The Best Snow Adventure: Hiking To Heather Lake

Hiking to Heather Lake in Sequoia National Park was the only reason why I traveled back to the park in early July 2023. Truthfully I hoped to make it all the way to Pear Lake, but my research indicated that the trails were still covered in snow from mile marker 2.5, so I was not surprised that the trail was impassable past Heather Lake. I had never had the opportunity to hike in the snow during the summer months before. So, of course, my inner adventurer needed to see for herself.  

Heather Lake Hike, Sequoia National Park

Heather Lake via the Lakes Trail is a 7.8-mile out-and-back trail in Sequoia National Park. The trail begins at Wolverton and leads you on a challenging adventure through the Sierras, with 2,427 ft of elevation gains. It typically takes just under five hours to complete.

The trail is open all year, but wintry conditions may make the trail impassible. This year (2023), the trail is currently covered in snow for half of it, due to the heavy snowfalls that occurred during the 22/23 winter season. This is, however, usually a snow-free summer hike.

Another notable mention is that our furry friends are not welcome on this trail… Leave your dogs at home!

Gear Recommendation

Garmin GPSMAP 67i

Go outdoors—and stay connected—with the Garmin GPSMAP 67i. Using inReach technology, this button-operated GPS handheld and satellite communicator enables 2-way messaging and location tracking.

REI Co-op Traverse Trekking Poles – Pair

Take on rocky traverses, snowy slopes, and mossy logs more confidently with the light, strong REI Co-op Traverse trekking poles. They adjust easily to fit you and the terrain.

America the Beautiful Pass

Good for a year’s worth of visits, the annual America the Beautiful Pass is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country, including all our national parks.

Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System

Updated MICROspikes deliver unrivaled traction on icy winter trails. Easy to use with almost any shoes, they’re tough enough to handle any adventure—and small enough to fit easily in your pocket.

Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe

A modern take on Yvon Chouinard’s original curved-pick mountain axe, the Black Diamond Raven ice axe is a classic mountaineer’s piolet that has been used on classic climbs the world over for decades.

National Geographic Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Trail Map

This National Geographic Trails Illustrated folded map offers comprehensive coverage of California’s Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.

How I Hiked to Heather Lake, Sequoia National Park

Getting to the Lakes Trail trailhead

I was staying at the Lodgepole Campground, which connects to many other places within the park through hiking trails. so I decided to walk from my campsite (up in the upper loop), and then hike the lakes trail. This route made my hike almost 13 miles long with over 3,500 ft total elevation gain!

If you’re interested in doing the same hike, make your way to the Lodgepole Campground shuttle parking area (also known as the parking lot for Topokah Falls). From there, take the Lodgepole to the Sherman Tree hiking trail. It’s a steady uphill the whole way, but it’s a nice easy walk. When you reach the waterfall, take the trail going up to the left. The turn is slightly before the waterfall, and the sign is falling over, so it’s very easy to miss. 

Then, it’s a mile or so to the official lakes trail trailhead. Again, another steady uphill the whole time with plenty of downed trees to go over, under, or around. Hard work but the reward will be worth it!

The Lakes Trail, Sequoia National Park

Once I joined the Lakes Trail, the first two miles or so were fairly easy. Two river crossings, snow patches here and there, and several downed trees, the trail is a creek at one point as well, but nothing major. I then reached the fork where one way goes via the Watchtower Trail (very scenic and moderate), and the other one goes through the Hump trail (steep and not very scenic at all.) The Watchtower Trail was cordoned off, with a sign explaining that the trail was closed due to severe wintry conditions. So off I went on the Hump Trail. 

Hump Trail, Sequoia National Park

Hump Trail started off with switchbacks, mostly snow free. As I kept walking up, more and more snow covered the trail as well as the whole landscape. About three miles from the trailhead, the snow covered the whole visible ground and I decided to put on my Microspikes (buy yours at Amazon | Backcountry | Campsaver | REI).

