starts at the meadow, not at a road. Pets are prohibited on park trails. Snow and wet meadow stretches can linger into summer, so mid-summer into early fall is generally more reliable, depending on the year’s snowpack and park access.

From the meadow corridor, cross the lower and upper meadow connector, then follow the route east along Crabtree Creek. The walk begins in open Sierra meadow and creekside forest before the terrain gives way to granite slabs and scattered trees. It passes Lower Crabtree Lake and continues into the Upper Crabtree Lake basin. The final stretch is rougher and less distinct than the meadow approach; keep the route downloaded and turn back if you lose the line.

The linked lakes sit in a granite basin below the Whitney-area crest. Lower Crabtree Lake opens a broad view across the water toward the Great Western Divide, with pale granite slopes framing the shoreline. Upper Crabtree Lake is the mapped turnaround. The rough line beyond the basin toward Crabtree Pass is a separate cross-country route, not part of this out-and-back.