Pearfection

Looking for an overnight backpacking trip deep into the tallest mountain range in the lower 48? Pear Lake is your destination: a sparkling emerald lake surrounded by jagged granite peaks with multiple cascading waterfalls filling its glacial green waters. Pear Lake—yep, it's pear-shaped—is a popular backpacking trip, and half the fun is getting there. Starting from the Wolverton trailhead, the path steadily ascends through a thick white fir and lodgepole forest. After a few miles you'll reach a view point—and what a view it is! The Watchtower is the spot to break for lunch; you can see far into Tokopah Valley, where the biggest waterfall in the park, Tokapah Falls, tumbles for over 1,000 feet. After refueling, start the most thrilling part of the trek—a narrow and exposed section of the Watchtower trail skirting 2,000 feet above the valley floor. Soon after, you'll pass three tiny and shiny glacier-fed lakes: Heather, Aster, and Emerald. From Emerald Lake, it's only another 30 minutes to Pear Lake. Pick a designated campsite—all within a hop-skip-and-a-dip from the lake. Pearfect.

Pick up a wilderness permit to spend the night at Pear Lake. Wilderness permits for Pear Lake are not reservable and are made on a first-come-first-served basis at the Lodgepole Visitor Center. Pick up a permit the day before or the day of your trip for $15. Park at Wolverton and follow the Lakes Trail all the way to Pear Lake (you can bypass the Watchtower Trail by taking the Hump Trail). No dogs.