Bear Diversion Dam vs. Bear Creek Trail

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hawkfeather
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Post by hawkfeather »

I've been over both routes to Bear Creek, various times. In fact, I was on the Sierra Club trip with you umpteen years ago when you walked in to Bear Dam (if you're who I think you are). That's an awful, shadeless walk. So, if you haven't got a vehicle that will make it in, I highly recommend going in over the ridge (as you go up towards Edison, the TH and parking area is off to the right). It's a prettier route, with good views, and you'll come out in that dry meadowy area up the trail from the dam.

I've never yet been to Apollo, Orchid, Cirque Lakes, etc., though I've considered the map many times. The packers used to go to Marcella (and to Cirque?); I don't know if they still do. I've dayhiked up to Chamberlain Lake--exquisite--looping back via Hooper Lakes (another packer destination), where you can pick up a trail that goes down to Hooper Diversion Dam. Anyway, I'd be very interested in hearing how your trip goes and hope you'll post a report here.

Enjoy!
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Post by giantbrookie »

Interesting observations regarding stock reaching Marcella. I remember being very disappointed to find the well developed stock trail to the Hoopers (a trail that still isn't shown on any maps). The packer presence at Marcella points to a "back door" or "side door" route similar to that reaching Mattie L. in Yosemite (long a packer favorite in spite of off trail location). This also highlights a potentially easy way into (or out of) the Cirque/Marcella area. If we assume the packers are (or have been) getting in via the most obviously subdued topography, I would guess one possible entry route would be from the vicinity of the JMT/Bear Creek trail junction. From there they would head toward the Bear Twin Lakes (would be willing to bet there is good evidence of stock use there) before veering off to a more WSW direction going over a shoulder and heading toward Marcella. It is also possible that the packers double back toward Bear Twin from further upstream (S) also (such as upstream of Hilgard Branch, making a long diagonal ascent on benches toward Bear Twin), but I'll bet the packers are using the shorter route from the near the JMT/Bear Creek junction.

Regarding the cutoff trail (that I've never taken), I was just looking at Harrison, and, if we believe Harrison's mileages, the cutoff trail to the junction with the main trail is 3.3 mi vs 3.6 mi for the Bear Creek trail all the way from the Edison Road. There is considerably more elevation gain associated with the cutoff trail, though. The hump-over to the junction via the cutoff trail involves a climb to 8240+ from 7560, before descending to 7470 feet, a gross elevation gain of 680+ feet (ie more than 680 and less than 760), and a loss (that must be climbed on the way out) of 770 to 850 feet. The elevation gain from the Edison road to the cutoff junction is 7470-7045=425 feet. Consequently the specs according to Harrison to the common junction are as follows: 1. cutoff trail 3.3 mi elevation gain 680 to 760 feet, loss 770 to 850 feet. 2. main trail starting at road junction with Edison road 3.6 miles 425 feet gain, negligible loss (ie no nasty 770 to 850 foot ascent to kick one's behind near the end of one's exit). Not everything will play by the numbers as there are other factors (shade, rockiness, etc.), but to me there is a big enough disparity in the numbers regarding elevation gain that I would choose to hike the standard route rather than the cutoff.
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Post by SSSdave »

Long ago I seem to recall hearing the packer route to Marcella crosses the creek above Bear Diversion Dam reservoir. Then swings back west along the shore to the main SJ canyon and winds up through the manzanita in below the Infant Buttes before gaining the upper forested slopes above the steep walls of the glaciated canyon. It always sounded like a route only for the most mountain wily horse and riders. ...David
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Post by TehipiteTom »

hawkfeather wrote:I've been over both routes to Bear Creek, various times. In fact, I was on the Sierra Club trip with you umpteen years ago when you walked in to Bear Dam (if you're who I think you are).
That would be 15 years ago...hard to believe it's been that long. You may recall that I wound up doing the 4WD section twice, because I had to hike out a sick trip member (I think I got a ride for the third leg).

Let's see now...I believe Helen was from Mission Viejo, and I remember Helen saying she had been to Chamberlain Lake. Is that you? In any case, good to hear from you! :)
That's an awful, shadeless walk. So, if you haven't got a vehicle that will make it in, I highly recommend going in over the ridge (as you go up towards Edison, the TH and parking area is off to the right). It's a prettier route, with good views, and you'll come out in that dry meadowy area up the trail from the dam.
Thanks! That's exactly the sort of information I was after.

