Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Trail / Cottonwood Passes Loop - 05.17.2024

The Forest Service Gate is still locked...

There are plenty of tracks all the way around the loop, but there's still a lot of snow to deal with. It's essentially straight up to Trail Pass...around to Cottonwood Pass and straight down to the Parking Lot...

Here are a few photos:





Trail Pass.



PCT South at Cottonwood Pass.



PCT North.



Cottonwood Pass.



Looking back up at what's left of the cornice at Cottonwood Pass.



Trail / Cottonwood Passes Trailhead.


It was raining for about the last half mile of the hike and kept raining until I rode down to the valley.

11 miles in a just over 5 hours, so the conditions aren't too tough...

Richard, the timing couldn't be more perfect. I am heading up for Memorial Weekend, well I'll be at the Portal from Tuesday to the following Monday.

I had hoped to head up to Trail, Cottonwood and Kearsarge Pass but it appears that the snowmelt has been slow. More snow than I thought at this time of the Spring.

I'll try and see how far I get.

The grandkids will enjoy the snow at Horseshoe Meadows. I only hope the Forest Service opens the last gate by next weekend.

Oh, by the way, I’ll be making a down payment on your student loans at the Portal Store for all the work (trail reports) you have been doing.

Thanks again!

Paul

I think the Packers may help you out (like last year)...

I'm sure they'd like to make all the money they can over Memorial Day...maybe they'll run a few Mule Trains up to Cottonwood Pass this week...

Of course, that depends on the FS...can't understand...there is almost no snow in the Parking Lot area, so it can't be a "we don't have the budget for heavy equipment."

Probably going to do one more "snow" climb of Whitney and then I want to cruise up to the Army Passes...with the good PCT Track, there's also HM to WP (early season)...,may add a day for Whitney and then exit Arctic Lakes to NF...

It would be nice if the packers cleared away the snow at the Pass. I remember last year when I got to the pass there must have been 7 or 8 feet of snow. I came back a week or so later and there was a trench carved out of the snow for the pack trains. They did a nice job.

My first trip is over Cottonwood Pas at the end of June. I've been trying to make it to Funston Lake one of these years.

paul