A few of the trips on the map

The classic Sierra loop: a river-carved canyon into a chain of granite-basin lakes, over Glen Pass, and back down through Paradise Valley.

Fast access from the Sabrina trailhead into a high alpine basin, with an off-trail pass crossing into the Lake Italy drainage.

A full range crossing — giant sequoias to the roof of the contiguous US. Requires a car shuttle or drop-off/pick-up on opposite sides of the range.

A well-loved stretch of the John Muir Trail — big lake basins under the Ritter Range, finishing at Devils Postpile.

A short, high-payoff intro trip from one of the highest trailheads in the range, over the Mono Divide into French Canyon.

A quieter subalpine valley with far fewer permits than the Whitney side of the park — plus the local color of Mineral King's marmot-guarded parking lot.

A gentle, high-elevation warm-up out of Horseshoe Meadow — golden trout lakes, easy grades, and a walk-up pass with some of the best acclimatization value in the range.

Big Pine Creek's North Fork climbs fast past a chain of glacial-turquoise lakes to a meadow camp beneath Temple Crag, with the largest glacier in the Sierra hanging just above.

A high traverse under Mt. Humphreys' north face, linking Pine Creek Pass to Piute Pass across an open alpine plateau dotted with unnamed tarns — mostly off-trail and shuttle-only.

A short, lake-stacked loop just outside Yosemite's eastern boundary — one of the highest-payoff, lowest-mileage basins on the west side.

A high, remote crossing from an east-side trailhead into the heart of Kings Canyon's backcountry — granite basins, the historic Muir Hut, and one of the range's great cross-sections of high country.

Rolling granite domes and lake-dotted benches north of Yosemite, with a fraction of the crowds and permit competition of the park next door.