Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Meysan or Tuttle

I am planning on doing the MT on Sept 7-8. Planning on staying at HM for a couple of nights over labor day weekend. I am looking for a nice warm-up day hike that isn't to lone pine lake or horseshoe meadows. I also don't want to kill myself before the Whitney hike.

Does anybody have an experience on the Meysan Lake trail or Tuttle Creek?

Again, not looking to kill myself, just looking for an easy day hike.

Drive to Onion Valley and hike up to Kearsarge Pass(4.5 miles up) - or you can halfway to Gilbert Lake, then have lunch and turn around.

Cool...I take it that onion valley is less strenuous than either Meysan or Tuttle?

In my opinion, Onion Valley is definitely less strenuous than Meysan, and I believe Tuttle also. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for in your warm-up hike. You will not klil yourself on the Onion Valley hike. On Meysan Lake, you gain about 3,600 feet in 4.5 miles. Lots of steep switchbacks, and the final bit is a slight rock scramble. Good luck no matter which way you go. Whitney Mike

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On the way to Meysan Lake, you pass by three other lakes, Peanut, Grass, and Camp. After Camp, there is no real trail to Meysan Lake, just a bunch of use trails and ducks to follow. We went up and to the right to the top, then dropped down to Meysan, where we spent the night. The way up requires that you use your hands periodically for balance, and also several spots with slight rock scrambling. Not a real class 2, but definitely not a class 1 trail like you encounter all the way to Camp Lake.

TRAILHEAD ELEVATION - 7,900 feet
HIGEST ELEVATION - 11,600 Meysan Lake
TRAIL DIFFICULTY - Strenuous - especially for those not acclimated to high altitude. This trail is infrequently maintained and may be difficult to follow in places. The section from Camp Lake to Meysan Lake is a faint path on a rocky slope.

I like the hike io Meysan. Though challenging, the lake makes the hike worth it. Also the night there was very peaceful. From Meysan, you can take on the claSs 2 and class 3 scrambles to peaks like Mallory and Irvine.

Whitney Mike

Meysan is very tempting. But probably more than I want to do right before WMT. I might have to come back in a few weeks and do an overnight.

If I don't manage to get a permit for the WMT in Sept, I might just do Meysan instead.

What I like most about spending the night at Meysan lake is the solitude. Besides that, you're surrounded by all of these 13,500+ foot peaks, many of which can fairly easily be climbed. It's a tough hike, but well worth it once you arrive. Hope you get there some time soon. Whitney Mike

I'd second the trip up to Kearsarge Pass as a better choice than Meysan.

Here's an album that shows the Meysan Lakes area.

Here's one that shows what you can see if you've got the time to head down to the west of Kearsarge.

Both beautiful areas, but, again, my vote goes to the Kearsarge Pass area.

I am going to listen to the wisdom of the members of the board and save Meysan for my next hike...perhaps later in september or october.

I liked what I read about Meysan though....sounds like there isn't a whole lot of traffic there.

Richard,
those are some incredible photos....all of them....nice
Tom

is a permit needed to overnight in HM and/or OV?

reservations needed to camp overnight in both?

This year I did exactly what tomcat suggested - walked up the trail to Gilbert Lake. Actually I had lunch at Little Pothole, then went up to Gilbert for some reading.
I don't like to do too much before a long one-day hike, so this worked for me and it's classic Sierra views.