Eastern Sierra's Suggestions

[Eph 2 5]

I'm planning a trip to California this summer and was wondering if anyone has suggestions for peaks in the eastern Sierras that would be roughly the equivalent of Colorado class 2, maybe a little class 3 with fairly low exposure, and would have great views. We're going to enter the lottery for Whitney, but the odds don't seem good. We'll be there for 3 days, or so, so any ideas for other peaks in the area would be much appreciated. We'll have a 4wd vehicle (Forester or equivalent) to access trailheads. The John Muir Trail looks spectacular, but we're interested in day hikes, maybe accessing portions of the John Muir. Kearsarge Pass also looks really good. We're also planning to go over Tioga Pass and into Yosemite. Suggestions around Tioga Pass are also welcome. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have!

[interloper]

White Mountain Peak is a great option. Easy 14er, no permit needed. Class 1 the whole way. Unless conditions have seriously deteriorated since 2023 your Forester can definitely make it to the trailhead. Lots of camping all along the road up to it.

Langley is a great class 1/2ish 14er (depending on your choice of route near the summit) and is a lot easier to get permits for. I was able to pick up a first week of September overnight permit only 3 weeks in advance. Langley would be a long day, but is definitely doable. I did it as an overnight but in retrospect would have enjoyed it more as a long day hike (didn't sleep well at night). That trailhead is all paved.

I also hiked Boundary Peak and Montgomery Peak on the NV/CA state line. Your Forester could make it to the top of that trailhead, too, but there are places to park lower down if you get nervous with the road conditions. Montgomery is definitely a bit spicier, but never needs to exceed easy Class 3. Lots of route finding is necessary in some sections but it's fairly obvious where to go/where not to go.

For a super easy 13er, Mt Dana is accessible from the eastern entrance to Yosemite, but you don't need to pay to access the park. You can park on the shoulder of the road right before the park entrance and hike to the summit from there. Round trip was only about 3 hours for me. Class 2.

[interloper]

Accidentally double posted. Ignore!

[nyker]

Interloper has some great suggestions similar to what I was going to say. Also check out 13er Mount Gould near kearsarge pass. University peak is right across the valley from Gould, but maybe a little more challenging. If you've never been out there, the simple hike to kearsarge pass overlook is fantastic and then spend a day up by White mountain and explore the bristlecone forests as well as doing the hike up to the peak.

[seano]

All good suggestions so far. I'd add Agassiz near Bishop Pass. It has great view of the Palisades, the Sierra's most rugged 14ers. Split Mountain is a long day, but only class 2. I don't know what the road to the trailhead is like these days, though, since there are private property issues the short way, and the long way was utterly destroyed two years ago.

[jrbren_vt]

I "did" Mt Gould (with an asterisk) about 20 years ago when I hiked from Kearsarge Pass (Onion Valley?) to Mt Whitney & out Whitney Portal. Mt Gould was a warm up hike the day before I went in for the backpacking trip. It's a great day hike, the asterisk is because I did not summit. Its a class 1 or 2ish hike up to the summit area, then there is a big rock structure about 2-3 stories high that is called California class three. I didn't see a way up that I was comfortable with, so I skipped that. There a good photos of it on the Summitpost write up for Mt Gould (https://www.summitpost.org/mount-gould/151259). I would recommend it, as well as the hike from there to Whitney, if you have a week. I also was eyeing University peak but was not ambitious enough to make time for it.

[Eph 2 5]

Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions. Agassiz looks really good. Is it a paved road to the South Lake TH? Are permits required for a day hike? From what I can tell it looks a little rough, but nothing too technical. I saw a video of someone who climbed it via a chute that wasn't the standard west slopes route. I'm not sure how difficult the west slopes route is, but I'm guessing it's easier than what I saw in the video. Mt Gould also looks really good. Even if we couldn't climb the summit block, it looks like the views are fantastic from what looks like a southern sub-summit. Kearsarge Pass itself looks like it has amazing views. I thought about Langley, or possibly Cirque Peak which is nearby. Dana also looks good as an easier hike. We're planning on going to the Bristlecone Forest and also maybe walk around the Alabama Hills. What are your thoughts about Kings Canyon? We have limited time, but if there's a spectacular hike with high alpine views, similar to Gould or Agassiz we'd consider it. I need to do more research on that area. Thanks, again, for the great suggestions.

[seano]

Paved road, no permit for dayhikes.

I wouldn't bother with Kings Canyon. It's a long drive around from the Eastern Sierra, and the trailheads are very low and/or require miles of hiking through forest to reach the alpine.

[interloper]

I thought about Langley, or possibly Cirque Peak which is nearby.

If you're considering Cirque, you might as well do Langley, too. I regret not tagging Cirque while I was there.

[wineguy]

If you are flexible I wouldn't give up on Whitney. Many day passes are released day-prior because of no-shows. I failed in the lottery a couple of times, so gave up. Instead, I just showed up and got a day-pass from the list of those who had cancelled. Typically lots of cancellations because plans change between the lottery and hike date. Back when I did it, day passes almost always available mid-week. Passes for weekends and for overnight in more demand, but still often available day before. Find out the time when cancellations are released and show up at the park office a little early.

I agree with White Mountain recommendation, though only Class 1. I slept in my car at the TH, a few others had pitched tents. A long drive on gravel, but easy for a Forester.