Shadow Creek (Agnew Meadow) Gear Checklist
Shadow Creek starts at Agnew Meadows, climbs past Shadow Lake, and ends in the basin below the Minarets, Mount Ritter and Banner Peak at Ediza Lake near 9,300 feet. The Forest Service requires bear canisters, bans fires from Shadow Lake to Ediza and Iceberg Lakes, and closes parts of Shadow Creek and Ediza to camping. Its two pages even disagree on which side of Ediza is closed. The hikers we read carried microspikes in snow years, a satellite communicator for patchy signal, a printed map, and a canister because the area has no good trees.
What shapes your gear on Shadow Creek
- Route
- Start at Agnew Meadows, which is shuttle stop 1. The Shadow and River trails run together for three miles as far as Olaine Lake. At the junction the Shadow Creek trail climbs by Shadow Lake, touches the John Muir Trail, and goes on to Ediza and Iceberg Lakes.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
- Distance as hikers report it
- One guide lists 7.3 miles and 1,250 feet of climbing to Ediza Lake. A 2022 pair counted 8 miles and about 4 hours of climbing. A 2020 trip logged 14.6 miles round trip with 1,794 feet of gain to the southwest end of the lake, about three hours each way. Iceberg Lake is a short side trip, described as two miles round trip by one guide and 45 minutes up by another.
From Explore More Nature, Jeremy Roschelle and barley and co
- Getting to the trailhead
- People visiting the Reds Meadow Valley pay a fee per rider for a shuttle bus that is mandatory. Two hikers say you can drive to the Agnew Meadows lot if you arrive early, but they give different cutoffs, before 7 a.m. in one and before 7:30 a.m. in the other. Others board the shuttle at Mammoth Mountain Main Lodge.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail, barley and co, The Outbound and Backpacking Light forum
- Quota and permit
- Overnight trips need a wilderness permit all year, and day use does not. The permit covers the Shadow Creek trail only, since the High Trail and River Trail have separate quotas. The cap is 30 overnight visitors per day from May 1 until November 1.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
- Which side of Ediza is closed
- The Forest Service trail page says camping is closed on the east side of Ediza Lake. The wilderness regulations page says no camping within one eighth of a mile of the south side. A 2020 couple found no camping on the east side and pitched on higher ground at the southwest end. A trail listing says to walk around the south and then east shore to find sites. Ask a ranger which rule applies.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail, Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations, barley and co and The Outbound
- Snow and trail beyond Iceberg Lake
- A trail listing warns of lots of snow early in the season. Snow was still at Iceberg Lake on Labor Day weekend in 2022. In mid-August 2023, a record snow year, Shadow Creek on the John Muir Trail was knee-high in late morning, and the route from Iceberg to Cecile and Minaret Lake had no clear trail and needed Class 3 scrambling.
From The Outbound, Jeremy Roschelle and Mumble Outdoors (Substack)
- Typical access season
- The Forest Service notes that the road is closed in winter, typically from mid-October through late June.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
What the agency requires on Shadow Creek
A wilderness permit for overnight trips
A permit is required all year for overnight use. It covers travel on the Shadow Creek Trail, and day use does not need one. The cap is 30 people per day from May 1 until November 1.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
A bear canister
The Forest Service calls this an active bear area and tells hikers to use canisters for food and refuse. Anything with a scent must stay in a bear-proof container.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
A stove, not a fire
Campfires are banned on the stretch from Shadow Lake to Ediza and Iceberg Lakes, and anywhere above 10,000 feet. The Shadow Creek and Minaret Lake area is also listed as a campfire closure on the regulations page.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A camp outside the closed areas
Camping is closed at Shadow Lake and on the ground between Shadow Creek and the trail there, plus parts of Shadow Creek. At Ediza Lake the two Forest Service pages name different closed sides, the east side on one and within one eighth of a mile of the south side on the other.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A way to treat water
Treat any water you take from a creek, lake or spring.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
What hikers carry on Shadow Creek
A bear canister, because there are no good trees
A 2023 guide for this area says to carry a canister since the trees are no good for a proper hang, and the area is popular enough that animals are used to people. Her party heard campers shooing something away the first night.
