Rafferty Pass (unofficial)
Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:04 pm
TITLE: Unofficial Rafferty Pass
GENERAL OVERVIEW:
"Rafferty Pass" is my unofficial name for the pass directly north from Rafferty Peak, connecting the Nelson Lake drainage with Rafferty Creek in the Cathedral Range of the Yosemite Wilderness.
I just used this route this summer for the sixth time and decided I should write up a description for HST. This is such a nice easy route that I highly recommend it for experienced trail backpackers looking to try cross-country hiking.
According to Caltopo, from Nelson Lake to Tuolumne Pass on the route I will describe is about 3.5 miles with about 1100 feet elevation gain going west to east or about 650 feet elevation gain going east to west. Since I know the route so well, it takes me about 3.5 hours with backpack at my leisurely pace. Allow more time if it is new to you.
CLASS/DIFFICULTY:
I rate the entire route class 1. You are always walking upright on dirt, meadow, forest floor, or granite slabs with no talus to cross. Slopes are primarily gentle, with only a few short steep stretches. You can always easily see where you are going.
LOCATION:
Rafferty Pass is in the Yosemite National Park Wilderness at coordinates 37.8214 degrees north latitude and -119.3522 degrees west longitude.
HST Map
ELEVATION: Approximately 10,500 feet.
USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Vogelsang Peak
ROUTE DESCRIPTION & PHOTOS:
The route-finding is a bit easier going west to east, and a wilderness permit to start on the Nelson Lake trail is generally easier to get than one starting on the Rafferty Creek trail, so I will describe the route primarily from west to east (with some notes on the opposite direction).
This route description starts at Nelson Lake. You can reach it by various cross-country routes from the south or west, but the easiest way to reach Nelson Lake is by a very good use trail coming from Elizabeth Lake. You might lose this trail occasionally going uphill from Elizabeth Lake and again in the final half-mile before Nelson Lake, but overall, it is easy to follow. I highly recommend camping at Nelson Lake, which has a reliably impressive sunset light show on the big cliff on the east side.
On the map below, the solid red line on the left is the use trail from Elizabeth Lake to Nelson Lake, the dotted red line in the center is this cross-country route, and the other dashed red lines are maintained trails from OpenStreetMap.
The valley upstream from Nelson Lake to Rafferty Pass has the classic "step and riser" topography of glaciated valleys. There are several relatively flat steps (two of which have lakes) separated by short steep sections. On the east side of Rafferty Pass, you are basically traversing a gentle to moderate slope, gradually losing elevation, all the way to Tuolumne Pass, where you intersect the Rafferty Creek trail and have easy access to the Vogelsang area.
Starting from Nelson Lake, head northeast to the head of the big meadow upstream from it. Since I always camp on the northwest end of the lake, I skirt the meadow along its western side, but you can also skirt on the eastern side. Stay out of the middle, which can be very marshy.
As the meadow pinches out at its north end, you will notice that Nelson Creek (unofficial name) is emerging from a rough and steep gorge. Avoid that gorge. Head up the lightly forested slope east of the creek to the top of a subsidiary ridge coming directly west down from Rafferty Peak. Footing is rock-studded dirt with some low to moderate angle granite slabs that you mostly traverse across (rather than climbing up). The slope steepens as you get close to the ridge top, but there are plenty of opportunities to zig and zag to make it easier. At the top, granite slabs make small cliffs up to 10 feet high, but you can easily find breaks to get through.
You can cross this subsidiary ridge in various locations, but I generally aim for the lower end on the left (west). At the top, you get your last view of Nelson Lake. On the other side of this ridge, you encounter one of those "flat" steps in the topography. Lower down, it is a flat meadow and forest valley along the creek. If you cross higher up, it is a slope of granite slabs.
Head toward and up along the creek and in a couple hundred yards you see the next "riser" in this valley: an open granite slope with cascades in the creek. Work your way up the granite slabs and rock-studded dirt to the top of the cascades; the easiest way stays close to the creek.
