Backpacking Big Pine Lakes to Palisade Glacier | Full Guide | What you need to know!

[timestamps below] Hi everyone! Today's video is all about Big Pine Lakes in the Sierra Nevadas. This spot is arguably the most popular backpacking or day hiking spot in the Sierras, and for a good reason. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
Trail stats (Trailhead to Palisade Glacier)
Total mi: 15.9mi
Total elevation gain: 4,760ft
All trails: www.alltrails.com/trail/us/ca...
Permit information:
www.recreation.gov/permits/23...
Make sure to book “Big Pine Creek NORTH Fork”
Book up to six months in advance. Summer weekends fill up quick!
Itinerary
Day 1
- Hike to Second Lake
- 4.5miles
- 3000ft elevation gain
Day 2
- Hike to Palisade Glacier
- 5miles
- 2500ft elevation gain
- Class 3 scrambling
- Sleep at Second Lake
Day 3
- Hike out
0:00 Intro
0:13 Starting the Hike
3:38 Lon Chaney Cabin
5:46 2nd lake!
6:17 Taking a dip
6:56 Day 2
9:16 Hiking to Palisade Glacier
10:44 Sam Mack Meadow
12:40 Palisade Glacier
16:11 Day 3
16:45 Trail overview with map
Music by VirgoZilla Beatz - Lovely Day - thmatc.co/?l=C751F7B1
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Music by Ashes to Amber - Iris - thmatc.co/?l=BBE11F87
Music by frumhere, kevatta - warm feeling - thmatc.co/?l=265A6E3D
Camera gear: (affiliate links)
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Tripod: amzn.to/3E4uHf2
Backpacking essentials:
Bear canister: amzn.to/3baGgVz
Bear spray:amzn.to/3mih71r
Boots: amzn.to/3El03Oo
Water filter:amzn.to/3GqaqT2
Backpack: amzn.to/2XO5wxD
Camping essentials:
Side Table: amzn.to/3CjyCEa
Portable Shower: amzn.to/3jF7Aji
Collapsible Sink: amzn.to/3vR1j9c
12 Egg Holder: amzn.to/3nu1tQ4
6 Gallon water jug: amzn.to/3mhUxG5
Table cloth: hamzn.to/3CkfwOi
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IG: scarsthread...
TIK TOK: / scarsthread
EMAIL: [e-mail]
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Hi! Welcome to my channel. I’m an ICU nurse and my husband is an engineer. Even with our busy work schedules, we love the great outdoors and try to travel as much as we can.
Follow along as we document where we’ve been and what we’ve done, as we help you plan the best trip possible!

[@ScarsThread]

Hope you enjoyed the video! Full blog post coming soon 🙂

[@waterfallmadman]

Those lakes are so beautiful. And climbing up to see the glacier is amazing. Great hike!

[@ScarsThread]

they were unreal!

[@waterfallmadman]

ScarsThread indeed. I have subbed. I also have a hiking adventure channel, if you could check it out. Thanks.

[@xtinekim]

"so as you can see this is a gregory backpack with a hat on top" i was dying omg

[@ScarsThread]

HAHAHAA 😂

[@questrunnerchannel]

Great trip! Always one of my favorite trails!

[@ScarsThread]

seriously so pretty! we've only done it once, but can't wait to do it again!

[@joycekim7428]

Wauu! Thoroughly enjoyed this!

[@ScarsThread]

thank you!! glad you liked it!

[@PaulSantas]

Thanks for the shoutout! Had a super fun time with you and Tyler!

[@ScarsThread]

Yess more adventures to come!

[@ExploreLiveCreateShare]

Awesome video and information! I’m heading there this sat!!

[@ScarsThread]

have an amazing time! you'll love it!!

[@ctinieblas1228]

Nice complete video, just what I needed to make plans to go. Thanks.

[@ScarsThread]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ctinieblas1228]

Very. I just came back from there. Amazing hike!

[@taylorwalsh2323]

Subscribed! This video and the Jacinto ones are super informational and make me want to get out there again!

[@ScarsThread]

glad it was helpful!! ty for the subscription!

[@dmbeaster]

The smart way to start this hike is to drop all of your gear at the normal trailhead, and one person drives the car back to the hiker's lot. Then the one person strolls back to everyone else and the gear. Its 3/4 of a mile back up the road. Then start your backpack there. The trail is beautiful right from the start. It forks a short distance in (North and South Fork), then climbs along First Falls (a series of cascades). This avoids the awful sage and desert section. The two trails meet below Second Falls. There is no overnight parking at the trailhead.

