Glacier Pass (Mineral King)

Member descriptions, photos, and map locations of Cross Country Passes in the High Sierra. This forum is for information only - discussions should be kept in the appropriate categories.
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zacjust32
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Glacier Pass (Mineral King)

Post by zacjust32 »

TITLE: Glacier Pass

GENERAL OVERVIEW: This Pass leads connects the Sawtooth Pass trail to Spring Lake and the Cliff Creek drainage.

CLASS/DIFFICULTY:
Class 2 with a 50 foot class 3 stretch at the top on the north

LOCATION: Sequoia National Park, Mineral King HST Map

USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Mineral King quad

ROUTE DESCRIPTION: From north to south: Ascend the drainage SW of Spring lake, following the use trail on the east side of the small creek. I then ascended the ramps on the west side of the drainage and skirted around to the bottom of the pass (Blue path). Start climbing up talus towards the notches on that lead up to the top. I prefer to avoid the loose talus and instead climb the rock that makes up the gullys. It gets steep but there are plenty of hand- and foot-holds. Every 6-10 feet there's a place to stand and reorient yourself as you climb, and it's only ~50 feet of climbing. Alternatively (Red path) there appears to be a bypass to the east by climbing talus and avoiding the steep cliffs. From the pass walk east to meet up with the Sawtooth pass trail. Or, as Secor suggests, head straight down the drainage and follow Monarch Creek down until it hits the trail.

PHOTOS:
These were taken September 2nd, 2019, a very high snow year. Snowfields may persist late into the season, but I stayed west and avoided all snow.
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druid
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Re: Glacier Pass (Mineral King)

Post by druid »

In low-snow years such as 2020, an easy route over the pass is to walk the use trail all the way up from Spring Lake. The use trail is fairly easy to follow for most of its length and quite apparent on Google Earth. It ascends the NW side of the Spring Lake inlet and then crosses to the SE around 10700. At the pass itself the use trail roughly follows zacjust32's red Alternative? line in the photo above although it does not cross back to the NW of the drainage until lower.

Coming from Mineral King, when at the pass look sharply to the SE (right) and the use trail should be fairly obvious. If it isn't, take a few steps SE from the low point. On the HST map, the use-trail crossing is close to the words "Glacier Pass" rather than where the pass icon is currently located. In dry snow-free conditions the short steep section of the use trail on the Spring Lake side of the pass is at most class 2.
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