I haven’t been able to find comprehensive wildflower hiking lists for the Sierra Nevada on the web so what I have done is to create my own. What I have done is taken my favorite Sierra Nevada hiking books; both wildflower and general hiking and put together my own list. Hikes range from mountain strolls of less than one mile to shore backpacks. I start in the south and work my way up north. For books covering a large area, I break the hikes down by region. If you are going out, buy the books for directions, get a good map and be ready for serious mountain hiking. I cover the Southern Sierra, Yosemite, Tahoe Region and Lakes Basin in this posting.
Best Short Hikes in California’s Southern Sierra by Karen & Terry Whitehill is an excellent hiking guide and my personal favorite for this area. Some of the better wildflower hikes they list include:
Huntington Lake area off Hwy. 168:
- Dinkey Lakes
- Twin Lakes
Sequoia National Park:
- Heather Lake
- Crescent Meadow
- White Chief Canyon
Mt. Whitney Ranger District
- Cottonwood Lakes
- Robinson Lake
- Kearsarge Pass
- Tyee Lakes
- Green Lake
- Bishop Pass
- Dorothy Lake
- Chickenfoot Lake
- McGee Creek
- Fern Lake
Mammoth and Mon Lake Range Districts
- Emerald Lake and Sky Meadows
- Glass Creek Meadow
- Parker Lake
Also check out the Natural History Wanderings posting for Eastern Sierra Nevada and White Mountain posted on May 26, 2010
Hiking Yosemite National Park (Falcon guide) by Suzanne Swedo
For wildflower trails at Yosemite she recommends:
Yosemite ValleyEast Valley Floor
- West Valley Floor
CLICK ON MORE TO CONTINUE AND SEE THE REST OF THE HIKES
South Rim of Yosemite Valley
- McGurk Meadow
High Sierra Camps
- Merced Lake High Sierra Camp
Southern Park
- Wawona Meadow
- Ostrander Lake
South of Tuolumne Meadows
- Cathedral Lakes
- Elisabeth Lake
- Lyell Fork
- Lyell Fork to Donohue Pass
North of Tuolumne Meadows
- Harden Lake
- Lukens Lake
- Soda Springs and Parsons Lodge
Hetch Hetchy
- Wapama Falls
- Rancheria Falls
- Lake Vernon
- Jack Main Canyon
North Boundary Country
- Lundy Canyon
Yosemite National Park website: Wildflower Walks
http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/wildflower-walks.htm
Also check out the Natural History Wanderings posting for Yosemite: https://sandysteinman.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/spring-in-yosemite-wildflowers-and-waterfalls/?preview=true&preview_id=1558&preview_nonce=42398e4631
For the Tahoe Region I did find a wildflower hike list from the “Tahoe Vacation Guide”: http://www.tahoevacationguide.com/Activities/hiking.html#wildflower
South Shore
- Big Meadow
- Frog and Winnemucca Lakes
East Shore
- Marlette Lake
West Shore
- Cascade Falls to Snow Lake
- Eagle, Velma and Fontanillis Lakes
North Shore
- Donner Lake Area
- Donner Pass-Pacific Crest Trail
- Mt. Rose
- Squaw Valley
I would also recommend the entire book Lingering in Tahoe’s Wild Gardens by Julie Stauffer Carville.
Also check out the Natural History Wanderings posting for Carson Pass posted on May 30, 2010
For good recommendations for the Lakes Basin look at Toni Farver’s Wildflower Walking in the Lakes Basin of the Northern Sierra. Hikes she recommends are:
- Long Lake
- Bear Lake trailhead to Long Lake, Silver Lake, Round Lake and Helgramite Lakes
- Grass Lake to Long Lake
- Gray Eagle Lodge to Grass Lake
- Round Lake trail from Gold Lake Lodge to Round Lake, The Pacific Crest Trail, Helgramite Lakes and Silver Lakes
- Frazier Falls Trail
- Upper Salmon Lake to Horse Lake, Deer Lake and Packer Lake
- Sierra Buttes Lookout Trail
Also check out the Natural History Wanderings posting for Lakes Basin posted on May 23, 2010
Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section
[…] Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hikes […]
LikeLike
By: Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hotspots | Natural History Wanderings on May 22, 2019
at 5:01 AM
[…] Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hikes https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/06/05/best-sierra-nevada-wildflower-hikes/ […]
LikeLike
By: Where to See Summer Wildflowers in California | Natural History Wanderings on June 5, 2018
at 5:51 AM
[…] Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hikes https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/06/05/best-sierra-nevada-wildflower-hikes/ […]
LikeLike
By: Where To Go to See Eastern Sierra Wildflowers | Natural History Wanderings on June 15, 2017
at 5:01 AM
[…] Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hikes https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/06/05/best-sierra-nevada-wildflower-hikes/ […]
LikeLike
By: California Summer Wildflower Hotspots | Natural History Wanderings on June 8, 2016
at 5:01 AM
[…] Best Sierra Nevada Wildflower Hikes https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/06/05/best-sierra-nevada-wildflower-hikes/ […]
LikeLike
By: California Summer Wildflower Hotspots « Natural History Wanderings on June 6, 2012
at 6:27 AM
Hi,
Are you checking on the condition of wildflowers this season (Summer 2011)? I’m planning a trip to the Eastern Sierra at South Lake (near Bishop Pass) and wonder when peak wildflowers will be, given all the rain and late snow we are having. Thanks!
LikeLike
By: Maureen Dixon on May 18, 2011
at 7:08 AM
My personal guess is that it will be on the late side (but no one is very good at really predicting wildflower blooms). Below are several links that I would suggest you look at. The last link includes the phone number of the botanist at the Eastern Sierra BLM office. I would suggest calling them as I have found that helpful in the past.
Eastern Sierra/Bishop BLM
https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/2010/05/26/best-of-two-worlds-eastern-sierra-nevada-and-white-mountain-hikes-drives-and-wildflowers/
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/pdfs/bishop_pdfs/botany.Par.72cc9998.File.dat/wildflwhikes.pdf
LikeLike
By: Sandy Steinman on May 18, 2011
at 7:16 AM
I love the Lakes Basin area. Found tha this year, although the snow was still a bit of a problem in July. http://wildflowers.russellramblings.com/2010/07/lakes-basin-wildflower-hike/
In the Carson Pass area, just across the highway is the Meiss Lake trail. It blooms earlier than Carons Pass/ Winnemucca Lake by about a week. I took that hike in early July this year: http://wildflowers.russellramblings.com/2010/08/meiss-lake-wildflower-hike/
LikeLike
By: Charlie Russell on December 3, 2010
at 9:10 PM
Thanks for your comments and reading Natural History Wanderings. The Lakes Basin and Carson Pass are two of my personal favorites. I also find the Meiss Lake side of Carson Pass blooms about a week or so earlier than the Winnemucca Lake side.
Sandy
LikeLike
By: Sandy Steinman on December 3, 2010
at 11:41 PM