2021 River / Stream Crossing Reports

[paul]

Emigrant Wilderness creek crossings: (and for scale, I am 5’10”)
Grouse Creek on the way up from Kennedy meadows on 6/1 was spread out over the trail in several streams for about twenty yards but all have logs to walk or can be stepped across.
Summit Creek at lunch meadow on 6/2 – ankle deep
Cherry Creek just at Emigrant Lake inlet on 6/3 – knee deep (and lots of big trout )
Buck Meadow Creek, above Buck Lake on 6/4– mid-calf
Summit Creek where the trail from Lower Relief Valley crosses on 6/6 – mid-thigh deep. Coming from the west, there are some logs you can use as handrails part of the way, and then rocks above water to hang onto as it gets shallower.

[kpeter]

On the low trail out of Crabtree, Lily Creek was mid calf if wading but also possible to dry cross, Piute Creek was similarly six inches or so deep at the crossing, and West Fork Cherry Creek was easily fordable and diminishing daily.

[erutan]

6/6 to 6/12: Green Creek TH > West Lake > Par Value Lakes > Glines Canyon > Virginia Pass > Virginia Canyon > Lower McCabe Lakes > Shepherd & Onion Lakes (xc traverse via roper route alternative saddle) > Summit Pass > Green Creek TH

All crossings were hoppable with the bottoms of your boots getting wet at worst, or safely wadable if that's your thing. Some PCT folks were shouting for minutes about an icy log at a crossing, so something to check for when it's a 24f night and you're doing a morning crossing heh.

[northwesterner]

Has anyone been up the River Trail to the junction with the use trail to Garnet Lake? I understand this crossing can be difficult early in the season, but this is a low snowpack year, so...?

[Love the Sierra]

Golden Creek and the outlet creek to Pioneer are easily passable without getting wet. Crossing the outlet of 4th Lake going up to the High Lakes, dry crossing possible if you are very good at jumping stones, otherwise, wet to your ankles.

[erutan]

2021-06-17 to 2021-06-25 Onion Valley TH > Kearsarge Pass > Vidette Basin > PCT > Center Basin > Junction Pass > Sherpherds Pass > Wright Basin > Wales/Wallace Basin > Williamson Bowl Ridge > Sherpherds Pass > Sherpherds Pass TH

No stream crossings were an issue.

[hsv]

6-19-21 to 6/26/21
Bubb’s Creek TH>Lake Reflection>Ltl Joe’s pass>Upper Kern/Kern Rvr>Jct Meadows>Colby Trail/Pass/Lake>Avalanche Pass

All streams passable with dry feet except Bubbs (knee deep)

All passes essentially snow free

All lakes thawed

[erutan]

2021-07-03 to 2021-07-10: McGee Creek TH > McGee Pass > Tully/Hortense Lakes etc > JMPCT (~10 min) > Brave Lake > Silver Pass > Mott Lake > Grinnel basin (via Bighorn Pass) > Hopkins Basin (via Grinnel Hopkins ridge) > Pioneer Basin (via Hopkins peak) > Golden Lake > Mono Pass > Mosquito Flats TH

No snow on trail, all stream crossings are straightforward.

[aaron_in_sf]

2021-06-29 to 2021-07-06: HST Crescent TH -> alternate route, Upper Kern Basin -> Lake South America -> nobo JMT over Forester pass -> Kearsarge to Onion Valley TH

No on-trail snow; dry boots entire way. Never removed them for a stream crossing, never considered it.

I composed the following haiku after double checking that I had in fact crossed the Big Arroyo:

Small Arroyo. Big
Belongs now to the damn drought.
Crossed you–with dry boots.

[escapist]

July 14-20: Didn’t have to take off my hiking shoes once along this entire route. Even when there weren’t bridges, it was possible to easily rock-hop. Most seasonal streams were dry and only major creeks/streams were still flowing.