59. Granite Lake and Seven Up Gap

Length:	15.6 miles round trip
Hiking time:	3 days
High point:	7,600 feet
Total elevation gain:	3,850 feet
Difficulty:	moderate to strenuous
Season:	late June through mid-October
Water:	available from Swift and Granite Creeks; purify first
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Covington Mill, 7.5' Siligo Peak, USFS Trinity Alps Wilderness
Information:	Weaverville Ranger District, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

This trip takes you along the madly rushing waters of Swift and Granite Creeks, both blessed by the sweet fragrance of azalea blossoms in early summer. After visiting cool, clear Granite Lake, you'll climb to Seven Up Gap for a panoramic vista over the heart of the Trinity Alps. From here, you have the option of adding Hike 60 (Four Lakes Loop) and Hike 58 (Horseshoe and Ward Lakes) to your backpacking trip.

Turn left off Highway 3 at the Swift Creek sign, which is 0.2 mile north of the main turnoff for the town of Trinity Center. Bear left at two main road intersections, then park in the upper lot when you reach the Swift Creek trailhead, 6.9 miles from Highway 3.

The raucous roar of surging Swift Creek emanates from the left as you begin a steady climb under the shade of incense cedars, Douglas firs, sugar pines, and Jeffrey pines. A good campsite nestled above the creek awaits at 0.5 mile, then you'll encounter three small, azalea-lined creeks. The trail then travels atop a steep canyon wall, from which you can see one of Swift Creek's cacophonous waterfalls crashing over a 40-foot drop into a deep pool. Go left at a trail junction at 1.3 miles (the right-hand trail is discussed in Hike 58, Horseshoe and Ward Lakes), pass by another large campsite, and then cross Swift Creek on a large metal bridge at 1.5 miles.

You now trade Swift Creek for Granite Creek. After climbing a ridge, you'll encounter the first of numerous alder- and fern-bordered streams. At 2 miles the trail switchbacks away from the creek but rejoins it for a good view of a waterfall at 3 miles. As you continue up the trail, white fir replace Douglas fir, and yellow and blue lupine brighten the landscape, along with five-petaled white, pink, and red azalea flowers.

A good campsite sits to the left just before the trail enters an area of downed trees at 3.3 miles, where the first good views of the granitic ridge to the south await. Over the next 1.5 miles you'll climb past another waterfall; enter a small, lush meadow; encounter yet another waterfall; then enter expansive Gibson Meadow.

After another 1 mile of climbing, reach Granite Lake, elevation 6,000 feet. Several campsites, shaded by incense cedar, western white pine, sugar pine, red fir, white fir, and mountain hemlock, lie near the trail on the lake's alder-enshrouded north side. You may prefer to cross the outlet creek on a log and head up to the campsites atop the granite hump on the lake's open east side. Besides easy swimming access, the best views of the clear, deep lake await you here. You'll see the granite ridge on the south and west, which soars 2,400 feet from the lake's surface to the top of multispired, 8,400-foot Gibson Peak, and the reddish metamorphic mountains that make up the north side of Granite Lake's glacial cirque.

If you aren't traveling over to the Four Lakes Loop (Hike 60), consider making the trip to Seven Up Gap a day hike, because climbing the steep trail takes a lot of energy. The path climbs above the north shore of Granite Lake and then crosses three small streams as it travels close to Granite Creek. At 6.4 miles enter a meadow, from which you have excellent views of the entire head of the Granite Creek drainage. Igneous granitic rocks rise skyward on the left, and jagged metamorphic rocks stretch upward on the right. Just 100 yards into the meadow, you'll see one of the several small, shallow ponds across the creek. It's possible to camp on the flat granite slabs, a good option if the Granite Lake sites are crowded.

The trail eventually leaves the creek to rise steeply past numerous wildflowers to Seven Up Gap. Hardy foxtail pines join a few red firs and mountain hemlocks at the 7,600-foot saddle; however, it's the extensive views that will command your attention. To the east you'll see the northern portion of Trinity Lake, and far beyond the forested Klamath Mountains rise the massive volcanic cones of the Cascades' Mount Burney, Magee Peak, and Lassen Peak. To the west you'll look far down to the Deer Creek Valley and then above it to Siligo Peak, which rises just south of the metamorphic ridge housing Luella Lake. Farther in the distance, Sawtooth Mountain punctures the skyline, joined by its jagged siblings Mount Hilton, Wedding Cake, Thompson Peak, and Caesars Peak. Granitic Gibson Peak forms the south side of the Seven Up Gap saddle, and metamorphic Seven Up Peak the north side.

To join the paths of Hike 60 (Four Lakes Loop), take the trail that switchbacks down the ridge for 1.1 miles to an intersection. You can then head left for Deer Lake or right for Luella Lake.