Evolution Loop – Mule Supported

$4,945.00

Dates

The Evolution Loop showcases the beloved destinations of John Muir Trail hikers and High Sierra backpackers. It combines the best the Sierra has to offer; Evolution Basin, Dusy Basin, and French Canyon—all frequently named as top favorites by seasoned adventurers. This journey offers a breathtaking experience through towering granite peaks, expansive valleys, sparkling alpine lakes, rushing rivers, and tranquil creeks. It’s a spectacular blend of the Sierra’s most iconic landscapes, making it one of our all-time favorite trips.

We start the 59-mile loop by hiking over Bishop Pass and entering Kings Canyon National Park. Then we drop into Le Conte Canyon and meet up with the John Muir Trail. We climb over Muir Pass to arrive in the Evolution Basin. We pass by Wanda Lake, Sapphire Lake, and Evolution Lake. From the Evolution Basin, we follow the San Joaquin River into the Evolution Valley. On day 5 we leave the JMT and head up Piute Canyon to Hutchinson Meadow. Finally, we climb over Pine Creek Pass before descending to the Pine Creek trailhead.

You will carry only a light daypack with water, clothing, lunch, sunscreen, etc. Your day pack ideally weighs less than 15 pounds. and the mules will carry the rest!

Inclusions

Price includes shuttle, guiding, pack stock support, permits, group gear, tents, kitchen gear, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We provide delicious healthy meals – our guides are great backcountry chefs! No pre-packaged dehydrated meals, we promise!

Prerequisites

You should be able to hike, with a day pack, up to fourteen miles a day with 3,000 feet or more in elevation gain and/or loss. While we use mules to carry the loads, the distances to be covered each day are significant. 

Acclimatization & Physical Training

For proper acclimatization, we suggest spending at least one night at a moderate altitude, higher than 8,000 feet, just prior to the start of the journey. See our detailed tips on acclimatizing and physical training in the “Resources” tab.

Shuttle

We will leave our vehicles in Bishop for the duration of the trip. We will shuttle you to the trailhead to start the trip. We will pick you up at the end and bring you back to your vehicles.

Day 1 – South Lake to Dusy Basin

9.4 miles, 2,360’ gain, 1,400’ loss

The Bishop Pass trail is a superb way to enter the backcountry, starting in dense forest, and passing along a chain of beautiful lakes to the base of the pass. The route starts with a series of junctions that require some attention to stay on the correct path. The trail climbs steadily to the Treasure Lake junction, gaining 420’ in 0.8 miles. Turn left at the junction to ascend another 200’ in 0.6 miles to the Marie Louise Lakes junction. Follow the trail to the right gaining 280’ in 0.5 miles to the Chocolate Lakes junction. Keep right as the trail soon follows the east shoreline of Long Lake to the Ruwau Lake junction, 0.9 miles. Continue straight toward 11,972’ Bishop Pass. The trees begin to thin as the path passes four more lakes, gaining another 620’ in 1.6 miles. The final ascent of the pass begins at mile 4.6, climbing another 720’ in 1.5 miles. A stop at the top is rewarded with views down the lake basin and into magnificent Dusy Basin. The trail descends steadily past lakes, rocky slope, and alpine meadows surrounded by a wall of 14,000’ peaks. Camp is to the left of the trail, 1/5 mile before Lake 10742. Drop down a short grassy slope to cross a shallow creek and then climb over a low knoll to a bench above the string of unnamed lakes feeding Lake 10742. The cook and gear will stay with the guests and the packers will take the stock down to Dusy Creek to graze.

There is reliable water from lakes and stream crossings on the north side of Bishop Pass. There are lakes off-trail on the south side of Bishop Pass.

