Shortened Sierra High Route Suggestions

Concerning the Sierra High Route, you will find that low mileage slow-going and Class-3 episodes are integral to the experience. At that point, the “best” parts will be the trail sections in between the Class-3 parts. In other words, you might want to seek a trail, and not a section of the SHR.

Thanks for your response, Cameron. I think I need to clarify my post. My friends and I wish to traverse a section of the high route. And, although we are not incapable / adverse to Class III terrain, if we can pick a section of the route with less class III terrain we would like to do that. Likewise, our mileage goal is not set in stone. When we hiked the Wind River Range high route, our lowest mileage day was around thirteen miles; our highest mileage day was about 22 miles. I recognize that the difficulty of terrain limits the distance we can cover. Any suggestions are helpful.

Here’s a link to a SHR section hike I did with a friend back in 2012.  It took us 8 leisurely days, but you guys could easily knock a couple off that if you were in a hurry.  It covers one of the more interesting sections, or so I am told, of the SHR, and allows you the logistical advantage of starting and finishing on the same side of the Sierra by leaving the SHR at Lake Basin and exiting over Taboose Pass.  Alternatively, if you don’t mind exiting on the opposite side of the Sierra, you could easily add a day or two by continuing on over Red, White, and Gray Passes and exiting at Roads End.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/68370/

Thanks, Tom. This route looks awesome. Any advice on permitting requirements?

Just the standard wilderness permit to go in over Piute Pass.  There is a 30 person daily limit, of which 18 are reservable and 12 are walk up.  If you want to reserve, do so early, but you have an excellent chance of getting a walk up permit.  I have never had a problem.

2 other, somewhat related concerns:  If you are careful about where you camp, you can avoid carrying a bear canister.  LeConte Canyon, lower Dusy Basin, and Palisade Basin are within the canister required zone.  We took our chances by camping in Leconte and Palisade, with extra precautions, particularly in Leconte, but that may not be the best choice.  At the time, it was not clear to us that LeConte was in the zone.  We did not consider Palisade Basin to be a likely spot to have bear issues, and were comfortable without a canister there.  LeConte was definitely bear country, and we were hyper cautious.  If you guys are capable of doing long days, I’d suggest camping at Davis Lake, just west of Wanda Lake, and pushing on the next day to the lake at the source of Glacier Creek, between Potluck Pass and Cirque Pass.  The rest of the trip is not likely to present you with bear issues, unless you choose to camp along the brief stretch of the JMT you will hike before exiting via Taboose Pass.

A second issue will be to position your car at the Taboose Pass TH.  For this, you will need a shuttle or a second car of your own.  Be aware that the road in to the Taboose Pass TH has gotten pretty rough in the past couple of years, and is getting marginal for smaller 2WD cars with low clearance.  We managed it last year in a Honda Fit, but it was white knuckles at times, and the driver was very experienced.

Here are 2 potential shuttle providers for you to contact, should you decide to use one:

paul@inyopro.com
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<div><span style=”font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”>LonePineKurt@aol.com</span></div>
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