6/17 - 6/23/26
Trailhead: Cottonwood Pass
I've gone over Cottonwood Pass a couple of times and each time I looked down on Big Whitney Meadow and thought it looked interesting/appealing. I've always thought it would make a good early season trip and this year was a very low snow year so I started researching flights. My youngest two kids are 13 and 15 and are capable hikers so I thought this would be a good chance to introduce them to the Sierra even if it wasn't the High Sierra.
Day 0: So, up early to drive to Cincinnati, fly to Vegas and drive to Lone Pine. We got sandwiches (Jersey Mikes) and drove to the Cottonwood Lakes Hiker Campground. It was only about half full so we were able to get a site on the edge away from everyone and to begin sorting gear into 3 backpacks and food into 2 bear cans (a BV 450 and BV500). Around 7ish the bugs came out and we crawled into bed to read and fall asleep.
Day 1: Drive over to the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead and start walking.
View over Horseshoe Meadow
View to the west from Cottonwood Pass
Heading down towards Big Whitney Meadow
We stopped in the meadow below the pass to filter water and relax a bit. I was worried that the bugs would be bad in the meadow so no point in hurrying to a campsite when it was perfect here.
Lots of flowers ...
... and these strange bugs with the long noses. My son says it is a proboscis, but I'll stick with calling it a nose. (wish I got a better photo of the bug)
Looking west (towards Mineral King?)
Big Whitney Meadow 1000' below
Little creek running through the meadow, we found a good place for camp in the edge of the trees straight ahead. The bugs weren't too bad in the sun, but were annoying back in the trees.
My daughter found a good place to read after setting up camp
Home for the night
Finishing up dinner, the bugs were getting worse
Walking around a bit with my daughter, twin shadow selfies
There were lots of little flowers scattered through out the sand
Dwarf Lupine
Day 2: heading to Rocky Basin Lakes
Trail through the meadow, parts were very sandy ...
... and parts were very green ...
... and parts were wet
Very tiny flowers
Big Whitney Meadow is very pretty and very easy to walk through. We saw lots of 5 - 7 inch trout in the creeks, but we don't fish.
Then up the trail to Rocky Basin Lakes. The trail splits into two about half way up, the branch to the right (eastern) is the foot trail and the trail to the left (western) is the horse trail. We took the foot trail up. It is not a terrible trail, but it goes through some talus before popping out at a small lake. We took a short break and ran into a group of dayhikers. They had horses bring them into a campsite in Big Whitney Meadow where they were staying for 4 or 5 nights. We said goodbye and they headed down the trail and we headed up through the rocks on the right and over the rise.
Looking down a the little lake from the rocks
I had an idea where a campsite might be, but I had read that the Rocky Basin was very rocky. Luckily, a perfect campsite was right where I thought it would be, so we set up camp.
Looking towards the outlet of the lowest Rocky Basin Lake, the little lake is below the outlet.
Day 3: We decided that the campsite was perfect and we would stay another night. So, today was a wandering day in the basin. As we were being lazy in the morning, two women passed by and said hello. I had seen two people cooking dinner on the other side of the lake the night before, so I assume it was them. They did not come close enough for conversation, so no idea where they were going.
Not a lot of campsites around the lake, but this sandy beach would be perfect for a swim as the lake warmed up.
More reading time ...
... and flowers around camp ...
... and then another hike to the other lakes
Damselflies
Only sign of large animals that we saw
The lakes are pretty large, my son gives a little bit of perspective
The only marmot of the whole trip, kind of surprising since the whole basin looks like ideal terrain for them.
My son was happy he got some photos on his phone
Day 4: Problems - I think I had Covid in the middle of May and that left me with an upper respiratory issue for about a month. I usually avoid doctors, but the week before this trip, I started getting worried that it wasn't clearing up and I had visions of struggling at 10000'. The doctor said it did not seem like and infection and gave me a steroid prescription to help with any lung inflammation. It seemed to help in the beginning, but came back once the prescription was done. My original plan was to go over the ridge to Funston Lake and then head towards Chicken Spring Lake for out last night. Now I was sucking wind with about 60% lung capacity and was worried that I'd never make it out of Funston Lake.
So, we called an audible and headed back to Big Whitney Meadow (this time on the horse trail, much easier) and then back over Cottonwood Pass. Up hill sucked today and confirmed that this was the right decision. We found a campsite near our first night's site that thankfully had fewer bugs.
Day 5: Back over Cottonwood Pass
The switchbacks sucked again confirming that this was the correct decision. We made it back to the car and then got a hotel in Lone Pine for the night and had tacos and watched soccer. The next day we headed to Vegas.
Our flight was a red-eye, so we had tons of time. We had sandwiches at the Father Crowley overlook where we lingered hoping to see some fighter jets, but no luck.
Made it to Vegas and then home. I went back to the doctor and this time they gave me antibiotics which seemed to help, but a week later and something is still there.
Lots of PCT or JMT hikers, but once we dropped over the pass, we saw very few people, 2 fishers coming up the switchbacks as we went down, the dayhikers from Big Whitney Meadow, 2 women who were backpacking in Rocky Basin and a solo backpacker/fisher who had gone over Trail Pass for a couple nights and caught us as we were going up the switchbacks. The whole Golden Trout area felt empty once we crossed the PCT.
Great trip with my kids but disappointed that I did not get to do what I had planned. I suspect I will return someday.