From Mumble Outdoors (Substack) and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail
Microspikes for snow near Iceberg Lake
In the snowy summer of 2023 a pair crossed snow above Iceberg Lake with microspikes. The author calls them not strictly necessary in soft snow but helpful.
A satellite communicator
The same pair noted only spotty phone service on the High Trail and carried one for emergencies.
A printed Forest Service map
Several trails connect Ediza, Garnet and Thousand Island Lakes, and one guide tells hikers to print the Agnew Meadows trail map and carry it.
From Explore More Nature
A trail app with downloaded maps
The 2023 pair loaded two trail maps to see where they stood relative to the path on snow between Ediza and Minaret Lake, and their friends used a different hiking app.
A water filter, iodine tablets and 2 to 3 liters to start
A 2020 couple started with 2 to 3 liters each, carried a filter and iodine tablets, and noted that snow can be boiled in snowy years.
From barley and co
A canister stove
Two sets of hikers cooked oatmeal and dehydrated dinners with a small canister stove at Ediza, one with a view of the Minarets behind the tent.
From barley and co and Jeremy Roschelle
Rain gear
It rained on the 2023 pair every day of their loop. Another group ran into hail and lightning on an earlier trip to Ediza decades ago.
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Shadow Creek
Leaving food or anything scented in the car
A hiking guide warns that bears will break into a car and points to the bear-proof storage lockers at the Agnew Meadows parking area, where you leave your name and return date on anything stored.
From Explore More Nature
Expecting a trail past Iceberg Lake
Between Ediza and Minaret Lake the trail is hard to follow or missing, with exposed scrambling and a steep climb of up to 44 percent. The author was glad to be climbing the loose section, not descending it.
Trusting that the east shore is open
A 2020 couple skipped the east shore of Ediza because camping is closed there and walked on to the southwest end, choosing a high site farther from the water with sunset views.
From barley and co
Gear questions for Shadow Creek
Do you need a bear canister for Shadow Creek?
Yes. The Forest Service page for the trail says it is an active bear area and calls for canisters. One 2023 guide adds that the area has no good trees for a hang. Lockers at the Agnew Meadows parking area are for the car.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail, Mumble Outdoors (Substack) and Explore More Nature
Can you camp at Shadow Lake or Ediza Lake on the Shadow Creek trail?
Not at Shadow Lake. At Ediza Lake the Forest Service lists a closed side, the east side on one page and within one eighth of a mile of the south side on another. A 2020 couple camped at the southwest end. Check with a ranger before you pick a site.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail, Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations and barley and co
Are campfires allowed on the Shadow Creek trail?
No. Fires are banned between Shadow Lake and the Ediza and Iceberg basins, and anywhere above 10,000 feet. Bring a gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid stove.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
Do you have to take the shuttle to the Shadow Creek trailhead?
The Forest Service says people visiting the Reds Meadow Valley pay a fee per rider for a shuttle bus that is mandatory. Hikers report that overnight visitors can drive to Agnew Meadows if they arrive early, with cutoffs of 7 a.m. in one account and 7:30 a.m. in another.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Shadow Creek Trail, barley and co and The Outbound
Sources
- Shadow Creek Trail · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Minaret Lake Loop · Mumble Outdoors (Substack), Allie Lindstrom · Blog
- Backpacking to Ediza Lake · barley and co · Trip report
- Backpacking to Lake Ediza · Jeremy Roschelle, Jeremy Roschelle · Blog
- Tips on Ediza, Garnet, and Thousand Island Lake Loop · Explore More Nature · Blog
- Minarets Loop · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread
- Ediza Lake via Agnew Meadows · The Outbound, Tobin Akehurst · Blog