[@justintran5930]

LOVE THE VLOGS HYPE AF

[@ScarsThread]

Thanks!!!

[@Betonrg]

First time I see one or your videos. I have benn there a few times. Congrats and now I am a New suscriber. Hugs guys.

[@ScarsThread]

Thank you so much!!

[@NickandRachel]

Gorgeous place! I'd love to hike there

[@ScarsThread]

hope you get to do it one day!!

[@NickandRachel]

@@ScarsThread me too! We would love to make a video there it looks awesome!

[@philipankrom7093]

Lon Chaney Sr. had the cabin built. Chaney was a silent film star. He and others spent lots of time at 4th Lake Lodge. There is a long sad story about 4th Lake Lodge and the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club wanted the cabin torn down, but the residents of Big Pine petitioned the Forest Service to leave the cabin and use it for the Wilderness Ranger. They won.

[@ScarsThread]

wow, i did not know that. thank you for the information!

[@fathead8865]

awesome video!! I will be heading up there this June to see what its all about.. any tips on the best time to arrive?

[@ScarsThread]

The first part of the hike had the most sun exposure, so starting right before sunrise is probably best to beat the heat!

[@keithmillard2527]

Palisade Glacier is not the southernmost glacier in the world, not even close. Every glacier in the southern hemisphere, including those in the Andes, New Zealand, many small Southern Ocean islands and the Antarctic ice sheet, is father south. Palisade Glacier is also not the southernmost in the US, or California or even the Sierras. IT IS, however, the largest remaining glacier in the Sierras, which is sad, given how small it is, about ¼ mile long. Had you hiked down to the lake, you would have see the incredible blue-green ice at the toe up close. If you had gone a little farther and hiked up onto the glacier, you would have seen tiny creeks cutting down into the ice with pieces of black sand scattered on the bottom, which is a very unusual sight since you can see past the sand and down into the glacial ice! You might also have seen small crevasses running across the surface, up to a few inches wide and 20 or so feet deep with crazy icicles formed down inside of them. You might also have seen mountain climbers scaling the peaks. This is a climber's paradise since the Palisade Range is the highest density of 14,000' peaks in the Sierras. Time for a return trip, right?! Enjoyed the video!

[@sluggotinfantryman]

Man you scored a clear day. Been there in smoke and haze. First time was like that. Except it snowed 10 inches that night. Lol. Same thing happened in July up at Cottonwood Lakes. Big Pine was October 10th.

[@ScarsThread]

Oh wow mustve looked beautiful with all the snow though!!

[@sluggotinfantryman]

@@ScarsThread the dog loved it.

[@sluggotinfantryman]

@@ScarsThread dogs can't climb rocks. Even small ones. 5 feet rounded.

[@richardcliff3510]

Really nice video. I love this area. Can't wait to go back. What app did you use on your phone?

[@ScarsThread]

thank you!! The hiking app I use is called AllTrails

[@luiscorrea9381]

Great video! Question, is the parking there free with the wilderness permit??

[@ScarsThread]

Thank you! Yes, parking was free and we slept in our cars the night before the hike!

[@relyt159753]

Noice!!

[@ScarsThread]

😁😁

[@KathysOutdoorAdventures]

Hey great video! did you need a permit to stay overnight? Thank you

[@ScarsThread]

Thank you, and yes permit is required!

[@AnthropianOdyssey]

This is a great hike with some of the most beautiful lakes, A friend and I made the mistake of thinking we would do the entire hike from the camping area at the base to lake 5 and back all in a single day. It was brutal and our feet paid the price. We jumped into lake 5 to recuperate before heading back down the mountain completing our 1 day tour of the mountain.

[@ScarsThread]

thats crazy! We saw a group of teenagers do the hike from the parking lot campground to the top of palisade glacier, and back in one day... insane

[@shinysmileceecee]

Is it possible to hike up to lake 3 and back in one day? It’s our first time going and we don’t wanna go unprepared 😭

[@ScarsThread]

Its definitely possible, but with the altitude and elevation gain it most likely wont be easy!! Depends on your skill level and hiking experience!

[@shinysmileceecee]

@@ScarsThread thank you so much! 🙌🏽😊

[@danielkaranja7978]

​@@shinysmileceeceeDefinitely possible with the right preparation. I went to the second lake starting from 5:40am and was back at the trail head by 12:30PM. Considering i was walking relatively slow, a faster and steadier walker can easily get to other lakes and still make it back by 3pm. But it may be a bit ambitious and it is best to plan for different outcomes.

