Jennie and Weaver Lakes Loop

Overview: This trip does a loop through the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, visiting two subalpine lakes suitable for fishing at the height of summer. It can be done as a long overnighter but is better as a 2.5 day trip, spending the night at each lake. The recommended route is to go to Jennie Lake first and then to Weaver to reduce the amount of climbing.

Start at the Fox Meadow trailhead, which is reachable via a tolerable-for-passenger-cars dirt road. If you would prefer pavement, the Big Meadows trailhead adds about a mile and 400 feet of climbing on either end. At a creekside junction with the Weaver Lake Trail, stay on your side of the creek and head up towards Jennie Lake rather than going towards Weaver Lake. Work through the forest around Shell Mountain, breaking out to
views of the Kaweah Divide to the south. Do the gentle climb over Poop Out Pass, and then drop and climb again (more strenuously this time) to subalpine and popular Jennie Lake. Campsites are located on the north and west sides of the lake.

From Jennie Lake, head east on the trail, climbing towards the ridgeline and JO Pass. Enjoy the ridgeline views until you reach the pass, where you get a nice view of Mount Silliman and Sequoia National Park. From JO Pass, head north and down, making sure to follow the route towards Weaver Lake rather than Rowell Meadow.

Reach the badly-signed intersection with the Weaver Lake-Rowell Meadow trail and head west (left), soon turning south and dropping precipitously into Boulder Creek Canyon - enjoy the views of the Kaweah Divide where Jennie Lake is hiding from your view. There are a few crossings of forks of Boulder Creek before you climb and ascend the north side of Shell Mountain, regaining much of the altitude you lost from Jennie Lake.

Reach the Weaver Lake junction and head south 0.2 mile to the lake. While smaller than Jennie, it is just as pretty. From Weaver Lake, head back to the trail junction and continue the way you had been heading, eventually crossing a creek and reaching a junction with the Jennie Lake trail. Head back down to the Fox Meadow trailhead.

Tips: The best trailhead for this hike is the Fox Meadow trailhead (Forest Service Road 14S16) which is dirt but drivable by passenger cars. The turnoff to the trailhead is unmarked off the paved Big Meadows Road (Forest Service Road 14S11), but is shortly after the one-lane bridge across Big Meadows Creek (and about 2.5 miles after the Big Meadows trailhead).

There are NO QUOTAS and NO PERMITS REQUIRED for the Jennie Lakes Wilderness (although the only way here is through the National Park entrances - $20 for one week if you go through the gates when the entrance station is open).

Jennie Lake is exceptionally popular and Weaver Lake is somewhat less so. Don't expect solitude and try to get there early for a good campsite. (During early season there are seasonal creeks running and you can get spots elsewhere; there's also a lake near JO Pass, albeit not right on this trail.)

Bear canisters are not required, but this is the Sierra Nevada. Be careful with your food.