4-Day Rae Lake Loop Backpacking Trip (Clockwise)

The 2018 year brought life to much of California with wet weather. The meadows showed healthy growth, the lakes were full, and the waterfalls were in full force – even in October! It’s no wonder why the Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking Trip is one of the most popular trails in the Sierras and why we offer guided backpacking trips here!

Rae Lakes Loop Prep

Jesse and I (Chris) had really been looking forward to this trip, having been our first time doing this loop, we wanted to make sure we knew what to expect and did our research.

Preparing for a multiple-day backpacking trip is something that needs to be taken seriously. Here are some items we had to plan for on a multiple night trip.

Things to think about for a multiple night backpacking trip in the Sierras:

• Weather
• Daytime vs Nighttime Temps
• Food and Water Packing (Weight adds up)
• Food Storage (Bear Cannister)
• Clothing Needs vs Wants (Weight adds up)
• Overall Pack Weight
• Trail Conditions
• Overnight Wilderness Permit (Normal)
• Parking Permit (Site-specific, but can be different if certain roads are closed)

One of the most important factors that we found ourselves thinking about was overall pack weight. For a one night trip, it is easy to just push through an extra pound or two, with fresh legs on your trip in, the trip back isn’t too bad. However, on a multiple night trip, those extra pounds can put an unnecessary strain on your body… and could make an AWESOME trip just okay.

Gear List for Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking Trip

Shared Gear

• Tent: Zpacks Triplex (with Tyvek footprint)
• Stove: MSR Windburner Duo (remote cannister version)
• Bear Cannister: Bearikade Expedition

Rae Lakes Loop – Clockwise via Woods Creek Trail

Day 0 – The Redeye Trip

We had a 7-hour drive ahead of us, and we didn’t want to waste half the day driving, so we left at 8 pm the night before. We made sure to allow time to eat and fuel up on top of the 7-hour drive. If you know anything about Jesse and me, you know that we ALWAYS stop for a meal before our trip. Sometimes we stop at Denny’s, but any chance we get to frequent a Black Bear Diner, we make it happen. This trip was no exception, and of course, made sure to take advantage of our last chance to use a “real” bathroom.

We arrived at Rae Lakes Trailhead around 5 am, napped in the car for about an hour and a half until first light, checked our gear signed in on the trail log and get our Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking Trip started!

Day 1 – Road’s End to Upper Paradise Valley

Distance: 10 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: +2638′ / -735′

The first 2 miles of the trip are on the main path. Right out of the gate there was wildlife in our faces. Deer wandered in front of us and the birds made sure to let us know they already got the worms. About 2 miles in, we came to Paradise/Bubb’s Creek Junction. We went with the clockwise option, but you can go either way on this trail.

From there we headed through Mist Falls and decided to have lunch at one of the falls with a nice pool at the bottom. After finishing lunch, we decided to adventure without our packs for a few minutes and get closer to the falls for some up close and personal pictures.

There we were, Jesse in front, then me… just soaking in this amazing waterfall. We were standing on a pretty aggressive slope, which was slick from the mist, slowly I started to slide, slide further and further down the slope. Jesse, completely oblivious to what was happening behind him, turned around and thought I had left him. Until he realized I wasn’t gone, just neck-deep in the pool.

We laughed about what had happened, but my boots were soaked! We still had about 5 miles of hiking to go. I couldn’t hike all day in wet boots, so I made a decision that some may not believe, I hiked the next 5 miles uphill in my CROCS! Yes, everyone, I have a pair of Croc Swiftwaters as my camp shoes, but that day they were my hiking shoes so that my boots could dry and my feet didn’t rot.

The first day of Rae Lakes Loop is often underrated by hikers because you are hiking up to the lakes, but what people may forget to do is look backward on the first day. You will see some of the most amazing views of the valley between Buck Peak and Glacier Monument.

We arrived at Upper Paradise Valley around 4 pm and set up camp.

Setting up Camp

We decided to camp at Upper Paradise Valley for a few reasons. One being it was close to the river, so we didn’t have to walk far to get water for meals, two was that it got us further for the start of day 2 and lastly the pre-existing campsites were nice (remember, you should try to follow leave no trace practices when you’re backpacking, so using a pre-existing site is ideal).

Day 2 – Upper Paradise Valley to Rae Lakes

Distance: 12.7 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: +4223′ / -590′

Day 2 started off early for us. We were up, fed and packed by 8 am… Okay, so it wasn’t that early, but it felt great! The first 5ish miles of day 2 are filled with Forest, which is nice for the shade it provides. Once we got to Woods Creek Crossing we arrived at the suspension bridge. This particular bridge is one person at a time (once you walk on it you will understand why). It is safe, don’t get us wrong, but it has more bounce to it than our favorite detergent! (Bad dad jokes are always welcome). We at lunch just across the bridge and had some tuna tacos, highly recommended.

