R01 TR: Mineral King Loop (June 29,30)

[Dizzy]

Route: Mineral King -> Glacier Pass -> Spring Lake -> Cyclamen Lake -> Columbine Lake -> Sawtooth Pass -> Sawtooth Peak -> Mineral King

http://skydizzy.blogspot.com/2013/06/mi ... -loop.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[maverick]

Thanks for the TR and pictures Dizzy. I to really enjoy slaloming down the
sandy trail from the top of Sawtooth Pass.

[sheperd80]

Great pics. Looks like a nice trip. Can you tell me what you used to make that map?

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[Dizzy]

Can you tell me what you used to make that map?

Map based on
http://www.closedcontour.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

with route edited in Paint. blue color for the trail and red for cross country.

[sheperd80]

Cool thanks.

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[SSSdave]

We just returned from a 9-day trip over Sawtooth and took both the old Groundhog Meadow trail up Monarch Creek and the standard horse trail. My third trip over that sandy slog. Of note, the trail on the topo is possibly the most inaccurate I've seen on USGS topos, especially the section between Groundhog Meadow and the Crystal Lake Trail junction which has ridiculously long low gradient switchbacks of which I counted 15 and numbers of steps for each. Someone ought to record a GPS track to fix that. And of course the Monarch Lake to Sawtooth route was never a maintained trail but rather a use route with ducks and various sub paths. The zigzags on the map are just someone's distant imagination.

[sekihiker]

Did that route in late May 41 years ago. http://sierrahiker.home.comcast.net/Cli ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You have inspired me to revisit MK despite the road.

[themappist]

I had an unexpected weekend in the Sierras last year in June and ended up in MK. I did a traverse along the entire ridge from Timber Gap to pk 11127, Empire Mtn To Sawtooth Pk. Was a great day and got to see the area you traversed. Glacier pass looked much harder to me and your view up of Sawtooth from Columbine is spectacular. Wish I'd had more time to cross the pass and spend a night.

[toejam]

Your TR inspired me to put Spring Lake and Glacier Pass on the end of a week-long loop out of Mineral King. It was one of the best parts of the trip. Thanks!

As a point of clarification, the map in your photostream doesn't accurately show the path of the old Glacier Pass Trail on either side of the pass. But an observant hiker will probably find the route, and the terrain is not too difficult.