southern sierra high route gpx

North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, and the long south slope of Peak 13962 (aka Barrett Peak). The scenery only improves entering the Dusy Basin and leaving the crowds behind with the sharp south turn towards Knapsack Pass. I went to visit him and asked him to use headphones if he wanted to listen to music, which did the trick. After reading Dixon’s description of Junction and Shepherd Passes, combined with the smoke from this day, we decided to cross Forester Pass instead. In this case it was Steve Ropers “Sierra High Route” book, the data set by Andrew Skurka, and gpx files from OnTheTrail.org. First of all, it’s not a trail—it’s a route. This was the last section of the JMT to be built, in the 30s. Mount McAdie from Arc Pass. We encouraged them to give it a try. The route starts at Bishop Pass Trailhead and ends at the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. The beautiful blue sky over Mount Mallory was a welcome relief from the haze that had blown over us over the past few days. We spent the night in Bishop before heading back to South Lake to fetch our other car. We found the routefinding to the pass quite easy. He stopped doing it when we got near and I was too surprised to say anything to him. Upon closer inspection, it was a war scene. The whole ordeal took several hours and cost many hundreds of dollars, but eventually we got our car back, returned the rental, and made our way farther north. It rained very hard, then hailed for a while. For more on the High Sierra Trail, including getting permits, read High Sierra Trail Trip Report. Another view of Mount Muir’s summit from the west. Past here are several excellent miles of cross country hiking through high alpine basins beneath one of the highest sub-ranges of the Sierra. North Palisade from the summit of Mount Sill. We found the JMT at Lower Palisade Lake and greeted a few of the 15 or so groups occupying every free space near the lake’s outlet. But looking back at the conditions they would have seen -- they intended to finish in two weeks, around September 10 -- I think we were right. We set out to climb Mount Sill via the southwest chutes as described in the Dixon guide, Secor, and elsewhere. Yosemite National Park has 5 High Sierra Camps arranged in a 49-mile loop. The Sierra (not/never the Sierras) boasts some of the country's most spectacular trails including, but not limited to, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the John Muir Trail (JMT), the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), and the High Sierra Trail (HST), but the Sierra is large enough a place that plenty of the landscape is free from human cultivation.. It seems necessary to cross through the very busy Whitney Zone in this section and Mountaineer’s Route to Discovery Pass seems like the most reasonable way to pass through this circus, and it’s well worth it to visit some of the other basins in this area. We were pleased to have summited Mount Sill, but I found the Southwest Slope route to be almost not worth the effort. Mount Russell (again, but this time from the south) above Iceberg Lake. 2019 … We planned carefully to be able to take a full week off of work in mid-August of 2020. Compared to the John Muir Trail (JMT), the SoSHR is higher and more remote. About an hour before sunset, a solo hiker arrived  playing some loud music on his phone and began loudly constructing a wall out of rocks. The Sierra High Route. Location: Southern Sierra NevadaDistance: 73 milesDays required: 6–9Route type: Point-to-pointType of route: On maintained trailVertical ascent: 19,094 feetMax altitude: 14,505 feetDifficulty: StrenuousWhen to go: July through SeptemberPermits: RequiredFees: $10 per permit + $5 per personDogs: No***UPDATE for 2019***As of 2019 there is a section of trail that is blown out just past Hamilton Lake. Fortunately this didn’t impact us too significantly. Sierra High Route July 2008 A rugged 195-mile hike with over 100 miles of off-trail travel, through both idyllic sub-alpine forest and tedious talus fields. August 15, 2020 - August 24, 2020. However, the weather forecast for the beginning of our trip gave us a bit of concern. It was pretty obvious to us that we were being smoked out and it was time to get out of the mountains. Recommended Vehicle: High clearance SUV or truck with 4 low gearing, and all terrain tires. The Kings Canyon High Basin Route was ruled out because we were interested in exploring the highest mountains along the crest of the Sierra. They also told me about some fairly sketchy travel on the Acrodectes alternate, descending Mount Baxter, which made me happy to have skipped that section. Each camp is a day’s hike from at least two other camps. So, we settled on that plan. This cool panorama captures most of the Whitney Zone, at left is Mount McAdie and Arc Pass, which leads south to the Miter Basin. The blowout occurs after the switchbac… The views all around Wallace Lake were awesome. The view of the switchbacks on the Mount Whitney Trail below Mount McAdie, Arc Pass, and some of the crest peaks to the south (Mount Mallory, Corcoran, LeConte, Langley, and Cirque Peak) from near the summit of Mount Muir. Dixon is right, it’s not as bad as it looks. We were able to get out of camp early, and my stomach was feeling a bit better than the day before. This route is described in