Day 2 – Dusy Basin to Big Pete Meadow

5.6 miles, 540’ gain, 2,070’ loss

This is a day of amazing views. The wall of peaks surrounding the campsite will soon be replaced by extraordinary views of Le Conte Canyon. Return to the trail and follow it left past Lake 10742 and the green meadows of the outlet stream. The relatively flat trail reaches the lip of the canyon after 0.7 miles and then begins a steady drop to the canyon floor. The route first follows the flower-covered north side of cascading Dusy Branch before crossing the creek on a bridge at mile 1.4, 600’ below the lip. The trail drops another 1,450’ over the next 2.5 miles as it switchbacks through open forest to the junction of the John Muir/Pacific Crest Trail. There are a number of stream crossings that can usually be easily crossed on rocks. Go to the right at the junction to follow the Middle Fork of the Kings River past Little Pete Meadow to a stock gate, 1.4 miles and 450’ gain from the junction. Continue up the trail another 0.3 miles and then follow a faint side trail to the left over a low ridge to our secluded camp near the edge of the river.

This is a comfortable camp that is often used for a layover day. Please see the Side Trips section for a description of the trip to Grouse Meadow.

There are several creek crossings on the way down the canyon wall with reliable water.

Day 3 – Big Pete Meadow to Evolution Lake

12.7 miles, 3,040’ gain, 1,420’ loss

The trail follows the Kings River past meadows and cascades, leaving the trees after ascending 1,650’ in 3.4 miles. The barren, daunting landscape ahead can only be described as majestic, with the Black Divide to the west and the Goddard Divide to the north. The path climbs another 1,200’ in 2.8 miles to Muir Pass, going by several lakes, including large Helen Lake. The top of 11,955’ Muir Pass has the only structure on the John Muir Trail between Tuolumne Meadow and Mount Whitney, a small stone hut. The views from the pass are simply tremendous. The trail drops down 1,300’ over 6.5 miles into Evolution Basin with glacial cut walls and shelves of tarns and lakes. There is a small surprise along the edge of Evolution Lake where the trail climbs 100’ up a knob before dropping back to the lake shore. Camp is near the outlet of Evolution Lake, enjoying the view up-canyon as the afternoon light turns the rocky peaks golden.

Day 4 – Rest Day at Evolution Lake

Day 5 – Evolution Lake to Goddard Canyon Junction

8.9 miles, 130’ gain, 2,510’ loss

This is as close as one can get to an easy day traveling through the Sierras. We will leave our perch on the edge of Evolution Basin, to drop 900’ in 1.4 miles to a series of meadows, first Colby, then McClure, and finally Evolution Meadow. The meadows and trees seem greener in comparison to the rocky, barren landscape of Muir Pass. The meadows eventually end and the trail crosses Evolution Creek at mile 7.1, requiring wading during normal water years. The route passes a series of cascades before swinging away to switchback down 750’ in 1.7 miles to cross the South Fork of the San Joaquin River on a bridge. Leave the trail just past the bridge, going straight as the trail swings right. Camp is about 100 yards west of the bridge.

This comfortable camp is a great place for a layover day to fish the river or walk up to the beautiful meadows and waterfalls of Goddard Canyon. See the Goddard Canyon side trip description.

Water is readily available along much of the trail with stream crossings or a side trip to Evolution Creek.

Day 6 – Goddard Canyon Junction to Royce Creek Falls

11.6 miles, 2,710’ gain, 930’ loss

The trail follows the river through forest, crossing the river on a bridge at mile 0.8, and follows the energetic San Joaquin River another 2.6 miles, moving in and out of forest, to a bridged crossing of Piute Creek as the John Muir Trail leaves Kings Canyon Nation Park and enters the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest. Turn right after crossing the bridge to follow the cascading Piute Creek. The trail climbs steadily along the creek through a mix of open forest and sunny slopes, to Hutchison Mead and the French Canyon Trail junction, gaining 1,700’ over 5.3 miles. The route goes to the left to follow the French Canyon Trail toward Pine Creek Pass, gaining 850’ over 2.9 miles to our camp beneath the falls of the Royce Lakes outlet creek.

