Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Sequoia West side

anyone know how much snow is on the ground near Lodgepole/Pear Lakes and surrounding areas? im going this weekend and cant decide whether to spent 2 nights high up in Sequoia or down in the Redwood Canyon Groves in KC. i'd like to stay high, to avoid the possible forecasted rain on Saturday night (cause snow is drier and prettier)

I might even consider staying near Monache Meadows in the Golden Trout and South Sierra Wilderness, mostly because of the good fishing and less chance of stormy weather and lingering clouds. Anyone know the current conditions of the Kennedy Meadows Road or how much water is in the South Fork of the Kern River at Monache Meadows??? Ive never been here, but i figured camping on the southern edge of the meadows, for the north end is open to FWD vehicles. Climbing Olancha Peak would be really cool too.

ive looked at the webcams near Kennedy Meadows, looking across the Kern Valley to Mineral King, and it looks like the snow line is about 9000 ft on the Great Western Divide. it also looks like very thick snow, possibly a foot thick. While On the East side of the Kern Canyon there is only 2 inches on the ground. Mammoth has got a 14 inch base, but how about a little farther south?


heres the webcams

http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/swfrs/Pages/WebCam.html

I would be surprised if the road is open past Kennedy Meadows. They gate the road, which cannot be bypassed. They usually gate it when they close Blackrock RS for the year, which I think has happened. Call the Kernville RS for current info

760-376-3781

Are you sure they closed the gate - was open 2 weeks ago. I am supposed to hike out of there Sunday - guess I better call in the morning.

No, not sure, which is why I'd recommend calling. However, this is the time of the year that they do close it for the season. It is not a weather issue, as much as a staffing issue, as I understand it.

Have a great trip!

Saturday is the last day of the season for the Ranger Station. Is the "gate" at the Blackrock turnout - and do they lock the gate on the day of closure? Sunday's hike may have switch to option plan B

Called back at lunch. The gate will remain open until snow closure dictates. So Blackrock and Monache should still be accessable this weekend - as long as Dennis doesn't change his weather forecast.

I spent last weekend at Lodgepole. Although there was on and off precipitation all weekend it never snowed at our elevation and there was no snow on the ground. We hiked to Heather Lake from Wolverton on Saturday, returning during a storm over the "Hump" at 8700'. We saw light snow on the surrounding peaks but all we had was relatively warm rain.

Join us on Telescope/Bennett/Rogers...

That was one of my original options - but my west side friends don't want to leave that early to get a morning start.
What has the world come to when you Richard are doing a few desert peaks - meeting a guest hiking up from Shorty's?

I'll be in the Sierra over the weekend also, so it's not like I've become a convert yet.

in case of undue influence - what is start time?

Ask the Moose. If you ask me, I'll say "around 11:00am."

that's right - she still needs to do the trail route before being allowed to do the alternates

Going to Sequoia next weekend, but here's this weekend's forecast/warning

http://www.weather.gov/alerts/CA.html#CAZ096.HNXSPSHNX.100000

ANOTHER STORM TO REACH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND...

THE NEXT WINTER-LIKE STORM WILL MOVE INTO CALIFORNIA SATURDAY AND
BRING RAIN...SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW WILL
BEGIN NEAR YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THEN SPREAD
SOUTH OVER THE SIERRA NEVADA SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE KERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY MORNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL START AROUND
9000 FEET SATURDAY AFTERNOON...BUT WILL DROP TO AROUND 6500 FEET
BY MIDDAY SUNDAY.

IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN AND SNOW...THE STORM ALSO WILL BRING GUSTY
WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. GUSTS COULD REACH IN EXCESS OF
50 MPH AT TIMES OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY AND THROUGH AND BELOW
FAVORED PASSES AND CANYONS. PEOPLE PLANNING TRAVEL THROUGH THE
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS TO THE SOUTHLAND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
STRONG GUSTS THAT WILL MAKE DRIVING OVER THE GRAPEVINE OR THROUGH
THE TEHACHAPI PASS DIFFICULT AT TIMES. THE WINDS ALSO WILL CREATE
AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE KERN DESERTS DUE TO BLOWING
DUST OR SAND.

THE STORM WILL BEGIN TO MOVE EAST OF THE REGION SUNDAY AFTERNOON
WITH IMPROVED CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT.



SANGER

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Issuing Weather Forecast Office Homepage