Sequoia in early August

[BaldyGuy]

Greetings everyone! I am brand new here, so thank you for letting me a part of your community. I am a level 2 backpacker (pretty basic) but I have not been backpacking in almost 10 years. I have a friend who is a great hiker, but has not been backpacking since he was a kid (we are both in out 50's and in pretty decent shape).

We live in Southern California and are looking for a moderately challenging, though also relaxing, two night trip somewhere in the Southern Sierras. Something around 4-5 miles per day, 1000-2000 feet of elevation gain, 8-10,000 max elevation, all of those a little flexible. It could be from the east or the west side, the less driving the better.

The catch is: we do not have any reservations (I did not anticipate that it would be so challenging!). We plan to go Aug. 3-5, so it includes a weekend. I would love to hear any recommendations you all might have.

For reference, I met someone on a trail today who recommended several sites in Sequoia, including Pear Lake. She said we can just do walk-up permits. That site looks good, but I am concerned about 1) not having permits available when we get there and 2) still having lots of snow and tricky river crossings. Any thoughts? Thanks for your help!

[cgundersen]

BaldyGuy,

The Pear Lake hike is an excellent suggestion, but if you act swiftly, there are still 2 slots for Cottonwood Lakes (out of Lone Pine in the eastern Sierra) and 8 for Cottonwood Pass. There are several options for short trips from either trailhead, but you'd be best getting a permit first and then folks can give route suggestions. I'll pm you to emphasize the "need for speed". Cameron

[windknot]

I'll second Cameron's suggestion of Cottonwood Lakes or Cottonwood Pass especially if permits are still available. It's a bit shorter drive from most areas in SoCal and though much of the area is above your criteria of 10,000 feet max elevation, I think you'll find the scenery is worth it. You can make a nice, mellow 3-day loop trip to Cottonwood Lakes on Day 1, over New Army Pass to Chicken Spring Lake or Big Whitney Meadow on Day 2, and then out over Cottonwood Pass on Day 3 (or do this in reverse).

[BaldyGuy]

Thank for the replies! I did not see spots for Cottonwood Lakes, but I booked Cottonwood Pass entry. I was in a rush to get the permit, so I did not look as closely as I would have liked to at the campsites, but I selected Little Whitney Meadow for the first night and Cottonwood Lakes for the second night. Does that make sense?

[texan]

That makes sense. Just like Windknot said but in reverse order. The only thing is your going to be over 10K elevation all the time. Cottonwood Pass is just over 11K and New Army Pass is just over 12K. If it was me I would do a lay over day around TH Horseshoe Meadows to adjust for the altitude. But that's just me. Have a trip.

Texan

[cgundersen]

Hi Baldyguy,

To riff further on some of the other comments, if your target elevation of 10K ft was to minimize altitude issues, you may want to reel in your day 1 target to Chicken Spring Lake. That will save you considerable time/distance both on day1 and day 2 and give you a bit more time to acclimate. And the designation of target campsites is just a projection that you're not obliged to follow. Also while there's probably still snow on New Army pass, it's best to carry a bit of water unless you can see snow at the top. Cameron

[BaldyGuy]

Thanks for the clarification that we are not obliged to follow the projected camp sites. Looking more closely at the map it makes sense to stop at Chicken Spring Lake, especially since we will be driving up early that morning.