Info Wanted - Cottonwood Lakes - Kern Headwaters yoyo

[Asolthane]

Hi All,

Two level 4 backpackers heading into wilderness (fingers crossed for a walk-in permit!) on Friday 8/3 at Horseshoe Meadows.

The plan is to head up the JMT, dip down to walk up the Kern, explore the Kern headwaters (and hopefully catch a football sized golden trout) and then head back on as high a route as possible, taking the pass between Tyndall Basin to Wright Basin, up into Wallace Lakes Basin, to the JMT and then over Crabtree Pass into the Miter Basin, and back out.

Here's a map https://caltopo.com/m/3QMG

Questions:
- how does the route look to you, what would you change having been there?
- Do you have any favorite campsites along this route you are willing to share?
- Best fishing along this route?
- Is the upper kern river drainage a nice place to hike and fish? Some river valleys are to die for, some (mono creek drainage for example) I find tedious.
- Are there any basins or areas just off this planned itinerary that you think are cant' miss?
- Is there anything we can cut out, this is a lot of miles without any layovers
- Where would you take a layover if you could? I left the miles shorter up near Kern headwaters, thinking that would be an area we would want time to explore
- There's a long section of the JMT from Rock Creek to Crabtree Meadows that I included basically so it would be more of a loop rather than an out and back. The section along Rock Creek I have seen and didn't find very memorable. How's the section from Rock Creek over Guyot Pass up to Crabtree Meadow? Should I just cut this section and go both in and out over Crabtree Pass and Miter Basin?
- Should we plan on spending a night at Cottonwood Lakes? I wonder if they are very crowded on a weekend and that I should skip over them and check them out during a week trip. That could make the last day a long one to get back to the car, but would also maybe free up a night to spend elsewhere.

Thank you so much!

[Asolthane]

Seems like activity on this forum is dwindling, nobody replied to this. I got some really helpful stuff via DM, including a link to a post by Wandering Daisy.

I have decided to change this to a shuttle trip and come out Shepard Pass.

Would love to hear anyone's favorite campsites in this area.

[rscofield]

Just did the Crabtree Pass portion this week. There are nice sites just below Upper Crabtree Lake and a really nice one along the trail at the unnamed lake below Lower Crabtree Lake. Old hitching post and everything. I would stay there instead of Crabtree Meadows (unless you like camping with lots of other people). I came out New Army Pass on Tuesday and trail on USFS side was packed. Two large scout groups and numerous families and smaller groups. Can't say about Cottonwood Lakes proper. Don't fish so can't help you there.

[Jimr]

Hi Asolthane. I have a couple of suggestions.
Once you reach the top of Old Army pass, you can cut some miles by heading due North toward Mt. Langley, then right about where the "N" is in SIERRA NATIONAL PARK, there is a use trail that head down to the upper Rock creek lake. Skirt North around the inlet as it's choked with brush but nice walking in the sparse tree zone above. You can access the upper lake once you get around the inlet area. If it were me, I'd skip the lower lake as it tends to get a lot of use and IIFC, nothing to write home about as far as fishing. Skirt round the Major General near the top of the tree line at around the 11,400 line to get into the Rock creek area going toward Sky Blue Lake. That would cut a few unneeded miles.

Also, dropping out of Lake South America, you can basically cross country it toward your lake S/O Diamond Mesa.

[robertseeburger]

Just a thought for you.. you just have too much! I know you are level 4 backpackers so it isn't that you can't do the route you propose. It is just that I bet you would enjoy it more if you cut out a segment ( like Wallace Lake, or Upper Kern) and then used the time for sans-backpack exploring and fishing. And when I say
cut out something..it isn't that they are not nice places. They are ALL nice places on this route. And all the places have good fishing..just a matter of time and effort...and if you keep to your itinerary you won't have much time. Tough choices..one that I have had to make several times on similar itineraries..and I am off tomorrow for a similar trip..(Great Western Divide/Upper Kern)..so I will be just a little bit ahead of you!

[BigMan]

I can only comment on the places I've been to. I "fish" for solitude and grand scenery only.

Wallace is great but Wales is spectacular. Great campsite on the sandy shore of the northwest end.

Milestone Basin is very much worthy of a side trip. There's a trail on the north side of the creek that leads you in.

"Casper" Lake in the Upper Kern is one of my favorites for it's mix of comfort, shade, and opportunties for exploration nearby. It's right below tree line. There are shady campsites on the north side, and the bowl to the west is worth exploring.

The entire Upper Kern is worthy of 7 days. And not very popular. I didn't see anyone for 4 straight days.

Lake South America is OK. My favorite experience there was waking up and having my coffee up on the knob a few hundred feet to the northwest of the Lake, watching the sun light up the peaks of the Great Western and Kern-Kings Divides.