McGee Creek Canyon
Crowley Lake, US-395 · near Crowley Lake · Eastern Sierra
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,000 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- June–October · Aspen fall color late Sept–mid Oct is a marquee draw (extend to Steelhead Lake for a big day)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- None for day hikes; overnight into John Muir Wilderness = Inyo NF permit. Paved-then-graded McGee Creek Rd to the pack station.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Broad glacial canyon · Extensive aspen groves · Colorful red/white metamorphic peaks · Steelhead Lake extension
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Peak gold is usually the first two weeks of October; the lower canyon colors earliest. Turn around at the aspens for the foliage, or push to Steelhead Lake for a serious high day. The trail is exposed — start early.
The guide
McGee Creek carves a broad, gentle-graded canyon walled by striking red-and-white metamorphic peaks, and its aspen groves rival…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to McGee Creek Canyon — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.5545, -118.7965