Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Black Rock Pass, Western Sierra

Hello,

Can anyone tell me about Black Rock Pass on Western Sierra (Sequioa N.P.)? I wonder how the winter condition is up there, I'd appreciate any information about it.

Thank you

I've read that Kaweah Gap has 7ft of snow and avalanche danger is high above Hamilton Lake if your going along the HST. Conditions probably similar on Black Rock. Also, road to Mineral King is closed for the winter, so add a couple of more miles if heading that way.

Thank you for your information.

Thanks

The tunnel above Hamilton Lake was built due to avalanche(s) wiping out the bridge. Parts of the bridge are still there. Not sure you would travel that route for Black Rock Pass, though, just thought I'd share that factoid.

There are two approaches. The easiest is from Mineral King, over Timber Gap or Glacier Pass. But the Mineral King road is closed a good distance from the trailhead, so it would be a long walk.

The other approach is from the Middle Fork Kaweah. Either take the Middle Fork trail from Buckeye Flat, or go up the High Sierra Trail from Crescent Meadow and then drop down to the Middle Fork trail from Bearpaw Meadow. From the Middle Fork Kaweah, continue up the drainage, then up the Cliff Creek drainage for direct access to Black Rock Pass.

The storm that is over us right now is dumping boatloads of snow. The forecast for this weekend (multiple fronts) was 5-10 feet above 7000'. There is a lot of fresh snow up there, and more coming down.

Thanks for the great information. I am thinking hike in from Buckeye. I may just hike up to Redwood Meadow grove and up to Bearpaw Meadow camp and turn around. I'm planning for a 3 day trip. Thanks again.

Be ready for snow. I just checked the snow sensors, and this weekend was a wet one. As of 7AM today, the Chagoopa Plateau sensor was reporting a snow depth of 92.7" with a water content of 14.29". 59% of this came this weekend. And Chagoopa Plateau is in the rain shadow of the section of the Great Western Divide that includes Black Rock Pass.

Perhaps a better indicator of conditions at Black Rock Pass would be the sensor at Farewell Gap at the southern end of Mineral King valley at 9500'. As of 10 AM today, it is reporting water content of 28.62"; the snow depth sensor is giving a funny number (maybe due to heavy snow still coming down) but I would estimate it to be around 140-160". Black Rock Pass should be close to that.

The storms will continue through Wednesday, although not as strong as what rolled through this weekend. It has been raining all morning here in Visalia. The snow line is fairly high, averaging around 7000' or higher. Even if you only go to Bearpaw, there should be plenty of fresh snow. The Mineral King Webcam shows good winter conditions, and it is at the same elevation as Bearpaw (7820') and not far south of it.

http://www.mk-webcam.net/

Even the Giant Forest webcam, which is at 6620', shows lots of snow

http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/sekicam/sekicam.cfm

You mean for a trip over Black Rock soon? Not only is it now full winter conditions, but it's currently dumping snow (12/20). Avalanche danger is extreme and will stay so well after this storm series ends. Snow line is down to 4,000. This is all to say if you're talking about a "hike" I hope you mean ski or snowshoe and that you have a lot of winter mountaineering experience.

The same is true of Bearpaw. Major snow... .

George