San Joaquin bridge washout?

[commonloon]

I'd just like to reiterate, that the up and over detour is relatively easy cross-country. We even saw what appeared to be cairnes.

Here is the route we took:

https://caltopo.com/m/EM7DQ

You can also intersection this route from Evolution Valley near the Ranger station, as Wenk and Shurka have described.

[JayOtheMountains]

Has anyone been in this area this year and forded the S Fork San Joaquin near Muir Trail Ranch? Planning on starting at Lake Florence mid September and fording near MTR, then up to Mosquito pass and beyond. Would like firsthand reports if available before my trip. I also plan to try calling/emailing the folks at MTR before my trip to scout out any additional info available.

We were in the area at the end of July. Didn’t check at the usual hot springs crossing by MTR but a mile or two upstream it looked nowhere near crossable. Fast, deep and cold. I’m sure the river has dropped a bit since but probably not fordable IMG_1536.jpeg

Wow, that’s a lot of water. I agree, it’s hard to imagine with that amount of flow that it was cross able downstream. It looks like your photo might have been taken end of day

yep that was at sunset. river dropped an inch or two overnight. here is another shot from earlier in the afternoon, slightly upstream IMG_1537.jpeg

I’m curious if it might be a better plan to just head directly south after getting off the Florence Lake tow boat and cross the S Fork on the bridge near the Boulder Creek Campground and then just work our way cross country on the south side of the S Fork until we begin the climb to Mosquito Pass. Has anyone here done something similar?

I'm certain that it has been done. The terrain isn't impassible. I'd aim to do some elongated switchbacks in the treed slope south-southeast before contouring towards Ward Mountain Lake. I'll peel off more towards the lake at about the 8,000 foot level. Then from Ward Mtn Lake, up and over the pass, following a heading of roughly 120 deg until you get to the base of Mosquito Pass.

Not un-doable, but something different. Tell us how it goes!

[paul]

If one was heading for Mosquito pass as a way to reach Red Mountain Basin from Florence, I would suggest considering going up the trail to Thompson Pass and then cross-country - very easy cross-country - across Red Rock basin and Reddy's Hole to reach upper or lower Indian Lake. Seems to me that would be about the easiest route.

[cburton103]

If one was heading for Mosquito pass as a way to reach Red Mountain Basin from Florence, I would suggest considering going up the trail to Thompson Pass and then cross-country - very easy cross-country - across Red Rock basin and Reddy's Hole to reach upper or lower Indian Lake. Seems to me that would be about the easiest route.

That’s an attractive looking option based on the terrain of Red Rock Basin and Reddy’s Hole. The way I’m mapping the two routes (Mosquito Pass vs Red Rock Basin/Reddy’s Hole) from the southern dock on Florence to Hell For Sure Lake has the following stats:

Mosquito Pass Route:
14.5 miles, 5,000’ of gain, 1,500’ of loss

Red Rock Basin/Reddy’s Hole Route:
16.8 miles, 6,700’ of gain, 3,300’ of loss

That’s using the “trail” through Red Rock and Reddy’s Hole on CalTopo. I assume there’s a somewhat more efficient route, but the general point remains that Mosquito Pass should have less gain, less loss, and less miles. We’ll likely pull up short at Davis Lake or so night one.

We have an ambitious route planned to go over HFS Pass, Reinstein Pass, Finger Col, Gunsight Pass, Lucifer/Two Passes, and back out via Florence in five days. Felt a decent bit more manageable when I planned the route last year before the bridge was damaged. As it is, we’ll see how it goes. We can always drop down into the forest and trail from Blackcap Basin and burn through some relatively easy trail miles and exit via Thompson Pass if we need to make up time on the back end of the trip.

[rhetts_go]

I’m curious if it might be a better plan to just head directly south after getting off the Florence Lake tow boat and cross the S Fork on the bridge near the Boulder Creek Campground and then just work our way cross country on the south side of the S Fork until we begin the climb to Mosquito Pass. Has anyone here done something similar?

I'm certain that it has been done. The terrain isn't impassible. I'd aim to do some elongated switchbacks in the treed slope south-southeast before contouring towards Ward Mountain Lake. I'll peel off more towards the lake at about the 8,000 foot level. Then from Ward Mtn Lake, up and over the pass, following a heading of roughly 120 deg until you get to the base of Mosquito Pass.

