Has anyone been up to Horseshoe Meadows TH lately?

[DavePloessel]

I'm just looking for road conditions/closures or if it's possible to get to the TH... Trying to decide between going out of there or Onion Valley for a couple days late next week.


Cheers!

[KathyW]

Inyo County Roads Dept has an estimated opening date of May 1st for the Horseshoe Meadows Road. I'd call before heading up there because that is just an estimate - it closed mostly because of rockfall.

[fishmonger]

road to Whitney Portal opened yesterday - may not be that far off. I'd call the ranger station.

[KathyW]

If the road is open, Inyo County Roads Department doesn't know about it because this morning they told me it was closed with a tentative opening date of May 1st, which will allow them time to check it out and clear clear off the rocks.

[DavePloessel]

I had called roads already when I posted this. They didn't know (but gave mne a date if "april something" interestingly enough). As with a lot of roads in the area, there is "closed", and then there is "impassable" . I've never tried to get to that TH in the winter (always hiked in from tuttle if I wanted to visit that area in winter) so I don't know if it's gated or just the standard sawhorse in the middle of the road you can drive past at your own risk a la whitney portal.

I was trying to find out from a trail runners on the ground perspective if it was diveable all the way to the TH. Seems like a good year to do so.

[tim]

If I'm not mistaken the Horseshoe Meadows road is fully gated in winter a very long way from the trailhead.

[John Dittli]

As of last week the gate was closed and locked at Carroll Creek. It was snow free to ~1 mile past Farewell Gap.

[ExploreABitMore]

Even if it's not gated, there is a reason HM is sometimes the last road to open ... half the mountainside regularly ends up on the road (i.e. impassable)

[DavePloessel]

If I'm not mistaken the Horseshoe Meadows road is fully gated in winter .

Drats.

May be onion valley this trip then.

My girl is running the ragnar the weekend after next and we wanted to go sleep at altitude with a mellow hike in so she wouldn't beat herself up before the race.

[DavePloessel]

Even if it's not gated, there is a reason HM is sometimes the last road to open ... half the mountainside regularly ends up on the road (i.e. impassable)

jeep jeep jeep