BACKPACKING TRINITY ALPS
Northern California has some of the most beautiful mountains to visit. My friends and I wanted to spend a weekend backpacking in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, specifically in Trinity Alps. The weather is best from June to September, since the snow clears out and it’s warm enough outside to enjoy the cold lakes here. We went right at the end of August and beginning of September and still experienced the day heat and the night chill.
We planned a 3 day/2 night trip and this is what I packed:
WHAT I PACK
Osprey Aura 50L Backpack in Gamma Red
$240 on Osprey
My favorite backpacking pack because it holds a lot of stuff but also encourages you to pack lightly
Has very comfortable shoulder straps
$159 on REI
Best backpacking tent because of how compressible and convenient it is. The rain fly does a great job insulating heat and preventing insects and water
Unfortunately this tent isn’t available on REI anymore, but their site still has many great 2-person tents that are the perfect size for backpacking
Winner Outfitters Mummy Sleeping Bag
$34.99 on Amazon
Really compressible and light
Amazing for keeping you warm at night, especially with the hood
Very easy to clean
SEMOO Self-Inflatable Sleeping Pad
My boyfriend brought this sleeping pad and it was definitely not the most comfortable, so we are both looking into buying a new one
Sleepingo on Amazon seems to have a compact option for $39.95
Wise Owl Outfitters Microfiber Camping Towels
$16.95 on Amazon
So easy to pack and great material for drying. Wipes water off instantly
$39.95 on Amazon
Top notch headlamp. Has multiple light settings and a powerful main light
The one I received from Amazon was faulty, so I contacted Black Diamond customer support and they sent me a new one instantly, without having to return the broken one
Ahnu Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Boots
$130 on REI (3 years ago), $106 on Amazon
Best pair of hiking boots I’ve owned! I’ve had these since I was 18, and absolutely love them! Taken them with me all over California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Washington, and I really like the quality of these shoes
They are waterproof, lightweight, have great traction, and are incredibly comfortable
Unfortunately, these are no longer available on REI and have limited colors and selections on Amazon, but REI has a bunch of other great options
$69.95 on REI
Glassfiber and carbon water pump that is compact for backpacking
My friend brought this and it supplied us with tasty, fresh water
MSR PocketRocket Ultralight Camping Stove
$44.95 on Amazon and REI
Convenient and easy-to-use camping stove. Barely took up any space in our backpack
Backpacker’s Pantry Freeze Dried Meals
$8.99-12.99 on Backpacker’s Pantry
Delicious meals that you just cook easily with boiled water! Ready within a few minutes
Each bag can feed 2 people per meal
$449 on Sony (body only)
Love this APS-C camera. I have multiple lenses that I use while shooting and it does the job
This is a great starting camera, but now in 2020, there are many new models I would rather invest in!
Other essentials we brought:
Spork
Biodegradable hand soap
Toilet paper
Bear bag
Sunscreen
Mosquito repellant
Flip Flops/Sandals
Swimsuit
Snacks: tangerines, Trader Joe’s trail mix, Trader Joe’s beef jerky, Clif Bars
Breakfast: everything bagels, peanut butter, bananas, instant oatmeal
GRANITE LAKE VIA SWIFT CREEK TRAIL
For this moderate 9.7 mile out and back trail, park at the Swift Creek Trailhead and enter through the main trailhead. The trail is very straightforward. All Trails provides a great map to follow.
There is a crossing bridge that you have to go over to continue along the path. The creek underneath the bridge is a fun place to stop and play in the water for a bit.
The entire trail is beautiful, with many trees, grass, and gorgeous wildflowers along the way. There are a ton of mosquitoes, so make sure to protect yourself! My friend, Elise, got destroyed by them.
A few miles into the trail, there is a beautiful clearing with grass and flowers where we stopped to take a snack break. It gets really hot so make sure to stay replenished with fresh water and food. Luckily, since we are hiking through the mountains, there are a lot of small streams to pump fresh spring water. It all tastes really cold and good!
The final stretch of the hike to get to Granite Lake (40°57'07.9"N 122°51'20.2"W) is difficult but really worth it. It was late afternoon by the time we got to the lake so we pitched our tents right by the water and immediately jumped in. It was very cold but felt amazing to wash off after a long hike! The sunset here was really gorgeous and because of how clear the sky was, we could see billions of stars and even the purple, surreal Milky Way.
GIBSON PEAK CLIMB
The next morning, my boyfriend and I woke up around 5am to watch the sunrise, which looked gorgeous next to the lake.
Our group decided to hike up Gibson Peak, which is the mountain right across from the lake. There’s a trail around the right side of the lake to follow up the mountain. Granite Creek runs right through the trail, so we had another water collection in an area where the water dropped off of a cliff.
We hiked pretty far up the mountain and sat at the top to look at the view of the lake from above.
We didn’t want to hike back the original route, so we decided to walk through the rocky side and ravine to go down. Don’t do what we did. It was probably the scariest, most challenging way down we could have taken. There were wet rocks, huge boulders, and large drops that we had to maneuver around to get down. It took us hours to get back. At one point, my boyfriend accidentally triggered a rock slide into the lake… We definitely had a lot of adrenaline forcing us to finish this off-trail experience so we thoroughly enjoyed it, but if you are not ready to scale almost vertical ravines, don’t go down this way!
GRANITE LAKE
After Gibson Peak, we played around in the water and swam a bit. There is a small waterfall to the left corner of the lake that you can access. The water is pretty cold so it is hard to stay in it for an extended period of time.
For the Californian backpackers out there, I highly recommend checking out this trail! There are very few people who are here and the experience is incredible. Not only do you hike into a beautiful area, but the stars at night are phenomenal to look at and are unparalleled from any other star gazing place. Definitely one of my more favorite backcountry spots!
Elise, Leo, Me (Sarah), my boyfriend (Yevgeniy), Ilana, Dan