Last week I did this going in the other direction, from the lakes SE of Ward down to Florence, and the cross country below Ward Mountain Lake was really unpleasant deadfall -- wouldn't recommend going through there. Ward Mountain Lake was beautiful, though, and the lake at 10200 SE had an outrageous view that's made it one of my favorites. I got up there through Thompson Pass. The "trail" there was bedlam but not difficult, though the mosquitos were awful throughout.

In 2021 I went cross country from the JMT/Florence fork up to Heather Lake and Mosquito Pass, which was nice slabby and forested cross country. I crossed the river there, though, not near Florence. Not sure how it would be making your way up on the other side first.

[cburton103]

I’m curious if it might be a better plan to just head directly south after getting off the Florence Lake tow boat and cross the S Fork on the bridge near the Boulder Creek Campground and then just work our way cross country on the south side of the S Fork until we begin the climb to Mosquito Pass. Has anyone here done something similar?

I'm certain that it has been done. The terrain isn't impassible. I'd aim to do some elongated switchbacks in the treed slope south-southeast before contouring towards Ward Mountain Lake. I'll peel off more towards the lake at about the 8,000 foot level. Then from Ward Mtn Lake, up and over the pass, following a heading of roughly 120 deg until you get to the base of Mosquito Pass.

Last week I did this going in the other direction, from the lakes SE of Ward down to Florence, and the cross country below Ward Mountain Lake was really unpleasant deadfall -- wouldn't recommend going through there. Ward Mountain Lake was beautiful, though, and the lake at 10200 SE had an outrageous view that's made it one of my favorites. I got up there through Thompson Pass. The "trail" there was bedlam but not difficult, though the mosquitos were awful throughout.

In 2021 I went cross country from the JMT/Florence fork up to Heather Lake and Mosquito Pass, which was nice slabby and forested cross country. I crossed the river there, though, not near Florence. Not sure how it would be making your way up on the other side first.

Thanks for the information! Based on what you saw, would it be better to stay lower near the southern shore of the S Fork and then begin the climb near the hot springs as if we had just crossed the S Fork near Muir Trail Ranch? Also, how did the S Fork look - still raging, or did it look crossable?

[rhetts_go]

Thanks for the information! Based on what you saw, would it be better to stay lower near the southern shore of the S Fork and then begin the climb near the hot springs as if we had just crossed the S Fork near Muir Trail Ranch? Also, how did the S Fork look - still raging, or did it look crossable?

Didn't see the river unfortunately. I got going before the ferry started and got down from Ward a little too slowly to make it, so went around Florence both times. For your plan, it seems doable if you stay near the river until you get to MTR, but I can't speak to the conditions before you get there. When I went up I followed the Heather Lake outlet the whole way since I was coming from French Canyon, but it sounds like there's a semi-established route from MTR (see here: https://www.highsierratopix.com/communi ... 37#p167237)

If you do take Thompson, I don't recommend doing what I did and using that first section between the Florence Lake Trail and the Hot Springs Trail. It's the worst of it, it'd be better to meet the trail coming up the Hot Springs Trail from the ferry.

[Bishop_Bob]

I was in the area last week and crossed paths with a couple who forded the river a little ways south of the bridge. They said it was knee-high. I guess the fording location was obvious, as they didn't elaborate on the specific site.

[cburton103]

I was in the area last week and crossed paths with a couple who forded the river a little ways south of the bridge. They said it was knee-high. I guess the fording location was obvious, as they didn't elaborate on the specific site.

That’s great news, thanks for the information! My understanding is that there’s a well established use trail from MTR to the S Fork and then again on the south side of the river as well. Sounds like we’ll plan to ford the river after all. We’re both 6’1 or so, so knee deep shouldn’t be a problem at all.

[michaelzim]

More and more reports of being able to cross the S. Fork of the San Joaquin a little ways downstream of the busted bridge - which apparently has been 'dismembered' in the middle by FS crews...This c/o Facebook "Sierras Conditions" page today:

Carl Wanderung - Admin -Top contributor

FYI for North/South loopers, people are now fording the South Fork San Joaquin a few hundred feet downstream of the busted bridge (which has now been severed in the middle by maintenance crews). First hand accounts from 8/25 and 8/27 had it above the knees / lower thighs on people ~6’. There’s more info in recent posts on the JMT 2023 group - I’d read them before planning on it and keep in mind this isn’t a usual crossing.
I haven’t looked at it, but the ~45min Skurka bushwhack / scramble remains an alternative that seems heavily used this year.