Mono Creek Trail

Most hikers will do an out-and back, probably adding a detour up one of the laterals to Laurel Lake, Lake Hopkins, or into the Second Recess. If your destination is the Pioneer Basin, or the Third or Fourth Recesses, they are easier to reach by hiking from Mosquito Flats (Little Lakes Valley) over Mono Pass. The Mono Creek Trail starts from the JMT less the 1.5 miles above the trail from the Lake Edison ferry, a little over 3 miles from the ferry. It traverses around a ridge and drops down 300 feet to the creek. This is a beautiful forested canyon with a large creek flowing over the rocks and cliffs on both sides that soar 2-3000 feet. From there, the trail gains only 300 feet in elevation over 3 miles, to the Second Recess. Many love this recess. The lower part is an easy climb with crystal clear creek and pine forests. A use trail leads all the way to Upper Mills Creek Lake, but some parts are very steep. In "Timberline Country, The Sierra High Route", Steve Roper describes Lower Mills Lake as one of the most beautiful in the Sierra and he describes a Class 2 route over Gibbot Pass to Lake Italy. The Laurel Lake Trail is about 0.4 miles farther up Mono Creek from the Second Recess Trail. That trail switchbacks steeply up about 900 feet to enter the hanging valley. From there it is only a 600 foot climb above roughly 2 miles to Laurel Lake. Well before Laurel Lake, a use trail follows the the outlet stream from Grinnell Lake, a much larger and very scenic lake. The Mono Creek trail continues to climb gradually up the canyon. At 6.7 miles, it passes the junction with the Hopkins Creek Trail. That trail climbs 1,000 feet to Lower Hopkins Lake. Upper Hopkins Lake is over 2.5 miles farther, just below the Class 2 Hopkins Pass, which leads to McGee Creek. At 7.5 miles, the Mono Creek Trail passes the trail to the Third Recess. It is a 1,000-foot climb to the not-very-exciting Third Recess Lake. The junction to the much more scenic Pioneer Basin is at 8.7 miles, and just beyond that is the short trail to the beautiful Fourth Recess Lake. From there, the trail begins the steep climb to Mono Pass. At 9.4 miles, it crosses Golden Creek, where an unmaintained, but not difficult, trail leads up a scenic canyon to Golden Lake. At 10.5 miles and 11,200 feet, the rugged Trail Lakes have the only good campsites between the Fourth Recess and Ruby Lake on the other side of the pass. The trail continues switchbacking up to a great viewpoint overlooking Mono Creek Canyon. From there, you can see the entire Pioneer Basin, with Red and White Mt. and Red Slate Mt. peeking over its western ridge. After the viewpoint, it is an easy hike to the barren Summit Lake and on to Mono Pass.