

John Muir considered the alpine beauty in this area to be unsurpassed by any other terrain in all the range. He also considered Ediza Lake to be the most beautiful of all the multitudes of lakes in the High Sierra.
Most climbers use the shores of Ediza Lake as their High Camp for climbing in the Ritter Range. But we choose to go higher and set up camp on a high alpine snow field. We found this to be a good option because it gave us a nice high start for our Summit attempt. We also had no problem finding water in a large depression that had collected runoff from the melting snow and ice not too far from where we camped.

If you decide to backpack or fish in this section of the Sierra, you will certainly not be disappointed. The meadows, rivers, lakes, streams, and alpine scenery are nothing short of spectacular!
Once you leave the Trailhead on the Shadow Lake / River Trail, you will find yourself traveling down a fairly level path that skirts the edge of Agnew Meadows (shown in the image to the right above ). The going is nice and easy in the beginning, and the pine trees give you plenty of shade in this section. On our return from Thousand Island Lake we saw plenty of people enjoying this section of the trail. This including a lot of little folks possibly getting their first introduction into back country travel.
After this initial (near level) section of trail the path turns downward and you loose a few hundred feet of elevation as you descend into a canyon. It is always a nice break to travel downhill for a bit.
But I would just as well have the trail go level or uphill when climbing a mountain. For as we all know, that downhill section has to be made up for later on.
Additional uphill sections will be encountered, and you never gain as much energy on the downhill as you loose when having to go back up. Sean, Ben, and Garrett are shown negotiating the downward section of the trail in the image to the left above .


The Shadow Lake Trail takes you to Shadow Lake (obviously), but it is also the path you will want to take if you are heading for Lake Ediza. It is the most direct route to Climbing Mount Ritter, Banner Peak, or the Minarets. You can also reach Garnet Lake, Ruby Lake, Emerald Lake, and even Thousand Island Lake by taking the Shadow Lake Trail option.
To do this, you will branch off to the north when you come to the John Muir Trail junction. I believe this is the more scenic route by far to Thousand Island Lake, but it is also a longer and more difficult route to the aforementioned lake. So if you are in a hurry, or want the easiest route to Thousand Island Lake, take the River Trail. It is the most direct route to the lake. If you choose the Shadow Lake fork, you will find yourself passing over a cool bridge that spans Shadow Lake Creek (see above left hand image). The bridge is within a very short distance from the trail marker.
On both our climb up Mt Ritter, and also on our August 25, 2007 backpack trip (where we made a loop by going up the Shadow Lake Trail, and then exited the area via the River Trail), we crossed the bridge (as shown in the left hand image above) and then hiked up a rocky section of trail. This part of the trail is shown in the above right hand photograph. In the photo below, you can see Mike rounding the corner with Shadow Lake Creek roaring down the canyon just below his position.

In the left hand photo Sean, Mike, and Eddie look off in the distance at Mammoth Mountain. Hugely popular in the winter with snowboarders and skiers. The downhill slopes of Mammoth Mountain are mainly used by mountain bikers in the summer months.
As you climb up the canyon as shown in the photograph above, you get a great view of the roaring creek bed as shown in the image to the right. Water is a very powerful force and you are advised to stay away from slippery river banks. Falling into a torrent of rapid moving water could very likely be fatal.
If you have to cross a stream or river, it is best to select the shallowest area where the water is not moving at a rapid pace. Fast moving water is very powerful due to the fact that it weighs 62.4 pounds per cubic foot and the force increases with the square of its velocity. To put this into perspective, lets say that the water is putting For example, water moving at just 4 miles per hour (a brisk walk) exerts a force of 66 pounds on each square foot (more than enough to take you off your feet). If the speed doubles to 8 miles per hour, it exerts a force of 264 pounds per square foot, or 4X the 66 pounds of the 4 miles per hour force. So the water crossing needs to be shallow and slow moving to be safe. I have seen torrents moving at 25mph and more, and at this speed, the water has the same pressure as wind moving at 790mph. Faster than the speed of sound. So all this being said, extreme caution must be exercised during any water crossings.

