Fred ventured about in the GTW recently and wanted to get to Coyote Lakes. Here is what he had to report.
Hiked to Coyote Lakes from Lewis Camp. We left Lewis trailhead by 2PM on Thursday and spent the night at Lion Meadows. The trail is easy to follow even though we lost it a little bit after Burnt Corral Meadow. We then hiked up Lion Trail to Grasshopper creek and Coyote Lakes. The trail has not been maintained in years and good navigation skills and GPS/compass are very very useful. Coyote Lakes are free of ice and snow. We hiked Coyote Peak from the Lake and hiked down to the Kern River Ranger Station following the coyote creek trail. We spent one last night on Grasshopper flat before heading back to Lewis trailhead.
Overall the trails are in good conditions, you just have to jump over/go around fallen trees from time to time. All the creeks are flowing and you won’t run out of water on this trip! The only critical section is between Lion Meadow and Coyote Lakes where you can easily get lost…
Here is the GPS files -> https://caltopo.com/m/4GDG
Thanks Fred for the update and sharing your trail report with everyone!