Once you leave Woods Creek Crossing, the forest begins to thin, and in some areas, you will be walking without shade, so be prepared with sunscreen or something to cover up with. From Woods Creek Crossing to Dollar Lake is about 4 miles, and through these 4 miles are some of the best meadows on the trip. Because of the rain California had in 2018, these meadows were still full and showing their fall colors. It was truly a sight to see and highly recommended to try and do this trip in fall when the foliage is changing.

Dollar Lake is the first of the major lakes you will find on this loop. If you can spare some time to set your pack down and take a look at it, you should make it happen. We decided to push through to Rae Lakes to find a campsite, though, in hindsight, it might have been wise to stop.

It is getting to be around 5 pm, it turns out we had taken more breaks than expected on day 2, and I (Chris) had been lacking in eating my snacks during the day. Around 5:45 pm we had reached and alright campsite, but it was gearing up to be a windy night and the site we had found didn’t have the best windbreaks. We decided to push on to find a better spot.

About 6:30 pm, we had found a site suitable for the wind. However, I had reached my limit for the day and was not much help to Jesse with setting up camp or cooking dinner.

It is super important to know your limits, both physical and mental and remember to stay hydrated and fueled up during your trips. 

Needless to say, I passed out almost immediately after day 2, but Jesse and I still joke about it every time we are together.

REMINDER: above 10,000ft  on this loop there are no open fires, so plan accordingly.

Day 3 – Rae Lakes to Junction Meadow

Distance: 8.4 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: +1843′ / -4273′

Waking up on Day 3 was good for both of us. We sept in a little bit, I had recovered from day 2 and we were both feeling great about day 3’s hike ahead of us. 

If you get the chance, you should spend some time around Rae Lakes, if that means spending an extra “down” day there or taking a longer break you won’t regret doing it. At this point in your trip, you really start to understand how far you are off the grid how peaceful it is in the wilderness. (Camping at Rae Lakes is limited to one night per lake, so you’d need to move camp to the next lake)

As you’re hiking on day 3, you will sometimes catch yourself looking up and noticing that you are enclosed by a mountain range. Then you remember you have to go through Glen Pass, the highest part of your trip and the steepest altitude gain. It’s safe to say that you are going to want to make sure you are either well-rested before this segment of your trip, or that you leave ample time. This climb is no joke and was the hardest hiking section of our entire Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking Trip!

We can truly say that going up Glen Pass is a unique experience, but once you get to the top 2 things are very evident, one is that the view from almost 12,000ft is something most people will never experience and secondly the trek is all downhill from here (okay, there might be a few feet of altitude gain here and there).

The ascent up Glen Pass took us roughly 3 hours from Rae Lakes to the peak of Glen Pass, the descent, however, took maybe 20 minutes… we flew!

At the bottom of Glen Pass, you will find an unnamed alpine lake, you should stop here for lunch. Jesse and I ate lunch here and did a little swimming and it was amazing. The water was freezing, and is safe to assume that year around it is probably always cold. But when else can you say you swam in a pool at 11,000+ feet!

From the bottom of Glen Pass, we trekked on to Junction Meadows and set up camp for night 3. We decided to cowboy camp on night 3 and sleep under the stars. It was a perfectly clear night, and it was a highlight of the trip being able to see a night sky with no light pollution, though the moon was BRIGHT!

Day 4 – Junction Meadow to Road’s End

Distance: 10.3 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: +474′ / -3580′

Day 4 was an interesting one. We decided to get up around 5 am and be packed and fed by 6 am. We wanted to be back to our car by around 11 am and be on the road. You don’t have to do this, we just missed our families and wanted to be back. There are tons of great views on day 4, and would we would have loved to spend more time there, but being home before our little ones went to sleep for the night was a priority after 4 nights of not seeing them.

Day 4 is all downhill, and we kept a pretty healthy pace all the way down. We did manage to stop a few times and check out the waterfalls that are on your left-hand side half of the time.

The switchbacks you come down as you head towards the South Fork of the Kings River are not ones I’d enjoy climbing – which is the reason going clockwise is widely considered the easier route – so you don’t have to climb up these switchbacks on day one, and the south side of Glen Pass on day 2!

Final Thoughts

This Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking Trip was everything we were hoping it was going to be and more!

If we were going to do it again, we’d probably not spend the night before our trip driving so we could start our hike fresh and not on 3 hours of bad sleep in a small car. But other than that, there’s not really anything we would have done differently!

And that wraps it up, 40+ miles in 4 days and it was truly exceptional and we highly recommended it!