Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Late May Trip Suggestions

Hi all,

I thought I would ask your thoughts on a some suggested nearby peaks/trails for my lady and I. We will be in the area at the end of May and are in the midst of finalizing the details now.

We are planning on our second Whitney climb in the Fall, so we won't be too upset if we are not able to do it this trip, but will keep our options open.

Given the level of snow/ice that is expected to be on the Main Trail in late May, probably more than what our crampons bit into in mid-October on our last ascent, I am assuming that this would be a bit challenging to complete in a dayhike with the necessary slower going?

Alternatively, given the anticipated conditions, would some of you be able to recommend some of your favorite local peaks that would be better options where trailhead access would be favorable for a great long dayhike? Ideally, trails with a good amount of gain without requiring rope in the vicinity of Lone Pine, Bishop, etc.

I realize anything could happen in the next six weeks with the weather, but we are not that familiar with the area to know some of the other great trails/mountains to visit. Any thoughts anyone had would be great and we really would appreciate them.

There will be two of us, both in decent shape and will have a 4x4 vehicle to get around to trailheads and will bring our snow gear if we need it, crampons, etc. We also wanted to avoid the crowds of Yosemite.

So many mountains, so little time!

Thanks for your help in advance.

Rob

This may be out of the way for you but during that time Desolation Wilderness (west from Lake Tahoe) would be high on my list. There are lots of trailheads, a half-day hike gets you onto granite (and snow), plus it's slightly before the hoards ascend. Also, if you wanna spend a night out there are a number of fun doable peaks with awesome lake views

Thanks Boulder. I will look into the area. How is access to the area trailheads? We're looking for a few good climbs with gains of 4000-6000ft within maybe two hour drives to the trailheads.

We usually have gone into Sequoia or Kings Canyon the past few years, but figured we would go a bit further outside the parks this time.

Lone Pine Peak via the Meysan Lake Trail might be one to look into - might be about 5000 feet gain. If you want a good long day - Olancha Peak would give you the 6000 feet gain.

Trail access from the east (lake side) is easy. The western side is trickier due to smaller roads and snow. There's less vertical than, say, Kings Canyon / Whitney area - you'd probably park at 6500 ft and hike up to 10,000 for the summits. The area is popular so weekends are not recommended. Overnight permits cost five buck per person, and a few of the more popular day hikes charge parking fees (Horsetail Falls & Eagle Falls).

For day hikes here's a few good ones (clockwise 'round Desolation starting from 1 o'clock (* highly recommended):

- Meeks Bay TH - Rockbound Valley, Phipps Peak.
- * Bayview TH - Eagle Falls TH loop
- * Mt. Tallac TH - Mt. Tallac
- Glen Alpine TH (or Echo Lakes TH) to Lake Aloha
- Lyons Creek TH - Pyramid Peak (tallest in Desolation)
- Wrights Lake TH - Twin Lakes (and maybe up Mt. Price)

This is probably the best source for info - the 'more information' box on the right sez it all:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/recreation/wild/deso/

Thanks Boulder, Wingding.

It seems this area can get quite crowded?

Some of these areas seem nice though. I may be able to work it so we can spend a couple days in each area
Are there any quota trails around there?

Wingding, yes, Lone Pine Peak has been on my list, it looks as though a class2/3 trail leads you up to the top?
Is the Meysan Lake trail still a quota trail? Sounds like snow on the scree slope may make it more pleasant.
Have you climbed it?

Yes, we did Lone Pine Peak on June 12, 2004 - the snow was pretty much gone and it was a sandy slog up to the plateau. You can head up from the Grass Lake area, so you don't need to go all the way to Meysan Lake. I'd like to do it again but when there is some snow - I do think it would be nicer with snow, but even with the sand to deal with the view was just beautiful from the top.

The route we went from Grass Lake was just Class 2 - no Class 3.

Looking up at the sandy slope on June 11 or 12 2004:



Looking down on the sandy slope on June 12, 2004:



If you go at the end of May you should have more snow and probably a nicer climb than we had and if you come down the wrong chute like I did you might find my missing hiking poles - they've been out there since 2004.

A really good source for peak bagging ideas in Sierra is Bob Burd's site (he has great reports, maps, and photos):

http://www.snwburd.com/bob/index.html

Lone Pine Peak is doable as a long day hike or an overnight.

The problem is the slope from Grass Lake, it is very loose and steep. Steeper than the chute at Whitney. We had many more problems descending than ascending.

I've been up the Meysan Trail 3 or 4 times and have seen less than ten people...total. Therefore, getting a backpacking permit should not be a problem.

Ask Doug to draw you the route on one his Mt. Whitney Maps. He did for us and his route was right on the money.

Thanks Wingding, Bill.

If we come across your poles I will let you know!

Bill, good idea about asking Doug.