High Sierra Topix

Entered via Crown Valley trail head, just south of Wishon Dam. Trail was OK until around Crown Valley, where it's super easy to get lost due to old & misleading signs and unmaintained trails. GPS was required just to make it to Hay Meadow. We bush-whacked our way down Son of a **** trail, which drops you in the Tehipite Valley. Son of a **** trail has since been cleared by the NFS (eastern Sierra conservation corp - nice job ladies!!). The trail from Tehipite valley to Simpson meadow was in fairly good condition. Crossing the King @ Simpson meadow is impossible...way too much water. And of course, the bridge at Windy Point is long gone.

Thanks for this report. I'm considering a trip this summer (2019) from Granite Pass to Simpson, across the Tehipite Valley, and then up to Crown Valley. Sounds like the trails have been improved somewhat. I'm interested in what you said about the Kings being impassable since you were also there in a high snow year like me: can you tell me exactly what day/time of month you said the crossing was impassable? I'll be there around 8/23 of this year. Or has anyone else attempted this crossing this year? Thanks.

The Kings in Simpson is high in spring, impassible, there was a bridge years and years ago that has been gone forever. By fall it is wade-able in the meadow.

The trail was maintained inside the park - not the national forest. It was cleared by the NPS, not the NFS, to the boundary, and not between the Crown trailhead and the park boundary. People routinely get lost trying to get to Tehipite, and once in the valley itself - there is a reason that people are rescued out of Tehipite every single year. There was an account of one rescue here on HST a few years back. Not for the solo hiker or for anyone with no navigation skills.


ETA: The original report is from 2017. It is definitely worse since then.

The trail between Crown Meadow and the descent down canyon was a mess of felled trees when I went in 2012. After two years of 200% snow, it's probably worse.

lizgreer-

I did much of your route last summer in the reverse direction -- Crown Valley, Tehipite Valley, Simpson Meadow and up the hill toward Granite Pass. If you're still planning to go on your trip and want more detail on relatively recent trail conditions, reply here and I'll provide some info. I can also describe how we crossed the Middle Fork on August 2, which may or may not be helpful this year.

-Andy