The other side of the pass opens up into the expansive Humphreys basin, where all the mountains are distant and yet still so obviously magnificent it lends to that “big sky” look you get in Montana. Much of the day, we’ll be ascending past a series of lakes in the valley containing the north fork of Bishop Creek. I want to see how I do at higher elevations plus this loop gives me a chance to see the Humphreys Basin and Dusy Basin, areas that I won't see on the … Beyond Piute Pass the trail gives access to Humphreys Basin, with an abundance of high alpine lakes and tarns on the north side of Glacier Divide. The Piute Pass trail descends Piute Creek to Hutchinson Meadow and eventually joins the John Muir Trail. The basin also serves as the headwaters of Piute Creek. trail begins at the camp ground and heads south across 2 footbridges through a grove of aspen trees. Over Piute Pass (11,423) the trail drops into Humphreys Basin, loaded with many high alpine lakes. Eventually crossing the Sierra Crest at Piute Pass (11,423 feet), we enter Humphreys Basin. In preparation for my JMT thru hike starting in late August, I'm doing the North Lake to South Lake loop in mid July. I'm looking for suggestions from anyone who has taken the Piute Pass side trip off the JMT into the Humphreys Basin area. Joined Sep 30, 2014 Messages 431. He was fast! Jul 20, 2015 #1 After giving the weather a couple of days to settle down, we were back at North Lake to spend four days exploring Humphreys Basin. There is also a side trail here that heads southwest towards Muriel Lake. It is a high elevation glacial basin mostly over 11,000 feet in elevation. The skies were clear, just dotted with a few small clouds. Our whole trip was filled with rivers of wildflowers. We sat, ate lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous views. At the top of the pass, I took a quick power nap, stuffed my mouth full of snacks, photographed the stunning views, and headed down the pass to Summit Lake. Piute Pass Trail is a 16.7 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Bishop, California that features a lake and is rated as difficult. From the upper part of the trail, views of Mt. Piute Crags. The trail up the pass was mellow and gave a nice preview of the sights to come as it passed by two pretty lakes and several tarns. After about 45 minutes of climbing, the snow surveyor passed me. To the east, it’s back down Piute Pass trail from where you came. From Piute Pass, the views are spectacular to both the East and the West. The backcountry behind Piute Pass from North Lake is known as the Humphreys Basin. To the west, it’s the vastness of Humphreys Basin. Hiking up toward Piute Pass on day two. Notes: The Humphreys Basin is accessed from the North Lake campground, 20 miles southwest of Bishop. Loch Leven A tarn above Loch Leven Piute Lake Snow below Piute Pass. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until September. From the pass, we’ll enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding peaks, crowned by the indomitable Mount Humphreys, and the Glacier Divide. The Lamarck Lake. July 24th. Hiking up near the top of Piute Pass with Piute Lake and the Bishop basin in the background. Thread starter balzaccom; Start date Jul 20, 2015; Tags california sierra nevada balzaccom Member. More Crags Even more. Paiute Pass and Humphreys Basin. Once again, the views took our breath away. Sun setting on Mt Humphreys as … Emerson and the reddish Piute Crags are seen. Lots of flat, open terrain in Humphreys Basin. When we arrived at the top of Piute Pass, we had views of the half-frozen Summit Lake and all of Humphreys Basin. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. By 12:30pm I was at Piute Pass. 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