Trail Report: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23, 2022
Purpose of the Trip:
After much advice and many adjustments, this trip was going to be for my daughter and me to introduce her boyfriend to backpacking. It also was going to be redemption for last year—my daughter and I set out for Mono Pass a year ago, but a massive hailstorm stopped us and we wound up reversing to Little Lakes Valley. So I looked forward to this trip with great anticipation and solicited wonderful advice from this board.
As it turns out, my daughter was sent to a conference in DC the week before the trip and returned with a positive COVID test. So the trip became a solo affair (I had no contact with her), leaving me somewhat worried for her health (though I stayed in touch via satellite device), and lonely. It definitely put a damper on the enjoyment. Then, on midnight of the fourth day, the smoke rolled up Mono Creek from the new Oak Fire that began the day before. So the trip was neither as joyful nor as long as I had hoped. Nevertheless, there are some truly impressive sights to see in the area.
Even allowing for my mood, I found the effort/reward ratio a little lower than I had anticipated. Mono Pass is a high pass and one which makes you trudge a long ways through a hemmed-in rocky canyon to get to the vistas. And unlike Piute, Bishop, or Kearsarge passes (to name only a few) you wind up coming down the other side of Mono even a little lower than the trailhead. Yes, Fourth Recess Lake is 100 feet lower than Mosquito Pass trailhead. So leaving is every bit as strenuous as arriving.
Day 0
I drove to Mammoth, moteled to acclimate a bit, and took a dayhike to help the process.
Day 1
I drove to the Mosquito Flat trailhead and was walking on the trail at 5:45 am, one of my favorite times to be out. The climb to the Ruby Lake turnoff went surprisingly well. At that intersection I paused to put on sunblock and was approached by a gentleman—by appearance even older than me—off on a dayhike to fish Golden Lake for golden trout. He stopped, peeled a hardboiled egg for his breakfast, and we chatted. An inspiration.
The trail then began a set of switchbacks up a relatively barren hillside before beginning a long traverse high above Ruby Lake. I enjoyed looking down on Ruby—the emergency destination for my daughter and me last year when the storms moved in.
Then the trail dog-legged right and headed through the long, narrow Mono Pass.
The pass is laid out like all the recesses—in fact it could be considered the Fifth Recess I think. That means that to go from the east side to the west side you need to walk a couple of miles from south to north, with piles of rock blocking both the east and the west sides of the canyon. I met several people who use the pass to summit Mount Starr on the east. The trail led me through stark terrain, with Summit Lake and the gravelly parking-lot around it particularly bleak.
The trail then begins down in earnest, switch backing down to Trail Lakes, which seemed quite nice but not photogenic. This is not even the halfway point to the bottom, however, as the trail undertakes another set of switchbacks to descend to Golden Creek and yet more downhill to get down to the Pioneer/Fourth Recess intersections.
For some reason, this day I was motivated to keep trudging, and so I vowed to get up to Pioneer Basin on my first day in. I had not paid enough attention to the maps. Having ascended 1900ish to get to Mono Pass, now I needed to reclaim 800 feet I had lost to get back up to Pioneer Basin. Somehow I did it, making it up to the first lake above “Mud Lake” about 10 hours after I set off. The trail from the intersection to Mud Lake was fairly normal, while the trail from Mud Lake up to the higher lake was straight up the side of the hill, with almost no switchbacks. I also discovered I was following a pack train and was once again amazed (though I should have needed no more proof) of just where mules can actually go.
With the expansive camp at the outlet end taken by the horsepackers (and some very nice people I met later,) I found a camp on the east side, sheltered and hidden by some rocks and trees. This was my base for two nights.
TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
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kpeter
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TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
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Last edited by kpeter on Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:00 am, edited 6 times in total.
