Late October Sierras Trip – Need Advice

updating title to something more appropriate.

I did a Trinity Alps trip last November 1. Small bit of snow. A little lower elevation than Sierras so might be better?

Just check the weather prior to leaving if the trip is only going to be for four days. If there's no chance of precipitation, then head on out. The typical weather pattern for late October is usually dry. Plus storms take a while to arrive in California, except thunderstorms during the summer. If there is a chance of precipitation that means there's a front approaching and that's when the weather can change suddenly. That's when you need to be concerned. Yosemite and Desolation Wilderness are good options as you can get out in a hurry if necessary.

"My concern is that this time of year in the higher elevations, there's risk of snow." A very valid concern. "Now with El Nino coming, that risk seems quite a bit higher!" LOL… They were forecasting El Nino last year at this time… what we got was the driest year in 100 years or more… so much for long range weather forecasting. "(of course if knew in advance there would be snow, I could plan a ski touring trip)". Even if there is snow, it is unlikely that there would be enough to cover the rocks for a ski touring trip. Forget the long range forecasts… just start watching the forecasts about a week ahead and right up until the day you start hiking. And have a quick exit plan if the forecast turns out to be wrong. billy

hi Keneth Good points. I guess I know what I will do if there's no weather happening. Really what I need are good recommendations for alternative places that: 1) are less likely to get hit hard by snow 2) provide a similar sense of wildness, isolation, scenery etc to what I described. Any suggestion like that? I will do some research into Trinity Alps for sure!

Why avoid the snow? I say be prepared for it and enjoy it if it happens. The first snow fall of the season is magical. Unless you are talking a brutal storm rolling in… then don't mess around with that.

Arm waving generalities: – Southern Sierra Nevada got more precipitation than Central/Northern during most El Nino winters – Heaviest Sierra snows usually around 8,000 ft elevation – On any given day – your luck could run out regardless of location. As others have said, check forecasts just before you go, be prepared for snow, have bailout plans. If you want high alpine scenery, created by ice and snow, then … — Rex

Simon: Do you want to keep your trip to the Sierra Nevada's area or are you willing to look at others areas such as Big Sur, Ventana Wilderness, etc? Your comment, 1) are less likely to get hit hard by snow, is someone difficult to respond to because if area gets hit by heavy snow, then lower would get you out of the snow, but possibly subject to heavy rains. Would that be acceptable? K

justin – great point. Duh! I do love snow. I guess I'll have to see just how much is forecast as possible when I go. Packing a set of snow shoes isn't the worst crime of ultralight weight gain. I think the trick is bailing out. So I'll have to think about that. I'm now also entertaining the idea of Lassen as an alternative, but know nothing of the precipitation trends. Simon

Hi Kenneth Thanks again. I definitely prefer the Sierras to the more coastal mountains. I'm quite biased, especially by the kinds of views to be had in alpine territory. But that's not to say it's out of the question. Definitely some good alternatives if the weather prevents me from accessing those areas. I've done hiking in Ventana, Big Sur, Point Reyes, Big Basin etc. Got any favorites I didn't mention? Henry Coe is a park I've only barely scratched. Pretty big – might be a good option. Thanks Simon

If you have a high clearance vehicle and want to avoid snow, consider the Ishi Wilderness north of Chico. Really really remote and much lower than the Sierras. It's a big step back in time. Here's more about Ishi. http://www.summitpost.org/ishi-wilderness/290043 Lassen is just as susceptible to snow as the Sierras so not sure if it's a good alternative. I didn't get out as much this year as I would have liked and am thinking about getting a late trip to Desolation in. I might try Emigrant instead. Let us know what you end up doing.

Hey Joe… :) Ishi looks really cool. Great fall-back. I always prefer alpine terrain with the wide expansive views, tall craggy mountains, and fewer bugs. And I suspect the poison oak is really bad. Buuut, water, fishing, no snow… these are all good things. I'm thinking to try an alternate route similar to Rae Lakes, which is one of my all time favorite loops. But I'll have to watch weather reports carefully. Any recommendations to similar loops to Rae Lakes? I'm trying to find maps to review while i'm on work travel, but hard to get good ones to review trails.

Simon, I highly recommend the Emigrant wilderness if you are worried about snow. There are places at 7,000 feet that look like 11,000 feet. The terrain is not as steep and dramatic though. here is a report from my trip last year: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91615

Bear in mind that the road to Crabtree and Gianelli are likely to get closed in a snow storm…

There was quite a bit of poison oak at Ishi. We saw a big rattler on the trail. We also followed a game trail and came across a place where we think a bear had rested because of the vegetation compaction. Lots of deer too. We went in May four years ago and were probably the only people in the entire canyon that weekend. It's hard to find that remoteness in California without working really hard.

Personally my approach for late October is more about vehicular access than the route. I can deal with snow or whatever on the trail but I don't want to reach the trailhead and find my vehicle snowed in at the end of five miles of dirt road. So I'd pick a spot that has good paved road to the trailhead – and road that will get plowed if it snows. Desolation wilderness by way of Echo Lakes is a pretty good spot that way; to be completely safe you can park at the sno-park lot right next to US 50 and walk an extra mile or so to the lake. There's also some pretty nice terrain just north of Hwy 80 along the PCT that you can get at right from 80 so no risk of being snowed in there. Less majestic perhaps but very pretty still. Emigrant has pretty easy terrain if it snows, but the roads to the trailheads do not get plowed if it snows. Even Kennedy Meadows is chancy at that time of year, though it would be the best bet of any of the Emigrant trailheads. For the Tuolumne area, at some point in October or November they stop allowing overnight parking along the Tioga road. So it would be a good idea to check with the park on when that happens. I don't know if that applies on the Glacier Point Road also, but it might. Trailheads along that might be good possibilities as well.