High Sierra Topix

My work has me traveling from home (Portland) to the bay area in late April, and I’m hoping to make it “value added” by tagging on a backpacking trip.

I’m hoping for some advice on possible routes. I will be out three nights and want to keep the mileage in the low 20s. I am fine with snow travel and elevation (plenty of experience with both). I prefer not to do anything with severe exposure but I would like to get to the high country.

My #1 option is Wolverton to Pear Lake and then play around in Tablelands area. I’ve never been there, so how does that sound?

I was also thinking about something out of Yosemite Valley (I’ve never been to LYV but I have been to Glacier Point in snow).
Any thoughts on these routes or other suggestions?

Oh, yeah, I heard you guys got some snow this year

BTW, on a slightly related topic why is the avalanche forecasting area so small for the Sierra as compared to other major ranges (e.g., Cascades and Rockies)?
http://www.avalanche.org/

Is the Sierra Avalanche Center’s small forecast region (Tahoe) a very reliable predictor for conditions farther south?

Wow. Low 20s miles in deep snow? That' way beyond anything I can consider. You do realize that it's the biggest snow year since 1983, and that area must have about ten feet of snow on it, right?

In Yosemite, try the hike to Dewey Point from Badger Pass. Abou5 4-5 miles, and at least some packing down of the trail in spots.

1983 I skied the tablelands in late June. It is possible that you could have spring skiing conditions in late April which could be fun. But backpacking is probably not a reasonable expectation. This year is looking to be similar to 83. Even in a dry year this is not a time to backpack in this area. You might consider redwood canyon. I did that once in April. Pretty cool to sleep under a giant sequoia. Even then I had to deal with snow and the road to the trailhead was not open due to snow.

Is the Sierra Avalanche Center’s small forecast region (Tahoe) a very reliable predictor for conditions farther south?

It's okay, but SEKI does not share their avalanche info with the public.

My #1 option is Wolverton to Pear Lake and then play around in Tablelands area. I’ve never been there, so how does that sound?

Sound like fun and would be my pick. Are you going to use the ski hut? http://www.exploresequoiakingscanyon.co ... r-hut.html
Going out to the end of Tablelands, just beyond Tableland Meadows and above Big Bird Lake, would be a wonderful trip with a grand view.

for south of Tahoe avalanche info:
http://www.esavalanche.org/

Unfortunately there is no entity that does avalanche forecasting or warnings on the west slope south of Tahoe that I know of. So you just have to rely on the east slope info. But by late April typically the snowpack is fairly consolidated and conditions are fairly consistent from one side of the range to the other, varying more by altitude and exposure than by area.

I'm doing the high route in June this year and have no doubt that we'll be skiing (well, splitboarding) the whole thing. Going into the tablelands in winter is great and does not require and exposure so long as you follow the winter route and not the summer trail.

If you're snowshoeing or skiing then go for it, if you're thinking of a backpack trip in boots it won't happen by then and the lower elevation areas mentioned above are good.

Thanks for everybody's feedback and thanks for the suggestion on the ski hut. I'll have to check that out.

Yes, I'll be on snowshoes. How does the "winter route" to Pear Lake differ from the "summer route"? I assume that the "winter route" is marked on trees, but is there a map available of the "winter route'?

Also, any suggestions for the best way to climb above Pear Lake? I'm thinking of going E/NE from Pear Lake to Moose Lake. But it looks like I could also drop down below Pear Lake to what is marked as "Marble Fork Kaweah River" and follow that to Table Meadows and above. Thanks again for all the info!

I'm headed the hut on April 21st.if ou go to the pear lake ski hut web page and click on the colander you can see if there is any thing available. Last time I looked, there were beds available during the week, but not much. Also, people are often giving up their bunks on the face book page when they are unable to go. There is a good map gpx on the pear lake ski hut face book page.

The winter route goes over the Hump instead of around to the Watchtower -- a much safer route, with all the ice and snow that is no doubt on that trail...

Thanks for the additional info.--much appreciated!