View Full Version : Which direction on JMT from Duck Lake?
Cal_Hawkeye
07-19-2013, 16:13
I will be fortunate enough to get my first taste of the JMT this August. Heading up to Duck Lake from Mammoth Lakes. I'm wondering if anyone who is familiar with the stretches north and south of the junction with the Duck Lake trail would have any advice as to which direction to go from there. I asked a ranger over the phone and she acted like I was putting bamboo chutes in her finger nails to make her choose. I suppose that means that either stretch will be rewarding.
The plan will be to head 2-5 miles up or down the JMT after duck lake and set up a base camp for the next day. If we head north, I figure that we could head up to Devils postpile the next day; if south, down to the Indian-named lakes like Warrior Lake. For whichever direction you choose, any advice on where to set up camp so that we can avoid mosquitos, etc. would also be very helpful.
This is my first post in this forum -- I hope to have a need to learn a lot about the JMT and do the whole thing one day. Thanks in advance!
My JMT hike starts in late August so I cannot provide firsthand advice. However, all of the research I have done seems to confirm that places like Purple Lake, Virginia Lake, and Tully Hole are considered very scenic while the stretch between Red's and Purple Lake seems to get somewhat lower reviews. The Yahoo JMT group is great for advice so you might want to post there if you don't get many responses here on WhiteBlaze.
I've been to Duck Lake twice. Once when thruing the SHR and another time when I hiked down to the Lake Mary TH when thruing the JMT. Purple Lake is near Duck Lake and on the JMT. You might think about PL as a campsite option. But as RH said scenically wise Virginia is more scenic and has more camping options. I would camp at Virgina. DL is OK as Sierra Lakes go. There's a route around Duck lake mostly used by fisherman. The most used trail along Duck Lake is routed high on the northern side of the lake. Getting up to Duck Pass from the Lake Mary area is an all uphill trek! Beware. I've never come up it to Duck Lake. I'm coming up blank without any maps in front of me what's immediately south on the JMT so am hesitant to offer a concrete game plan. But, personally I would start near Red Meadow taking in Devil's Postpile, camp at Virginia or Purple Lakes, and head down to Lake Mary hiking past DL. You have to check up on the trail mileage that scenario entails though.
DaFireMedic
07-19-2013, 17:16
I will be fortunate enough to get my first taste of the JMT this August. Heading up to Duck Lake from Mammoth Lakes. I'm wondering if anyone who is familiar with the stretches north and south of the junction with the Duck Lake trail would have any advice as to which direction to go from there. I asked a ranger over the phone and she acted like I was putting bamboo chutes in her finger nails to make her choose. I suppose that means that either stretch will be rewarding.
The plan will be to head 2-5 miles up or down the JMT after duck lake and set up a base camp for the next day. If we head north, I figure that we could head up to Devils postpile the next day; if south, down to the Indian-named lakes like Warrior Lake. For whichever direction you choose, any advice on where to set up camp so that we can avoid mosquitos, etc. would also be very helpful.
This is my first post in this forum -- I hope to have a need to learn a lot about the JMT and do the whole thing one day. Thanks in advance!
You can't go wrong either way for scenery. If I were doing it, I'd probably go south by Purple Lake, Virginia lake, Tulley Hole, etc. Warrior lake and the other Silver Pass lakes are likely to have less of a mosquito problem than the others as they are at higher altitude (some over 10,500 feet) and there's not a whole lot of trees around them.
Enjoy it, its beautiful either way you go.
I will tell ya PL is the last decent established camping area going NOBO on the JMT until you get to or past the Reds Meadow area. And, the area ON DL for camping is spotty and often wet.
Oh another thing. Tully Hole is aptly named. You have a set of switchbacks going down SOBO on the JMT. I wish I had trail maps in front of me to help you better.
