If you parked below the trailhead, walk up the 4WD road and cross the stream near 11,400' (
1) to reach the main trailhead
, 0.9 mile from the start of the 4WD road. From the trailhead, follow the trail as it ascends south and then southeast into the basin -
2 and
3. As you approach 12,200', turn left (
4) and continue southeast to reach the base of a slope in the middle of the basin -
5. Zigzag a couple of hundred feet up the slope to reach 12,700' where you can now see the east end of the basin -
6.
Continue east toward the end of the basin -
7. Handies is up to your left (northeast), but instead of heading directly toward the summit, turn right (south) and follow the trail up toward Sloan Lake -
8 and
9. Ascend 300 feet to reach a trail junction, just north of the lake
-
10.
Turn left and continue east onto a rocky area where much of the remaining route can now be seen -
11. Traverse northeast across a talus slope and switchback up the gentle southwest slope (
12) to reach the 13,500-foot saddle
between Handies Peak and Point 13,588' -
13. Turn left and follow the good trail up the ridge -
14. Taken from the summit
,
15 looks back down over American Basin.