Sierra Suggestions

i think tioga pass open soon

if so, you can head south

apparently, in south sierra, already pretty snow-free to 9K & soon will be to 10K with this heat wave coming

rock creek – little lakes valley might be just the ticket (tom's place exit just after lake crowley south of mammoth lakes), but maybe not quite far enough south

or if you want to drive a bit further, i bet cottonwood pass be do-able in about a week

heck whitney trail might be good to go soon – when does the quota start?

Nathan Cary is right. If you want views of big peaks and sublime views, the southern Sierra's on the east side will do. Please ask Cary or myself for suggerstions. I do however think that at this time you will get only as high as 9000 feet at the most right now. That will still make for a fun trip though

Hi Nate,
Maybe call the White River RS in Bishop and inquire about snow conditions on the Paiute Pass trail. It is due west of Bishop, starts at ~9400' and tops out 5 miles later at ~11,500'. The views across a high, wide basin are beautiful, lots of jagged peaks to the west and south, with Mt Humphreys looming to your right(north-northeast). It's a pretty easy day hike, IF the snow is gone, and is about an hour and 20 minutes or so by car from Tioga Pass. Also,
a day hike from Lake Sabrina up toward Hungry Packer or Midnight Lakes would get you into some pretty spectacular country without topping out at a high pass and still fall in the 10-11 mile day hike category. It uses the same approach road as the Paiute Pass trail, but starts from Lake Sabrina. Snow conditions will definitely be the limiting factor, no matter where you go this time of year. Another possibility, if the road is open, is to drive up to Onion Valley and hike up to Kearsarge Pass. Again, snow conditions will determine your fate. Cottonwood Pass is probably the most likely to be snow free, but is a much longer drive and the views are not nearly as spectacular as farther north unless you want to hike on up toward Miter Basin, which is probably a bit longer than you want to go, from what you iindicated in your post. I hope you find something.

Nate, I agree with Cary on Little Lakes Valley. It is amazing there!!!! I know a fun off trail hike that takes you up to Treasure Lakes which is very cool. Let me know if you need the beta. One beauty of this hike is that you are starting off at 10,000 feet. The snow could be gone by then. I went there on 4th of July one year on a decent snow year and it was perfect. Cannister required due to it being Inyo