Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board High Sierra Trail Conditions July 24-27

I hiked the High Sierra Trail (from Crescent Meadow to the summit of Mt Whitney) July 24 to 27. The weather was excellent. Earlier reports indicated that the lingering snow from the winter had caused many HST hikers in June and the first half of July to either abandon their plans or to begin the hike and then retreat. I met several PCT hikers on the west side of Mt Whitney who had returned to the Sierras after bypassing them in June.

I am glad to report that , generally speaking, summer conditions now prevail on the HST. There are still some snow and bustling creeks that require attention, however. Some observations follow:

(1)There is no snow on the trail until the final approach to Precipice Lake. Much of the trail from the approach to Precipice Lake to the Kaweah Gap is covered by snow. There the trail is easy to follow and the snow is on flat or low angle terrain. Snow continued to cover much of the trail as it descended the first few hundred feet from the Kaweah Gap.

(2)Fearing the crossing at Big Arroyo Creek might be a problem, I left the HST at the Kaweah Gap and headed directly east, dropping into the lower part of Nine Lakes Basin. There I easily forded the outlet of the nearby lake, as well as the multiple branches of the creek that flowed from the base of the large waterfall on the east wall of the basin. All these water sources quickly formed into Big Arroyo Creek. I followed the flow of these waters down the Big Arroyo a couple of miles until I regained the HST as it emerged from its crossing of Big Arroyo Creek.

(3)When I got into the Kern Trench, it appeared that the earlier flooding was gone and the Trail Crew had done a awesome job in clearing the trail. The HST up the Kern Canyon is now in superb shape. Thanks Trail Crew! Also the Kern Hot Spring is ready for use and the two bear boxes there are in good fhape.

(4)Rock Creek is easy to walk across.

(5)Whitney Creek was still raging. The three logs placed upsteam last year for an easy crossing apparently had washed away. But about 75 yards upsream a large fallen tree (in a cluster of other fallen trees) provided safe passage. This paricular fallen tree had firm bark which provded good traction for the feet. Its branches formed good handholds. A fall from this log would be a disaster.

(6)To cross Wallace Creek, go downstream about 50 yards to two logs spanning the creek, one on top of the other. The upper log has branches for solid handholds, while the bottom log provides footholds.

(7)Wright Creek was crossed at the trail by walking across with shoes on and walking sticks (very useful). The crux of the crossing is just a few steps and the rocks on the bottom (not well visualized due to raging water) seemed to have been placed to facilitate the crossing. The water actually never went above my knees. Perhaps this was just luck, though.

(8)After Wright Ceek, the HST continues without significant issues. However, a massive amount of smoke marred the hike on July 26. July 27 saw a return to good visibility as the change in wind direction blew the smoke back to the fire to the south.

(9)The springs on the Main Mt Whitney Trail at the 23rd switchback and in Bighorn Park were flowing wildly and greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, at the end of the hike I just had literally a minute to say hello to Earlene and Doug Sr, as I had to hustle to get back home. I look forward to returning back soon to the Whitney Portal Store though to claim my cheeseburger and beer and to get some advice on an upcoming trip.

Best wishes to all,

Jim F

Hi Jim thanks for the quick post , about 5 minutes after you left another hiker said he had just finished the HST and I ask if you had hiked together , he said no ,but knew of someone else on the trail. Same report... the snow on the upper section was somewhat of a problem for the hikers without a map ???? but he thought like you summer conditions. See you next trip. Doug

Jim,

Thanks for your TR. Congratulations on a successful hike.

Question: Is Big Arroyo Creek really that bad? I plan to be on this section of the HST next Wednesday. Any other info you could provide about crossing in the lower part of Nine Lakes Basin (or alternate crossings) is greatly appreciated.

Hi Steve,

When I reached the Big Arroyo Creek crossing at 1800 (after going cross country), the crossing did not seem that bad. I felt that if I had to cross there at that time I PROBABLY would have made it without having to call out all my reserve forces. Also a tumble in the creek there LIKELY would be survivable. However, there certainly was no other hiker around to give me a hand or to call for help. Moreover, I had no idea of the prevailing conditions until I actually got there to observe myself.

Since, in fact, I did not cross there we will never know what the outcome would have been. I am glad I did the cross country route as its success was guaranteed and it might have cost me at most 45 minutes. It also was a refreshing change after 20 miles of trail, added a little sense of adventure, and forced me to use some basic navigation skills (ie, use the map and pay attention to the beautiful surrounding landmarks in the region).

When I picked up my permit, the Ranger did warn me to pay special attention to this crossing. She was herself planning to head up the HST after the Wilderness Permit Desk at Lodgepole closed for the day (at 1530) and was considering the same cross country strategy to cross Big Arroyo Creek. A call to the Permit Desk (559 565 4408) might reveal her findings.

In the past I have wandered both up and down Big Arroyo Creek at this crossing and have found no better place to cross.

I used Tom Harrison's Mt Whitney High Country Trail Map. On that map, just SE of the Kaweah Gap it is observed that Big Arroyo Creek is formed from the the union of two higher creeks. The concept is to cross these easier creeks before they can join forces and attempt to defeat you. You are well above treeline, so your landmarks are not obscurred.

Two final concepts that might be relevant to your upcoming trip:

(1) There are currently significant delays on Hwy 198 for road repairs. Refer to the SEKI website for details.

(2) I believe the Crescent Meadow parking lot will be repaved sometime this summer. Again, refer to the SEKI website or call them.

Enjoy your hike. Conditions will only improve as the summer progresses. Please report back on your experience at the creek crossing.

Jim

This is exactly what I was looking for. This is extremely helpful advice. Thanks so much Jim for sharing your thoughts with me and others. I look forward to reporting back to you after my trip.

Thanks for the information! Myself and 3 friends are starting the HST on August 6th, and Big Arroyo was a concern. If the ranger can't give me more updated information, maybe we'll take your cross country route too! I'm so excited for the trip! :-)

Jim,

Sorry for the delay in reporting back to you and this message board. My friend and I successfully completed the HST on 8/7. I appreciate your detailed trip report. While I spent much time worrying about crossing Big Arroyo Creek, it turned out that our biggest challenge (as you previously noted) was crossing Whitney Creek and Wallace Creek. Crossing BA creek was no problem and we didn't have to take any detours. Whitney and Wallace creeks, at points just south of Junction Meadow, were quite rowdy and difficult to cross. Anyone hiking the HST should get the most current information from a Ranger about this section in the Kern River valley, as I am sure these conditions still persist. Your advice was particularly helpful. Luckily, the two of us were able to make it across and onto Mt. Whitney. After we crossed Big Arroyo Creek, we saw very few people (until reaching the PCT). There was nobody else staying at Moraine Lake or Junction Meadow campsites on the nights we were there, but there were plenty of mosquitoes!

Steve,

Sounds like you had a safe and rewarding trip on the High Sierra Trail. Those who are planning on hiking the HST during the few remaining weeks in the season will appreciate your conditions update.

Jim