The sign in the above photo is displayed near the Shadow Lake outlet. It informs visitors of camping regulations in the area. In this case, it lets you know that there is no camping around Shadow Lake.
After the second upward rise in the trail (after the canyon section), Shadow Lake is finally encountered. The left hand photo shows Mt Ritter and Banner Peak beautifully reflected in peaceful Shadow Lake.
If you like to fish, or are out for a leisurely backpack then shadow lake would be a great place to camp. Just make sure to follow the regulation and stay at least 100 feet from the lake or any water source for that matter while in the wilderness.

Beautiful meadows with lots of greenery delight the senses and provide a very refreshing location for rest stops, or a place to enjoy a quick snack or two.
Most of the time we get so busy scurrying up the trail (in order to get to our destination) that we don't take the time out to enjoy our surroundings.
That's why its nice to take photos while we are out there. The images allow us to review the beauty of it all when we are in a less hurried mind set.
During our visit to the area, we encountered lots of moisture on the mountain. The trail in the upper left hand image shows the grassy meadow portion of the trek.
It was still under water in mid July. Waterproofing your boots is a must so that you can keep your feet dry. This avoids all sorts of problems such as blisters and other types of ailments that come with wet feet.

Mountain terrain can be a very fragile environment. Some people get upset about back country rules, but I appreciate those who take responsibility for keeping the wilderness from being trampled by droves of people. It preserves it for future generations to enjoy. Because the growing season is short at high altitude, delicate wild flowers can take years to develop and only a moment to destroy. It is always important to consider this fact when traveling cross country.
Leave no trace is a great policy when it comes to wilderness travel. There is a certain reward all its own when you can leave an area in a condition that appears to be untouched by any human visitor. It preserves the wilderness experience for future travelers.

- Agnew Meadows Trailhead
- Olaine Lake along the first leg of the Shadow Lake Trail
- Rosalie Lake
- Shadow Lake
- Junction of Shadow Lake with John Muir Trail. Head toward Ediza Lake "H" for the best position to climb Ritter and Banner Peak.
- Cabin Lake
- Iceberg Lake
- Ediza Lake (Beautiful lake and wonderful surrounding scenery, including the Minarets. Used as a base camp for many climbers).
- This is where we camped when we climbed Mt Ritter's North Face Route. Also excellent position for climbing the Southeast Glacier or Banner Peak.
- Southeast Glacier Route on Mt Ritter.
- Summit of Mt Ritter
- Ritter / Banner Saddle
- Summit of Banner Peak
- John Muir Trail. This is the route you would take to do a beautiful loop trip from Agnew Meadows, or for packing north toward Yosemite.
- Garnet Lake (Very popular lake for photographers and fisherman. Very Scenic)
- Ruby Lake
- Emerald Lake
- Thousand Island Lake (Extremely popular destination for backpackers, fishermen, photographers, etc. Very Scenic Location).
- Continuation of the John Muir Trail heading north.
- River Trail. (Use the river trail if you want to get to Thousand Island Lake with the least amount of mileage from Agnew Meadows, or use for a loop trip).


The John Muir Trails northern entrance begins at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley and ends at the Summit of Mount Whitney. The footpath spans 210.4 miles in total. The trail resides entirely in the High Sierra backcountry and wilderness areas. The John Muir Trail is also a part of the larger Pacific Crest Trail. Mt Ritter along with many other Peaks and wilderness areas are named after John Muir, and if you spend any time at all in the Sierra hiking or backpacking, you will see signs that state "You are entering the John Muir Wilderness" The trail is world renowned for its beauty when it comes to high mountain scenery. Most of the pathway travels at or above 8,000 feet in elevation, and during the last 30 miles you will have the privileged of hiking above 10,000 feet as you complete the final leg to the top of Mt Whitney which tops out at 14,505 feet above sea level.


Note: Be sure to filter your cooking and drinking water. Ansel Adams Wilderness is very well traveled and the human element, unfortunately, is present in the lakes a streams in all the popular areas in the Sierra Nevada. For much more on the subject of water and purifying it please see our page on Water/Dehydration.
As mentioned above, we choose to go up higher for our base camp. The image to the left above shows both Mt Ritter and Banner Peak in the background. We found ourselves having to cross several small water tributaries (some of which we found a bit troublesome), before we hit better ground above the Lake.