High-country lovers consider French Canyon one of the jewels of the Sierra. Possible day hikes from camp are described in the French Canyon Camp Side Trips section.

There is reliable water throughout the day.

Day 7 – Rest Day at Royce Creek Falls

Day 8 – Royce Creek Falls to Pine Creek Pass Trailhead

10.5 miles, 950’ gain, 3,780’ loss

The path follows the creek to climb 850’ in 3.7 miles through forest and alpine meadows to 11,135’ Pine Creek Pass. Dropping down from the pass, the trail continues down 700’ through alpine meadows into the forest passing the junction to Honeymoon Lake and Italy Pass in 1.8 miles to reach the shores of Upper and Lower Pine Lakes at mile 5.7. Resupply with water at the lakes before dropping 2,600’ in 4.8 miles to the Pine Creek Pass Trailhead.

The pack station will arrive at the trailhead by 2:00 to transport you and your gear back to the pack station.

Links

Rental Equipment

We have rental equipment available at checkout.

Reviews

Betsy, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“I can’t say enough great things about the Sierra Mountain Center’s 7-day Pack Supported Women’s Whitney Trip. Our guides and packers were professional and on top of every detail. The guides especially were knowledgeable, experienced and fun to be around. They made all 10 of us feel supported on our quest for Mt. Whitney. The food was nutritious and delicious and our campsites were private and spacious. All in all, a wonderful way to experience the Sierra!”

Karen, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“This is a top notch outfitter. For a week-long, mule-supported trip for 9 women that included summiting Mt. Whitney, our guides were excellent: knowledgeable, experienced, patient, kind, excellent cooks, skilled communicators and planners. As for Sierra Mountain Center, they represented the trip accurately, gave detailed advice on what to bring and how to prepare for the trip, designed a comfortable itinerary that we all could complete, provided excellent tents. The mule support was executed seamlessly, as we always had our gear, transported carefully and delivered in fine form when we arrived at our next camp. I highly recommend this outfitter/guiding service.”

Jennifer, Mammoth to Yosemite Mule Supported

“I had the most amazing experience with Sierra Mountain Center on a mule supported section hike on the John Muir Trail from Red’s Meadow to Yosemite Valley in July 2022. Everything about this trip was fantastic! Emma was wonderful helping set up the trip and answer all of my questions beforehand. Our guide, Larry, was simply the best! He is extremely knowledgeable about backpacking and the surrounding area, and his enthusiasm is contagious. He was as excited as we were to be on the trip, and he was great at anticipating when we might need a break and motivating us to push through the hills. This was my first backpacking trip, so I really appreciated his guidance and encouragement, not to mention his great cooking skills in the back country! I loved that this trip was supported by mules, and our cowboy, Tom, was fantastic as well. The mules helped carry the bulk of our gear, so we only carried a daypack of belongings and snacks, allowing us to fully appreciate the long hikes. The camp spots were beautiful and this section of the JMT is incredible, and I am now looking forward to joining other SMC trips in the future.”

Beth, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“Best ever trip in the Sierra! I would highly recommend the Women’s Whitney trip with Sierrs Mountain Center. Everything was ideal. The guides (Heather and Madeline) were the very best–so knowledgeable and supportive of our goals.
Thanks so much!!”

Jessica, Mule Supported Mt. Whitney

“BIG GIANT THANKS to Tyler & Dave for guiding us on an EPIC 7-day adventure through the Sierras and helping us all summit Mount Whitney 🙂 What an incredible playground full of ancient trees, luscious valleys, streams and natures best COLD plunge lakes! It literally was something I dreamed of for the past 20 years and sharing this journey with my teenage boys was a memory I will never forget. You truly spoiled us with all your backpacking & cheffing skills 🙂 Thank you for sharing your passion, wisdom, humor and patience. WE all learned so much and can’t wait for the next one!”

