The Trinity Alps High Route Photo Gallery by Deems Burton at pbase.com

The Trinity Alps High Route

I dreamed of an Alps High Route while I explored the Trinty Alps, her lakes, ridges and trails during my first years experiencing this grand wilderness. My Alps High Route starts in Canyon Creek at Boulder Creek Lakes, and goes clockwise to Grizzly Lake, Mirror Lake, Smith Lake and ends in Canyon Creek. It took me 9 days, with 2 layover days the first time I hiked it. One week would be a good pace. This hike is for the cross country experienced hiker, since the route is full of difficult routes, riddles, canyons, cirques, hanging ledges, unknown encounters, and constant risks during this unique hiking adventure.

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Alps High Route. This map shows most of the xc routes I've hiked. Hike at your own risk!!	The Trinity Alps High Route	Canyon Creek Lakes	View of Mt Hilton from Kalmia Lake
Kalmia Lake and Thompson Peak	High Route around Mt Hilton	Trinity Alps glaciated slopes on the High Route.	Trinity Alps near Mt Hilton
The Alps High Route to Boulder lakes from Man-on-Rock Pass	View down Canyon creek, Canyon Lakes, Sawtooth Peak	View north towards Thompson Peak, Caesar Pk, and Kalmia Lake along the Alps Hi route	The jagged arete above Canyon Creek along the High Route
Looking for the route over the arete into Papoose Lake in the morning	Trinity Alps High Route and Grey Rock Pass	Grey Rock pass, the correct notch into Papoose Lake from Canyon Creek. Mt Shasta in distance, Kalmia lake on closer ridge.	Man-on-Rock Pass and Wedding Cake Peak
Julius Caesar Peak	Wedding Cake Peak viewed from a small meadow few hikers ever see	View towards Mt Hilton, and Rattlesnake cirque	A meadow few ever see in the Trinity Alps
Thompson Peak on left, Wedding cake on right from the south west	Rattlesnake cirque accented with sunset glow	Sunset glow on old growth hemlock, Thompson pk	Alpen glows on an alpine landscape where few have ever been in the Trinity Alps
An ancient twisted Foxtail pine on the shoulder of Thompson Peak	View from the saddle of Caesar and Thompson Peaks	The climbers route up to the saddle to access Thompson peak and beyond on the Alps High Route	Grizzly Lake and Thompson Peak
Thompson Peak at sunrise	Grizzly lake camp and Bibler	Grizzly Lake Falls	Grizzly Falls panorama at sunset
Grizzly Lake Waterfall Outlet	Grizzly Lake and Thompson Peak	Leaning whitebark pine on route to Bear pass	Cassiope heather, John Muir's favorite alpine flower near Thompson Peak
Route to Mirror Lake from Grizzly Lake, and Mirror Pass	Switchback's ULA P1 pack in the Trinity Alps	Mirror and Kalmia Pass	Mirror Pass northside panorama
Mirror Pass from northside	Sawtooth peak from below Mirror Pass	Mirror Pass from southside view is north	Mirrror Pass from southside view is south
Mirror Pass	Alps panorama and Mirror Lake	Easy walking on the distant slabs, Sawtooth Peak	Sawtooth Peak in the distance
Mirror Lake	Mirror Lake from Mirror Pass	Sapphire and Mirror Lake Panorama	Sawtooth Peak from descent to Mirror Lake
Mirror Lake and the Ledge route	Mirror Lake from the ledge	Mirror Lake	Mirror Lake reflections
Mirror Lake Sunrise Panorama	Mirror Lake	Mirror Lake	Sapphire Lake at sunset from Mirror Lake
Toledo and me at Mirror Lake	Mirror Lake Camp	Mirror Lake campsite during High Route trip	Mirror Lake viewed from Kalmia Pass, Caesar Pk
The Mirror Lake ledge	Mirror Lake viewed from Mirror Pass and Ledge route	The Mirror Lake Ledge, Kalmia Pass, and Sawtooth Peak	Mirror Lake, Mirror Pass, and Caesar Peak.
Twin Pine Pass	Sawtooth Peak near Twin Pine pass	Smith Lake Terraces	Smith Lake terraces
Sawtooth Peak 's eastern terraces camp	Sawtooth Peak over Morris Lake	Morris Lake	1940s Trinity Alps Post Card - Sapphire Lake
Wedding Cake and Man-on-Rock Pass	Wedding Cake and Man-on-Rock Pass - Trinity Alps

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comment |

Guest		20-Dec-2023 03:40
Let folks figure it out for themselves. That is the adventure, not following GPS files to show the route.

Andrew Irvine		31-Jul-2017 17:29
Do you have gpx file of the route you would be willing to share? This is great information and very helpful.

Guest		21-Aug-2016 07:25
So you are a bigger man than I. Quit posting this stuff. Let the peeps figure it out for themselves.

Josh		17-Jun-2014 17:00
Thank you Deems for your work and passion for the Trinity Alps. Thanks to you and Shawn we completed the high route. I will never forget the Bear Hole.

Shettalian		16-Aug-2012 00:32
Deems, After years of backpacking and months of reviewing your photos of the TAHR, I am planning on attempting this route in early to mid-September. Do you think your could send me a higher resolution topographic image of the route, other than the one that you have graciously provided here? Either way, an immense thank you for sharing this recurring adventure with us all! You have inspired me to shake hands with the Trinities in a way that exceeds the bounds of normalicy. Shettalian

Guest		26-Jul-2009 07:46
Very cool route. In 2007 I hiked to Smith Lake via Alpine Lake, on the route you have marked. I then headed from Smith Lake to Canyon Creek going down the same canyon you have marked here, the "small" canyon SW of Smith Lake. It is also doable if you stay on the north side of the main creek, from the top all the way down. Near the bottom, the creek gets too steep as it heads into the chute at the bottom. So near the bottom stay well above it in the brush. In fact, if I did it again I would avoid the creek all the way down as the brush gets extremely thick next to the creek, and instead I would stay well above the creek, on the lower slopes, where the brush is not as thick but still quit an arduous push. It's mostly thick brush all the way down, though the snow makes the brush lean downwards, which makes it much easier to bushwhack. I would NOT recommend hiking up this way to Smith Lake, as the thick, endless brush points downwards and would constantly thwart your upward progress.

sfresz		05-Feb-2008 01:03
your pictures are enlightening to the hiker's soul. I have been to every lake on your high route....just not "the high route" Simply unreal. I would love to share some pictures and stories.

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