High Sierra Topix

there are a few reports at that old yosemite forum about doing it (seemingly) in may, june and july.

a few people over there seem fairly obsessed with the canyon (along w/ the kayakers!).

https://yosemitenews.info//forum/read.php?3,65980,65980
https://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,40498
https://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,27875,37281

Sorry, I was doing this from memory and didn't look at the map. Shingle Springs is a couple miles down the trail after the trailhead road ends. I understand this road is closed now near the dam at Cherry Creek from other online postings. The road goes across the dam, and then you can turn left to go along Cherry Lake (the closed road) or right to head off to Eleanor Lake. The trail starts where the now closed road ends after climbing a bit above Cherry Lake and going away from the dam a fair distance. Even when it was open it was a tough road for sedans with rocks sticking out of it. There was a second trail that started at the end of that road that went to Kibbie Lake.

The trail goes along Kibbie Ridge, but since I haven't been there for over a decade and certainly not since the Rim Fire, I don't know what it looks like anymore. It used to be in very good condition all the way to Styx Pass, where it started to get a bit harder to follow on the granite. There were even signs where it crosses briefly into Yosemite and then back into SNF. After Lord Meadow I would describe it as an unmaintained trail that could be easily lost, but it does stay close to the creek most of the time. My old topo map from National Geographic shows a full trail all the way to Huckleberry Lake, with crossings of the east fork of Cherry Creek to the north side just after passing Lord Meadow, a crossing to the south side after less than a mile, another crossing to the north side after less than a mile, and then a crossing where the outlet from Pruitt Lake comes in. The trail splits about a mile before reaching Huckleberry Lake and the branch that goes on the south shore (the only one that goes all the way around the lake) requires one final crossing of the east fork just over a mile before reaching Huckleberry Lake.

We basically eliminated the extra crossings by staying on the north side of the east fork after Lord Meadow and going high on the granite ridge above it. I don't even recall crossing the outlet from Pruitt Lake, so it must not have been much of a challenge. Without the small rowboat we never would have made it to Huckleberry Lake, so that's something to keep in mind if you want to try to go the full distance in early season.

I was at Lake Eleanor / Cherry Lake on Tuesday April 19, 2022 and the road to the Shingle Springs / Kibbie Ridge (that's what the trailhead sign calls it) is open and in pretty good shape. My Subaru Impreza (5.1 inch ground clearance) was able to drive up and back with some attention to which rocks I drove over or avoided. This was two days after a rain storm.

Still, there was a freshly fallen tree that someone had cut away, I suspect there are many more fire-damaged trees at risk of blocking the road any time.

I really enjoyed Lake Eleanor, and a hike to and from Kibbie Lake and a friendly gentleman I chatted with along the way encouraged me to keep going into Emigrant; I plan to next time.