Related Trips

Length

8 Days

Technical Difficulty

Moderate on-trail hiking

Distance

59 Miles

Mike Mourar

Mike is originally from Pennsylvania where he learned to ski on the icy mountains of the Northeast. He moved to Northern California soon after high school and received degrees in Outdoor Adventure Education from Feather River College and later Southern Oregon university. He has worked in outdoor education for over 15 years, leading wilderness education expeditions all across the world and the American west. Mike currently ski guides and teaches avalanche education courses in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He loves to ski steep narrow couloirs on warm sunny days in the Sierras! When not guiding on skis, Mike can be found kayaking the rivers in the Pacific Northwest. 

Heather Shaw

Heather grew up in the Bay Area and has many fond memories of backpacking and camping in the Sierra as a kid. She moved up to Oregon to attend Lewis & Clark College and obtained a degree in Environmental Studies focusing on education and food systems. While living up in Oregon Heather fell in love with the Cascades and began guiding her peers on backpacking trips, cross-country skiing and even local mushroom foregoing. Following her passion for guiding and the outdoors she spent the summers guiding children on backpacking trips and adults in sea kayaking. Heather enjoyed living in the Portland area, skiing on Mount Hood and doing lots of cycling but eventually she decided it was time to come back to sunny California. For the past couple of years she has been spending summers and fall in California guiding students in backpacking, river trips and day hikes. She is excited about guiding backpacking trips in the Eastern Sierra this summer. Heather is a Wilderness First Responder and Leave No Trace Trainer.

Robert "SP" Parker

Robert “SP” Parker, hails from the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand. His journey into the realm of mountaineering began during his days at the University of Auckland, where he delved into the world of climbing alongside the university tramping club (akin to “backpacking” for our American counterparts).

He relocated to Yosemite Valley in 1979. He traveled the US climbing in all the great places: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Colorado, Joshua Tree, Devils Tower, Canada. In 1996, he joined forces with Todd Vogel to found Sierra Mountain Center. SP has over 40 years of full-time professional mountain guiding experience. He has earned IFMGA certification in Rock, Ski, and Alpine disciplines and has served as a past director of the AMGA.

As the torch of ownership at SMC passes into the capable hands of Emma, his passion for guiding in the breathtaking Sierra region continues to burn bright, and he eagerly supports Emma in her new role.

Larry Gumina

Larry is a native of the New Jersey shore. Raised as an ocean lover, Larry spent his early days surfing and being in the water as much as he could. Through an active involvement in scouting, as well as an adventurous friend group, Larry found a passion for the mountains. Naturally, this passion had him trade his surfboard for a snowboard, and he went west! Larry graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Environmental Studies as well as Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation. In Colorado, he fell more in love with the mountains. After graduating, Larry moved to Alaska to explore the wilderness of the last frontier through backpack and canoe guiding. When COVID struck and found Larry abroad in Central America, he came back to the states hoping to get back to Alaska, but discovered the Sierra along the way. And the high peaks and the fairer climate of California was as far as he made it. Larry now resides here in Bishop, where he spends his time exploring the mountains via roped climbing, splitboarding, and hiking. When not guiding, Larry enjoys traveling and climbing the high, glaciated peaks of Central and South America. Larry’s favorite trip to lead in the Sierra is the Bishop to Mammoth backpack as the variety of the terrain offers tremendous opportunities for natural and human history studies! Larry holds a certification as a Wilderness First Responder, a Leave No Trace Trainer, and a AIARE Level I.

Tyler Logan

Tyler grew up hiking in the Sierra Nevada before being introduced to rock climbing as a teenager. Since that time, he has climbed extensively in this same mountain range, including Yosemite (he has climbed El Capitan multiple times) as well as various other crags and mountain ranges throughout the West. Much of this climbing happened during spring, summer and winter breaks while working as a high school English teacher in southern California. After more than ten years in the classroom, Tyler made a career change and began guiding in 2016. He loves being able to make use of his teaching background while working outdoors and helping people achieve their goals. While climbing is his first passion, Tyler also enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, running, cycling, and a bit of fly fishing now and then. He lives in Bishop with his wife, Mona.

