High Sierra Topix

Name: Lewis-Ireland Pass

Overview: This is a direct connection between the Lewis Creek basin in southeastern Yosemite and the huge bowl holding Ireland Lake.

Class: East side is a 1; the West side is a solid 2.

Location: Yosemite wilderness

Elevation: 11,500 and change

USGS Topo Map: Vogelsang Peak

HST Map:HST Map
Description: On the Ireland side of this pass, one encounters a gradually sloping ascent that is largely grass and firm gravel dotted with occasional springs. Aim for the low spot as you approach the ridge and then look for the obvious westerly trending ramp that will take you a quarter of the way down into Lewis basin. Once that ramp vanishes, you have a multitude of options for descending the rest of the way, but whatever route you choose, it will entail a lot of boulder hopping (talus). The reward is that once you descend from the ridge, you're in a major tranquility zone. The photos were taken in August 2021 when smoke from fires in northern CA had intruded and obscured some of the views down toward Half Dome.

I realize not too many folk are clamoring for details on this ridge, but I wanted to add a photo with a couple lines that indicate the first part of the descent we made on the Lewis Creek side of the ridge. Also, since I submitted this post, Phil added a very detailed discussion of Amelia Earhart pass which included a view up toward the Lewis-Ireland ridgeline (his 6th photo; after the map) showing the gentle grade. The initial (right-to-left) red line indicates the ramp that peters out into a talus field from which you need patience to get the rest of the way down (the second red line shows the "aim-for-the green" strategy. Cameron