Sequoia National Park, CA
A 32-mile out-and-back to a lake at 9,215 feet.
Overview
This is the long Crescent Meadow approach to Tamarack Lake: a 31.8-mile out-and-back, with about 15.9 miles each way on the High Sierra Trail and the Over the Hill route by Lone Pine Creek. The lake sits at about 9,215 feet. Published estimates put the climbing around 5,300 to 5,900 feet; allow roughly 16 hours of walking for the full route. That makes it a major backcountry day, and an overnight is a more practical plan for most hikers. The lake is the payoff, but the distance is the first thing to decide.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sequoia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Sequoia audio tourRecorded for this area
Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log“Crescent Meadow is coming up, an open wetland ringed by giant sequoias, with picnic tables near the trailhead. Stop here if you'd like a gentler outing with room to see the red trunks against the meadow grass.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
Trail guide
The High Sierra Trail starts at Crescent Meadow. Its first half-mile passes through cool, shady forest with fir, sugar pine and occasional giant sequoias, then opens onto the warm south-facing slope at Eagle View. Turn around there and you can see Moro Rock behind you, the Middle Fork Kaweah below, and the Great Western Divide ahead. The route continues across part of the Buckeye Fire area from 1980. Spring-fed streams cross the trail; early-season crossings can be hazardous.
After Nine Mile Creek, the trail descends into Buck Canyon, crosses Buck Creek, then climbs about 500 feet in a little over a mile to Bearpaw Meadow, 11.4 miles from the start. Bearpaw has campsites and a simple tent hotel that requires reservations. It is a useful place to split the approach, but it is still well short of the lake.
Continue east on the High Sierra Trail to the Lone Pine Creek area, about 13.1 miles from Crescent Meadow. The turn comes before the main trail climbs toward Big Hamilton Lake. Leave the High Sierra Trail here for the Over the Hill connector, which heads north and then east along Lone Pine Creek through Lone Pine Meadow toward Tamarack Lake. The route here begins at Crescent Meadow. At the lake, turn around and retrace the same corridor.
Tamarack Lake lies in a high granite basin. Clear water, pale rock shelves and conifers make a quieter finish after the long approach. Lion Rock, Triple Divide Peak and Mount Stewart rise around the basin. Give yourself time at the shore before starting the return; from here, Crescent Meadow is still nearly 16 miles away.
The High Sierra Trail was built through difficult mountain terrain. The park records that in 1930 a trail crew spent nearly the whole summer blasting a mile through the steep slopes and bluffs south of Alta Meadow and Alta Peak. That work is part of the larger trail corridor that makes this long walk possible.
Start at the High Sierra Trailhead at Crescent Meadow, southeast of Giant Forest. Summer shuttle service reaches the area. A High Sierra Trail wilderness permit is required beyond Seven Mile Hill, so arrange the permit before setting out. Bearpaw Meadow has the route’s documented overnight facilities; the tent hotel takes reservations. Pets are not allowed on park trails, though service animals follow the park’s service-animal rules.
Wildlife
691 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
18 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
20 sightingsSpotted OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingHigh Sierra Trail48.9 mi · 1.7 days · At the trailheadA 49-mile wilderness crossing from Giant Forest to the John Muir Trail.
ModerateTrail of the Sequoias3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · At the trailheadQuiet sequoia traverse from Crescent Meadow to the Congress Trail.
ChallengingHamilton Lakes Trail30.2 mi · 18 hr · At the trailheadA high granite lake, reached by an exposed Sierra traverse.
ModerateCircle Meadow Loop4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadA meadow circuit through Giant Forest's wildflowers and sequoias.
ChallengingBearpaw Meadow via High Sierra Trail22.8 mi · 16 hr · At the trailheadA long Sierra traverse opens to Kaweah canyon and Bearpaw Camp.
EasyCrescent Meadow Loop1.4 mi · 1 hr · At the trailheadA short loop where giant sequoias frame Crescent Meadow.
EasyEagle View Trail1.5 mi · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadA short climb from Crescent Meadow to a sweeping Sierra view.
EasyLog Meadow Loop and Tharp’s Log1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadA cabin built inside a fallen sequoia is the unusual payoff.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayCrescent MeadowAn open meadow framed by giant sequoias, with two memorable tree stops.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayChimney TreeStep inside the hollow left by a 1914 fire.
Sight · 0.4 mi awaySquatters CabinA tiny log cabin anchors a larger Kaweah Colony story.Sight · 0.5 mi awayTharp's LogA 70-foot sequoia log became a summer cabin.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayEagle ViewA short climb to a long look across the high Sierra.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayTunnel LogDrive through a fallen giant sequoia on Crescent Meadow Road.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayParker GroupEight sequoias, close enough to study their fire scars.
Sight · 1 mi awayButtress TreeA fallen giant sequoia with an astonishingly broad root plate.Parkwolf’s Sequoia ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
