TR: Gardiner Pass, Gardiner Basin exploration, 60 Lakes Col/Basin

[shtinkypuppie]

Some people like peaks. I like basins. I decided to do an exploration of the basins north of Mount Gardiner, as well as the 60 Lakes Basin.

I came in via Kearsarge Pass, which was jammed with PCTers hopping over to resupply, and dropped down to Charlotte Lake, which was a pleasant spot with only a handful of other campers.
Next morning I continued west on the Gardiner Basin "trail", which looks like a real trail at this point. This got my hopes up for a nice easy run all the way through Gardiner Basin, but after only about half a mile I came upon a stock holding area and the trail deteriorated immediately afterward. It remained good enough to follow, albeit with lots of unnecessary ups and downs, until a small flat spot right below Gardiner Pass. There are a couple good campsites here, but the trail fades out as soon as you cross the creek that drains the south side of Gardiner Pass. I turned north and just dead-reckoned my way up toward the pass over easy terrain. After passing a very impressive avalanche chute, complete with a huge tangle of dead foxtail and lodgepole at its base, I intermittently found and lost segments of old switchbacks cut into the slope.

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After gaining the ridgetop at the lowest point, I was looking down a cliff. I followed the OpenStreetMap tracing to the east a few dozen feet and found a cairn which, to my surprise and delight, marked the beginning of dilapidated but apparently well-built (back in the day) switchbacks which led me all the way down to the creek below. There I ran into two badass women who were fastpacking a North Dragon-60 Lakes-Gardiner-Kearsarge loop in two days (!!). They gave me some advice on getting around Gardiner Lake (more on that later) and I told them about the old switchbacks on Gardiner Pass. These would be the only people I'd see between Charlotte and Rae Lakes.
Below the Gardiner Pass switchbacks, it was a long walk down alternating granite slabs and dirt, very occasionally finding little bits of old tread. I fortuitously found the trail just in time for it to carry me down a steep slope to the low point of the route, where it seems to entirely disappear into willows and aspens. I hunted around pretty extensively for the trail, but ended up just improvising my way up the main fork of Gardiner Creek. I bailed off the Gardiner Basin route at the top of a cascade and headed up the drainage NW of Gardiner Peak to an awesome lake at 10,581'.

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A cold front had rolled in that afternoon, dropping a little bit of snow, and a frigid wind was whipping from the west. I hunkered down in the most sheltered spot I could find for a very cold night.

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Next morning I backtracked out of the basin and started back up the Gardiner Basin route. The trail seems to be only a dim memory here. Every once in a while I'd find a cairn, but no others to follow, and no sign of a tread.

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The two women I'd met told me to pass the main Gardiner Lake on the south shore, so I decided to get off the Gardiner Basin route at the little wasp-waisted lake right below Main Gardiner, passing its SW shore and then climbing up Main Gardiner's outlet stream. This went pretty easily and saved me a bit of steep terrain, mileage and elevation gain over the alleged Gardiner Basin route.
The south shore of Main Gardiner made me doubt the advice I'd gotten earlier. One spot cliffed out and required an extensive bypass, another had a very steep snowfield which terminated in a 10' drop into the lake. My recent conversion to all watertight stuff sacks paid off here as I waded hip-deep around this obstacle. I had planned to camp at the head of Gardiner, but with a frigid wind tearing across the lake and no possibility of shelter, I decided to push through to my next planned campsite in 60 Lakes Basin. I dried myself off as best as I could and started up 60 Lakes Col.

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60 Lakes Col was annoying talus on the west side, and then an intimidating but ultimately not difficult zig-zag down a series of ledges to the lake basin below. Descending the drainage below the col was easy until the lake at 10,846', which seems to cliff out on every side. I descended to and crossed the inlet, where I found a pretty obvious use trail that led me on an exhausting climb to bypass the cliff. With that final hurdle cleared, I was elated to find the 60 Lakes Basin trail. This is one of those classic Sierra areas with lots of little lakes, marshes, meadows, and sparse pines. It doesn't have the stark, dramatic splendor of the high country, but there's something really hospitable and serene about these lush, green spaces with their gently flowing water and abundant wildlife. Gardiner Lake is a place you can visit, but 60 Lakes Basin is a place you could live.

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After a quick run to the end of the 60 Lakes Basin trail, I made camp a little way off the trail at the largest lake in the basin (11,008') and passed my coldest night yet - definitely down into the mid-20s - at this lovely and untouched spot.

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The next morning I hiked over to Rae Lakes - beautiful despite the extremely high traffic - and up to Dragon Lake. As seen from Dragon Lake, Dragon Peak has a dramatic bright orange dike running through the west flank of the massif - well worth the short but steep trail up to it. After Dragon, it was back to the PCT, over Glenn Pass, and over Kearsarge to the car.

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Overall, the Gardiner-60 Lakes loop was a fun trip, but not my favorite cross-country route. Except for a handful of switchbacks that make some slopes easier, the Gardiner Basin trail is gone. The long distance route finding, as well as the descent to 9,000 feet, were pretty big chores. For all that mileage and elevation change, the only real highlights were the subalpine lakes SW of Gardiner and Gardiner Basin proper. I definitely had fun, but the reward:work ratio was lower than, say, Miter Basin or the Bear Lakes.

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[Wandering Daisy]

What were the dates of your trip?

I have been to the northwest and center lakes in Gardenier Basin, but never the lakes below Gardenier Pass. I need to get over to those lakes some day! Thanks for a good description of your route from Charlotte Lake to the northwest lakes. Even though cold, the crisp clear air sure made great photos. I did my trip in September years ago, and your early trip this year makes it look a lot fresher.