Not far from this point we reached our High Camp for our Mt Ritter climb. We will now backtrack to where we met up with the John Muir Trail (letter "E" on the map above), and explore the northern portion of this famous trail (letter "N" on the map above) as it passes through the Ansel Adams Wilderness. So, if you are planning on climbing Mt Ritter or Banner Peak, then continue up the slope as Sean is doing in the right hand photo, and go onto high camp (letter "I" on the map above) for your climb. If you are more interested in a beautiful loop, then continue down the page to explore this option (letter "N" on the map above).
If you want to make the Ansel Adams Wilderness Loop toward Garnet Lake and Thousand Island Lake, then you do not cross the river, but go North on the John Muir Trail as shown in the photo to the right. above.
This will take you past the Lakes as mentioned and you will eventually meet up with the River Trail in the Thousand Island Lake area, that will return you to the Agnew Meadows Trailhead where we began our adventure.
So, if you are a backpacker or hiker, you may want to take a side trip up to beautiful Ediza Lake and cross the plank bridge as shown above, and then backtrack down and go north to Garnet Lake and Thousand Island Lake. Or, you may want to just skip Ediza Lake all together and go for the loop right away and head for the returning River Trail option at the Thousand Island Lake area.
Either way, you can't go wrong, because there is so much to see no matter what option you take.

We found the section of trail that goes north from the intersection of Shadow Lake Trail and the John Muir Trail (to Garnet Lake), to be the most difficult portion of the loop. From Garnet Lake to Thousand Island Lake is fairly easy. At Thousand Island Lake, you meet up with the River Trail. The River Trail (marked "T" on the above map) will then take you back to Agnew Meadows to complete your loop.
Note: You also could reverse all the above by taking the River Trail to Thousand Island Lake, Garnet Lake, and then back down on the Shadow Lake Trail, but I recommend the Shadow Lake Trail to River Trail option, because you get all the hard work over with early on.
But all that hard work pays off, when you reach Garnet Lake. Note the beautiful natural lighting in the image to the left above as it displays the early morning light reflecting Mt Ritter and Banner Peak in Garnet Lake.
We camped near the banks of Garnet Lake for the night, and were greeted with this spectacular scene in the morning.
As mentioned before, the Ansel Adams Wilderness area is very hard to beat when it comes to premium backpacking, hiking, and photography oportunities in the Sierra Nevada.

Next comes crystal clear Ruby Lake. Most people hang around Shadow Lake, Ediza Lake, or Thousand Island Lake, and do not visit Ruby Lake (photo above right) or Emerald Lake (shown in the below left hand image). But if you want to get in some great fishing on a remote lake, Ruby and Emerald Lake just may be your ticket. They are truly a couple of jewels in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.


Even though you cannot see the Minarets from this vantage point (due to Banner Peak blocking the view), it beauty reflected in the lakes more than makes up for it with its looming presence above the islands. As mentioned in other areas of Timberline Trails, Thousand Island Lake is a photographers and fisherman's paradise, and during the summer months the lakes shores are full of visitors enjoying the area.

Bear canisters are not only critical to keep bears out of your stuff, but they also come in handy for keeping other critters at bay. Marmots can be relentless when it comes to getting food, and can do there fair share of damage to packs and tents if you leave food unattended. Properly store all your food, lip balm, sunscreen, and the like in your bear box (needless to say, never put any of these items in your tent during the day or night).

You will follow the river (thus the name River Trail) pretty much all the way down the mountain. But in several areas, you will veer away from the river a bit, but then return back to it later on.
The most beautiful part of the River Trail is just before you reach Thousand Islands Lake going up, and just after leaving going down.
Other than the Thousand Island Lake section, the River Trail is not quite as scenic as the Shadow Lake / John Muir Trail option. But for a quick easy route back to the trailhead (or to Thousand Island Lake to begin with), it is hard to beat.

Well that's about it for our experience on the trails in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. There is so much to this area, that we have hardly scratched the surface. One could spend his or her entire life exploring this region. It is so vast and beautiful that one would never become bored.
The lakes are like paradise for the fisherman, the peaks provide the mountaineer with all sorts of challenges, and the photographic opportunities are endless. All this is why I would consider the Ansel Adams Wilderness about as good as it gets when it comes to hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering.

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