Bighorn Pass
Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:26 pm
TITLE: Bighorn Pass
GENERAL OVERVIEW: This is a class 2 connector between the Grinnell Lake area and Rosy Finch-Bighorn-Mott Lakes basin
CLASS/DIFFICULTY: Class 2
LOCATION: John Muir Wilderness HST Map: HST Map
ELEVATION: 11,250 ft
USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Mt. Abbott
From the Grinnell side, the ridge that connects to Rosy Finch Lake has an obvious low-point in the saddle that becomes more evident the closer you get. It's a fairly long, but not terribly challenging ascent coming up from the Grinnell side, as much of your climb is in vegetation/grass until the last couple hundred feet of rock/gravel. If you're coming from the Rosy Finch side, much of the ridge line above Rosy Finch looks to be of fairly similar elevation, but as you ascend the hillside, you'll come across evidence of folks having aimed for the area around the red arrow in the first photo. Because this ridge is on the Sierra High Route, I'm a bit surprised there is not more documentation; also, I apologize, because the photos below are pretty sparse and I'll try to do a bit of rummaging for a few more views.
GENERAL OVERVIEW: This is a class 2 connector between the Grinnell Lake area and Rosy Finch-Bighorn-Mott Lakes basin
CLASS/DIFFICULTY: Class 2
LOCATION: John Muir Wilderness HST Map: HST Map
ELEVATION: 11,250 ft
USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Mt. Abbott
From the Grinnell side, the ridge that connects to Rosy Finch Lake has an obvious low-point in the saddle that becomes more evident the closer you get. It's a fairly long, but not terribly challenging ascent coming up from the Grinnell side, as much of your climb is in vegetation/grass until the last couple hundred feet of rock/gravel. If you're coming from the Rosy Finch side, much of the ridge line above Rosy Finch looks to be of fairly similar elevation, but as you ascend the hillside, you'll come across evidence of folks having aimed for the area around the red arrow in the first photo. Because this ridge is on the Sierra High Route, I'm a bit surprised there is not more documentation; also, I apologize, because the photos below are pretty sparse and I'll try to do a bit of rummaging for a few more views.