High Sierra Topix

I thought I would add to this late topic, heh...

X-C passes are a different kind of beast, so I will stay with trail passes.
Bad passes:
Any of the east side passes that compell you to gain ~6000 feet is a hard day of hiking.
Of the non-east-side passes, Black Rock pass is a lot of toil and work, but the view makes up for it. Sawtooth Pass is just crap on the west side, but again, the views are nice. Goodale Pass is pretty average for the work. But the "worst" is probably Pinchot Pass: rather "OK" views from the top and an ugly reroute through endless gardens of rock on the south side. A good trail to leave and go x-c east down the valley along the meadows or south to visit lakes.

The best pass? Perhaps Mather Pass

Having recently completed the JMT I would have to say Glenn Pass it is not the tallest but the view is somethng that the other just don't measure up to.
Does the Golden Stair Case count since it is on the way to a pass too many switchbacks all one thinks about while climbing will I ever get to the top

Hi Don

Was this your first time doing the JMT? If yes, which parts appealed
to you the most?
Whoops, just noticed your JMT trip report, but my question stlll stands.

I may be quite nutbar, but I actually loved Shepherd's Pass. Spectacular views all the way, and even though the 600ft drop is a b@#$%, I was just sucked into the beauty of it.

Two I went over this summer that I didn't see mentioned were Elizabeth Pass and Colby Pass, deep in the heart of SEKI. From the south Elizabeth is a 4K slog in 4 miles, but when you see Deadman Canyon yawning beneath you like a giant vert-ramp, the work becomes worth it. Colby is also one hell of a slog on the east side (which is why I came down there instead of up!), but the fishing in Colby Lake was the bomb!

-L