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Trip Data: 11S 299357 4163236; 11 miles; 2/1
Topos: Timber Knob
Highlights: Enjoy an easy semiloop trip that pauses in this lightly used region at a trio of charming lakes, the three little Cora Lakes.
DAY 1 (Granite Creek Campground Trailhead to Middle Cora Lake, 4.5 miles): From the east end of Granite Creek Campground, take the Isberg Pass Trail north to cross a bridge and begin a dusty ascent under red fir, lodgepole, and Jeffrey pine cover. The trail steepens as it climbs a ravine, crossing and re-crossing the ravine’s tiny creek. Enter Ansel Adams Wilderness and pass through the Niche, a notch west of Green Mountain and close to Granite Creek.
After fording Granite Creek (wet in early season), reach an intersection at 3 miles: right (northeast) toward Cora Creek, Chetwood Creek, and Hemlock Crossing; left (north) to Cora Lakes. Begin the loop part of this trip: Take the left fork and continue north to a ford of the stream connecting Middle and Lower Cora lakes. Obeying posted camping restrictions, follow Middle Cora Lake’s shoreline northward to find lovely and legal camping (8348’; 11S 299357 4163236) on the north shore or the south shore near the stream connecting Upper and Middle Cora lakes. Fishing is good, with the exception of a mid-season lull.
DAYHIKE FROM THE CORA LAKES
Spend a layover day hiking to Joe Crane Lake (9600’; 11S 295877 4166651), about 4 miles one way from the Cora Lakes north-northwest along the Isberg Pass Trail and then steeply west up a lateral that branches away from the Isberg Pass Trail. The hike affords nice views of surrounding peaks. Joe Crane Lake, tucked in the granite beneath Post Peak, also has good camping on its northeast shore.
Joe Crane Lake is just a dayhike away from the Cora Lakes.
DAY 2 (Middle Cora Lake to Granite Creek Campground Trailhead, 6.5 miles): Today’s hike continues the loop part of this trip. Leaving your campsite at Middle Cora Lake, return to the Isberg Pass Trail and turn left (north) onto it. Travel about a half mile to a junction with a lateral trail to Chetwood Creek. Turn right (southeast) onto the lateral and pass through Detachment Meadow before arriving at the remains of Chetwood Cabin. (Some maps show a junction here with a trail going north to Sadler Peak, but it isn’t an obvious intersection.)
Follow the established trail as it curves right (south) away from Chetwood Cabin and goes 1.4 more miles through flower-filled meadows, passing reedy ponds before crossing the Cora Lakes’ outlet stream, Cora Creek, and meeting the Hemlock Crossing Trail.
At this junction, turn right (south) and continue a half mile to the junction with the main Isberg Pass Trail. Turn left (south), closing the loop, and retrace the final 3 miles to the trailhead.
3 Hemlock Crossing
Trip Data: 11S 303763 4167984; 4/1; 29 miles
Topos: Timber Knob, Cattle Mountain, Mount Ritter
Highlights: This trip starts in the forested Granite Creek basin and moves into the spectacular North Fork San Joaquin drainage. On the way back, take the historic Mammoth Trail, once a toll route between Oakhurst and Mammoth mining district (who knew the real “gold” was in skiing?) in the 1870s and ‘80s.
HEADS UP! Strong and sturdy hikers could skip Day 1’s leg to Cora Lakes and instead tackle the 13 miles to Hemlock Crossing in one day. But what’s the hurry? Middle Cora Lake is a pretty spot; don’t miss it. To avoid the dusty, 3-mile hike along a dirt road on this trip’s final day, arrange a car shuttle at the Mammoth Trailhead, at the extreme east end of Road 4S60. The last day’s hike also involves extreme elevation gain and loss (about 3500 feet total) to cross the North Fork San Joaquin River. You can bypass the vertical and the car shuttle altogether by making this trip an out-and-back to Hemlock Crossing from Granite Creek Campground.
DAY 1 (Granite Creek Campground Trailhead to Middle Cora Lake, 4.5 miles): (Recap: Trip 2, Day 1.) Ascend the Isberg Pass Trail under forest cover to the Niche. Ford Granite Creek just before a junction; from the junction, head left (north) to the stream connecting Middle and Lower Cora lakes. Ford it and, following regulations here, head for legal campsites on Middle Cora Lake (8348’; 11S 299357 4163236).
DAY 2 (Middle Cora Lake to Hemlock Crossing, 8.5 miles): Fill your hydration system at the Cora Lakes; the trail ahead can be dry in late season and has more uphill than you might expect.
Retrace your steps, crossing the stream between Middle and Lower Cora lakes, back to the trail junction south of Cora Lakes. Here, turn hard left (northeast) onto the Hemlock Crossing Trail, quickly bypassing a lateral trail right (east) to a snow-survey cabin and Lily Lake. Go ahead (north) on the Hemlock Crossing Trail here.
The dry, dusty trail rolls along steadily before a slight descent to Chetwood Creek. After crossing the creek, the trail ascends through an aspen grove and comes to the edge of the North Fork’s canyon. Enjoy the dramatic views before the trail heads back into forest cover and climbs a bit to reach an unnamed creek with a poor but usable campsite, just over halfway to Hemlock Crossing.
Soon after that creek, the steep descent to Hemlock Crossing begins, and the trail (one that sees more stock traffic than foot traffic) becomes loose and rocky. Breathe a sigh of relief when the trail levels off and winds through granite outcrops, reaching a wet, meadowy area and then dropping down to two large campsites at Hemlock Crossing (7500’; 11S 303763 4167984). Here, the San Joaquin pours over a granite lip into two large, inviting, chilly pools. If the two main sites are occupied, cross the bridge and turn right (south), going a short distance to a campsite (probably illegal but tolerated, according to rangers) at a large waterfall on the river.
AT HEMLOCK CROSSING
Spend a layover day fishing or exploring the terrain to the north by taking the left fork north after crossing the bridge here. This trail gradually rises up and away from the river before passing through Yosemite-esque Stevenson Meadow (where, if you’re sharing this area with a pack station group, you’ll find the stock). Approximately 4 miles from Hemlock Crossing, the maintained trail ends where it meets the river again, and so does this description. Note that adventurous hikers rave about the scenic, untracked high country beyond this point: Bench Canyon to the northwest and Twin Island Lakes to the northeast, hard by the west side of the Ritter Range.
DAY 3 (Hemlock Crossing to Corral Meadow, 7 miles): Cross the bridge and turn right (south) on the descending trail that will soon rise dramatically above the river’s east bank. In less than 2 miles, switchback to meet cascading Iron Creek (campsite). The trail leaves the canyon’s edge to begin a gradual, forested ascent to Naked Lady Meadow, a marshy aspen grove that got its name from the bawdy images that lonely shepherds carved into tree trunks before the area’s 1964 wilderness designation.
The trail skirts a hillside and drops into Earthquake Meadow, where there is a nice, spring-fed stream but very poor camping. The trail meets an unmaintained lateral route to Snake Meadow; stay on the main trail (southeast)
