Rae Lakes

Went on a week long hiking trip here and it was epic! Absolutely beautiful scenery! Make sure you do your homework if planning for this loop or hire a guide. Highly recommended!

Once in a lifetime trip hard 4 day hike fun experience caught plenty trout at Ray lakes at least 50 fish, did the loop. I want to go again so bad looking forward to doing the loop again I loved Charlotte's meadow beautiful area seen bears, and deer less than 10 feet of me. Crazy experience 😜 want to go so bad!!!!!!!! So much nice hikers, get passes now!! I am in love with this hike now. Pack extra food during this trip, you people will love it 😀 worth every second, recommend 👌 experience.

A spectacular basin with three great lakes. This alpine area is the highlight of the Rae Lakes Loop, the most popular backcountry hike in Kings Canyon National Park. The scenery around this area is absolutely stunning. One of the most memorable landmarks is Fin Dome which dominates the view towards the west. Diamond Peak and Black Mountain are to the east. There is a ranger station near the middle lake that is usually manned during the summer months. Getting to this remarkable area comes at a price though. The hike from Road's End via Woods Creek (clockwise) or Bubbs Creek and Glen Pass (counterclockwise) is very strenuous and not for beginners.

While hiking the PCT which passes right through here, I was so blown away by the pure beauty of this area that I felt compelled to stop and enjoy the moment so I ended my hike for the day and setup my camp and took it all in. The only way to witness this beauty for yourself is by earning it with a long challenging yet very rewarding hike in. If you’re hiking in from the south then Kearsarge pass is the closest trailhead to start from. For those of you with less experience in snow and mountains, timing and gear maybe critical for you when planning this hike especially if you don’t wait for the snowpack to melt first. I will warn if Glen pass is still snow covered it will be a real wake up call for some about how dangerous this hike can be if you’re not properly prepared or skilled for it. Aside from the snow, the other challenging aspect of this hike is it’s mostly all up hill so again if you’re not accustomed to the mountains and the higher elevation you might find yourself becoming short of breath and fatigued easier. I’m not trying to talk this up like it’s Mt. Everest and I don’t want to intimidate anyone out of the experience but this is one of those hikes that can be easily underestimated by people less familiar with the area. Overall I would rate this hike as moderate in difficultly or if this helps 6 out of 10, 10 being the hardest for your average person.

Absolutely insane scenery.

Spent 6 days backpacking on our First wedding anniversary!! It was an amazing trip!

Picturesque lakes I the middle of Ansel Adam's wilderness.

One of my favorite spots ever.