Now you are at the next "step": a flat valley with light forest, meadows, and lots of granite bedrock ending at Reymann Lake.
I find it easiest to cross the creek here to the north side. After getting past some initial downed trees, you have an easy short walk on rock-studded meadow and dirt with scattered trees to round Reymann Lake on its north side. By the way, Reymann Lake has very poor camping. All the flat areas seem to be either very wet meadow, studded with big rocks, or densely forested with saplings. Fill up your water bottle at Reymann Lake, as the next several miles can be dry.
The next "riser" is directly at the east end of Reymann Lake. The area close to the creek is choked with brush. Instead, I head up the forested slope starting from the northeast end of Reymann Lake. To ease the grade, I first go up a very shallow valley coming down from the northeast through bigger trees. Footing is rock-studded dirt, grass, and low shrubs like heather.
When the slope steepens and you can see granite outcrops ahead forming small cliff bands, head right (southeast) at the base of those cliff bands until you get almost to the creek. Here the cliffs break down allowing easy ascent on a broken rock and dirt slope along the stream. Stay about 50 to 100 feet from the stream out of the brush.
Now you are in a very small shallow valley - the last "step" of this drainage. Walk directly across it on granite slabs and rocky dirt and up the slope covered in whitebark pine forest. This slope is steep. I found a kind of grass and rock ramp along the eastern edge of this forest that took me most of the way up. Near the top, you have to look around for a break in small cliff bands.
The actual pass has stunted whitebark pines all along its western edge, but open granite slabs and broken rock on the eastern side, with a good view of Mount Dana, the entire Kuna Crest, and the peaks around Ireland Lake. Directly below you is a shallow valley with green meadowy areas and clumps of trees that drains down to Rafferty Creek. Your next landmark on the cross-country route is a shallow saddle on the northeast subsidiary ridge of Rafferty Peak on the other side of this shallow valley. This saddle has a few trees in it.
[Continued in next post...]
GENERAL OVERVIEW:
"Rafferty Pass" is my unofficial name for the pass directly north from Rafferty Peak, connecting the Nelson Lake drainage with Rafferty Creek in the Cathedral Range of the Yosemite Wilderness.
I just used this route this summer for the sixth time and decided I should write up a description for HST. This is such a nice easy route that I highly recommend it for experienced trail backpackers looking to try cross-country hiking.
According to Caltopo, from Nelson Lake to Tuolumne Pass on the route I will describe is about 3.5 miles with about 1100 feet elevation gain going west to east or about 650 feet elevation gain going east to west. Since I know the route so well, it takes me about 3.5 hours with backpack at my leisurely pace. Allow more time if it is new to you.
CLASS/DIFFICULTY:
I rate the entire route class 1. You are always walking upright on dirt, meadow, forest floor, or granite slabs with no talus to cross. Slopes are primarily gentle, with only a few short steep stretches. You can always easily see where you are going.
LOCATION:
Rafferty Pass is in the Yosemite National Park Wilderness at coordinates 37.8214 degrees north latitude and -119.3522 degrees west longitude.
HST Map
ELEVATION: Approximately 10,500 feet.
USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Vogelsang Peak
ROUTE DESCRIPTION & PHOTOS:
The route-finding is a bit easier going west to east, and a wilderness permit to start on the Nelson Lake trail is generally easier to get than one starting on the Rafferty Creek trail, so I will describe the route primarily from west to east (with some notes on the opposite direction).
This route description starts at Nelson Lake. You can reach it by various cross-country routes from the south or west, but the easiest way to reach Nelson Lake is by a very good use trail coming from Elizabeth Lake. You might lose this trail occasionally going uphill from Elizabeth Lake and again in the final half-mile before Nelson Lake, but overall, it is easy to follow. I highly recommend camping at Nelson Lake, which has a reliably impressive sunset light show on the big cliff on the east side.
