Trip Date: August 7-8, 2021
Thousand Island Lake via Rush Creek Trail Overview
Trail: Rush Creek Trail Distance: 18 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 3,881 ft. Location: Eastern Sierra, CA Permits: Wilderness permits are required for overnight backpacking and can be reserved up to six months in advance at recreation.gov
The Story
Thousand Island Lake is an alpine lake in the Eastern Sierra Mountains. It’s known for the many little islands that make up Thousand Island Lake. Are there one thousand islands? I’ve hiked to this lake just about as many times as I can count on one hand, and yes- I believe there are- maybe more!
I will never forget my first backpacking trip to Thousand Island Lake. It was the first time I ever met up with a stranger from the internet. That trip was a different route, not to be confused with Rush Creek Trail.
It is August 2021, and I am training to backpack the John Muir Trail. My friend Amber (@amberrfay) invited me on this quick overnight trip to Thousand Island Lake and I was excited to head back via Rush Creek Trail. Not having done much research, I was in for a treat!
Day 1: Rush Creek Trail to Thousand Island Lake, 9 miles 3,881 ft. gain
After a quick stop at my favorite sandwich shop in Bishop (Maghony Smoked Meats), I met Amber at the Rush Creek trailhead. It was a little after 11:30 AM, a little late to start a 9-mile hike with 3k feet of elevation gain. I’ve hiked to Gem Lake before, so I knew about the climb. I didn’t take into consideration the 26 lbs. I was now carrying in my pack on my back. It was a bit of a struggle having to knock out a big climb at the beginning of our hike. Views of June and surrounding lakes made up for it.
Looking back at the photos, I was very bloated. I think I had started my period that weekend, so my energy levels were low. With Agnew Lake in sight, I knew we were reaching the end of our biggest climb. We stopped somewhere along the trail right after Agnew Lake for lunch. I enjoyed my sandwich and extra pickles. Lunchtime on the trail is my favorite time of the day.
The hike past Agnew and Gem Lakes was new territory for me. I remember slowing down to soak in the views as we made our way closer to Thousand Island Lake. Wildflowers lined our trail as the sun was starting to set and we both caught ourselves taking selfies and way too many photos! I knew we were getting closer as the views of Banner Peak were in sight and what a sight it was. As much as we wanted to catch the sunset from camp, we could not make it in time. We arrived a little after sunset, set up camp, and, had a quick dinner. Entirely too tired for much else, I called it an early night and went to sleep.
It wasn’t until having to pee in the middle of the night did I realize the number of stars that filled the sky. Getting back to my tent, pulling out my camera, and setting up the tripod, I found a nice spot away from camp with epic views of the night sky and our campsite. After running around like a child with my camera in hand, I returned to my tent and fell asleep.
Day 2: Thousand Island Lake to Rush Creek Trailhead, 9 miles
We slept in a little that morning, knowing we had a long day ahead. Thankfully, it would be mostly downhill and should cut our hiking time nearly in half. I was up for sunrise. I remember it getting hot pretty early that morning. Sunrise was absolutely amazing. There’s something so special about total calmness early in the morning. The lake reflections are my favorite. After a slow morning at camp, we were packed up and ready to hit the trail by 9:55 AM. It was a long 9 miles back to the trailhead.
The hike to Thousand Island Lake via Rush Creek Trail is generally considered a challenging route. Know your limits and what you are getting yourself into.
