Trip Advice: Wolverton to Onion Valley in 6 days
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:20 pm
Hey everyone, I would appreciate your thoughts on the following potential itinerary for 5 nights and 6 days in the first half of July 2016. Info on the route, guesses on snow and mosquitoes, and fishing spots would all be appreciated.
I am comfortable off trail (class 2 and a little class 3), finding routes, and doing lots of miles in a day. Heights make me nervous but not terrified. I'll probably be with a friend who is in cross-fit shape, but hasn't backpacked in a lot of years. We are interested in views, beauty, solitude, fish, forests, canyons, peaks - you know, the Sierras.
Day 1. Wolverton to Pear Lake and off trail into the Table Lands. Looks like fun and pretty easy off trail terrain.(Thanks Wandering Daisy and others for this idea). Not sure how far we would go the first day, given acclimatization and start time. Would like to see Lonely Lake, either camping there the first night or stopping there the next day.
Day 2. Pterodactyl Pass and Horn Col to Deadman Canyon and down to Roaring River area. Last summer I hiked Colby Lake to Avalanche Pass in one day. It was beautiful and the area deserves more time and another visit.
Day 3. I'd like to get into the Sphinx Lakes and Brewer area, either by Avalanche Pass and going up off the trail at Sphinx Creek, or going up Brewer Creek or Cunningham Creek to Big Brewer Lake. Sphinx would be more mileage but it sounds like it's easier. How do the approaches to the Sphinx Lakes and Big Brewer area compare? I wouldn't mind camping at Avalanche Pass again. It is a magnificent camping spot - IF you walk north from the pass out to the end of the plateau. The view of King's Canyon from there is fabulous. The ranger at Roaring River gave us that tip. Just bring in your water if you do it, as there is not a source there. (Maybe I should write up a trip report of that adventure, from Mineral King to Road's End with a couple days off trail).
Day 4. Climb Brewer from south ridge, descend east ridge to East Lake or Lake Reflection. It seems that most people do Brewer as a day trip via the east ridge, which does look fun, but Brewer is on our way. Or would it make more sense to drop our packs at Brewer Pass and summit South Guard from there, then do Brewer as a day hike from East Lake on the other side? Or is South Guard only doable from Longley Pass? We could come from that direction too.
Day 5. Back on trail to Bullfrog Lake or Kearsarge lakes. If we summit Brewer as a day hike that day, we might not want to take on too many more miles afterward. If not, it's not a lot of mileage. Anything we should explore along the way?
This depends on if we can arrange to get picked up at Onion Valley. If not, we would be heading down Bubbs Creek towards Road's End. Anything we should check out that direction?
I we had to shave a day off or got behind schedule, East Lake to Onion Valley seems doable too.
Day 6. Hike out to Onion Valley if we can arrange a ride from there. If not, maybe head out Bubbs Creek to Roads End and get picked up there or hitch back to Wolverton. I haven't seen the Kearsarge area, so would like to check it out if possible.
Or would it make more sense to turn this whole route upside down and start at Onion Valley and exit at Wolverton? That way we could do pretty low miles the first couple days (Onion Valley to Kearsarge Lakes, and from there to East Lake/Lake Reflection) and aim to do more miles on the last couple days of the trip when we are acclimated and carrying lighter packs.
Or would it be worth it to go up Cloud Canyon and take Milestone or Harrison pass and then Milly's or Lucy's up to Lake Reflection? Cloud Canyon is beautiful. What is Milestone and the area to the north like?
Thanks!
I am comfortable off trail (class 2 and a little class 3), finding routes, and doing lots of miles in a day. Heights make me nervous but not terrified. I'll probably be with a friend who is in cross-fit shape, but hasn't backpacked in a lot of years. We are interested in views, beauty, solitude, fish, forests, canyons, peaks - you know, the Sierras.
Day 1. Wolverton to Pear Lake and off trail into the Table Lands. Looks like fun and pretty easy off trail terrain.(Thanks Wandering Daisy and others for this idea). Not sure how far we would go the first day, given acclimatization and start time. Would like to see Lonely Lake, either camping there the first night or stopping there the next day.
Day 2. Pterodactyl Pass and Horn Col to Deadman Canyon and down to Roaring River area. Last summer I hiked Colby Lake to Avalanche Pass in one day. It was beautiful and the area deserves more time and another visit.
Day 3. I'd like to get into the Sphinx Lakes and Brewer area, either by Avalanche Pass and going up off the trail at Sphinx Creek, or going up Brewer Creek or Cunningham Creek to Big Brewer Lake. Sphinx would be more mileage but it sounds like it's easier. How do the approaches to the Sphinx Lakes and Big Brewer area compare? I wouldn't mind camping at Avalanche Pass again. It is a magnificent camping spot - IF you walk north from the pass out to the end of the plateau. The view of King's Canyon from there is fabulous. The ranger at Roaring River gave us that tip. Just bring in your water if you do it, as there is not a source there. (Maybe I should write up a trip report of that adventure, from Mineral King to Road's End with a couple days off trail).
Day 4. Climb Brewer from south ridge, descend east ridge to East Lake or Lake Reflection. It seems that most people do Brewer as a day trip via the east ridge, which does look fun, but Brewer is on our way. Or would it make more sense to drop our packs at Brewer Pass and summit South Guard from there, then do Brewer as a day hike from East Lake on the other side? Or is South Guard only doable from Longley Pass? We could come from that direction too.
Day 5. Back on trail to Bullfrog Lake or Kearsarge lakes. If we summit Brewer as a day hike that day, we might not want to take on too many more miles afterward. If not, it's not a lot of mileage. Anything we should explore along the way?
This depends on if we can arrange to get picked up at Onion Valley. If not, we would be heading down Bubbs Creek towards Road's End. Anything we should check out that direction?
I we had to shave a day off or got behind schedule, East Lake to Onion Valley seems doable too.
Day 6. Hike out to Onion Valley if we can arrange a ride from there. If not, maybe head out Bubbs Creek to Roads End and get picked up there or hitch back to Wolverton. I haven't seen the Kearsarge area, so would like to check it out if possible.
Or would it make more sense to turn this whole route upside down and start at Onion Valley and exit at Wolverton? That way we could do pretty low miles the first couple days (Onion Valley to Kearsarge Lakes, and from there to East Lake/Lake Reflection) and aim to do more miles on the last couple days of the trip when we are acclimated and carrying lighter packs.
Or would it be worth it to go up Cloud Canyon and take Milestone or Harrison pass and then Milly's or Lucy's up to Lake Reflection? Cloud Canyon is beautiful. What is Milestone and the area to the north like?
Thanks!