Eastern Sierra Color Hike with Beautiful Lake Destinations
Green Creek Canyon is not the most popular of the destinations that you hear about when tourists search out the best place for fall colors, but locals know that Green creek holds a special place for fall foliage hikes and breathtaking mountain landscapes.
We made our first visit in 2020 after a few recommendations for a fall hike ad and were blown away at the beauty in this canyon. To be honest this trail had been on a list of mine for years as a potential backpacking destination and backcountry access port for Yosemite National park. So given the chance this fall I grabbed my hiking buddy and headed out for a little exploration up the canyon with planned stops at Green Lake and East lake for a day trip.
The Green Creek Trail is located approx 5 miles off highway 395 just south of Bridgeport Ca. The Forest service road is well maintained dirt road that climbs up and over the foothills before the canyon. As we came off the hill into the canyon the scenery made me pull the car over for our first picture.
Green Creek is a popular place for dispersed camping as a well as Dirt bike riding and horseback riding. The trail is open to Dogs and horses.
The Green Creek trail is an easy hike for approx a mile from the trailhead to the Hoover Wilderness boundary and provides several stunning areas to enjoy fall colors in the fall.
Including a Beaver Dam that if right off the trail
The next 1.5 miles upto Green Lake is slightly moderate hike of switch backs that climb up to the lake through several aspen groves and lush forest that continues to bring you next to Green Creek. This section of hike is in the Hoover Wilderness and provides spectacular peak views and stunning contrasts of rock and granite formations carved by glaciers and wind.
Of course the destination for most is the Lakes in the Canyon. Green Lake is popular fishing and backpacking destination and the first lake on the trail in the canyon.
Hikers have a choice to climb upto West lake or to East Lake from here and Backpackers can trek beyond East Lake to Gillman, Hoover and Summit Lakes while crossing over into either Yosemite national Park or back down the Virginia Lakes Canyon trail. Our trip we Chose the 1 mile hike upto East lake before turning around for the day.
Most Backpacker trips suggest starting in Virginia Lakes Canyon and crossing over to Green Lakes Canyon as a backpacker trough trip, as you will have an either climb then starting at Green Creek.
Fantastic hike