09 Nov 2025 - Trip Report: Piute Pass Late Fall Hike

With a bad weather forecast looming later in the week, one of our owners figured that this would be a great last chance to ascend to Piute Pass before snowfall. The weather was great and fairly warm, so off she went and this is what she found!

Trip Report: 

Current As Of: 09 November 2025*

Activity During Report: On-trail hiking

Trail: North Lake Trailhead to Piute Pass, 10.4 mile round-trip, 2,200 feet elevation gain

Gear used: La Sportiva Akyra hiking shoes, day pack, LEKI Khumbu Lite trekking/hiking poles, Patagonia Houdini windbreaker

Trip Information:

The first challenge of the day was the drive. The gravel road from State Route 168 to North Lake has a few potholes, but the real challenge was dodging cars that were parked in spots where you're not allowed to park. 

(Pro Tip #1 -> Drive past North Lake and, just past the end of it, turn right at the inlet, you'll find two huge parking lots by the pack station. There's absolutely no reason to park along the road and be a nuisance to others.)

(Pro Tip #2 -> The Forest Service has locked both bathrooms for the season so you're on your own in the woods until spring. Bring a shovel and carry your toilet paper back to a trash can in civilization.)

After a quick jog through the closed campground, the trail begins. Judging by the amount of fishing poles being held in various water bodies around North Lake, there was still great fall fishing. 

The trail meanders its way through the forest on the initial ascent. All aspens and willows have already lost their leaves, so you actually get a lot more sunlight during this part of the hike than in summer.

I quickly found consistent mud along the trail of varying depths and "annoying-ness". The trail certainly wasn't dry anymore and won't be for quite a few months, but a Californian will (almost) never complain about nature getting some much-needed water.

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Mud and running water on the trail

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Both creek crossings were in great shape. In fact, the lower creek crossing was low enough to allow for rock-hopping across the ford instead of taking the log bridge.

After the forest, the trail switchbacks up below Mount Emerson's waterfall route, then turns left and passes underneath a cliff. Here is where the first icy snow patch waited in the shade. Thanks to wearing La Sportiva Akyra hiking shoes, instead of trail runners, it was very easy to get around it by hopping onto rocks that protruded out of the snow. 

After that, there is Loch Leven which is the first lake and provides the first view of Piute Pass itself. Conditions looked fantastic, so I kept going.

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Loch Leven and Piute Pass

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At this point, the trail is getting a lot more mellow. Unlike other trails, this one has the steep section near the start, not right below the pass. Soon after Loch Leven, the trail passes by a couple of small tarns and leaves the water at Piute Lake, from where it goes up the south-facing mountainside towards Piute Pass.

Unfortunately, none of the lakes showed significant development of an ice layer. Loch Leven had a paper thin ice sheet, and Piute Lake had a small ice sheet near the outlet, but otherwise had open water. Ice skaters will have to be very patient this year.

We encountered a few more icy spots on the trail, but all of them were small and easy to bypass.

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A bit of ice

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In terms of layering, I only wore just a sun hoodie - it was very warm for a November day at over 11,000 feet elevation.

On top of Piute Pass, there was a chilly breeze, but that was quickly cut out by donning a Houdini windbreaker. 

After a quick snack break and some photos later, I turned around and re-traced my steps back to North Lake. 

Some backpackers who crossed Piute Pass from the west side reported similar snow-free conditions, but very cold nights. 

A great end to a long high alpine season this year as there is significant precipitation in the forecast next week! Now time for a few months of snow sports and the desert/Death Valley.

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On top of Piute Pass, looking west

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On top of Piute Pass, looking east (where we came from)

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Staying warm in the chilly breeze with Mount Emerson in the background

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