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kpeter
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Day 2
A beautiful day. Up again at dawn, and dayhiking all over Pioneer Basin. There are two routes to the central (and largest and most scenic) of the lakes. There is the trail from Mud Lake up to what I will call Lake 1—where I camped and which I had conquered on day 1. That same trail continues to the southern end of Lake 2, which I did not find especially interesting. There it ends. From there you pick your way through the scrub and the slots to Lake 3 (10862).
Lake 3 was charming, with magnificent color, interesting inlets, and bordered by lupine, granite, and small trees. The outlet to the lake is on the middle of the east side, and this is where the second route goes. It is possible to follow the stream from Mud Lake all the way to this outlet, bypassing Lakes 1 and 2. I saw the use trail distinctly where it came in, but did not take the route myself so cannot attest to how easy it is lower down.
Wandering along the eastern shore of Lake 3 was lovely. It is up and down as so many lake excursions are—but you can find a dozen ways to move around the lake, from the shore to up high. There is, however, one tough spot to get around at the NE corner. There a granite outcropping comes down into the lake. It is possible to climb over a boulder to continue on the lakeside boot path, but I did not chance it. Instead you can scramble up and over the hump—about 50 feet of steep sandy hillside up, picking your way through a slot in the scrub, and then down a steep hill to arrive in a lupine-filled meadow where the main inlet stream enters the lake. However, the route is not immediately obvious and I met another group who got stuck there and turned back. The views in Pioneer Basin are most dramatic looking south, since the land falls away steeply in the Mono Creek Canyon and this provides drama for the mountains rising on the southern side of the recesses. Looking south across Lake 1 or south across Lake 3 seemed to me to be the high-drama shots of the trip. Sadly, most other directions held less interest, as the light was usually flat and the ring surrounding Pioneer Basin was more rubble than crags—certainly not the same drama as the southern view.
Beyond Lake 3 it was a very simply matter to follow the inlet stream up to Lakes 4 and 5. Lake 4 was rather ordinary, I thought, and Lake 5 particularly stark. I would camp at what I have called 3 if I did it again. Regardless of the lakes, however, the views as I climbed and the stream on the way up were a highlight of the trip. Many had suggested a jaunt up the ridge to look over at the McGee drainage. Steelhead Lake would be just on the other side. By this point, however, the graft in my ankle (stabilization tendon) was beginning to hurt in a way that all the trail hiking had not produced. I had put a lot of trail mileage on it with no ill effect, but the constant shifting on slopes was working it out in a way that trails did not. So I contented myself with a spectacular stroll around Pioneer Basin and did not push the ankle past its endurance.
Back at camp I was pleased I had situated my tent for late afternoon shade, which allowed me to take a pleasant snooze. I prefer shady reading and napping in the dog hours of the afternoon, when the sun is glaring its full UV down on the earth. My thermometer said 72 in the shade and 88 in the sun, and that is exactly what it felt like. Later, I got up for dinner, strolling around the lake for evening photography, and visiting with my neighbors—two older couples brought in by the horsepackers. Nice folks.
A beautiful day. Up again at dawn, and dayhiking all over Pioneer Basin. There are two routes to the central (and largest and most scenic) of the lakes. There is the trail from Mud Lake up to what I will call Lake 1—where I camped and which I had conquered on day 1. That same trail continues to the southern end of Lake 2, which I did not find especially interesting. There it ends. From there you pick your way through the scrub and the slots to Lake 3 (10862).
Lake 3 was charming, with magnificent color, interesting inlets, and bordered by lupine, granite, and small trees. The outlet to the lake is on the middle of the east side, and this is where the second route goes. It is possible to follow the stream from Mud Lake all the way to this outlet, bypassing Lakes 1 and 2. I saw the use trail distinctly where it came in, but did not take the route myself so cannot attest to how easy it is lower down.
