High Sierra Topix

amaxoxo wrote:This sounds like a great loop!

The only problem is the distance you'll need to drive from Santa Cruz. All the east side THs before Bishop, like Horseshoe/Cottonwood, can be reached in under 5 hrs from SoCal. (Under 4 if you drive like a maniac ... ahem.) If you're coming from the Bay Area, you'll need to either go over 120/108, or drive all the way down to Bakersfield and loop back up the 395.

A couple of popular west side hikes you might be interested in are either Rae lakes or High Sierra. If you're really ambitious, you could take the HST and exit @ Whitney. Getting back however is a b!tch.

My brother is in the same boat as you; what he typically does is spend a night around Tioga to both acclimate and break up the drive. It's only 2.5-3 hrs from Tuolumne/Saddlebag to Cottonwood @ that point, so it makes for a real pretty early morning cruise.

Thanks for the input. Yeah, I do an east side trip every year in August, but usually stay one night at Tioga or at the trailhead to acclimatize, which we'll do if we go to the east side in June. We have an extra day for that. When you say Rae Lakes via the west side, do you mean going in at Cedar Grove? Last year I went in Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass and then down to Whitney and out at Whitney Portal, so I'm familiar with going in to Rae Lakes from that side, but not from the West side. I've heard Rae Lakes is beautiful and would love to go there. What TH were you thinking of for going in from the west?
Much thanks...such a delight to find this website and hear all of your expertise. And my apologies if I was one of those putting out a too-general request for info. I do usually pour over maps and books and the web first, but got excited at the chance for expert input!
Diane

amaxoxo wrote:This sounds like a great loop! I'm looking for a similar 6 day trip in mid June (June 11-17) and wondered what the mileage of this loop is? We're both experienced backpackers, but would like to hike for 3-4 days and lay over a few days, too. Can you tell me what the total miles of this loop would be? Thanks!

I would think a trip over Cottonwood Pass to Chicken Spring Lake and then on to Soldier Lakes would suit you very well if you are willing to drive that far. Several day hikes from there into Miter Basin and up to Mt Langley. Your main problem may be the skeeters by then. It's about 19 miles plus whatever you add in day hikes.

I was in Miter Basin and Langley this past weekend. Conditions are like mid-July, it is astonishing! Only real snow I hiked through was above Sky Blue Lake, on a hike up to Crabtree Pass. The only way you'd know it's May is that SBL is still frozen.

NAP is apparently no problem, according to a couple I crossed paths with on Langley. I did Cottonwood Pass.