GB, I ran a Topo! profile and the 4WD road actually came out with slightly more elevation gain than the ridge route on the way in (within the margin of error; I'd call them equivalent). The 4WD road does some extra climbing before dropping back down to the dam. Hiking out is another story--that would involve maybe 500' of additional gain.. The ideal would be to hike in on the cutoff and out via the dam road.

In any case, the only person so far who has hiked both recommends the cutoff, so that's what I'm inclined to go with. I do hate that dam road.
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Post by hawkfeather »

You can see I don't check posts very often, but, yup, it's me. And I remember that you had to hike that Bear Dam road twice. Ugh.

sssdave's description of the packer route to Marcella sounds pretty much like what they told me. We nosed around up there one time, but never did find a clear packer trail, which seemed weird considering that the trail to Hooper Lakes is so well-trodden. But maybe we were nosing around in the wrong place--it was a long time ago 8-}

Have you done your trip yet?

We're just throwing stuff together for a long weekend in the Bishop area, with any luck into Dusy Basin where I haven't been in 10 years. So it goes. Gotta keep moving.
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Post by hawkfeather »

You can see I don't check posts very often, but, yup, it's me. And I remember that you had to hike that Bear Dam road twice. Ugh.

sssdave's description of the packer route to Marcella sounds pretty much like what they told me. We nosed around up there one time, but never did find a clear packer trail, which seemed weird considering that the trail to Hooper Lakes is so well-trodden. But maybe we were nosing around in the wrong place--it was a long time ago 8-}

Have you done your trip yet?

We're just throwing stuff together for a long weekend in the Bishop area, with any luck into Dusy Basin where I haven't been in 10 years. So it goes. Gotta keep moving.
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Post by TehipiteTom »

You can see I don't check posts very often, but, yup, it's me. And I remember that you had to hike that Bear Dam road twice. Ugh.
Good to hear from you! Nice to know you're still doing the backpacking thing. :)
Have you done your trip yet?
Not yet--I'm going August 10-13. Slight glitch: couldn't get an advance reservation, so I have to get a permit the morning of August 10 at High Sierra. Kind of a pain, because they open really late in the morning--like 8 o'clock or so, which is an hour or more after I'd like to be on the trail. If the walk-in quota is full at that point, I have an alternate route planned up Bear Ridge to the Recess Peak lakes, First Recess, and One Halfth Recess.
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Post by SSSdave »

Image

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=37. ... &layer=DRG

The above image shows a possible route that could be made between thye Kip Camp area of Bear Creek at ~8900 feet just off the PCT and Bear Creek trail junctions and Marcella Lake at ~9780. This image was taken from just north of where the trail passes through a saddle between domes at ~9000+ before dropping back down to the creek. One would need to ford Bear Creek in the Kip Camp area. The creek in early summer during larger snowpack years anywhere below 9600 feet can be quite difficult to cross however the Kip Camp zone does have a number of spots where the creek splits in multiple channels. Once across the creek, one would climb to the easy saddle north of dome 9181 at the left frame edge. From there the route drops slightly 100 feet then follows a traverse across the otherwise steep slope on a long narrow tree colonized shelf. The line of trees does in fact show up on the topo. The dense brighter green trees are stunted aspen that tend to colonize areas of frequent snow avalances. The distance of the red line shown across the face is about 0.7 miles with Marcella Lake another 0.9 miles through denser forest. From Marcella Lake, one could easily reach Cirque Lake at ~10400+ above.

Another more direct route from the Bear Diversion Dam trailhead would need to cross the creek somewhere above the Twin Falls area at ~8100 feet. That route would travel the low gradient south creek side slopes east until crossing the Cirque Creek stream junction at 8240. From there a route shown on the below image as a yellow line climbs southeast up an obvious sparsely treed glaciated rock rib. That route does include some moderate gradient friction slabs.

Image
Last edited by SSSdave on Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by TehipiteTom »

Wow, thanks, Dave! Those are really helpful. The yellow route is the one I was looking at on the map--I'm okay with (moderate) friction slabs, so that seems doable to me.
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Post by windknot »

hawkfeather wrote:I've dayhiked up to Chamberlain Lake--exquisite--looping back via Hooper Lakes (another packer destination), where you can pick up a trail that goes down to Hooper Diversion Dam.
On your way up did you happen to stop by the unnamed lake a little over a mile due west of Chamberlain? I want to hit the Hooper Basin and Chamberlain later this summer and I was looking at that little lake wondering if it was worth a little side venture or even stopping by en route to a loop trip going straight up to or down from Chamberlain.

Matt
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