Pear Lake Via the Hump Trail

We couldn’t get a spot at lodgepole so we camped the night prior at potwischa. Big mistake… The altitude gain to Pear Lake was way too much for us. It took us 5 ½ hours on a very strenuous almost all uphill hike to pear lake with our backpacking gear. By the time we arrived, I passed out from exhaustion for a few hours. Then nausea and headache set in for the evening from the altitude. Gorgeous though but we only planned one overnight, which was mistake #2. If you are going to hike this, I would recommend two nights. Or if you stay one night, at least stay for a lot of the second day. We upped and left pretty early the next morning because of the long journey we had to get home. We had one of the upper campsites, #3 I think. Almost all sites were on rock and the site was beautiful but in direct sun with no trees or shade. You need a permit to camp overnight which you can get at the lodgepole visitor center the day before or same day. But if you go same day, get there before the 7AM opening time! There’ll be a line. The hike back down was easy, almost all downhill and took about 3 hours. There are lots of water sources to pump from along the way, so no need to bog down with too much water if you are backpacking. Enjoy!

Activity Type: Hiking
Nearby City: Giant Forest Village
Length: 12.5 total miles
Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
Skill Level: strenuous
Trail Type: Out-​and-​back
Local Contacts: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
Lakes Trail delivers the promise in its name: Heather, Emerald, Aster and Pear lakes. Named for the red heather growing nearby, Heather Lake, first along the way, is a worthy goal.
With an early start, the ambitious hiker could visit all four lakes and return in a day. The little lakes called tarns rest in rock bowls that were scoured by glaciers long ago. The path to the lakes is the most popular in the Wolverton area – so popular that there is a quota on backcountry camping. Maximum 2 nights. No such restrictions are placed on day hiking, however.
Even without the lakes, Lakes Trail would be a compelling path. Hiking over the Watchtower, an awesome granite formation, is a walk along the edge of the world – or at least along the edge of a precipitous cliff. Watchtower Trail was dynamited out of the rock by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s and remains a stunning example of the trail builder’s art. The path is dangerous when icy or covered with snow.
We took the Hump Trail and for the most part to reach Heather Lake. Passed the third hump towards Emerald Lake and to Pear Lake crampons were necessary. The Watchtower Trail was closed to the public due to a lot of fallen trees and very icy condition.
No camping permitted on Aster Lake this time. Some nature renovation is being done. It means a lot of people trampled on the trail and it caused a lot of damage. The park is doing what they can to save it.