great detail, and a free guide is provided on Alan Dixon’s website. Looking north at Mount Muir and Whitney from the Whitney Trail. After resting for a couple of hours, the sky cleared enough that we believed we could safely cross Crabtree Pass, so off we went again. We climbed up to the highpoint near the lake for sunset and saw that it was quite hazy to our west. The five or so tents were the first people we had seen since just south of Forester Pass. Picture Puzzle high above the Bishop Pass trail. So, we decided to continue, with the knowledge that we could move quickly on the JMT/PCT if conditions deteriorated. Mount Mallory and Mount LeConte from the sandy traverse to Mount Irvine. Some route data comes from as long ago as 1985, before the use of GPS technology by land managers. The lower parts of the descent from Cirque Pass were really beautiful. The view north to Window and Pyramid Peaks. We made it down to the larger Glacier Creek Lake and made camp north of the lake on some slabs. Fully adjusted to trail time, I awoke with the sunrise at 6 am and headed to the diner.With a full belly and after a few town chores we hitched once again to South Lake trailhead. This was the biggest backpacking trip of the year for my wife and I. Adventure Alan created this route as an addition to Steve Roper's original Sierra High Route. The colourful Crater Mountain above tarns on the descent from Pinchot Pass. Easy. Here’s the view of the headwall above Wallace Lake. In total, the route is 90 miles climbing 31,000’ and of course losing the same amount. On Saturday August 3rd, my friend Julie McPherson and I embarked on a 5-day trek through the California High Sierra mountains.. We followed the Southern Sierra High Route, a challenging itinerary that combines on- and off-trail travel at high elevation (9000′ – 13,300′) and extends the classic Sierra High Route (which Julie and I tackled last summer alongside our friends David and Fred). Another shot of the beautiful golden light over the peaks south of Pinchot Pass. Choose the wrong route and you’ll find yourself with 2,000’ of air beneath your feet. We spent a couple of hours hiding from the rain as it passed through a few times before enjoying a lovely sunset. From Crabtree Pass I was able to get a good shot of the massive sand slope south of Discovery Pass. We passed probably 50 people heading up and down the Whitney Trail. Interestingly, they also decided to skip Junction Pass based on the description. Introduction. I told her to put everything down and run down the trail as fast as she could. We were not able to find the “obvious narrow slow” that Dixon mentions in his description of Cirque Pass either from afar or on our way up the pass. Whitney. We were able to stare directly at the sun, which appeared dark red on the horizon. There was another large group camped in the small forest here, some with their tents only a few feet off the trail, and three or four other groups near the creek, but we managed to find a slightly isolated spot. The view south of the Wrights Lake Basin. Unfortunately the weather didn’t really clear until well after dark, so we ate some of our lunch supplies for dinner and went to bed early. Evening light on Mount Shakespeare across Palisade Creek. View of the Palisade Glacier, the moraine-dammed Lake 12165 and Sam Mack Lake. The Kaweahs from higher up trying to get across the ridge to Wallace Creek. The High Sierra Trail has two great ascents – the first one over Kaweah Gap and the Great Western Divide, and the second over the Eastern Sierra and Trail Crest at Mt. We left the trail just a bit south of Trail Crest and headed directly south for Discovery Pass. As we headed down the trail here, we passed a hiker who was throwing snack food from a bag he was carrying off the trail into the bushes. These products are suggested as a companion product to the printed Adventure Cycling Route maps and feature the … A singed oak leaf that fell from the sky. Mount Muir, California’s twelfth highest peak with more than 200’ of topographic prominence and a worthy side trip for the capable class-3 climber passing by. Learn how to create your own. If you go the other way, you will find yourself ascending routes that should be descended and vice-versa on several occasions: Discovery Pass is best hiked southbound because of the massive sand hill, The Mountaineers Route is better climbed than descended, Russell-Carillon pass is best hiked southbound because of… another massive sand hill. Learn how to create your own. Adventure Alan) provides a detailed route description and guide on his website. After a short section of nice walking, the route drops 1,000’ down this sand slope. Downclimbing the gully back to the high cirque between Mount Sill and Polemonium Peak. Fortunately, Shannon reached the safety of a rock alcove not far down the trail and took shelter. Lovely pastel clouds over University Peak. Back at Sky Blue Lake, conditions were worse. Briefly, the route starts at the Bishop Pass Trailhead and crosses Bishop Pass before following the Sierra High Route section through the Palisade Basin, down to Palisade Lakes, and over Mather Pass. Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? We were able to head to Mammoth Lakes a week before our hike to help acclimatize. We considered a few options for this trip, but it boiled down to basically another exploratory trip to the Wind River Range of Wyoming, or one of the three documented High Routes in the Sierra that I had yet to hike: The Sierra High Route, The Southern Sierra High Route, or the Kings Canyon High Basin Route. We hoped the snow would soften enough to book-ski down, but it was still a little bit too hard and steep, so we descended talus instead. Ready to climb Mount Whitney! The “Sierra High Route” was created by Steve Roper – author of the book “Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country. In spite of this, we didn’t start our hike on the fittest foot. We came across some deer on our way through the basin. The view of Mather Pass and the Palisades through a gap in the trees en route to Lake Marjorie. We were up at 5-something and headed out just before the sun rose over the White Mountains. As we descended New Army Pass, slightly more at ease, I looked over at Shannon and saw every loose hair on her head standing on end. The day before we were to start, I came down with a bout of food poisoning and spent most of the day resting. The hike to the pass went by without incident. The name “Sierra High Route” is actually a pretty generic name. The view down Barrett Creek (?) I got lost about halfway through. Dixon’s (and Secor’s) description of the south side of this pass made a lot more sense. On our way down Kearsarge Pass we found a spot where we had cell phone reception and were able to get a bit more information. In all, it’s an impressive line along the highest part of the Sierra Crest. Heading over New Army Pass. Unfortunately, it was getting later in the day and some clouds had begun to move in. Enjoy. We traversed about 100 feet west from the notch and then turned south (not north, like Dixon says) for the summit. who are you? Despite the difficulty, the scenery more than made up for it. This year, the Forest Service was repaving the South Lake, so there were a number of parking and traffic restrictions requiring us to park 3 miles down the road at the Tyee Lakes trailhead, or, as the Forest Service encouraged, take the hiker shuttle up from Bishop. We figured that because we were a little bit behind schedule and had been hit with bad weather (by California standards) every day so far, making up some miles on the JMT would give us a better chance of completing the high sections in the southern part of the route, which we were really excited for. But it wasn’t terrible at Forester. The Palisades above Barrett Lakes, with Potluck Pass pictured below Palisade Crest at right. It’s difficult not to describe the miles from here to Wrights Creek Pass (or the Center Basin turnoff) as “filler,” but at least it’s good filler. The smoke and glow from the wildfires made for some nice light for photos. The talus was large and a bit loose in places, but not bad. This is the easiest of the three, and the Wind River High Route is the most difficult. In fact, it is often confused with the “High Sierra Trail,” which is an actual trail. While I may claim the Winds are more scenic, I definitely can’t claim they have better access or conditions. After what felt like many hours, we finally found the enormous Sky Blue Lake, and the trail that circles its south, east, and north shores. From here the route follows the John Muir Trail for 30 or 40 miles to just south of Junction Meadow (S), the low point between Glen and Forester Passes. It sounded like the lightning strike was high above us. As with other hik… A short day on the trail, but it was definitely more than I thought I’d be capable of 36 hours earlier. On our way down Potluck Pass we ran into a couple of guys who had climbed Mount Sill, which is a recommended side trip on the SoSHR and was on our minds. In addition, there is an elevation profile, GPX data, and overview maps. National Geographic Adventure Magazine chose the Sierra High Route as one of the Best New Backpacking Trips. The weather didn’t look ideal, but we figured we’d be able to get off the summit before noon which meant we should be able to avoid the worst of any afternoon thunderstorms which the cloudy morning skies portended. Mount Whitney from Mount Carillon. Summit selfie! One group in particular was making quite a bit of noise, but they quieted down not long after sunset. Sierra High Route July 2008 A rugged 195-mile hike with over 100 miles of off-trail travel, through both idyllic sub-alpine forest and tedious talus fields. We passed plenty of people headed in both directions on our way up this climb. Looking up at Russell-Carillon Col from Tulainyo Lake. The Southern Sierra High Route (SoSHR) is a roughly 100 mile traverse of the Sierra Crest between Bishop Pass and Horseshoe Meadows that mixes sections of the John Muir Trail (JMT) with sections of off-trail hiking. There are some variants of the Yosemite High Route that are logistically easy (the figure 8), but the Southern Sierra High Route isn’t bad at all. We went, climbing up the middle of the year for my wife and I we the... Above Barrett Lakes, with the “High Sierra trail, but the air temperature was pretty cold hazy skies the. Remains of several old, dead Foxtails the Lake surfaces Golden Trout wilderness music... Out the east face of Mount Muir get over cirque and Mather Passes to set up trail! The lovely sunset over Lower Palisade Lake, a beautiful rainbow framed the Lakes and made north... 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