I encountered a snow bridge on the brink of collapsing. I safely made my way across it and kept on walking up. The snow covered the trail so much that I had to rely on my Garmin Inreach GPSMAP 67i for navigation heavily. You can buy your Garmin Inreach GPSMAP 67i at Amazon | Backcountry | Campsaver | REI.

I finally reached the highest point of the hike where a cute marmot greeted me. From up there, the view of the Topokah Falls valley was breathtaking, and it gave me a decent idea of what taking the scenic Watchtower Trail would be like.

Reaching Heather Lake in Sequoia National Park

The trail was completely covered by several feet of snow and it was impossible to even see where the way down to Heather Lake was. I hiked alone, but a couple also reached the highest point of the hike at the same time as me. I’m glad they were there too, it made me feel safer to complete the final stretch. (Shout out to Doris and Arturo if you ever read this!)

Taking it slowly, we were able to find a path down the sketchy and slushy landscape. The path down was very steep and we had to use hiking poles or an ice axe to ensure the stability of the snow before we could step on it. It was a slow process, but safety always has to come first!

And after 3h27 mins from the trailhead, I made it to Heather Lake. The lake was still partly frozen and made for an idyllic lunch spot.

Other Lakes in the area

From Heather Lake, the trail keeps on going to Emerald Lake and Pear Lake. You can also view Aster Lake from a distance on your way to Emerald Lake. On a regular snow year, the trail is snow-free to Pear Lake, and you can backpack there to sleep by Pear Lake.

However, as of July 2023, the rest of the trail towards Pear Lake had over 7 feet of snow and it was impossible to see where the trail even was without GPS. The next day, I went to the Lodgepole Visitor Center and talked about the hike with a wilderness ranger. He told me that there were 20ft of snow at Heather Lake over the winter!

Making my way back

After a short lunch break by the lake, I made our way back up to the highest point. By then, the snow had become more and more slushy and I was surprised by how quickly our footsteps had disappeared. Which made it difficult to retrace our way back up without GPS navigation. Once again, my Garmin Inreach GPSMAP 67i (Amazon | Backcountry | Campsaver | REI) was extremely useful because it showed me the way I used to come down so that I could easily retrace my steps to get back up. 

Once back up at the highest point, it was just a downhill walk all the way back to my campground. But the snow was slushier and slushier, the river crossings were deeper than they had been in the morning and the snow bridge on the brink of collapse looked even more frail. The Hump Trail is pretty steep, and with the slushy snow, I just sledded down on my butt multiple times to get down the slopes. This made the adventure even more fun. 

After a total of 13 miles in 5 moving hours, I made it back safely to my campsite. This was one of the toughest hikes I’ve ever done given the heavy slushy snow conditions. Although I’m a little disappointed I couldn’t make it all the way to Pear Lake, this adventure was very memorable and I would not hesitate to do it again if the opportunity came up, even in these same wintry conditions. It felt very satisfying to reach Heather Lake given the snowy conditions and I felt more accomplished than I thought I would at the end. 

Final thoughts

As with any other hikes, come prepared for the conditions. I encountered less than 5 people on my way back down that day, but most of them did not know they would encounter snow and did not have any equipment to help them through it. Since they started late, the snow was super slushy and they probably had to turn around before reaching the lake.

Make sure you always carry the ten essentials with you. Another good idea would be to stop by the visitor center at Lodgepole to ask about trail conditions before you head out on your hike. In addition, in snowy conditions, microspikes (Amazon | Backcountry | Campsaver | REI) and hiking poles come in very handy. An ice axe may also be useful. Lastly, a GPS navigation device and SOS system like the Garmin Inreach GPSMAP 67i (Amazon | Backcountry | Campsaver | REI) could make a difference and potentially be lifesaving.

If you’re looking for other hiking ideas, check out these blog posts!

Happy trails and be safe out there!