No question for me. It would be south. North up to Reds is not one of the best sections of the JMT, far from it IMHO. South is quite nice. Tully Hole is one of the highlights of the JMT and I believe one of the jewels of the trail north of Muir Trail Ranch. There is also a hot spring on a side trail, don't have a map handy to find the name. May be of interest.
Cal_Hawkeye
07-19-2013, 18:24
Thanks for the great advice. Sounds like southbound is the way to go. It did look a lot more dramatic on the topo map, but the ranger seemed to like that stretch as well. I will have to figure out where Tully Hole is -- I don't remember seeing it on the map.
I think we will play it by ear as to whether we want to stop at purple lake or keep going on to Virginia to camp on the first night. Good to know that we will be able to get away from the mosquitos to some degree.
Cookerhiker
07-19-2013, 18:41
On my '06 hike (http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=182401), I recall admiring Purple Lake but continuing on and camping at Virginia. Don't think you can go wrong with either option, that is Purple or Virginia.
We had hiked 16 miles from Red's Meadows that day and as others have stated, it wasn't the most scenic part of the JMT. However I will say that north of the Devil's Postpile is pretty nice with lots of picturesque lakes (especially Garnet) and the impressive Donahue Pass.
You can see it in on an elevation profile as the major low point between Virginia lake and silver pass . On a map it is where the JMT hits fish creek.
Malto must have just jarred my memory. As you get near Reds Meadow going NOBO on the JMT(but south of reds Meadow) you abut an area that has experienced forest fores ocurring twice like in a period of a few yrs. It's not that scenic until you get near Devils Postpile. I still would come in from Red Meadow/Devils Postpile area(checking out the geological columns of Devils Postpile) and hike the JMT SOBO to VL or PL to camp and then possibly backtrack a bit to go hike Duck Lake down to Lake Mary. At the bottom of those switchbacks in Tully hole is an established campsite w/ a creek too. It's right at a trail junction.
No question for me. It would be south. North up to Reds is not one of the best sections of the JMT, far from it IMHO. South is quite nice. Tully Hole is one of the highlights of the JMT and I believe one of the jewels of the trail north of Muir Trail Ranch. There is also a hot spring on a side trail, don't have a map handy to find the name. May be of interest.
Iirc, take Fish Creek trail. Hot springs are on the left.
There's a bunch of springs. There's supposed to be 3 more springs if you go up the slope, and they're warmer. I didn't bother as the ones at the bottom were more than warm enough for me.
Cookerhiker
07-19-2013, 19:26
.... I still would come in from Red Meadow/Devils Postpile area(checking out the geological columns of Devils Postpile) and hike the JMT SOBO to VL or PL to camp and then possibly backtrack a bit to go hike Duck Lake down to Lake Mary. At the bottom of those switchbacks in Tully hole is an established campsite w/ a creek too. It's right at a trail junction.
While Devil's Postpile is interesting, it's a long first day for him to check out DP and then hike all the way to Purple Lake, let alone Virginia Lake. Unless he's willing to start with a 17-18 mile first day, he'll be camping in the stretch that we've all agreed is rather scenically drab by JMT standards.
If he's to start at Red's & DP, then he should hike north where he has lots of great camping options at numerous beautiful lakes of which Garnet was my favorite. Garnet is 13 miles from Red's but other options include Gladys Lake (8 miles), Rosalie Lake (8.6 miles) or Shadow Lake (10.1). As I recall, there's also a creek that the JMT goes alongside of with some impressive waterfalls.
Also don't confuse the poor man Dogwood:) by first telling him to backtrack to Duck Lake and then mentioning Tully Hole which is beyond (south) of Virginia Lake. His backtracking doesn't start until after Tully Hole where presumably he turns around. Otherwise, your recommendation that he hike up to Duck Lake and down to Lake Mary looks good because per my Harrison maps, there are connecting trails back to Red's Meadows.
I would suggest avoiding Duck Lake all together. Virgina, and Garnet as well as Purple are more interesting and scenic TO ME.