[@elaineresendez4419]

Most of the hikes in the sierras are up hill. These. Hikes get strenuous in places. Try the south fork many razor back turns. Love these hikes.

[@ScarsThread]

they are so beautiful!

[@oscarmolinaoutdooradventur1648]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰

[@HanBaiDisciple]

My friends and I are planning to go in August therefore I like to know what was the mosquitos situation that you encountered at each lakes?

[@ScarsThread]

when we went, we didnt experience too many mosquitos at the lake. (We only went to 2nd lake) There's a stream between lakes 2 and 3 that feeds into lake 2 and there were a TON of mosquitos there.

[@danielkaranja7978]

​@ScarsThread I myself was there in late June and the bug situation was the worst I have ever experienced. I experienced them nearly all in the wooded section of the south fork trail.

[@echols2010]

Have you guys ever done lake 4-7 was wondering how it compared to the glacier

[@ScarsThread]

No we havent!

[@dmbeaster]

They are not as interesting, but still a nice walk.

[@GlobetrotterPiya]

Do we need to take permit also for day hike?

[@ScarsThread]

nope!

[@biggiesmall8552]

If we not staying overnight do we still need a permit?

[@ScarsThread]

Nope, not for a day hike!

[@ExploreLiveCreateShare]

Might be a stupid question, but for backpacking overnight. Is it mandatory for bear containers to store our food? Or is it only highly recommended? I’m getting all kinds of answers. Thanks! And cool vlog!

[@ExploreLiveCreateShare]

I meant to ask, is it mandatory we bring a bear container food storage on this hike? Or is it recommended only?

[@ScarsThread]

Hi!! Not sure whats changed this year, but it was mandatory to bring a bear canister last year. I would check on the inyo national forest website before heading out!

[@PokeYourEyez]

When I went, there was a bear food storage at the campsite.

[@jerrypeevey]

You can google up an map of bear can requirements. Some of the areas they walked thru were required some not. All depends on where you camp.

[@dmbeaster]

​@@PokeYourEyezThere are no back country bear boxes. Bear cannisters are required.

[@MicahLoughman]

How cold is the water there?

[@ScarsThread]

Ice cold! Cus of the glacier run off

[@alenatravel]

Is there camp site with lake view ? Should you reserve it?

[@ScarsThread]

You only need a permit to camp overnight, but you can camp anywhere you like! The sites are not marked and are all first come first serve

[@alenatravel]

@@ScarsThread thanks. So should you pay for camping there ?

[@keithmillard2527]

You cannot camp anywhere you like. It is illegal to camp within 100' of any water, and backcountry etiquette (accepted since backcountry travel began, and discussed in most backpacking references, and based on common courtesy) says don't camp right next to the trail. Having been to the Palisades enough times to know the trail, it looks like you camped right next to it, and at one of the most popular overlooks (the one with the huge boulder and dead snag near the edge of a cliff overlooking the lake, where everyone like to take a picture), which means anyone who wants to take a picture there has to intrude on your camp or include it in their picture, which is also bad etiquette. Out of respect for others and to "tread lightly" in high use areas, hike off the trail to set up camp. It requires a little more time and effort, but it's the right thing to do.

[@rachelleannligon7791]

Hello! I was able to get a 1 permit for north fork for our group which consists of 9 people, is 1 permit already enough for our group? Thank you 😊

[@ScarsThread]

Hi! When you bought the permit, there should have been a space for the number of people in your group. If you put 9 in that spot, then you should be good. Also, permits are only required for overnight trips!

[@rachelleannligon7791]

@@ScarsThread hi! Thanks for your response, it is greatly appreciated. Also, how do rangers check permits on the camping sites?

[@ScarsThread]

@@rachelleannligon7791 we actually did not see any rangers check for permits on the trail. I believe it is random!

[@m6n15]

Love the bathing suit and shorts. Can you share the brand?

[@ScarsThread]

Bathing suit is from Aerie, and shorts are from Vuori!

[@m6n15]

@@ScarsThread thank you 🙏🏼 Funny…I was just looking at the Vuori shorts on Friday and bought Aerie bathing suit yesterday.

[@ScarsThread]

woah that crazy! I love vuori, everything i've gotten so far has been amazing!

[@jazzfan7491]

Wow, you guys are tough

[@ScarsThread]

We were def struggling inside 😂

[@alexjuarez9712]

Smoking weed helps with the mosquitoes

[@jerrypeevey]

Those plants you were running your hands through alongside the trail near the end of the video are very poisonous.