We had a few days before starting the John Muir Trail, so we camped for two nights at Four Jeffrey Campground, located on South Lake Road about 20 minutes from Bishop. On our first day, we hiked the Little Lakes Valley in Inyo National Forest. The trailhead is located between Bishop and Mammoth, at the end of Rock Creek Road at Mosquito Flats. This hike offers a high ROI: it’s relatively easy but features gorgeous scenery and stunning views. Because of this, the trail is very busy - especially on weekends. We made sure to arrive early enough to get parking and to hopefully finish our hike before the predicted rain.

Glaciers carved an extensive chain of lakes in the valley and we passed Mack, Marsh, Heart, Box, and Long Lakes on our way to the final Gem Lake. The perfect reflection on Long Lake in the early morning light was a highlight of the hike, as were the views of the 13,000-foot peaks surrounding the valley (Bear Creek Spire, Mt. Dade, Mt. Abbot, and Mt. Mills). As our hike progressed, blue skies gave way to clouds, and we put on our rain gear when it started to sprinkle at Gem Lake. It was a beautiful spot, but we didn’t linger due to the weather. Fortunately, those sprinkles were all we encountered as we hiked back down the valley.

We thought we might extend our hike by heading up the trail a bit toward Mono Pass, but eventually turned around at the threat of a thunderstorm. Even going a short way up the trail is worthwhile, as there are some nice overlooks with views of the valley. According to Steve’s watch, we hiked 8.65 miles with 1,407 feet elevation gain.

I’m glad we started early, because it rained off and on for the rest of the day. We ate in Bishop, stopped by Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ (always a must in Bishop), and spent the late afternoon and evening at the campground. The next morning, we were up early again to pack up and head to Big Pine Lakes. Located in the John Muir Wilderness, Big Pine Lakes is one of the best day hikes in the Eastern Sierra and accordingly busy. We arrived early enough to easily get parking at the end of Glacier Lodge Road.

The North Fork Big Pine Creek Trail starts at the Big Pine Creek Campground and steadily climbs over 2,200 feet elevation in five miles to the first of seven lakes. On a previous trip, Steve hiked to all the lakes and Palisade Glacier, but on this trip we only hiked to Lakes 1 and 2. Lake 2 is the largest and one of the most popular due to its glacier-fed turquoise waters and the fantastic views of the imposing Temple Crag towering above. We took a long break here to eat lunch and soak in the gorgeous views. What a stunning place!
We retraced our steps back to the trailhead, grabbed a bite to eat in Lone Pine, and then headed back up into the mountains to Horseshoe Meadows. We camped at the backpacker campground at the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead, positioning us for an early start the next morning - our first day on the JMT!