What is (relatively) close to Incredible Hulk/doesn't require a permit I can no longer apply for?

I'm trying to plan a trip with a friend to the Sierras in July. Top of our list is the Incredible Hulk, which we'll probably do at least 2 routes on. We'd like to tag another peak or two while we're in the Sierras, but I'm not very familiar with the layout of the range outside of the Palisade/Whitney area. I believe the lottery application process to even get into the Whitney area is closed, anyways.

What are some other awesome objectives we could hit within a few hours drive that won't require permits, or at least don't require permits that will be very difficult to get this late in the game?

We're looking for routes up to 5.11, but aren't opposed to thrutching up 5.6, either. I appreciate all of your help, and will of course be looking into this on my own as well. Some suggestions from people in the know, however, will be very appreciated.

Thanks, guys!

IIRC most of the areas that have reserved permit systems also save a certain percentage of the passes for walk-ins. You can go to the ranger station the morning before & pick up whatever is available.

As for climbs, Temple Crag is nice. Also Keeler Needle is great, and within your stated range. For some easy cruiser days I recommend the Matthes Crest combined with Cathedral Peak (plus maybe Unicorn Peak if you want more) in a day. Also check out The Needles if you can. IMHO The Needles & The Hulk are the best the Sierra has to offer. HTH.

I hadn't considered Keeler Needle/the Harding Route, that looks phenomenal, thanks for the suggestion! I'd imagine in July those walk-in/cancellations get really difficult to pick off. Anyone have anecdotal info on this? I climbed a few routes on Temple Crag last year and remember getting sort of lucky with our permits.

Do walk-in permits allow multiple nights spent in the area? If we were able to get into the Whitney area we'd probably do Russel as well...

Mt. Goode's North Buttress also the Northeast Arete of The Citadel, and Bear Creek Spires for something more moderate away from crowds of cathedral, if in the cathedral area you can do the West Pillar on Eichorn no people as compared to routes in the area.

According to the USFS site the permits for the N Fork of Lone Pine Creek (Russell, Keeler Needles, E side routes on Whitney) the lottery requirement is as follows:

- Day use for these routes is in the lottery
- Overnight use is not in the lottery.

Sam Cannon wrote:Do walk-in permits allow multiple nights spent in the area?

yes

Should you run into permit issues, if you're leading up to 5.11 and can move efficiently on easier terrain you should be able to day trip things like the Harding Route on Conness or the routes on Temple Crag. While Matthes is unique (and a fun route) I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for more of a technical alpine experience. Cathedral can be a shit show and I would stay off of it on weekends. There are 2 newish 5.11 Croft routes on Merriam (in addition to the N Buttress), for which you should have no trouble getting a permit.

Third Pillar of Dana

fossana - aren't day trips still regulated by permits in the Whitney area?

Day permits are required in the Whitney Zone, but it sounded like you wanted to overnight up there and those permits at least are not in the lottery (though it looks like the online reservables are booked up all of July).

I've done the Matthes, and agreed, difficult or not it's a spectacular formation that deserves to be done! Thanks for the info guys. I think our itinerary will just move S to N, going from Mt. Goode to Clyde Minarrete, to Incredible Hulk. Appreciate the suggestions/thoughts.

Clyde Minaret is terrific but you should plan on an overnight, unless you're really fast. It's 7 miles and about 2,500' just to Minaret Lake, which is still about an hour from the base. I don't suspect that permits would be that difficult to get though, especially midweek.

Goode gets done in a day frequently. I've done Moon Goddess on Temple car to car. Long day but good fun. I'd say Clyde and the Third Pillar are your top contenders, though, if you are up for an overnight, Mt. Merriam should be considered too. Another one day option might be the SW Face of Conness. Looks really good.

I hadn't considered Merriam. So much to do in the Sierras, not enough money to quit my job...

So I think we'll modify our plans and start with the Direct North Buttress of Merriam, taking two days to hike in/climb/hike out. Then drive up to Bridgeport, grab our permits, and hike into the Incredible Hulk, do a route, hike out same day. After the Hulk comes Conness...drive half hour north to Lee Vining, go to the trailhead at Saddlebag Lake, then hike in and do the Harding Route/hike out.

If you plan on hiking in, climbing, and hiking out of the Hulk in a day, there's no need for a permit.

Ryan Nevius wrote:If you plan on hiking in, climbing, and hiking out of the Hulk in a day, there's no need for a permit.

Totally doable but I was destroyed for a few days afterwards (adding a 4 hour drive each wway to get back to work in time after my 24 hour time off.)

Yeah, because of the back-to-back nature of the trip I meant hike in, camp, climb the next day and then hike out.

Good call.

You've got a LOT of hiking planned. For example, Merriam, it's a bigger outing than Clyde, so two days would be a quick trip. You've got to head up Pine Creek Pass, which is steep. It's about 8 miles and 4,000' of gain to Granite Park, which is just shy of Royce Lakes, which is the usual camping spot for people doing Merriam. It's doable I guess, but unless you're really fit and your feet are tough you're going to be trashed for a day or so afterward. If you need to squeeze in a rest day somewhere, consider the Third Pillar, which is just a single day, and an absolutely superb climb.

^^^ Agree with FD. I think you are assuming an extremely high rate of recovery, and all without doing a large amount of Sierra conditioning in advance. Merriam is a 9 mile hike both ways and, according to one of my friends who did it, wasn't even that great of a route. You should have some plan Bs and Cs imo.

THIRD PILLAR!

If you're going to be hiking out to the Hulk with bivy gear anyways, you might as well stick around and climb a few routes. Especially if it's going to be your first time on the Hulk, and you climb 5.11. Lots of routes to choose from at that grade, and it's one of the best pieces of granite in the state, outside of Yosemite Valley.

If you were going to do one other peak on the trip, I'd go with Clyde Minaret just because its dark metamorphic rock would be a nice contrast to the splitter white granite of the Hulk. It's almost like climbing in a totally different mountain range.

But literally every route that's been mentioned here is either on my to-do list, or is something I've climbed and recommend, so you really can't go wrong.