Wandering along the eastern shore of Lake 3 was lovely. It is up and down as so many lake excursions are—but you can find a dozen ways to move around the lake, from the shore to up high. There is, however, one tough spot to get around at the NE corner. There a granite outcropping comes down into the lake. It is possible to climb over a boulder to continue on the lakeside boot path, but I did not chance it. Instead you can scramble up and over the hump—about 50 feet of steep sandy hillside up, picking your way through a slot in the scrub, and then down a steep hill to arrive in a lupine-filled meadow where the main inlet stream enters the lake. However, the route is not immediately obvious and I met another group who got stuck there and turned back. The views in Pioneer Basin are most dramatic looking south, since the land falls away steeply in the Mono Creek Canyon and this provides drama for the mountains rising on the southern side of the recesses. Looking south across Lake 1 or south across Lake 3 seemed to me to be the high-drama shots of the trip. Sadly, most other directions held less interest, as the light was usually flat and the ring surrounding Pioneer Basin was more rubble than crags—certainly not the same drama as the southern view.
Beyond Lake 3 it was a very simply matter to follow the inlet stream up to Lakes 4 and 5. Lake 4 was rather ordinary, I thought, and Lake 5 particularly stark. I would camp at what I have called 3 if I did it again. Regardless of the lakes, however, the views as I climbed and the stream on the way up were a highlight of the trip. Many had suggested a jaunt up the ridge to look over at the McGee drainage. Steelhead Lake would be just on the other side. By this point, however, the graft in my ankle (stabilization tendon) was beginning to hurt in a way that all the trail hiking had not produced. I had put a lot of trail mileage on it with no ill effect, but the constant shifting on slopes was working it out in a way that trails did not. So I contented myself with a spectacular stroll around Pioneer Basin and did not push the ankle past its endurance.
Back at camp I was pleased I had situated my tent for late afternoon shade, which allowed me to take a pleasant snooze. I prefer shady reading and napping in the dog hours of the afternoon, when the sun is glaring its full UV down on the earth. My thermometer said 72 in the shade and 88 in the sun, and that is exactly what it felt like. Later, I got up for dinner, strolling around the lake for evening photography, and visiting with my neighbors—two older couples brought in by the horsepackers. Nice folks.
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Last edited by kpeter on Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:04 am, edited 2 times in total.
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kpeter
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Day 3
This was a lazy but pleasant day. I got up, packed up camp, and went down to the Fourth Recess Lake where I met two groups on the way out. That allowed me to take a recently vacated camp. The use trail leads up to what must be the horsepackers’ prime Fourth Recess spot—a large but clean camp about twenty feet above the lake with filtered views of the water through the trees. There was room for about 7-8 tents there, and I gritted my teeth since I expected it to be communal camping and to be joined by others at this prime destination. While this camp is on the NE side, later I discovered there are more solitary camps further along in the east and also on the west side (after crossing the logs at the outlet) and also along the outlet stream. Getting from the main trail over to Fourth Recess Lake was ridiculously easy—very little elevation difference and not that far.
And what a lake! I have a preference for lakes with mixed shoreline, and Fourth Recess fit the bill, with cliffs, talus, forests, meadows, streams, and waterfalls all part of the picture. During the day I hiked down both sides of the lake as far as the use trails would let me, loving the flowers and grasses, the forests and rock, and the constant sound of the waterfall coming into the south end of the lake. Only at certain times did the light fall on the waterfall—much of the day the falls were in shadow. Later in the afternoon the wind whipped up and created white caps on the lake. All in all, one of the more picturesque lakes I have seen.
