Discover Green Creek - Falling for color in Eastern

DISCOVER GREEN CREEK

Eastern Sierra Color Hike with Beautiful Lake Destinations

Green Creek Canyon is not the most popular of the destinations that you hear about when tourists search out the best place for fall colors. Still, locals know that Green creek holds a special place for fall foliage hikes and breathtaking mountain landscapes.

We made our first visit in 2020 after a few recommendations for a fall hike ad and were blown away at the beauty in this Canyon. To be honest, this trail had been on my list for years as a potential backpacking destination and backcountry access port for Yosemite National park. So given the chance this fall, I grabbed my hiking buddy and headed out for some exploration up the Canyon with planned stops at Green Lake and East lake for a day trip.

The Green Creek Trail is approximately 5 miles off highway 395 just south of Bridgeport, Ca. The Forest service road is a well-maintained dirt road that climbs up and over the foothills before the Canyon. As we came off the hill into the Canyon, the scenery made me pull the car over for our first picture.

Green Creek is a popular place for dispersed camping, dirt bike, and horseback riding. The trail is open to Dogs and horses.

The Green Creek trail is an easy hike for approx a mile from the trailhead to the Hoover Wilderness boundary. It

Suppose you are in the Bridgeport region seeking out accessible color spots. In that case, the first great stand of fall color can be found less than a half mile up the trailhead from the parking area.

"One incredibly cool section of this trail that is unrelated to fall color but worth checking out is Beaver Dam that, which is right off the trail."

The next 1.5 miles up to Green Lake is a slightly moderate hike of switchbacks that climb up to the lake through several aspen groves and lush forest that continues to bring you next to Green Creek. This hike section is in the Hoover Wilderness. It provides spectacular peak views and stunning contrasts of rock and granite formations carved by glaciers and wind. And in the fall, you can feel like you are bathing in fall colors as the Aspens hug the trail and create an incredible experience during peak leaf-peeping season.

Of course, the destination for most is the Lakes in the Canyon. Green Lake is popular fishing and backpacking destination and the first lake on the trail in the Canyon.

Hikers have a choice to climb up to West lake or to East Lake from here. Backpackers can trek beyond East Lake to Gillman, Hoover, and Summit Lakes while crossing over into either Yosemite National Park or back down the Virginia Lakes Canyon trail. We chose the 1-mile hike up to East Lake on our trip before turning around for the day.

Most Backpacker tips suggest starting in Virginia Lakes Canyon and crossing over to Green Lakes Canyon if you do this as a thru-hike. Backpacking from Virginia Lakes Canyon looks like it might save you some vertical climb as the green creek canyon starts at a lower elevation.

Green Creek Canyon