Kuna Crest traverse?

[Ken Ross]

I'm planning a Yosemite/Ansel Adams loop out of the Mono/Parker Pass trailhead with a cross-country segment along the Kuna Crest, descending back to the trail either via Helen/Spillway Lakes or Kuna Lake. Has anybody done this route along the Kuna Crest? Questions:
– Did you encounter any major difficulties along the route?
– Would it be better to access the Crest via Donohue Pass or Lost Lakes Pass?
– The route looks relatively easy from Donahue to the saddle above Helen Lake; what about the section between Helen Lake and Mammoth Peak?
– Would it be better to descend via Helen Lake or Kuna Lake?
Thanks for any information.

[Bob Gross]

I've been in there once, at least partly. You can get up the trail to Parker Pass without any trouble. From there, the trail goes up via switchbacks to Parker Peak. Then it levels out. You can get up over Koip Peak, and it is very rocky. From there, you can head past the saddle to Kuna Peak. Again, very rocky. At the sadddle is the old WWII bomber wreckage if you are into old military aircraft memorabilia.

I think it would be very much longer to try to access that area from Donohue Pass.

Maybe it depends on your intentions.

–B.G.–

[Ken Ross]

Thanks Bob. My intention is a lazy loop with a Kuna Crest exploration: Mono Pass trailhead, over Parker and Koip Peak passes, down past Gem and Waugh Lakes, back over Donahue and along the crest. I've done a lot of trips in the Ansel Adams wilderness but never gone over Parker or Koip Peak Pass so I want to hike that section of trail. I've climbed up Dana, Gibbs, Mammoth Peak, and Donahue, looked at the Kuna Crest from those vantage points, and been intrigued by the idea of hiking along the crest from Donahue to Mammoth Peak. So….longer isn't a problem, just trying to make an interesting loop and looking for confirmation that the crest is class 2-ish for its entire length, with no technical sections (hiking with girlfriend).

[Bob Gross]

Insofar as the way I described, it was purely Class 1 and Class 2. There must be very little snow left from the winter.

–B.G.–

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