I decided to take a dayhike since I arrived and set up camp so early. Would it be third recess or Golden Lake? Golden Lake involved 900 feet of elevation and so I opted for Third Recess. This was a fool’s errand, given that for Third Recess you lose 500 feet to get to the turnoff, gain 500 to get to the lake, then lose and gain 500 feet all over again. The two options were equal, really, and Golden would have been simpler. As I descended down down down the Mono Creek Canyon trail I had a nasty revelation. When I set up camp at Fourth Recess I left my Crocs—my wading shoes— inside the rainfly. Meanwhile, Mono Creek that was so easy to step across at Fourth Recess Lake was looking bigger and bigger as I crossed more and more side streams. Plus in the back of my mind were all the comments that Third Recess as not nearly as lovely as Fourth Recess, etc. Hiking downhill in Mono Creek Canyon was also not inspiring. It was a think woods and I kept thinking we are lucky it has not yet burned—even at 10000 feet the forest was thick with a lot of fuel on the ground. The nattering negativism in my brain argued “why put myself out, possibly without an ability to get across the creek, for that kind of destination?” I don’t enjoy photography much in the middle of the day, which is when I was hiking. So I trundled back to Fourth Recess in time for more afternoon strolling along its shores, and another nap in the heat of the day. Funny how your inner voice can take over your best laid plans.
At this point I had mixed views of the trip. I was lonely and nostalgic and a bit worried for my daughter, even though I was getting satellite texts indicating she was progressing normally. I was peeved about the difficulty factor of Mono Pass, but I was impressed with the beauty of parts of Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess Lake. I enjoyed dinner and the evening light, although I discovered how difficult photography is in a recess. Day 4
At 12:15 am I woke up, smelling smoke. Late in the afternoon a young couple had arrived and set up a large tent on the green meadow at the outlet end of the lake. He was a fisherman and she was…not a typical wilderness person, spending the afternoon in a black bikini while he did his best to concentrate on fly fishing in the gusty wind. Could it be that this inexperienced couple had put out a smoky campfire—given that campfires are banned above 10000 feet?
No, those sleepy thoughts soon passed. This was generalized smoke and I soon concluded (falsely) that the winds must have shifted to bring the Mariposa smoke up Mono Canyon. In fact, the smoke was from the brand new Oak fire that had started at 2:00 the previous afternoon. In less than 12 hours it was smoking us out.
Naturally, I wondered if a fire might be coming up Mono Canyon, and even if not I concluded that I didn’t want to stick around in the smog. Fortunately, I carried in a light KN95 mask which I use for allergies when camping under pines and junipers, and slept the rest of the night in it. I helped me breathe better although my eyes watered.
I got up at 4am and made breakfast and packed by flashlight. At 5:45 I deemed it light enough to walk, and I headed out. With a lighter pack I made good progress, passing by Trail Lakes and then starting what has to be the most boring trudge in the High Sierra. Going up the sandy/gravelly trail from Trail Lakes to the top of Mono Pass was like nothing so much as a stairmaster or elliptical machine. Each step made the same crunch. The views were expansive, but mostly of a barren zone with the smoke cutting off long views. But as I came withing a few hundred steps of the summit, I saw a remarkable sight. A young man came bounding and running down Mount Star toward the trail, hopping over boulders, scampering across a snow bank, all with seemingly effortless ease, as if his legs were rubber and he had shock absorbers in his hips. He saw me and angled over to chat. He was a trail runner, out on a 13 mile run which included summiting Starr and (he hoped) hopping over the ridge from Golden Lake to the stables above Rock Creek Lake on the other side. He was friendly and no doubt one of the fittest human beings I have ever seen, and not quite as young as I first suspected. Another inspiration.
After this point I got over the pass, looked down on Ruby Lake, and felt a tiny bit of vertigo on the long traverse above it before the trail switchbacked down into Little Lakes Valley. Then—especially since this was now Saturday—I began to meet hikers and horsepackers on the way in. Many asked about conditions and I had a moral dilemma about what to say. “Sorry, your trip may be ruined by the smoke”? Instead I said that I had seen some beautiful sights but came out early due to smoke, which might or might not hang in.
Then, having reached the car, the 7 hour drive home, only to discover by the time I got there that my son, who lives at home, had also just developed COVID after his work called him into the office for one day. My word.
