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Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 7:48 pm
by Solace-seeker
I'm thinking of backpacking to Kearsarge Pass or Humphreys basin in late May if it is allowed. What kind of conditions would I be backpacking through? Would the trail be covered in snow? I'm not interested backpacking in snow since I have no experience. When would you guess the Kearsarge Pass trail or the Piute Pass Trail would be Snow free? Also how cold would it get in late May?
Thank You Solace Seeker
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 9:23 pm
by c9h13no3
Yes, there will be snow in May. June too.
Nights probably just below freezing, days pretty comfortable.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 9:21 am
by Solace-seeker
Thanks so much for your response. It was helpful.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 2:50 pm
by GGC23
If you're determined to backpack in late May while also avoiding snow, check out the Golden Trout Wilderness. It's lower elevation than the Kearsarge or Paiute Pass areas and it gets less precipitation than those areas, so it tends to melt out much sooner. It also has lots of nice meadows, which will hopefully be nice and green in late May this year. The caveat, however, is that the GTW sees a lot less traffic than the more popular areas to the north, so trails other than the "main arteries" can be faint. Make sure you're comfortable navigating for when the trail inevitably peters out!
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 8:33 am
by Solace-seeker
Thank you GGC23,
I appreciate the information and I will research the area.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 12:50 pm
by SSSdave
For snow, look at the caltopo Daily satellites" "Daily low-res" view. Looks like great corn snow skiing for miles.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 7:12 am
by Solace-seeker
Thank you SSSDave, for the great info.
I had to look up corn snow skiing. Lol.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 11:23 am
by richlong8
I recently hiked into Monache Meadow from Kennedy Meadows Campground. No snow issues worth mentioning. In the distance, you can see that the higher elevations of the High Sierra have not begun snowmelt yet. With high temps coming this week,we may begin to get some melt.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 4:39 pm
by Solace-seeker
Thank you for the suggestion Richlong8.
I will look into that area.
Re: Eastern sierra in late May
Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 5:06 pm
by bobby49
Just to make it absolutely clear, there are two places named Kennedy Meadows in the Sierra Nevada.
There is Kennedy Meadows (South) and Kennedy Meadows (North).