Backpacking the Thousand Island Lake Loop in California's Eastern Sierra

For our final adventure in the Eastern Sierra we headed on a 3 day backpacking trip along the Thousand Island Lake Loop in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, a magical landscape full of striking peaks and alpine lakes. It was the perfect ending to what has quickly become one of our favorite regions of the US!

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⌚Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Our planned route for the Thousand Island Lake Loop
01:28 Hiking the Rush Creek Trail to Thousand Island Lake
04:00 Thousand Island Lake is GORGEOUS!
04:45 Camping at Thousand Island Lake
09:22 Change of plans
10:35 Our campsite at Garnet Lake
11:07 Day hike to Ediza Lake
14:16 Trying a new backpacking dessert!
15:55 EPIC Milky Way timelapse 🤩
16:56 Our new route back
17:16 We do not recommend this route
18:00 What’s next?
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👋🏼 About us
Hi y’all! We’re Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in our self-converted sprinter van! You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we're a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature.

We help travelers spend less time (and stress!) planning their trip and more time enjoying it! Our detailed travel guides, YouTube videos, and travel resources share the must-visit local eats, popular and off the beaten path sights, and tons of tips to make planning your next adventure a whole lot easier.

Note: We’ve linked a handful of items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure--if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

[AdventuresofAplusK]

📅 This video was filmed in early July 2024

[Jung]

Hello Kathryn and Adam,
It was absolutely pleasure to meet both of you in person on my way to Thousand Island Lake. Thank you for taking a picture with me.
I will enjoy watching your amazing, beautiful and inspiring video. I hope to see you again somewhere in the future.

[denaegan]

You guys are honestly the BEST!!! I'm a little behind on your videos since I'm prepping for a 2-12 month trip to Europe so all my focus has been on that. Love seeing you surpassed 200k subscribers. I knew you would! Well deserved. Looking forward to getting caught up on your videos. The quality and content just keep getting better and better!

[rwelmer]

Will be watching this later this evening but wanted to chime in and say how much we've enjoyed watching you both visit our beloved Eastern Sierras. Been my favorite area since I was a young child. Have enjoyed your travels ever since you visited our town of Redding and haven't missed an episode since. We continue to be impressed by the videos you produce. Cheers!

[thezapata]

It’s hard to beat California when it comes to nature! We backpacked to Little Lakes Valley last year and it was magical. The Eastern Sierra is definitely one of my favorite areas in California. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us, they’re so breathtaking ❤

[janefromthecountry]

My dentist loves the Sierras. He also likes Ansul Adam’s photography. It’s on my bucket list. Thanks for taking us along. Such beautiful views in the Sierras! Safe travels.

[nancyeacker]

OMG ENJOYED your Eastern Sierra adventures. So magnifiently beautiful. Thank you Waiting for your next adventure, I am one of your big fans !!! 😊❤

[ontheroadwithRalph]

Absolutely an amazing, beautiful, and inspiring video. And brings back wonderful backpacking memories for us (decades ago, when we were your age). Actually headed out to California next month, but unlike 1980 (with our Dodge van, tent, campstove, and canoe) it's now a Ford truck and an Airstream. But we still carry our old campstove. Like the old quote says: "Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are."

[mariamjehn]

I cannot express the love !! Take me away .. to that special place.. take me away!! ❤❤😮😮😊😊

[faithfulmemories]

Oh my goodness, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the SIERRA Series! River crossings, mosquitos and hiking through snow patches does happen often in Sierra backpacking trips, especially in the first half of the season. I can't wait to see your Tahoe Series!

[AnthonyMarioni]

Wow not one but two! star timelapses. Gorgeous! Gotta be one of the best parts of camping is being able to see the stars like that

[dianegraves]

Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. It is truly a pleasure to see the world through ya'll eyes...

[glendasharp]

What a gorgeous part of the country! Thank you for taking us along with you.

[suzanneaydelotte]

What a gorgeous way to finish your Sierra adventures! So so so beautiful!

[michaels]

Wonderful scenery! Worlds greatest campsites! Thanks for the trip!

[mcnater]

Haha..."no smellavision". Too funny. What a beautiful trip! I'd love to recreate that one someday.

[TheGlamorousLifeofNae]

Such beautiful views, I was mesmerized the whole time & I *loved* seeing the Milky Way! Very peaceful, I’m watching on a rainy night. ☺️💖💕

[cottagefulloflove]

I’ve lived in California my whole life and have never been to these amazing places you guys have been checking out! These destinations are going on my “must-go” list 😆! Thank you for such great content!

[just_joc]

Your Eastern Sierras adventures are the best! I can't wait to see your Lake Tahoe adventures! Thanks for sharing.

[CristineSugar-ihhv]

So, so amazingly beautiful! What a hike you had ! Glad you persevered through it