[shtinkypuppie]

What were the dates of your trip?

I have been to the northwest and center lakes in Gardenier Basin, but never the lakes below Gardenier Pass. I need to get over to those lakes some day! Thanks for a good description of your route from Charlotte Lake to the northwest lakes. Even though cold, the crisp clear air sure made great photos. I did my trip in September years ago, and your early trip this year makes it look a lot fresher.

I started out of Onion Valley on 6/16, went over Gardiner on 6/17, over 60 Lakes on 6/18, and out on 6/19. I'm definitely cramming in the trips early in the year before the smoke starts!

[wildhiker]

Nice report with really fine photos! Your trip is almost exactly the route I took on my first real High Sierra backpacking trip back in 1970, based on a brief description in the first edition of the "Sierra South" book, except we took 8 days! We had some short days and layover days. From a layover at Charlotte Lake, we day-hiked south on the JMT to Vidette Meadows. We didn't do your side excursion to the lake basin NW of Mt Gardiner. I can't remember if we camped in the upper part of Gardiner Basin or in 60 Lakes Basin. Back then, the trail from Charlotte Lake was easily followed all the way over Gardiner Pass and down to Gardiner Creek. Although "Sierra South" promised a trail up into Gardiner Basin, we found none beyond the creek, and went cross-country all the way to 60 Lakes Basin.

One amazing encounter we had on our 1970 trip was at Charlotte Lake on our second night camping there. A group of about 10 college students showed up who were backpacking on the Muir Trail from South Lake to Mount Whitney in about 10 days. One young woman in the group was blind! The others took turns guiding her as they hiked. She said she was having a great time enjoying the hiking, the sensations, the air and the sounds.

I especially appreciate your photos, since I only had slide film for the first couple days of our 1970 trip, and then used black and white negative film for the rest of the trip, but all the negatives were lost and I have no prints either.

-Phil

[richlong8]

Enjoyed your photos and your trip report. I have very fond memories of a trip I took to Gardiner several years back, and I would love to go there again.

[hikerguy]

Nice TR and great photos. This brought back some strong memories for me when I was hiking with my son in 2013, coming over 60 Lakes Col into Gardiner Basin and then heading up toward King Col. A boulder slid and crushed me - lots of broken ribs, broken pelvis, shoulder and collarbone, collapsed lungs and other injuries. Through a fortunate coincidence my son was able to find a couple of park biologists who were in Gardiner Basin on their day off and had a radio - and I was airlifted out the next day and made it to a hospital ICU. The picture below is of me in a Bauman bag together with a Park rescue medic both hanging from the haul rope below the rescue helicopter soaring over Gardiner Basin.

I'm happy to say I pretty much fully recovered and still cross-country hike in the high Sierra - including two more times into Gardiner Basin. I will be taking my first hike this season in a couple weeks - including a stop to see the Charlotte Lake backcountry Ranger - who was one of those park biologists so instrumental to my rescue so many years ago.

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[shtinkypuppie]

Nice TR and great photos. This brought back some strong memories for me when I was hiking with my son in 2013, coming over 60 Lakes Col into Gardiner Basin and then heading up toward King Col. A boulder slid and crushed me - lots of broken ribs, broken pelvis, shoulder and collarbone, collapsed lungs and other injuries. Through a fortunate coincidence my son was able to find a couple of park biologists who were in Gardiner Basin on their day off and had a radio - and I was airlifted out the next day and made it to a hospital ICU. The picture below is of me in a Bauman bag together with a Park rescue medic both hanging from the haul rope below the rescue helicopter soaring over Gardiner Basin.

I'm happy to say I pretty much fully recovered and still cross-country hike in the high Sierra - including two more times into Gardiner Basin. I will be taking my first hike this season in a couple weeks - including a stop to see the Charlotte Lake backcountry Ranger - who was one of those park biologists so instrumental to my rescue so many years ago.

9_7 am11_23 Dangling from the haul rope.jpg

That's intense! Glad you made it out!

[cjonnum]

Thank you for the great report and photos. I'm planning to do this in reverse (except entering at Baxter Pass) starting July 30. My friend and I are attempting to recreate a guided trip we did back when we were in high school in the mid-'80s. I've heard it's tricky getting around the lake at 10,846' between 60 Lakes Col and 60 Lakes Trail (some refer to it as Long Lake). When you say you were able to "bypass the cliff," are you referring to the catwalk I've read about? Any additional advice at this spot?

EDIT: Never mind--I found your excellent description of this route under Cross Country Passes! Thanks again.

[shtinkypuppie]

Thank you for the great report and photos. I'm planning to do this in reverse (except entering at Baxter Pass) starting July 30. My friend and I are attempting to recreate a guided trip we did back when we were in high school in the mid-'80s. I've heard it's tricky getting around the lake at 10,846' between 60 Lakes Col and 60 Lakes Trail (some refer to it as Long Lake). When you say you were able to "bypass the cliff," are you referring to the catwalk I've read about? Any additional advice at this spot?

EDIT: Never mind--I found your excellent description of this route under Cross Country Passes! Thanks again.

Very good! Feel free to hit me up if you have more questions.

[LMBSGV]

A wonderfully detailed report with gorgeous photos. I was planning to go over 60 Lakes Col into Gardiner Basin in 2011, but decided not to due to a thunderstorm on the day I was supposed to go over the col. So I went down 60 Lakes Basin instead and camped at the same spectacular lake you did. Thanks for providing such a great description of Gardner Basin to provide a vicarious visit for me. Your descriptions in the cross-country passes section provide an excellent guide for anyone going there.