Dade Lake to Granite Park

[Saltydog]

Last little piece of next years route is Dade Lake to Granite Park. Not looking for a track, just some first hand hand evaluation on level of difficulty. Toughest thing I have done lately, for comparison, is North Goddard Creek, Davis Lake, Wanda Col, and that would be about the limit of my appetite for this. I'll be coming over Mono PAss, trying to avoid dropping down over Morgan to Pine Creek TH and back up again, so shooting for Granite Park more or less directly from Dade Lake, which I know I can get. Thanks

[longri]

The most direct route would be over Peppermint Pass, which is easy, and then Spire Col, which is class 5, loose, and in my opinion dangerous. A slightly longer route would be over Cox Col and Italy Pass. Italy Pass is easy. Cox Col is class 2 but has a lot of loose junk and holds snow/ice in places. Early season it's a nice snow climb / ski. Later it will be unpleasant but reasonable. It's your best bet.

[SSSdave]

Route over Bear Creek Spire is class 3 or 4 so ok for high skilled peak baggers but not an option backpacking. Obvious route is the class 2+ route up over the high 13k+ ridge between BCS and Mt Dade. GB has done that. From there, one would need to go all around Lake Italy and the east over Italy Pass. So not an efficient notion. Note I have been over Spire Pass and that ridge off BSP is as formidable as the topo shows.

[Wandering Daisy]

Calculate how much elevation gain is required for the options cited by others. And consider the time it would take and how you would get back to your car. Personally, I would make two trips out of it; walk back to the trailhead, drive to Pine Creek TH, and then go up to Granite Basin, unless you specifically want to do a loop.

[longri]

Obvious route is the class 2+ route up over the high 13k+ ridge between BCS and Mt Dade. GB has done that. From there, one would need to go all around Lake Italy and the east over Italy Pass. So not an efficient notion.

That's exactly what I was suggesting. I'm not sure what you mean by "efficient". Compared to what?

[SSSdave]

Obvious route is the class 2+ route up over the high 13k+ ridge between BCS and Mt Dade. GB has done that. From there, one would need to go all around Lake Italy and the east over Italy Pass. So not an efficient notion.

That's exactly what I was suggesting. I'm not sure what you mean by "efficient". Compared to what?

Look at our post times...4 minutes apart so while I started typing your post was not yet loaded.
We had the same idea.

[giantbrookie]

I would gather the reason for going Dade L to Granite Park is the desire to see and visit some of the country in between those two places, given that it is certainly quicker to get to Granite Park the 'straight ahead' way (ie from Pine Creek).

As Dave notes it is easier to cross the crest from Dade L to L Italy over the top of the shoulder at 13120+ than crossing at the low point called Cox Col to the S of this shoulder. Cox Col has all manner of crud in the chute on the east side. Going over the top of 13120+ takes advantage of firmer talus. The shoulder is class 2 but depending on the time of year and the how big the winter snowfall was there can be some steep snowfields draping the E side for which an ice axe is useful. In 1986 (August) when I first did that route the snow was there and it was steep enough to make an ice axe comforting, but in 2015 (beginning of Aug) the entire route was snow free. Once over the crest, there is some finesse to find the right chutes to descend to L. Italy and avoid cliff bands. Traversing a bit north above the "rim" before descending generally helps (and you can traverse until you can see a reasonable descent route without vanishing points). Doing it right keeps it at class 2 or less all the way down to Lake Italy. Once there you'd aim to go over Italy Pass to get to Granite Park.

[longri]

Yeah, you're right. The better route is a little to one side (toward Dade) of Cox Col. I think that way even has a separate name now although I've always just thought of it as an alternate, nicer path down. I say down because of the five or six times I've gone over Cox Col I've never climbed up from the north; it's always been in the other direction for me.

[robertseeburger]

Adding on.. I want to do this next year also. I have in the past climbed Bear Creek Spire from Cox col..which is very correctly described above. Easy but crud.
I have been over Peppermint Pass just two years ago. Not too difficult.( I published a TR). And so, if I go back what will I do? I will descend from Granite Park to Pine Creek trailhead and then up to Bear Lake/Split Lake/Spire Lake/Peppermint Pass/Dade Lake. I dont think there is really any viable way around this..and I hate to descend and climb as much as anyone else..but I think this is the most practical way.

[Harlen]

Hey Robert,

It sounds like you've already seen and done a lot in the area you proposed; in the same vein as WD, I wonder if you might enjoy some interesting circle you could put together in and out of Pine Creek? I really like the Royce Lakes Basin, which can easily be reached from Granite Park. Royce Lakes are set in some stark and wild looking high country, and from there you can cross a rocky saddle just south of Mt Royce, and circle around to Pine Creek Pass, or hike the more direct route to that same pass via Merriam Lake, or other interesting routes. You didn't mention how many days you will have, but if you have 5-6 days, you could go in and out of Bear Basin too. I am looking forward to hearing about your coming trip already.
Good Luck!
[**Saltydog, I just went back in this post and see now that you are its originator- not Robert. Not sure if my advice works for you too, but I hope that you will also have a great trip, please let us know how it goes.]

In Granite Park, with BeaRoyce, and Granite Bear Passes. That's Feather Peak on the left skyline, and BeaRoyce Pass is on the northern shoulder, just out of sight. Granite Bear in the middle.

Looking down on Royce Lakes from the slopes of Feather Peak. Mt. Humphreys in the distance.

Pine Creek Pass, above and right of Bearzy is a shadowed cliff, and just beneath those cliffs is beautiful Lake Merriam, part of that nice route around from Royce Lakes Basin via the saddle between Royce and Merriam Peaks.