From the Silverpick trallhead, follow the road as it climbs up through the forest to the actual basin. Then it switchbacks up and around the abandoned Silverpick Mill. The road traverses around, crossing a stream gully to reach the junction with a private mining road that leads over to a locked gate on the way to Elk Creek basin. Respect private property, please. The Silverpick road goes left at the junction, continuing up the talus slopes towards the upper basin. There are occasional small patches of vegetation, but the basin is almost completely talus. The road continues upward, following Big Bear Creek. It then wraps around a ridge and arrives at the ruins of an old stone cabin, which makes a possible bivouac site. The road continues up a ridge, making a final large switchback before topping out at the Rock of Ages Saddle and the Lizard Head Wilderness boundary.

For an alternate route up the basin, or to make a loop trip out of the hike, start out at the Silverpick trailhead arid follow the road as before, as it switchbacks up and around the abandoned Silverpick Mill. Look for a cairn on the left just across from a thick clump of trees and a firing on the right. A small trail takes off here, switchbacking steeply up under cliffs and across more talus slopes. Continue to follow the cairns across more talus slopes and ledges with a few small stream crossings. Just past a small pond, the trail heads up a brushy, overgrown ridge. There are limited campsites available here. The trail climbs through low-lying trees up some rock ledges near timberline. FoIlow the cairns. The Silverpick road is visible to the east as the trail winds up through willows to a small meadow. It continues to climb through mixed talus and tundra. At a trail junction on a talus slope, one trail heads Left for a high traverse below Wilson Peak. (This route is the one shown on the topographic map. It is loose and steep and the grade has eroded away in large sections. The other trail right, working its way through talus slopes to another small meadow. From there it follows the east side of a ridge to a relatively soft grassy grade, which leads up to the junction with a larger road and old stone house ruins. From this point, the route follows the road as described earlier to the Rock of Ages saddle and the Forest.

Access: On Hwy. 145, 3 miles east of Sawpit turn right on Silverpick Road #622 and follow it for 7.5 miles to a parking area. The area is marked by a bulletin board and a locked gate.