I've heard Table mountain has quite an underrated view as well. It's not more than a couple miles (maybe 4-5?)

I routinely have great luck in the Carson-Iceberg and Emigrant Wilderness areas. Cherry Creek Canyon in particular has been utterly empty the times I have traveled it. Diggler is right on the northern areas too. Anyone ever been to Keddie Peak?

Michael Graupe wrote:Nice photo, Chief. But I would not consider this place very remote.

Odd... 16 miles in over a 12k pass and this is not remote?

Been here over 19 times in the past three years and have yet to see anyone on or near the North East bank/cove.

The only folks I have ever seen here (twice), were actually transiting through to the western side.

Do you know where this is btw?

Of course I know where this is. I have climbed pretty much all the peaks in this area including the one in the photo. If you go over Cox Col it is only about 7 miles and it took me less than 4 hours to get there. I have been there many fewer times than you but found it to be a quite popular backpacking destination. Maybe this was coincidence.

Under my definition of remote I would think that this area (SE side of Mt. Goddard) fits the bill better.



If this landscape is a little too barren, here is another remote lake in an awesome area. I'll let you figure out where this is.

Michael Graupe wrote:
If this landscape is a little too barren, here is another remote lake in an awesome area. I'll let you figure out where this is.

Hey...isn't that Mer... uh.. never mind.

Looks like Humphreys off in the distance and Pilot Knob on the right.

I have to agree with those who nominate Blue Canyon and the area around Tunemah Peak as the most remote and also least visited. Coincidentally, just this morning I spoke with Allan Clyde, operator of Clyde Pack Outfit, who runs packtrains in this area. He informed me that the Tehipite fire in 2008 cleared out the brush and blowdown which made the Blue Canyon trail difficult to follow. In addition, the USFS and USPS reworked the trail extensively this year to the point where he can take pack trains far up into Blue Canyon for the first time in a decade. So Blue Canyon is not as remote as it used to be.
As a close second, Kendrick Creek, upstream from Edyth Lake in northern Yosemite is remote, difficult to reach and lightly visited.

Michael Graupe wrote:If this landscape is a little too barren, here is another remote lake in an awesome area. I'll let you figure out where this is.

Not so remote that it doesn't have its crowds. The guy in the back wasn't even in the same party.

"I have to agree with those who nominate Blue Canyon and the area around Tunemah Peak as the most remote and also least visited. Coincidentally, just this morning I spoke with Allan Clyde, operator of Clyde Pack Outfit, who runs packtrains in this area. He informed me that the Tehipite fire in 2008 cleared out the brush and blowdown which made the Blue Canyon trail difficult to follow. In addition, the USFS and USPS reworked the trail extensively this year to the point where he can take pack trains far up into Blue Canyon for the first time in a decade. So Blue Canyon is not as remote as it used to be."
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Since Blue Canyon has been mentioned a couple of times already, I'll chime in. While it's not my all time favorite Sierra place, it is very nice and remote. The lower part of Blue Canyon has a great view of the turrets and domes in the Gorge of Despair area.

There aren't any "untouched" (Sierra) areas left, as I found fire rings with tin foil in my favorite basin spot, but there are many lightly used areas. I visited Blue Canyon 10 years ago, it was isolated and the trail hard to follow. I started at Wishon, went to Crown Valley, visited Tehipite Dome (where I found a huge cache of food, eyed it hungrily, but left it.) I spent the night on a big rock, then descended to Blue Canyon the next AM. Blue Cyn was very wild, the trail very faint. lots of fallen trees. I tried to locate the Old Tunemah Trail, but don't recall much, so perhaps I did not. I bagged Burnt Mtn, then went over to The White Divide. I bagged Tunemah, got a first ascent of an unclimbed peak, perhaps another, then bagged a couple other's with no names, but which had been previously climbed. The best part of the trip was when I bagged Peak 11,987' "Black Crown Pk" via the w ridge. That peak is about a mile east of Tunemah Lk, which is a beautiful place. I wanted to bag peak 10,234' about a mile from Pk 11,987', but was too tired to descend all that way down. Soooo, as far as I know, peak 10,234 has perhaps never been ascended, I did my homework b4 going out there, and it had no record. I also bagged Blue Canyon Pk. I spent one night at the head of Blue Canyon, totally awesome place, nobody anywhere, if I had had a sweetheart with me I'd have sworn I was in heaven. I bagged Finger Pk and descended Blue Canyon, and near Big Meadow went up to 10,000' Coyote Pass and spent the night. Talk about remote! Nothing there either, no trace of anyone ever crossing it. I spent the night on the ground clutching my Buck 119 as it was heavily forested, and I heard crunching sounds all night long. Anyhow, I tried for a couple of "unclimbed peak possibilites" the next day, nothing was certain (as to whether or not someone had been there before). All in all it was a great trip, I never saw another person, and I was on the move, bagging peaks, and having the time of my life in the most beautiful place on earth. I never made a fire, left zero trash, placed no registers, and left it just as I found it. It really was a wonderful trip.