Louie Allen

Louie began guiding with Sierra Mountain Center in 2015 after falling in love with the people and places of Bishop, CA, and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  He grew up climbing and backpacking in the southeastern US and moved West to pursue bigger mountainous terrain.  He is a passionate and dedicated climber in all of its forms and has backpacked extensively across the Sierra.  It is a joy for him to share his favorite peaks and trails with visitors.  Louie is an equal-opportunity cookie lover and die-hard Cincinnati Bengals football fan.  He travels to the eastern US often in order to pursue world-class rock and ice climbs, but always finds his way back to the Sierra.

Louie is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and is pursuing Alpine Guide certification.  He holds an MS in Recreation and Sport Sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Sport Coaching.  He works as a guide, strength trainer, and climbing coach to help developing climbers and hikers achieve meaningful goals in the mountains.

Anouk Erni

Anouk grew up on the glaciers and peaks of Switzerland where her family is from and currently resides. Anouk has had an appreciation for the elevated outdoors from an early age. She has lived in Europe, America’s east coast, and finally, she came to the west coast in her teens, and never left. Even though she calls the Eastern Sierra her home, she began her guiding career in the Pacific Northwest, where she worked on glaciated peaks such as Mt Rainier and Mt Baker, and rock guided during the summers. However, having learned to rock climb in California and frequenting the Eastern Sierra during her years living in Los Angeles, she ultimately returned to California eight years ago and has been guiding here year round. In the summers, Anouk guides rock and alpine trips, and during the winter seasons, she ski guides and teaches avalanche courses. She sees her guide work as a way to increase and infuse passion and knowledge into the outdoor community – her way of giving back after having been fortunate enough to receive solid mentorship during her initial years climbing in California.

 

Anouk is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, Apprentice Ski Guide, and Apprentice Alpine Guide, as well as an AIARE avalanche course leader and AAI course leader.

Dave Stimson

Dave is originally from Alberta, Canada, but has traded in his Canadian passport for his American one, lured by clean Sierra granite and perfect California weather. He graduated from Mount Royal University in 2007 with an undergrad in Ecotourism & Outdoor Leadership and has been working ever since as a ski patroller and avalanche forecaster in Canada during the winters. Dave has been climbing since 2003 and has climbed in Squamish, the Canadian Rockies, The Bugaboos, the Tetons, Red Rock, Indian Creek and Peru, to name a few destinations. His first time climbing in California was in 2103 in Yosemite Valley and was instantly in love. He has been with the SMC team since 2015 and is excited to continue climbing and guiding in the Range of Light. 

Dave holds a Wilderness First Responder certification, and a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2. He began the AMGA program in 2014 and has become a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide.

Emma Gasman

Emma joined the Sierra Mountain Center team in early 2021 as the Program Director. Fast forward almost three years, and she has now taken the reins, becoming the proud owner of the company previously helmed by the legendary Robert “SP” Parker. Emma is passionate about making the marvels of the mountains accessible to individuals of all skill levels. Emma grew up backpacking and skiing in the western Sierra Nevada, where her personal connection to these majestic landscapes began. While attending college in Oregon she discovered rock climbing and skiing touring, which ultimately led her to the Eastern Sierra. Emma is ready to carry forward the rich legacy established by SP back in the 1990s, eager to nurture and expand upon the successes of the company.

Barb Bemis

Barb began working for SMC in the summer of 2016 as a backpacking and climbing guide. After 4 summers, she began working as an adaptive sports instructor and program coordinator with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra in Mammoth Lakes. Fast forward to 2024 and Barb is back in the office at SMC. She enjoys organizing all the trip details and other behind-the-scenes tasks to help guests get outside and enjoy the Eastern Sierra. She has always been involved in the outdoors in a variety of ways: hiking, climbing, mountain biking, running, and more. Moving to the Eastern Sierra was a great choice!