And what a lake! I have a preference for lakes with mixed shoreline, and Fourth Recess fit the bill, with cliffs, talus, forests, meadows, streams, and waterfalls all part of the picture. During the day I hiked down both sides of the lake as far as the use trails would let me, loving the flowers and grasses, the forests and rock, and the constant sound of the waterfall coming into the south end of the lake. Only at certain times did the light fall on the waterfall—much of the day the falls were in shadow. Later in the afternoon the wind whipped up and created white caps on the lake. All in all, one of the more picturesque lakes I have seen.
I decided to take a dayhike since I arrived and set up camp so early. Would it be third recess or Golden Lake? Golden Lake involved 900 feet of elevation and so I opted for Third Recess. This was a fool’s errand, given that for Third Recess you lose 500 feet to get to the turnoff, gain 500 to get to the lake, then lose and gain 500 feet all over again. The two options were equal, really, and Golden would have been simpler. As I descended down down down the Mono Creek Canyon trail I had a nasty revelation. When I set up camp at Fourth Recess I left my Crocs—my wading shoes— inside the rainfly. Meanwhile, Mono Creek that was so easy to step across at Fourth Recess Lake was looking bigger and bigger as I crossed more and more side streams. Plus in the back of my mind were all the comments that Third Recess as not nearly as lovely as Fourth Recess, etc. Hiking downhill in Mono Creek Canyon was also not inspiring. It was a think woods and I kept thinking we are lucky it has not yet burned—even at 10000 feet the forest was thick with a lot of fuel on the ground. The nattering negativism in my brain argued “why put myself out, possibly without an ability to get across the creek, for that kind of destination?” I don’t enjoy photography much in the middle of the day, which is when I was hiking. So I trundled back to Fourth Recess in time for more afternoon strolling along its shores, and another nap in the heat of the day. Funny how your inner voice can take over your best laid plans.
At this point I had mixed views of the trip. I was lonely and nostalgic and a bit worried for my daughter, even though I was getting satellite texts indicating she was progressing normally. I was peeved about the difficulty factor of Mono Pass, but I was impressed with the beauty of parts of Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess Lake. I enjoyed dinner and the evening light, although I discovered how difficult photography is in a recess. Day 4
At 12:15 am I woke up, smelling smoke. Late in the afternoon a young couple had arrived and set up a large tent on the green meadow at the outlet end of the lake. He was a fisherman and she was…not a typical wilderness person, spending the afternoon in a black bikini while he did his best to concentrate on fly fishing in the gusty wind. Could it be that this inexperienced couple had put out a smoky campfire—given that campfires are banned above 10000 feet?
No, those sleepy thoughts soon passed. This was generalized smoke and I soon concluded (falsely) that the winds must have shifted to bring the Mariposa smoke up Mono Canyon. In fact, the smoke was from the brand new Oak fire that had started at 2:00 the previous afternoon. In less than 12 hours it was smoking us out.
Naturally, I wondered if a fire might be coming up Mono Canyon, and even if not I concluded that I didn’t want to stick around in the smog. Fortunately, I carried in a light KN95 mask which I use for allergies when camping under pines and junipers, and slept the rest of the night in it. I helped me breathe better although my eyes watered.
I got up at 4am and made breakfast and packed by flashlight. At 5:45 I deemed it light enough to walk, and I headed out. With a lighter pack I made good progress, passing by Trail Lakes and then starting what has to be the most boring trudge in the High Sierra. Going up the sandy/gravelly trail from Trail Lakes to the top of Mono Pass was like nothing so much as a stairmaster or elliptical machine. Each step made the same crunch. The views were expansive, but mostly of a barren zone with the smoke cutting off long views. But as I came withing a few hundred steps of the summit, I saw a remarkable sight. A young man came bounding and running down Mount Star toward the trail, hopping over boulders, scampering across a snow bank, all with seemingly effortless ease, as if his legs were rubber and he had shock absorbers in his hips. He saw me and angled over to chat. He was a trail runner, out on a 13 mile run which included summiting Starr and (he hoped) hopping over the ridge from Golden Lake to the stables above Rock Creek Lake on the other side. He was friendly and no doubt one of the fittest human beings I have ever seen, and not quite as young as I first suspected. Another inspiration.
