Questions and reports related to Sierra Nevada current and forecast conditions, as well as general precautions and safety information. Trail conditions, fire/smoke reports, mosquito reports, weather and snow conditions, stream crossing information, and more.
As the first wave of PCT hikers / skiers / snowshoers / postholers makes their way through the Sierra, reports have begun to trickle in that include damage to two additional bridges in that corridor:
Middle Fork San Joaquin bridge, north of Devils Postpile, near Soda Springs Campground: Save one stalwart beam, the bridge is gone (see attached photo, which was shared on Reddit and on Facebook by the person who encountered the bridge). This crossing can be avoided by using the JMT or via roads / trails to the east.
Woods Creek suspension bridge: So far, there have been two reports of damage, though no photos as of yet. Here are the two reports:
From FarOut app on 5/16: "Lower header near decking on north end of bridge is broken in two pieces. Bridge is still passable but needs maintenance sooner than later."
From PCT Facebook group on 5/21: "Update from my son [name withheld because he does not belong to this group] on the broken bridge after Forester pass heading to Bishop pass. 'Bridge @ km 1289 damaged. ~30 degree tilt, ~4 snapped cables, north beam split. I went over, but snow getting heavier, may cause more damage'"
One of the people who crossed the Woods Creek bridge just shared the below photo and stated the following:
"I noticed the damage when I crossed it. I'm not sure how bad the damage is to be considered. The main suspension part and the rafters that hold it up are all just fine. It's where the walkway attaches to the other end that's a bit detached. I felt secure walking along it. But maybe someone who knows bridges better can comment on the severity of the damage.
Edit: I should also say it was 3am when I crossed and it's possible I didn't see all the damage."
Another hiker responded to them: "we crossed it at noon - the cables are all good. It really is only the wooden beam on the other side of the bridge (when going nobo) that is damaged. Seemed fine to me when we were there (approx. 2 weeks ago)"
Following a winter that delivered 279% of the average annual Sierra Nevada snowpack, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are in the early stages of assessing damage to infrastructure in wilderness areas.
Thus far, the parks have identified significant damage to two crucial wilderness trail bridges. These are the Woods Creek Bridge and the San Joaquin Bridge, both located in the Kings Canyon Wilderness. Both bridges are critical for John Muir Trail and/or Pacific Crest Trail backpackers, and the Woods Creek Bridge is also critical for the Rae Lakes Loop. Neither bridge is usable at this time and timeframes for repair have yet to be established. It is not possible to safely ford the river at either of these locations.
As conditions allow the park to assess more trails, more damaged trail structures are likely to be discovered. Wilderness travelers should be prepared for the possibility that streams and rivers may be extremely hazardous to cross due to high water or damaged infrastructure, and this may be true late into the season. In addition to water hazards, backpackers and stock users should expect snow and ice in the high country, and plan backup routes if intended routes are not safely passable.
“This year, even streams we didn’t think twice about crossing in past years have become raging rivers capable of knocking someone off their feet,” said Ned Kelleher, Chief Ranger of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. “People in the wilderness need to be prepared to change their plans or turn around if they’re presented with a hazardous crossing. It’s not worth the risk.”
The parks will be updating their website with more information about trail conditions in the wilderness as it becomes available. For the most current information, visit https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/trailcond.htm.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer
I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.
Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member:http://reconn.org
We will be hiking from Cottonwood pass to South Lake in September. I suspect we would reach Woods creek on September 7th or 8th. I hope that the creek would be safely fordable by then but a lot depends on the how warm it stay over the next 3+ months. It appears there is a crossing the bridge for stock. Anyone know how easy it is on normal water years to ford Woods creek in September?
We plan to hike from South Lake to Yosemite valley in 2024. We will probably schedule the trip for as late as possible to allow us to safely cross San Joaquin river near the damaged bridge.
If the river crossing is still known to be unsafe by the time we start our trip we will probably exit to Onion Valley trailhead instead of South Lake.
It says a lot of about the levels of the snow pack this past winter to have 3 major PCT bridge heavily damaged from the weight of the snow.
I wonder how many seasons it will take to repair or replace the 3 bridges. Will new bridges be designed for heavier snow load?
I was on the bridge when they were repairing it in 2017, another big snow year. They were removing the wood planks and replacing them with the metal grate style that you see in the recent photos. In 2017, due to the repair work, there was a sign saying bridge closed and to cross creek below. I took one look and then a second longer look and said F#$K that! I"m crossing on the bridge. The workers were cracking up and said, go ahead, use the bridge. The river below looked like it would be a rough crossing, even in Sept. of 2017
Replying to an earlier post about the bridge at Hemlock Crossing from the Isberg TH. I hiked it yesterday for the first time since the Creek Fire in 2020. The bridge is seriously damaged, I assume from the heavy snow melt this past spring, and not passable in my opinion.
