Backpacking to Cottonwood Lakes has been one of our repeat hikes when we’re not sure where to go to but just want to get outside somewhere! Our dog Barley loves this hike. You can complete it as an out and back to the lakes without going up the passes, complete new army and old army passes as a loop, or combine it with a summit up to Mount Langley, a California 14er!
Trip Overview
Date: July 15 – 16, 2022
Time: 6 hours
Miles: 12.4 miles (to Cottonwood Lake #4), out and back
Elevation Gain to the lakes: 1,284’
Permit: Required for overnight trips in Inyo National Forest and can be obtained at recreation.gov. Entry point is Cottonwood Lakes. There is a quota of 60 people per day from May 1 to November 1 (36 reserved and 24 walk up).
Trailhead: Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead
Parking: Parking lot at trailhead
Dogs: Allowed up to Cottonwood Lakes but dogs cannot enter the Sequoia and Kings Canyon wilderness.
Getting There
The trailhead is located approximately 24 miles southwest of Lone Pine, CA. From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn west onto Whitney Portal Road. Drive 3.5 miles and turn south (left) onto Horseshoe Meadow Road. Travel approximately 20 miles, turn right and follow signs to the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead.
Trip Details
Starting at Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead, the trail is straightforward as you follow the path 3.3 miles until you reach the junction for the New Army Pass Trail. We’ve never taken this route to the New Army Pass Trail, as we always head straight to the lakes and set up our site for camping. In just about 1 mile continuing on the Cottonwood Lakes Trail, you’ll see the lakes come into view.
You can either stop here at the beginning of the lakes and find a campsite, or keep hiking along any of the lakes and find a spot.
while hiking towards Lake Number Four
If you’re doing this hike as a complete loop, continue towards Cottonwood Lakes Numbers Four and Five and up the bowl that leads to the switchbacks over Old Army Pass Trial. At the top of Old Army Pass Trail you enter into Sequoia National Parks, enjoy the views, and continue on to head back down the switchbacks of New Army Pass Trail. New Army Pass Trail will take you past High Lake and Long Lake, and back down to the Cottonwood Lakes. At the top of Old Army Pass you could also continue the route to summit Mount Langley.
On this trip we took it easy and had Barley with us, so we did not do the full loop or summit Mount Langley. This trip we set up camp next to Lake Number Four.
We camped for one night, enjoyed our morning coffee and breakfast, and late morning headed back down the trail.
The lakes are a great place to just hangout, relax, and even try some fishing! The lakes are home to California’s state fish, the Golden Trout! If you do go fishing, there are some rules so make sure to look those up before you go.
Need to Know
- Food, trash, and scented items must be stored in bear-resistant containers.
- Camping is prohibited within 25 feet of the trail and within 100 feet of water.
- Bury human waste 6”-8” deep in soil, at least 100 feet from campsites, trails, and water.
- Campfires are prohibited in the Cottonwood Lakes Basin and above 10,400 ft.
- Pets must be under control at all times and cannot go up the passes into the SEKI wilderness.
- Information on Cottonwood Lakes
- Map of Cottonwood Lakes
Tips for Backpacking to Cottonwood Lakes
- Cottonwood Lakes Walk-In Campground is located right at the trailhead and has 13 sites available to camp at. This is great for getting acclimated before your hike or for sleeping at elevation before a Mount Whitney summit!
When to Backpack to Cottonwood Lakes
June to October. Horseshoe Meadow Road is usually closed from November to late May. We’ve done this hike in May, July, and September.
What to Pack for a Backpacking Trip
- Hydration: We usually start with 2-3 liters of water, each, and pack a water filter and some iodine tablets. If you’re hiking where there’s snowpack, you can melt snow for drinking water. Electrolyte packets are also very useful for hydration on the trail.
- Nutrition: We usually eat a bar or oatmeal and a piece of fruit before starting off on our backpacking trips. For this trip, we started later in the day so we had already eaten lunch. Then for snacks along the way, more bars, jerky, or trail mix. For dinners, we either eat dehydrated foods or even leftovers from a meal we ate on the road trip out to the hike (cold pizza makes a great dinner!).
- Shelter: We use our Marmot Tungsten 2-Person Tent (3 season, 4 lbs, 13 oz).
- Stove: We love our Jetboil to boil water for drinking and to heat up our dehydrated dinners, oatmeals, coffee, etc.
- Navigation: For hikes with more difficult trails to follow, you may want to invest in a GPS tracker. For simpler hikes, we use the GPS system on our phones and a tracker such as Gaia GPS or AllTrails.
- Headlamp: Headlamps and our inflatable solar latern by MPOWERD.
- Sun protection: Sunscreen, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothes!
- First aid: Our first aid kit consists of band-aids, gauze, medical tape, Compede Bandages (love this more than Moleskin for blisters), antibiotic ointment, alcohol wipes, ibuprofen, tweezers, pocket knife.
Leave No Trace
Always remember to practice the principles of Leave No Trace! These 7 principles include:
- Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
Check out the Leave No Trace program for more information.