After this point I got over the pass, looked down on Ruby Lake, and felt a tiny bit of vertigo on the long traverse above it before the trail switchbacked down into Little Lakes Valley. Then—especially since this was now Saturday—I began to meet hikers and horsepackers on the way in. Many asked about conditions and I had a moral dilemma about what to say. “Sorry, your trip may be ruined by the smoke”? Instead I said that I had seen some beautiful sights but came out early due to smoke, which might or might not hang in.
Then, having reached the car, the 7 hour drive home, only to discover by the time I got there that my son, who lives at home, had also just developed COVID after his work called him into the office for one day. My word.
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Last edited by kpeter on Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:50 am, edited 4 times in total.
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narc1370
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
I was there at the same time, and came off the trail Saturday morning, having slept at Trail Lake the night before. I may have seen the runner. Was he wearing a blue vest? I passed a trail runner around 9:30am, right around Mono Pass. As I was sucking air, all I could muster was, "you are a friggin' savage." LOL... He laughed and didn't break stride as he ran by me...
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kpeter
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Based on my photograph time stamps, I must have seen him between 9:16 and 9:58, a little above Summit Lake. I don't remember the vest, but it is very plausible that you ran into him too. He was actually my 3rd trail runner of the day--the first was a woman below Trail Lakes, the second a guy a little after her, and then this superhuman.narc1370 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:03 pm I was there at the same time, and came off the trail Saturday morning, having slept at Trail Lake the night before. I may have seen the runner. Was he wearing a blue vest? I passed a trail runner around 9:30am, right around Mono Pass. As I was sucking air, all I could muster was, "you are a friggin' savage." LOL... He laughed and didn't break stride as he ran by me...
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The Other Tom
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Beautiful pics, thanks for posting
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windknot
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Thanks so much for the report! Sorry to hear about your family's change of plans, but glad you were still able to salvage a good trip nonetheless. There's something psychologically deflating to have significant elevation loss on day 1, knowing it means you're going to have to hike back up on your last day. And a 10-hour first day is no joke, but at least partly made up for by the fact that you could dayhike throughout the basin the second day without having to move camp.
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grampy
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Thanks kpeter for your excellent and informative report !
I did my first trip this year over Mono Pass in early June. After a windy night at Trail Lake, I was worried about the worsening weather (and my having under-packed on warm clothing) so I bailed on day two. Looking at your photos, I definitely need to put this trip back on next year’s agenda.
I did my first trip this year over Mono Pass in early June. After a windy night at Trail Lake, I was worried about the worsening weather (and my having under-packed on warm clothing) so I bailed on day two. Looking at your photos, I definitely need to put this trip back on next year’s agenda.
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giantbrookie
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
Great four day trip and beautiful photos. I'm glad you got in most of your trip under clear skies before the smoke moved in.
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Love the Sierra
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Re: TR: Mono Pass to Pioneer Basin and Fourth Recess, July 20-23
I am so sorry that you were unable to enjoy it. I understand both the loneliness and anxiety and also disappointment added to the mix as well. Last year, I went there twice and loved each trip. Once alone with my dog to Ruby and then Golden in May and
then in June Pioneer Basin with my daughter. It is a shame that the smoke killed your views going up from Trail Lake. We loved them. I can see how it could become a chore without the views.
I hope that you get to go back there again and enjoy all the beauty that the area offers.
then in June Pioneer Basin with my daughter. It is a shame that the smoke killed your views going up from Trail Lake. We loved them. I can see how it could become a chore without the views.
I hope that you get to go back there again and enjoy all the beauty that the area offers.
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