JMT Side Trip Ideas Requested

[JWreno]

Thanks again for the suggestions. I decided to create a list of potential side trips for nearly zero days or pack off exploring days a few miles off the JMT. This way we can just wing it based on how we feel and how we far have been progressing down the JMT relative to the remaining vacation days available.

Where is the use trail for Wallace Lake. Is it on the north or south side of Wallace Creek?

We don't fish but off days are good days for relaxing, doing a bear can clothes wash, photography and sometimes just exploring without the pack. Peter Panda and the other lakes along the Silver Divide look like an interesting place to spend some time at altitude. We sort off just cruised through this area when going northbound because we were doing 18-20 miles a day on the 2nd half of the last two JMT trips. It's easy to do when you food load is lighter and you have been out for a couple of weeks so everyone is in great conditioning by then.

I have only done the JMT southbound from Yosemite to Piute Creek bridge exiting at North Lake back in 2007. One of my goals this year is to take a 1000+ pictures. We took about 850 in 2008 and only about 350 in 2011. I think picture count is a good proxy for taking time to enjoy the views.

[Wandering Daisy]

I found the trail to Wallace Lake on the north side of the creek. I believe it crosses the creek at some point and re-crosses and becomes hard to find in a few places. It ends on the north side of the creek at Wallace Lake. This is not saying there is not another trail on the south side. If so, they likely join at one point. Use-trails are pretty faint compared to the JMT so you have to be a good "trail tracker".

"Easy" is relative with respect to getting to Dusy Basin from the JMT. It is a good trail, but 2000+ feet elevation gain in about 2 miles of more switchbacks than you want to count.

[JWreno]

Thanks for the trail info. I have been to Dusy basin in the past so I will wander into other areas this time.

[oleander]

Lots of great ideas here.

Am I the only person who was a little disappointed in Davis Lakes? Evolution area is so spectacular, and I expected more from the Davis Lakes basin. Next time, I would hop over into Ionian via Black Giant Pass, instead.

Agreed with all of Wandering Daisy's suggestions, except: I found it extraordinarily difficult to find a (low-impact) campsite anywhere up to or in Arctic Lake basin. Personally I'd probably wander up to Hitchcock Lakes instead. Neither place has any people, whereas Guitar Lake and even the little tarns above Guitar on the JMT have become an absolute zoo. You will only add 45 minutes max to your day by going off to Hitchcock and using that as your base for the Whitney day.

Also agreed that the logical locations to add side trips for you would be the areas between Donohue and MTR, where you will have less food to carry. Why not do the SHR for nearly all of that section?

- Get onto the SHR at Thousand Island Lake. Take it as far as Minaret Lake and bail out to Reds Meadow via the Minaret Lake trail.

- If you think that will take too much time, then just hop onto the SHR at Ediza, and exit the Minaret Lake Trail after going over Iceberg/Cecile. That route is so much more spectacular than the parallel section of the JMT, I recommend it for anyone who has the skills to do the Iceberg-Cecile traverse (easy in a low-snow year).

- The section south of Reds Meadow is (IMO) the most tedious part of the whole JMT. Definitely skirt around that one! I have not done Iva Bell. But I have done the route recommended by Wandering Daisy, which is basically an improved version of the SHR. It is terrific! Instead of starting at Reds, take the shuttles into Mammoth and then to Lake George. Walk the trail from Lake George to the Mammoth Crest, where the views are jaw-dropping particularly considering you are barely out of Mammoth. Now you are back on the SHR. Follow trail south to Deer Lakes. Easy x-country to Duck Lake. Then onto the JMT. After doing this I will never, ever do the southbound JMT out of Reds again.

- From Tully Hole: If you have time, you can just continue on the SHR all the way to the Hilgard Branch. This is one of the easier or more straightforward sections of the SHR. The whole area above Izaak Walton Lake, and again the area around Laurel Lake, is just so magical. And as stated, if you can go up Second Recess, you will avoid that tedious heft up Bear Ridge.

- Elizabeth

[tim]

Am I the only person who was a little disappointed in Davis Lakes? Evolution area is so spectacular, and I expected more from the Davis Lakes basin. Next time, I would hop over into Ionian via Black Giant Pass, instead.

I haven't done Ionian Basin, but I loved Davis Lakes, apart from the immense amount of talus hopping of course. Mainly the contrast between that and the number of people that we had encountered for the previous 3 days on the JMT and the view from the col before we started, although I thought the descent of North Goddard Creek (including our campsite in the first patch of trees after leaving the Davis Lakes basin at about 11100ft, which had the best view ever!) was in some ways more interesting than the basin itself.

Which way did you come? I think descending (going west from Wanda Lake as we did) would be better than ascending the other way, as I can imagine that the climb up North Goddard Creek would be quite tiring, and the views from the col before you descend into Davis Lakes Basin are probably more easily appreciated when you've not had 2-3 hours of talus hopping first to get up there. Probably a year (like last year and presumably 2014 as well) when the upper lake is bright blue from glacial melt also helps.

[wildhiker]

Lots of folks are posting about the side trip to Davis Lakes from Wanda Lake. Most of them complain about talus hopping. That simply was not my experience when I did this in 2004. We walked up slabs and meadow to the col, then descended a very short distance through easy talus to the south side of the Davis Lakes. We walked on easy meadow and slab along the south side to the "peninsula" between the two lakes and then crossed back to the north side. I suspect the complaints about talus are from folks who stayed on the north side of the lakes the whole way.

I thought the basin was very beautiful, and there were all kinds of buckwheats in flower when we were there in early August, but the camping was very poor. First of all, it is extremely exposed and I would not camp there in bad weather. Secondly, we could only find very small spots to fit our 2-man tent.

As for other side trips from the JMT, I recommend the cross-country route from Tully Lake over Shout-of-Relief Pass, and then cutting straight down to Mott Lake, where you pick up a trail to rejoin the JMT. The distance and time are no greater than staying on the JMT. We did this in 1998 (in the other direction) as part of a loop that returned via the JMT over Silver Pass. The basin above Tully Lake (particularly near Cotton Lake), the views from the pass, and the high meadowy basin above Mott Lake were all more scenic than the Silver Pass area, in my opnion. However, this alternative is cross-country. We thought it was easy, mostly on slabs and meadow (and a big snow field on the north side of the pass in that very snowy summer), but YMMV.

-Phil

[alpinemike]

I didn't see anyone mention 60 Lakes Basin.

I've never been there personally, but I intend on going there this year either as a side trip on my planned JMT hike with a friend or through another Grand Rae Lakes Loop Hike. The trip in there is mostly trailed if not all trailed by now and the views are absolutely phenomenal especially at sunset.

The Upper Kern Basin is also a great choice that really shows off the majesty of the high peaks of the Sierra.

Enjoy.