A rarely-traveled loop out of Green Creek that ducks into Yosemite's back door via an unmaintained pass. Wildflower-choked canyons, an abandoned mine, and near-total solitude.
Most Hoover Wilderness trips turn around before the state line. This loop crosses straight into Yosemite's northern backcountry and back, dropping into Virginia Canyon before climbing the unmaintained Virginia Pass Trail on the return. Camp at East Lake the first night, then push into wildflower meadows along Return Creek for a second camp near the base of Virginia Peak. The pass itself is loose scree and faint tread, GPS recommended, but the payoff is Cathedral Peak on the horizon and passing the ruins of the long-abandoned Glines Canyon Mine on the way down. Bring a real map; this one is not signed.
Start: Green Creek TH (8,000ft)
End: Green Creek TH
Water: Green Creek crossings, Green Lake, East Lake
A level, well-marked start toward Green Lake before the trail switchbacks up through dense forest, crossing Green Creek several times on rocks and logs. Continue past Green Lake to East Lake (9,458ft), set beneath Gabbro and Page Peaks. Posted signs mark where not to camp near the outlet; cross the small dam and look for a site on the peninsula beyond it, sheltered from wind with lake views.
Water: Hoover Lakes, Summit Lake, Return Creek
Follow the Green Creek Trail past a string of small lakes to Hoover Lakes, set in an open boulder field at the foot of Epidote Peak. Climb to Summit Lake (10,183ft), where the west shore marks the Yosemite Wilderness boundary. Descend about 800ft into Virginia Canyon, cross Return Creek, and pick up the faint, unmaintained Virginia Pass Trail through wildflower meadows. The last stretch to Return Lake is an off-trail scramble; if another party is camped there, an unnamed lake further north under Virginia Peak makes a quieter backup.
Water: West Fork Green Creek, Green Lake
Virginia Pass (~10,550ft) is unmaintained and steep; bring GPS since the tread disappears in places. From the top, the view stretches to Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows. The descent is loose scree on a faint trail, passing the ruins of the long-abandoned Glines Canyon Mine. Follow the West Fork of Green Creek down through waterfalls and wildflowers to Green Lake, then join the main Green Creek Trail back to the trailhead.
Return Lake (10,237ft, the standard camp if unoccupied); ridge camp north of Return Lake with Shepherd Crest views; ruins of the abandoned Glines Canyon Mine on the Virginia Pass descent.
Unmaintained trail over Virginia Pass; GPS strongly recommended since tread disappears in sections. Bear canisters required in both Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite Wilderness. Mosquitoes can be heavy at Summit Lake. Afternoon thunderstorms build fast at this elevation; cell service is lost well before the trailhead, so check weather via satellite messenger. This is a loop back to Green Creek TH, no shuttle needed.
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