Alta Peak and Mount Dana, June 2024

We had an early season backpacking trip in Yosemite with friends planned and instead of driving straight up and back for the trip, I bookended it with a couple of Sierra Nevada peaks.

Alta Peak (11,209 ft, 3416 m)
The peak is located in Sequoia National Park and we stopped here on the way to Yosemite. Since the season was just starting, we were able to reserve a campsite close by at Lodgepole Campground. In the morning Srisuda dropped me off at the Wolverton area and then headed to the Sequoia groves for some hiking amongst the big trees.

A report for the Alta Peak climb from 9 days earlier had talked about continuous snow from about 9,500 ft up. So I took my microspikes along. The trail climbs at a comfortable grade and for the first few miles leads through a forest. At 9,500 ft I encountered some snow, but it was avoidable. The trail was then completely dry up to about 10,500 ft. Above, the mountain was covered in snow except for the very top rocks. By now it was mid-morning and the snow was soft enough for just proceeding in boots. However, since I had brought the microspikes and since they eliminated slipping, I put them on.

There was not even a breeze on the peak and I was by myself except for a curious marmot. I stayed about 45 min enjoying the great views. This peak is on the western side of the Sierra, but I could see the high peaks on the eastern crest from here (Whitney, Gabb, Agassiz, Palisades, etc.). (Hike: 13.7 miles, 3960 ft gain)

(click any image to enlarge / start slideshow)

Mount Dana (13,058 ft, 3980 m)
On the way home after the backpacking trip, we camped at Ellery Lake a couple of miles east of the eastern entrance to Yosemite along Tioga Pass Rd. The next morning we drove up to the parking lot just past the entrance station and I started the hike from there. Srisuda did a shorter hike on the north side of the road to Gaylor Lakes.

I had not done much research on the route conditions for this one and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the trail. The unmarked (at least I didn’t see a sign) trail starts just below 10,000 ft and for the first 1.5 miles and 1,000 ft of climbing there was evidence of trail work. Higher up, in the scree and talus, the trail was also in great shape. Huge cairns marked the route, which helped in crossing the 3 snow fields that remained. The snow was frozen, but the slope allowed me to cross them comfortably without microspikes. It was windy and the wind chill tested the limits of my light gloves.

Due to the great trail conditions, I could focus on walking and breezing, no route finding was necessary. I arrived on top much faster than I had expected. I think the prior week at a higher elevation also helped, breezing even at 13,000 ft was quite comfortable. (Hike: 5.19 miles, 3297 ft gain)