So yes, I agree that Blue Canyon is pretty remote and solitude is quite possible. All I ask to the people who visit is please, practice minimum impact (leave no trace) etiquette, especially in the timberline country and around the lakes. Thank you.

donovans wrote:IT IS NOT SAFE FOR PEOPLE TO GO INTO TEHIPITE VALLEY, FOR EVERYONE’S SAKE PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD !!!

Its not safe any where in the Sierra, brah! Colorado has some safe yet remote mountains... I strongly recommend the Rocky Mountains for those seeking solitude.

Tehipite Valley also has the biggest Sierra Nevada Rattlesnakes in the range. 12-footers 30+ year old snakes are common there.

DMT

Michael Graupe...
Of course you've been there. Therefore it is not a remote area. Only 10% or less of the population utilize Cox Col as an access to the area I posted. Most utilize the PC T/H. Via that route, 17-18 miles and most are "Passing through" doing a 2-3 week cirque nav.

Just cuz a very rare few have the ability to go screaming at lightning speeds to/through any area and spend less than half a day there and see someone, well. Spend some quality time, 2-3 days in any deep area, smell the "Shooting Stars", throw some flies and feel the goodness of it. Then you will have a better op to see how many few actually visit that area.

Another area to south east of the the pic I posted, which I will not post a photo of and is 18 miles in, is also an area that sees very few humans. It is accessible through the notch/col on the right of the pic below...

There are some bigass Golden's in the small lakes there as well.

BTW, The valley SE of Goddard in your Pic, holds five peaks that I took my "At Risk-Gangbanger" kids to on a regular basis out of Courtright via Hell for Sure Pass.

"you would DIE, DIE, DIE"

he he he, that's the truth. On my Blue Canyon trip, I saw scores of bear tracks and poop. The night I slept at Coyote Pass, I could have swore bears and lions were walking about. They could have had me for a midnight snack.

As far as favorite places go, once the internet was invented, forget it. There's always gonna be someone who will blab about it, and then the fire-making, trash leaving, shampoo-hair-in-the-lake crowd will follow. The last time I was almost back from my favorite place, I met a group heading in for it. Someone devoted a whole chapter of his guidebook to it (my favorite place). Sadly, even TV's future is bleak. It's just a matter of time until someone burns it to the ground, perhaps because they got a little cold. When it does happen, here are the predictable responses (a few serious, some from clowns with big egos):
At least Tehipite Dome is still there!
It was just a bunch of chapparral!
That is so sad, it was my favorite place!
Fire is natural, this place needed to burn!
It was just a bunch of chaparral, at least Tehipite Dome is still there!
Does this mean we can drain Tunemah Lake for our swimming pools?
Oh yeah, it was just a bunch of chaparral, hardy har har.

Humanoids are fucking this planet up royally, and it will not stop until they are gone. Some people actually think it is funny. For example: "it is just a bunch of chaparral, God I'm so funny hardy har har (at least there will still be clowns who think it is funny). So forget about preserving your favorite place, just count your blessings when you visit, and try off-season or midweek if solitude is important.
-Bear

Some of the Sierra's most remote (feeling) areas are in the "Bogus Thunder Mountains" of the Northern Sierra and not the Southern Sierra.

sierraman wrote: In addition, the USFS and USPS reworked the trail extensively this year to the point where he can take pack trains far up into Blue Canyon for the first time in a decade.

Yeah (heavy sarcasm).