High Sierra Topix

I mean, I could call and ask... however, has an inquiry been placed as to whether one could ride a bicycle in and hike out from there? I'm a wilderness person, aint no snags gonna scare me! I'm OOC this season so I have no investment in this possibility.

Surely there must be someone who has a definitive answer about whether the road will be open at all this summer? The Inyo website, last updated in October 2022, says, "Starting October 1, tree felling began along Reds Meadow Road in preparation for upcoming road construction scheduled to begin in 2023. Expect periodic delays during this work, with waiting times of up to 30 minutes." It goes on to say that the road will be closing for the season soon anyway, but it says nothing about 2023 (hardly surprising). But if there really were "delays of up to 30 minutes" in the fall, that would certainly imply that road was open!

More information about the road work.

https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/ ... eds-meadow

https://www.governmentcontracts.us/gove ... 436950.htm

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 10:46 am Going in and out of Reds Meadows would be more or a problem, especially for all the PCT hikers who want to go out to Mammoth to resupply. They would have to go out to Mammoth from Agnew trailhead, which is not that bad for them because at least it does not require them to go off-route- just adds a day to when they can go out.

Just going by memory, I wonder if people will instead take Duck Pass to Coldwater Campground by Lake Mary (Mammoth Lake Basin) and take the shuttle into Mammoth from there.

It will add a few trail miles, but probably the least painful way in and out of Mammoth for PCTers this year.

narc1370 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 8:37 pm

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 10:46 am
I would hope that if the road is closed all year, the FS would redistribute the permits from non-usable trailheads to the other nearby trailheads. There are ways around this closure, but I see the bigger problem is getting permits if they do not change the quotas.

Even in a non-construction year, the Devils Postpile road often does not open before 4th July weekend. But for now, they do not know when weather will allow start of construction so it is all uncertain. Once construction starts, they may have a better idea of when it will be finished.

That is my concern as well. Reds Meadow road has some of the most popular trailheads in the Sierra and a lot of people access those trailheads. Now that population of people will be utilizing the remaining trailheads which means more competition to get those trailhead permits.

The ranger said they have to finish the tree work on Reds Meadow Road before they even begin the construction on the road, so even an average snowpack will mean they wont start cutting trees until around the beginning of July.

It seems it would be a good time to figure out how to get back there, just for solitude's sake. the hot springs in particular might have less folk, although it's a common enough JMT detour.

When I was there last summer it was a bummer how much overuse some of the campsites had. Lots of TP blooms in them. Seems absurd that people would literally s*** where they eat, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/home/item. ... 6c4d0e315c

This is a good way to check for road damage from the recent storms. Accessing the Ansel Adams from the Sierra NF is going to be difficult this year. They have a lot of road work scheduled but it could take a while for them to reestablish access to some trailheads

nilloc29 wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 10:44 pm https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/home/item. ... 6c4d0e315c

This is a good way to check for road damage from the recent storms. Accessing the Ansel Adams from the Sierra NF is going to be difficult this year. They have a lot of road work scheduled but it could take a while for them to reestablish access to some trailheads

Brilliant post. I've got my eye on Beasore Road for Isberg TH in late July. Right in the thick of the 2020 Creek Fire burn scar. A fast runoff would probably be not great for the roads back there.

I hiked Isberg last year. The trail up to the niche will be rough, it turned into a creek and had willows starting to grow in it. The fire was mild beyond.

All of the main roads from Bass Lake including Beasore, Sky Ranch, and Minarets suffered major damage. They may decide to keep them closed until at least mid summer. All 3 have repairs planned but it may take a while to complete them.

Kaiser pass may have faired better so lake Edison might be a good access point to the Ansel Adams.

The asphalt was patched on the roads to Edison and Florence last year so there should not be too many craters to dodge.

dbargaehr1 wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 11:19 am … Brilliant post. I've got my eye on Beasore Road for Isberg TH in late July. Right in the thick of the 2020 Creek Fire burn scar. A fast runoff would probably be not great for the roads back there.

The bridge on Beasore Road (where it crosses Norris Creek) is still out (i.e. totally gone). A contract to replace it was awarded back in Dec/Jan , but I’m guessing the construction firm needs several months (at a minimum) to fabricate it and do prep for installation. I would plan on accessing the Isberg TH from the Minaret Road side this year, unless you feel like driving one of the smaller Forest Road detours as a workaround.

grampy wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 3:53 pm

dbargaehr1 wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 11:19 am … Brilliant post. I've got my eye on Beasore Road for Isberg TH in late July. Right in the thick of the 2020 Creek Fire burn scar. A fast runoff would probably be not great for the roads back there.

The bridge on Beasore Road (where it crosses Norris Creek) is still out (i.e. totally gone). A contract to replace it was awarded back in Dec/Jan , but I’m guessing the construction firm needs several months (at a minimum) to fabricate it and do prep for installation. I would plan on accessing the Isberg TH from the Minaret Road side this year, unless you feel like driving one of the smaller Forest Road detours as a workaround.

Given the fact that a lot of that area is in the middle of the creek fire burn, i'm concerned with how bad runoff could affect all those forest roads. I'm planning to call the rangers the week before and get the scoop on access.

Isberg is one plan, Vogelsang area is another, and I've got a 3rd out of Thomas A Edison for the Peter Pande area. I have no idea whether snow will scuttle my attempts in the Isberg area near the SHR.