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40-50 Mile Sierra Loop

This topic has 13 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 9 months ago by nunatak.

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Feb 15, 2018 at 11:36 pm #3518658

Michael Schlesselmann
BPL Member

@mschless
Locale: Southern Los Padres National Forest

Hi all. Looking for suggestions for a 40-50 mile Sierra loop for this summer with a little bit of off trail to try to get some experience with that. I have plenty of on trail experience up there, but I would like to eventually do one of the high routes in the Sierra in the next couple years so figure it would be good for me to get some experience on some off trail passes and such. My first choice would be to do the North to South Lake Loop with an alternate route through Humphry’s Basin and over Puppet Pass, but not sure if my hiking partners can get that much time off of work to do the ~65 mile loop that I mapped on Caltopo.

Feb 16, 2018 at 3:25 pm #3518727

Andrew Stevens
BPL Member

@nuttool

Michael,

My favorite Sierra hike by far is a lollipop loop starting at Pine Creek and either going over Granite Bear Pass or Italy Pass looping through the Bear Lakes area and then over Feather Pass. 50% cross country that is relatively easy to manage, but one of the most beautiful and isolated areas of the Sierra. I’d estimate 40 miles?

Andrew

Feb 16, 2018 at 3:50 pm #3518735

Russ W
BPL Member

@gatome83
Locale: Southeastern US

This is a really nice loop:

Buckeye Flats to Redwood Meadow Grove, to Bearpaw Meadow, to the Sierra High Trail by Hamilton Lakes, Precipice Lakes, continue to Little Five Lakes, Black Rock Pass Trail, back to Redwood Meadow Grove, and out to Buckeye Flats.

Feb 16, 2018 at 4:59 pm #3518740

jscott
BPL Member

@book
Locale: Northern California

North or south Sierra? North–Benson lake loop out of Twin Lakes ner Bridgeport. Easy off trail on the drainage that’s one over from Kerrick meadows, or the drainage later on going south just before you reach the vicinity of the Sawtooth range–but this last is a highlight!

Clover Meadows trailhead–any number of loops going towards Triple Divide in Yosemite, with French Canyon as a good off trail bit. You can also do a loop out of Tuolumne that goes over Vogelsang pass and then takes the high route towards Triple Divide and back. This last has a STUNNING off trail climb up to Lyell peak. This is rarely visited.

Feb 24, 2018 at 10:41 pm #3520532

Steve Thompson
BPL Member

@stevet
Locale: Southwest

3 options come to mind, two variants of the North Lake to South loop.

Variant 1: enter via Lamarck Col. The route over Lamarck Col is old unmaintained trail, but will give you an idea what x-country travel is about. This is also a day shorter than the trailed route

Variant 2: bypass Evolution Valley via Goddard Canyon and the short x-country route past the Davis Lakes to Wanda Lake where you pick up the JMT.

Third option: Onion Valley–Center Basin over Junction Pass to the “Pothole” scramble x-country to the Shepherd Pass trail over Shepherd Pass to the JMT and return via Forester Pass. Or variant via Lake South America and over one of 4 possible crossings of the Kings-Kern Divide (Harrison Pass, Lucy Foot Pass, Millys Foot Pass, or Little Joe Pass). Center Basin over Junction Pass is the old JMT route. You will find bits of the trail but there is still enough route finding challenge to give you a taste of x-country travel. The alternate crossings of the Kings Kern each have some challenging sections to find a “foot path” route.

Mar 22, 2018 at 4:30 pm #3526337

Mary R
BPL Member

@pietimer

Hey Michael,

I was in exactly the same situation a few years back. I wanted to try out off-trail travel with the intention of scoping out a future SHR or similar. I ended up doing a SHR/JMT loop–it was only 30 miles, but it could pretty easily be extended out NW if you want to make it longer.

I’ve got the world’s tiniest trip report and a topo map here.

Mar 23, 2018 at 12:59 am #3526441

Matthew / BPL
Moderator

@matthewkphx

Mary, that looks like a fun loop. Thanks for sharing it.

Mar 23, 2018 at 2:57 am #3526468

jscott
BPL Member

@book
Locale: Northern California

Yes, the pass to Cecile from Minaret is easy enough to find going from Minaret lake, once you find the use trail–and it’s kinda fun, because there’s only the one possible route surrounded by cliffs–but it took me a lot longer to find that same descent from Cecile to Minaret, if you go the other way. But more importantly, there can be very steep snow dropping from Cecile to Iceberg lake late in the season; it really does require proper equipment if it’s present. But that whole area is spectacular with a bunch of off trail options.

May 5, 2018 at 4:52 pm #3533836

Tim Cheek
BPL Member

@hikerfan4sure

Michael, Are you taking Ali?

May 8, 2018 at 3:47 pm #3534290

Michael Schlesselmann
BPL Member

@mschless
Locale: Southern Los Padres National Forest

Not this time unfortunately. Her and I will probably try to get a long weekend or two in the Sierras in, but this trip is for a couple buddies and I.

May 8, 2018 at 4:36 pm #3534300

Tim Cheek
BPL Member

@hikerfan4sure

Ok, I just hope you are not excluding her just because she’s getting a free custom made Nunatak quilt.

May 8, 2018 at 6:35 pm #3534317

Michael Schlesselmann
BPL Member

@mschless
Locale: Southern Los Padres National Forest

Haha I wouldn’t think of it! Excited to see that in person!

May 9, 2018 at 2:37 am #3534442

Tom K
BPL Member

@tom-kirchneraol-com-2

Go in over Lamarck Col, hike the JMT to Palisades Lakes, then return via Cirque, Potluck, and Knapsack Passes, with an exit over Bishop Pass. Either preposition a car at the South Lake TH, or hitchhike back to the Lake Sabrina parking area and walk back up to the North Lake TH. This would give you a taste of off trail “lite” going in over Lamarck, an SHR stretch of the JMT down to LeConte Canyon, and a good representative sample of the SHR itself from Cirque Pass to Knapsack Pass.

May 9, 2018 at 1:14 pm #3534486

nunatak
BPL Member

@roamer

How much time do you have? We did this loop out of Pine Creek last August in 6 days, with a couple of peak ascents to mix it up. It’s 50 miles and visits some pretty striking areas. We planned it to take advantage of the big snow year covering lots of talus and providing glissades where otherwise bare scree and rock would abound.
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