Galleries 0
Collections 0
Groups 0
In years past we took occasional backpacking expeditions to some incredible locations in national parks and wilderness areas in the U.S. Being away from the human-built environment and soaking in the beauty of the natural world was deeply enriching for our minds and souls. Of course, these backpacking trips were physically challenging, having to carry all our equipment and food and set up camp each night (and pack it all up every morning). Even in our youth, backpacking was never easy, and those days are now behind us! Nevertheless, our love for being in the backcountry is still strong, and in recent years, we’ve had the good fortune to discover alpine huts and lodges in Canada, New Zealand, and various countries in Europe. Staying in such places allows us to walk in a few miles with our daypacks and have a warm and dry place to stay and enjoy delicious meals prepared by the staff of these lodges. We have searched for similar opportunities in the United States and found that options are limited. It was with great delight when we learned about the High Sierra Loop in Yosemite National Park.
The Yosemite High Sierra Loop is a highly sought-after experience, and access is managed through a lottery system, where those fortunate enough to have their names drawn each January are offered an opportunity to take a guided or unguided trip around the loop. We entered the lottery for a 2026 trip, uncertain of our chances but hopeful that we might have the good fortune to join a group. We were thrilled when we were offered a space on one of the guided hikes in summer 2026!
We thought it would be a good idea to get acclimated prior to our trip, since the High Sierra camps sit between 8000-10,000 ft elevation. We booked a lovely cottage in Round Valley in the eastern Sierra, which allowed us to take two high-elevation hikes before setting off on our Loop. Our first hike was through Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes, a trail that starts at 10,000 ft and climbs to nearly 11,000 ft. It took us through gorgeous alpine scenery and along numerous alpine lakes. The terrain and the forests had similarities with the area we would be walking through on our High Sierra Loop, and the trail provided good training for the upcoming trip. Our second hike, the Methuselah Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Inyo National Forest, had a very different climate and terrain, but it was also above 10,000 ft, offering us another chance to get our lungs and heart used to the high elevation. We greatly enjoyed both hikes, and they gave us a good introduction to the Eastern Sierra and the White Mountains across the Owens Valley.
The galleries in this section describe (visually and verbally) the Yosemite High Sierra Loop and the two acclimatizing hikes in the Eastern Sierra and White Mountains. Thank you for coming along with us on these hikes!
The Yosemite High Sierra Loop is a highly sought-after experience, and access is managed through a lottery system, where those fortunate enough to have their names drawn each January are offered an opportunity to take a guided or unguided trip around the loop. We entered the lottery for a 2026 trip, uncertain of our chances but hopeful that we might have the good fortune to join a group. We were thrilled when we were offered a space on one of the guided hikes in summer 2026!
We thought it would be a good idea to get acclimated prior to our trip, since the High Sierra camps sit between 8000-10,000 ft elevation. We booked a lovely cottage in Round Valley in the eastern Sierra, which allowed us to take two high-elevation hikes before setting off on our Loop. Our first hike was through Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes, a trail that starts at 10,000 ft and climbs to nearly 11,000 ft. It took us through gorgeous alpine scenery and along numerous alpine lakes. The terrain and the forests had similarities with the area we would be walking through on our High Sierra Loop, and the trail provided good training for the upcoming trip. Our second hike, the Methuselah Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Inyo National Forest, had a very different climate and terrain, but it was also above 10,000 ft, offering us another chance to get our lungs and heart used to the high elevation. We greatly enjoyed both hikes, and they gave us a good introduction to the Eastern Sierra and the White Mountains across the Owens Valley.
The galleries in this section describe (visually and verbally) the Yosemite High Sierra Loop and the two acclimatizing hikes in the Eastern Sierra and White Mountains. Thank you for coming along with us on these hikes!
Yosemite High Sierra Loop
114 photos
Little Lakes Valley to Gem Lakes
75 photos
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - Methuselah Trail
44 photos
© Sustaining Images, All Rights Reserved