High Sierra

Palisades from Dusy Basin. From left to right: Mt....

Description 

John Muir's Range of Light...

Deep forested valleys, pristine lakes, beautiful meadows, acres of suncups, huge walls and domes, jagged ridges leading up to windswept nameless summits; all these await you.

Some of the finest granite, most beautiful mountains, and stable weather make the High Sierra a special place for climbers.

Though there are some long monolithic faces (like Charlotte Dome), the majority of climbing is on high altitude mountain walls which follow crack systems. Frequent ledges make for comfy belays. Routes frequently wander a bit, but pro is usually not a problem, and long slings can often be used to tie off a feature and keep the drag down. Of course like all mountain big walls, there are loose blocks, boulders, and rocks on the ledges, so take care with the ropes.

Despite the crowds in a few places, the dreaded permit system means the climbs are uncrowded, the camping is pleasant, and you feel like you've gotten away from it all and found some true wilderness.

In fact some parts of this range are incredibly far from the madding crowd, seek these places out, they are ancient and sacred places. For every crowded classic (a result of the "select" books?) there are a hundred empty just as classic routes.

Some notes about the weather/conditions:-

May-June: Approach to climbs may require taking crampons and ice-axe. Snow can provide a good highway there and back. May and June provide long daylight hours. Weather can be unstable with late arriving winter storms. Cold to cool.

July-Early Aug: Not so much snow, unless it's a big snow year. Suncups begin to develop which can hamper approaches. Still lots of daylight. Stable weather. Mosquitos. Warm.

Mid August - Mid September. No snow, more scree. Late afternoon thunderstorms. Hours getting shorter. Warm to cool.

Mid September - Late October: First winter snow. Less and less hours of daylight. October can be nice though, but not for long climbs. Cool to cold.

Getting There 

The High Sierra runs from the Sawtooth Range in the north, south to the Whitney Group, and covers an area bigger than the entire European Alps - most of it wilderness.

The easiest access is from Highway 395 on the east side, where several roads (thanks FDR) terminate at 7,000-10,000 foot trailheads within a few miles of the peaks, there are also options to cross high passes to access west country. There are also approaches from the west side, they are very beautiful and they tend to be longer and less steep, these are more useful for peaks or crags on the west side.

From the bay area, Highway 120 through Yosemite is the fastest route, even if you're going all the way to Whitney. If you leave after work, you can stop in Tuolumne Meadows (8,800 ft) or one of the Forest Service campgrounds just beyond the park (from 7,000-9,000 feet, and a bit cheaper). All these campgrounds will be full on summer weekends starting in July, but you can reserve sites in Tuolumne Meadows.

From Los Angeles take Highway 14 to 395 for the east side approaches. For the west side approaches take Freeway 5 then Highway 99.

If you're from out of town, you might find a good deal flying to Reno and renting a car.

Most people backpack and camp before climbing a specific route, and that requires an permit on almost all trailheads. Some are pretty hard to get, and you'll need to plan months ahead. A certain number are available on a first-come first-served basis on the day of the hike, if you don't mind starting late.

For information on obtaining a permit, see specific areas.

The Classics

Featured Route For High Sierra

Fishhook Arête 5.9  CA : High Sierra : Mt. Russell

Excellent rock, incredible exposure, high elevation, and panoramic views earn this the deserved status of one of the 100 best alpine climbs named in John Moynier and Claude Fiddler's "Sierra Classics".I'm sure this has been done many times car-to-car by parties stronger than mine, but most will opt for at least one overnight at either Iceberg or Upper Boyscout Lakes to acclimatize and enjoy the surroundings. Consider combining with one of the Wh...[more]   Browse More Classics in CA

Photos of High Sierra Slideshow

Add Photo

Classic Arrow Peak from the beautiful and remote B...	Powell and Wallace from the south (Evolution Regio...	The Brewer Group seen from Kearsarge Pass.
Little Lakes Valley - Bear Creek Spire is out of f...	Blue Heaven Lake environs - Mount Darwin.	Middle Pal and Norm Clyde
Mt. Humphreys. Photo by Blitzo.	Sun Cups and stone. Photo by Blitzo.	Whitney area. Photo by Blitzo.
Shepherd Pass area. Photo by Blitzo.	Daybreak from Upper Boy Scout Lake.	"Chillin'" in The High Sierra. Photo by Blitzo.
Lone Pine Peak. Photo by Blitzo.	Early morning at Upper Boy Scout Lake.	BETA PHOTO: Here's a pano shot that I stitched together from t...
Montana Pat enters the fray...	Trout are found in many of the creeks and lakes in...	A picture of Dan on our way down from University P...
The leaves are turning on the way up to Onion Vall...	A psychedelic Sierra afternoon.	Night sky at Iceberg Lake.
Jumble Lake and unknown peak, just west of Italy P...	Clouds clear after a storm in the High Sierra, CA	3 beautiful alpine walls. Corners and splitters e...
Enjoying the view in Little Lakes Valley	Incredible sunset after a typical Sierra thunderst...	Isosceles Peak and Columbine Peak from Dusy Basin ...
Shooting Stars with Checkered Demon in the backgro...	Swimming in South Lake	West ridge on Mt Conness
High Sierra. Photo by Blitzo.	High Sierra pond. North fork of Big Pine Creek, Ju...	Unknown crag reflected in the green water of Sixth...
Morning reflections in Young Lakes	Ragged Peak reflected in Young Lake. If you're so...	Columbine Peak
Across the Divide, Palisades	Loch Leven (11,000 ft.) near Paiute Pass	Thor Peak and Mirror Lake.
Large buttress, Pine Creek highcountry	Mt. Humphreys shrouded in storm clouds	Mt. Whitney. Photo by Blitzo.
The NE view of Seven Gables Peak	North Peak from the 20 Lakes Basin	High resolution of the eastside between Lee Vining...
Lone Pine Peak and Mount Whitney	Mono Lake from the base of the mountains between L...	Third Pillar of Dana from Tioga Pass (120)
Base, Third Pillar of Dana	Sierra sunset- or was it sunrise?