Pondering Snow & River Crossings

[Obsidianpumice]

How's it looking along HWY-395 for day hikes these days? I was thinking something like McGee Creek Trail is open and accessible... any other straightforward day hikes that do not involve dangerous crossings?

[texan]

I just got back and went to Leavitt Meadows to Lane Lake and there a couple patches of snow and solid snow above 8K. When I drove up 395 by Crowley McGee creek looked like solid snow above 9K. Good Luck and you might try Walker or Parker Lakes out June Lake Loop, it looks snow free.

Texan

[Love the Sierra]

I just returned last night from Hilton Lakes trail and Little Lakes Valley. Please see my conditions report. TR with photos this weekend.

[dbargaehr1]

With the hotter weather coming up next week, hopefully we'll get some accelerated melt - my annual trip back to the Sierra from PA is set in stone for late July and I'm hoping to see some of the higher routes i planned have some decent access. I have backup options at lower elevations but hoping my initial trip plans will come to fruition.

I've been using '16-17 satellite images on Sentinel playground as a rough comparable. '97-98 (another huge snow year) the runoff is actually faster and overall snowpack is below '97-98 and '82-83.

one interesting thing has been planning trips that don't involve stream crossings. My hoped-for Isberg TH > Bench Canyon > Long Crk route i've got planned, I've opted for XC traverse along the west bank of the NF San Joaquin so that we wouldn't have to cross NF to get to Bench. Other potential routes I've made similar options.

[michaelzim]

June 26th. to 30th.
I may take some flak for this but my general sense is that creeks are down considerably from a month ago - with exceptions. [See my report in Creeks Conditions + trip report to follow soon].

Just looking at the water flow from the car and my hikes in all the areas I was in there seemed to be a lot less white water (if not 'waterfalls' terrain) in most creeks. The exceptions were random with Walker Creek along Hwy. 395 being the most similar to what I saw at the end of April and the end of May.
For instance, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was too cross the few creeks going up to Piute Pass. Easy crossings with just decent flow and water levels well below logs and small bridges. Also snow bridges at higher elevations still intact.

This may all change with the current 4 days of the first extreme heat we have had this year, but overall I think there is far more potential out there for finding trails and routes with no creek crossing issues at all. My fears of high water were heavily undermined this week. If it is keeping you from going out into the high country I would encourage you to re-evaluate that!

Best ~ M.