High Sierra Topix

Taken July 25. Snow weight just like SF San Joaquin. Steel is mostly torn loose from abutment on the east side.

Full trail report coming in backpacking section

View from upstream.

Cross posting this - also posted here: viewtopic.php?p=182481#p182481

In the fall I talked to a ranger who indicated that the San Joaquin river should still be crossable near Hemlock Crossing by wading. Is that accurate? From these photos you certainly can't see a safe place to cross - but hard to know what's nearby. From this post that sounds like a no - but trying to reconcile with what the ranger told me.

Right up front, I’ll state that I haven’t been there. Perhaps somebody with actual experience could weigh in.

But you can be assured that up some date in summer (later in a wet year, earlier in a dry one) it is NOT wadeable.
A few months from now (May or June ?), somewhat accurate predictions might be made about crossing conditions later in summer.

The key question is - when are you going ?

My plan is to go in mid-July. So yeah - right now we're at about 75% typical snowpack. Those pictures above are from late July in a massive snow year. So at this point I guess my question is whether people know if the river is crossable near here often, sometimes, rarely, or never.

This image shows crossing a few miles upstream at Bench canyon in August 2019, very manageable at that point. (Credit to JimmyJam Hiking Club)

i was at hemlock crossing in late july 2021, a low snow year. in the immediate vicinity of the bridge, the creek appears to be very deep and swift (thus the bridge!). if a ranger said there is a feasible spot to cross, i guess i'd believe them. but in general the san joaquin seemed pretty powerful to me.

Thanks for the intel. I talked to someone at Bass Lake Ranger station today. She said that the bridge won't be repaired in 2024. She said the river became crossable near the bridge at some point in September 2023 - a major snow year. So it sounds like it does become passable eventually but not till the snow is pretty well melted. So I think the answer for now is that the river near Hemlock Crossing can be waded "sometimes".

crossed Hemlock July 1974, before bridge built. slightly above-average snowpack (117%). didn't wade, but used a downed tree, a little shaky, but doable. if you are willing to take some time searching, and are comfortable with a little risk, you'll be OK. don't know exactly where the bridge is (was), but the crossing was well downstream from Bench Canyon. descended Bench, crossed to E side of San Joaquin, re-crossed at Hemlock downstream. but...for many years there was no bridge, and people were crossing.

another thought...frozenintime's observation about the river near the bridge might be because the bridge was located at a narrow (hence, deep) part of the river. old "Hemlock Crossing" might not have been there. trail led right there 50 years ago, but has probably become overgrown with non-use after bridge installed. remember, before the bridge, the crossing category wasn't often, sometimes, rarely, or never. it was "always". don't limit your search to the immediate vicinity of bridge. as a self-described Level 4, you'll be fine.

Does anyone know if the bridge downstream from Hemlock Crossing marked "Sheep Crossing" on the map is still intact? It's maybe three miles upstream from the confluence with the Middle Fork.

Here's what Sheep Crossing looked like back in June 2015. Haven't been there since.