On the map below, the solid red line on the left is the use trail from Elizabeth Lake to Nelson Lake, the dotted red line in the center is this cross-country route, and the other dashed red lines are maintained trails from OpenStreetMap.
The valley upstream from Nelson Lake to Rafferty Pass has the classic "step and riser" topography of glaciated valleys. There are several relatively flat steps (two of which have lakes) separated by short steep sections. On the east side of Rafferty Pass, you are basically traversing a gentle to moderate slope, gradually losing elevation, all the way to Tuolumne Pass, where you intersect the Rafferty Creek trail and have easy access to the Vogelsang area.
Starting from Nelson Lake, head northeast to the head of the big meadow upstream from it. Since I always camp on the northwest end of the lake, I skirt the meadow along its western side, but you can also skirt on the eastern side. Stay out of the middle, which can be very marshy.
As the meadow pinches out at its north end, you will notice that Nelson Creek (unofficial name) is emerging from a rough and steep gorge. Avoid that gorge. Head up the lightly forested slope east of the creek to the top of a subsidiary ridge coming directly west down from Rafferty Peak. Footing is rock-studded dirt with some low to moderate angle granite slabs that you mostly traverse across (rather than climbing up). The slope steepens as you get close to the ridge top, but there are plenty of opportunities to zig and zag to make it easier. At the top, granite slabs make small cliffs up to 10 feet high, but you can easily find breaks to get through.
You can cross this subsidiary ridge in various locations, but I generally aim for the lower end on the left (west). At the top, you get your last view of Nelson Lake. On the other side of this ridge, you encounter one of those "flat" steps in the topography. Lower down, it is a flat meadow and forest valley along the creek. If you cross higher up, it is a slope of granite slabs.
Head toward and up along the creek and in a couple hundred yards you see the next "riser" in this valley: an open granite slope with cascades in the creek. Work your way up the granite slabs and rock-studded dirt to the top of the cascades; the easiest way stays close to the creek.
Now you are at the next "step": a flat valley with light forest, meadows, and lots of granite bedrock ending at Reymann Lake.
I find it easiest to cross the creek here to the north side. After getting past some initial downed trees, you have an easy short walk on rock-studded meadow and dirt with scattered trees to round Reymann Lake on its north side. By the way, Reymann Lake has very poor camping. All the flat areas seem to be either very wet meadow, studded with big rocks, or densely forested with saplings. Fill up your water bottle at Reymann Lake, as the next several miles can be dry.
The next "riser" is directly at the east end of Reymann Lake. The area close to the creek is choked with brush. Instead, I head up the forested slope starting from the northeast end of Reymann Lake. To ease the grade, I first go up a very shallow valley coming down from the northeast through bigger trees. Footing is rock-studded dirt, grass, and low shrubs like heather.
When the slope steepens and you can see granite outcrops ahead forming small cliff bands, head right (southeast) at the base of those cliff bands until you get almost to the creek. Here the cliffs break down allowing easy ascent on a broken rock and dirt slope along the stream. Stay about 50 to 100 feet from the stream out of the brush.
Now you are in a very small shallow valley - the last "step" of this drainage. Walk directly across it on granite slabs and rocky dirt and up the slope covered in whitebark pine forest. This slope is steep. I found a kind of grass and rock ramp along the eastern edge of this forest that took me most of the way up. Near the top, you have to look around for a break in small cliff bands.
The actual pass has stunted whitebark pines all along its western edge, but open granite slabs and broken rock on the eastern side, with a good view of Mount Dana, the entire Kuna Crest, and the peaks around Ireland Lake. Directly below you is a shallow valley with green meadowy areas and clumps of trees that drains down to Rafferty Creek. Your next landmark on the cross-country route is a shallow saddle on the northeast subsidiary ridge of Rafferty Peak on the other side of this shallow valley. This saddle has a few trees in it.
[Continued in next post...]