Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead - 01.16.2025

I rode the e-bike up Horseshoe Meadows Road and went for a snowshoe up to the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead...
The road had been cleared of rocks recently...and plowed for a short distance up near The Crossover...
I was almost hoping that they'd open the road to Walt's Point...

The snow Isn't Consolidating in the shade, so booting up is a bit of work...
A LOT of pavement is showing all the way up to the Trailheads...
It's definitely a Drought Year so far...

Here are some photos:


Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead.



Walk-In Campground Entrance.



Looking back up the road to the Trailhead.



The Golden Trout Camp Trailhead.



The road up to The Crossover.



Horseshoe Meadows Road.

Richard,

Thanks for this conditions update hinting at the current conditions in the Southern Sierra, "It's definitely a Drought Year so far."

As of yesterday January 16, the data show that a fairly steep rainfall/snow water equivalent gradient currently exists as one descends California from North to South.

As for rainfall % of normal for January 16: Eureka 140%, Sacramento/San Francisco 94%/97%, Fresno 68%, Los Angeles 2%.

As for snow water equivalent % of normal for January 16: Northern Sierra 121%, Central Sierra 75%, Southern Sierra 57%.

It will be interesting to see how the remainder of the Winter plays out.

Jim

36 seconds of clips from a flight above Walt's Point...

Thought the first clip might give a feel for what the Hang Gider's experience is like...
Second clip reminded me of Doug and Cayden...

I'm betting on it staying dry...started participating in the Happy Isle Lottery already...

But, we never know...there was that Miracle April a few years back that buried the lifts at Mammoth...and we haven't even reached February yet and I consider that (never looked at the data) the "telling" month...