WALK ON THE WILD SIDE EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA

The geologic forces that built the Range of Light followed two diferent blueprints: On the west side, a long, gradual slope climbs from the Central Valley to the Sierra Crest. But on the east, the divide plummets dramatically to the flats, creating a wonderland of granite peaks and alpine lakes guarded by punishingly steep approaches. High summer is the best time to tackle the wilder side, and with topography like that, what are you waiting for? By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan.

THE INSIDER 

SP Parker has been exploring the eastern Sierra and its five wilderness areas and three national parks—up to 100 days a season—for a lifetime. A Kiwi by birth, Parker fled soggy New Zealand for sunny California almost 40 years ago and has been working as a mountaineering and climbing guide ever since, nowadays for his Bishop-based outfit, Sierra Mountain Center.

PERFECT DAYHIKE 

Why settle for one gorgeous, peakrimmed alpine lake when you can have six? Parker’s favorite day trip strings together a series of sparkly tarns in the John Muir Wilderness— plus a quiet jaunt over Table Mountain—in a 8-mile shuttle hike. Start on the Tyee Lakes Trail and huff nearly 2,000 feet to the first four lakes at 11,000 feet, earning views of the Inconsolable Range as you climb. At the fourth Tyee Lake, pick up the trail to Table Mountain and cross the southern end of the flat-topped peak to connect to the George Lake Trail. You’ll drop 2,500 feet, much of it via the steep switchbacks above George Lake, and traipse through high meadows to link to the Sabrina Lake Trail and your shuttle car. (The trailheads are just 9 miles apart, so you can try to hitch a ride back in lieu of a shuttle.)

BITE-SIZE JOHN MUIR TRAIL 

If the whole JMT is a distant dream, this three-night sampler will ease the wait. The 28.1-mile route starts high (8,322 feet), getting you to the good stuff without as much of the usual eastern Sierra elevation penalty, and summer public transit makes for an easy shuttle. Bonus: Because you start in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and hike into Yosemite, permits are slightly easier to land (but still apply early; see Trip Planner). From the Agnew Meadows trailhead (the first stop on the mandatory bus from Mammoth Mountain Adventure Center; $7), take the High Trail along the eastern edge of the San Joaquin River canyon, enjoying views of Banner Peak and the thorny Minarets. Head northwest to Badger Lakes, then drop to lakeside camping—and excellent swimming—at Thousand Island Lake, mile 7.8. Pick up the JMT from here for a mellow second day that crosses Island Pass to the Rush Creek drainage; Parker recommends taking a side trail to Davis Lakes and camping in the shadow of 12,303-foot Mt. Davis (mile 11.3). Day three carries you over Donahue Pass into Yosemite’s Lyell Canyon, a wide, glacially carved granite valley, where you can scout a quiet campsite on the east side of Lyell Fork near the Ireland Lake Trail junction (if the water is low enough to ford; it usually is by August). Hike out to Tuolumne Meadows and catch the YARTS bus back to Mammoth Lakes ($9; yarts.com).

BEST PEAK 

There’s no casual route to the top of 13,986-foot Mt. Humphreys, which is just how Parker likes it. The “easy” way, a class 4 scramble over sliding talus, starts by tracing Bishop Creek along a necklace of lakes over Piute Pass. Set up basecamp in the northern part of Humphreys Basin, about 6.5 miles in, then tackle the western ridge (alpine know-how required).

SIERRA SOLITUDE 

The glories of the Sierra are no secret, but that doesn’t mean you have to share. When Parker wants to shake the masses, he hightails it to Kings Canyon National Park’s Marion Lake. “It’s a little gem of a lake surrounded by high peaks, as deep into the Sierra Nevada as you can get—and you have to work really hard to do it,” he says. It’ll take you two or three days to reach the heavenly blue pool that splashes with trout, but every step is worth it. Start at the John Muir Wilderness’s Taboose Pass trailhead and bust out 6,000 feet of elevation gain over 8 miles to the pass; drop into the national park’s South Fork of the Kings River Canyon and camp. Day two, ascend 2,200 feet over 11,730-foot Cartridge Pass to a granite-framed Lake Basin, some 5 miles away. Camp here, or make Marion Lake via 2 miles of simple off-trail navigation, and stay awhile: You’ve earned it.

ANCIENT TREES, BRIGHT STARS 

Parker’s favorite Sierra car campground isn’t actually in the Sierra—it’s across the Owens Valley, in the White Mountains, with an excellent view of the Sierra, including Wheeler Crest and the Palisades. The remoteness and open, highaltitude (8,600 feet) setting of the Grandview Campground ($5/night) makes for primo stargazing, and it’s just down the road from the Schulman Grove of bristlecone pines. Hike the 4.5-mile Methuselah Trail to see a 4,850-plus-yearold bristlecone, one of Earth’s oldest living things.

POSTHIKE TOAST 

Bishop locals replay the day’s greatest hits at Mountain Rambler Brewery (mountainramblerbrewery. com), a pub with live music and great vegetarian options (try the tempeh Reuben, Parker says).

TRIP PLANNER SEASON 

June to September PERMIT Required (price varies); obtain from the agency that manages your trailhead. Reserve on recreation.gov. CONTACTS www.fs.usda.gov/inyo; nps.gov/ yose; nps.gov/seki

sources:

Backpacker, August 2018

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