High Sierra Named Basins?

[paul]

Ssince it is your own trips you are planning, you are of course free to define for yourself what is a basin and where the High Sierra begins and ends. What's important is that you take lots of photos and post trip reports so we can enjoy your quest along with you!

[SSSdave]

When I saw this old thread this morning, it reminded me how a few years ago while creating a custom map of the Upper Kern Basin, I thought it would have been efficient if I had a place names listing in txt format though never looked online for such. So today since as a senior, I often have unlimited time to do whatever, searched a short while, finding myself at this Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) page:

https://www.usgs.gov/tools/geographic-n ... ystem-gnis

Thus downloaded California data into a very long txt file, CA_Features_20210825.txt, with | delimiters. Next opened the cmd prompt. I have UNIX to DOS ported commands on my PC's so ran:

grep Basin CA_Features_20210825.txt > t1.txt

That pruned the too long to work with listing down 257 rows. Next substituted <tab> for all | so I could dump the result in Excel. I have considerable Excel experience, especially for getting at text or math so first sorted for counties and deleted all the non-Sierra Nevada counties. Then ran in a column <equals>RIGHT(B1,5) that listed results of whatever was name listed with only those with Basin at the end of interest that I then pasted as Values and then sorted with non results deleted. Deleted a few of no interest columns with this result showing 51 rows. Deleted 5 rows that showed low elevation names in Death Valley and a couple others leaving these 48. Finally added a lower listing sorted by Latitude. Full Excel listing at attachment with just the names/counties below but looks like is not downloading so might need to load as binary with different suffix otherwise?

SN-place-names.xlsx

Bear Trap Basin Calaveras
Devils Basin Placer
Granite Basin Fresno
Granite Basin Plumas
Haslett Basin Fresno
Jelmini Basin Calaveras
Peoria Basin Tuolumne
Fales Basin Plumas
The Basin Tuolumne
Upper Basin Fresno
Bull Run Basin Tulare
Kaweah Basin Tulare
Nine Lake Basin Tulare
Chinquapin Basin Tulare
Big Creek Basin Tuolumne
Blackcap Basin Fresno
Center Basin Tulare
Converse Basin Fresno
Crown Basin Fresno
Dusy Basin Fresno
Evolution Basin Fresno
Five Lakes Basin Nevada
Gardiner Basin Fresno
Gilman Basin Plumas
Granite Basin Mono
Humphreys Basin Fresno
Indian Basin Fresno
Ionian Basin Fresno
Jose Basin Fresno
Lakes Basin Plumas
Mono Basin Mono
Palisade Basin Fresno
Pioneer Basin Fresno
Red Mountain Basin Fresno
Second Garrotte Basin Tuolumne
Sixty Lake Basin Fresno
Galt Basin Madera
Lake Basin Fresno
Woodchuck Basin Alpine
Rockhouse Basin Tulare
Walker Basin Kern
Bear Wallow Basin Plumas
Maxson Basin Fresno
Red Rock Basin Fresno
The Basin Fresno

[neckbeard7]

So much interesting and helpful input here. I know I asked a question that could have a few different answers and is a bit nuanced! Sorry about that!

@Harlen You are totally right about the most stunning basins not being technically named. That route that hits Miter, Crabtree, Wright and Wallace should probably be ahead of many other potential adventures. I have been using Caltopo to collate named basins (sure I missed a few after starting at a map for too long). The idea is really to help frame up future trips with a "tiny" bit more structure but also have a project to work towards in the high sierra. One could spend a lifetime on other projects up there so this is a simple (and achievable) one. And it likely will morph into other goals ha!

@SSSdave Wow that is an incredibly interesting list you shared and helpful. Thanks for sharing and having unlimited time to do stuff like this is a blessing!

@Wandering Daisy Ah, you are asking the hard question of what is a basin. Not sure I have the answer but specific to the high sierra "cirque-like bowls formed by glaciation." In other words, I am not sure, but I am using other words to try to describe a basin. I excluded stuff too far north, just given the scope of the project. And since I live in Santa Barbara, CA -- most of my trips (entry points) do not extend further than, say Duck Pass

Again appreciate all the feedback and other sources of info here!

[Wandering Daisy]

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/basin

I found this very informative.