Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Kearsage Pass

Anyone have any info on conditions up to Kearsage pass ?

At what elevation does the snow start ?

Thanks,

Joe

Made it to the trailhead it was 26 degrees and snowing.
Snow starts at trailhead parking.
Campground was snowed in and gate was closed, when is summer going to begin??

so did you hike at all?Snowshoes or crampons.Please elaborate if possible.Thx.Planning to go for bp to kearsarge lakes and beyond nx weekend.Was gonna go this weekend but the wind and temp forecasts gave me the creeps.

Snowshoes are not necessary. Crampons can be useful, but are not absolutely required. There are a few inches of fresh snow on top of icy sun crust, which tends to make conditions slippery on steeper slopes.

I was just up there this weekend camped near the trailhead. The snow starts about a half mile up the trail. Crampons were helpful and necessary. Saw some people snowshoeing but there wasn't much postoling at all. About 2 inches fell on Saturday night. I'm sure it's all gone by now.

Does anyone know when the campground is supposed to open? There was a couple that came in from Japan that told us they had made reservations online. We laughed and cited budget cuts.

I wanna backpack over to bullfrog lake nx weekend.
Ill bring crampons but i love snowshoeing.What do you think i would be better off with?Thanx.

Do you think the kearsarge lakes will be impossible to camp near?Too much snow?

I don't think camping is allowed at Bullfrog Lake, but you might want to check it out because restrictions change over time.

It's pretty late in the year for snowshoes, but not crampons. Please report back on conditions if you go - it'll be interesting to hear what it's like out there. Thanks in advance.

Kathy is right, Bullfrog is closed to camping due to all the damage caused in years past.

just got down from Kearsarge Pass yesterday (5/31). no snowshoes, crampons in the morning and late afternoon when the snow is frozen or refreeze. there are good kicksteps all the way to the Pass. should still be there unless there's another storm rolling in (which there is forecasted this weekend). check NOAA weather. snowcamp at all the lakes west of the Pass. snow 20 mins after the trailhead.

Looking west at the Pass:


Pothole Lake:


at the Pass looking west into SEKI:


all the frozen lakes below the Pass:

Thanks Kevin!A picture's worth a thousand words.Wow,way more snow than i expected.I think i will delay my trip by a few weeks-no snow camping equip.Awesome pics!