When I was there we saw only 1 ranger once, briefly, during the whole trip.

well given all the information i have received , from all of you, and the limited time frames, i have now started looking at the possiblity of just starting at shepherd pass TH, summit mt whitney, then continue on to cottonwood lakes and out to that TH. It would be about 60+ miles and about 6-7 days, but it is beautiful backcountry, so why not, right?? I would then have the option of leaving August 1st, instead of going in june.

yosemiteforlife67 wrote:well given all the information i have received , from all of you, and the limited time frames, i have now started looking at the possiblity of just starting at shepherd pass TH, summit mt whitney, then continue on to cottonwood lakes and out to that TH. It would be about 60+ miles and about 6-7 days, but it is beautiful backcountry, so why not, right?? I would then have the option of leaving August 1st, instead of going in june.

In August the snow will GONE. IMHO, the Sierras are pretty ugly at that time of year.

Personally, I much prefer the late May to mid-July time frame for the Sierras.

We went in August and it was nice, although a bit hot here and there. I agree with SLR it's probably a lot nicer with some snow. If I go back I want to do as much off trail or at least off the John Muir highway as I can. It was not bad to be on the highway, but when we did get off of it and had a big area mostly to ourselves, it was great. I would also go as ultralight as possible, with reasonable comfort.

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:In August the snow will GONE. IMHO, the Sierras are pretty ugly at that time of year.

Personally, I much prefer the late May to mid-July time frame for the Sierras.

Last August A friend and I did a trip through Shepherd Pass and exited via the Main Mt. Whitney Trail. No offense to SLR but in my opinion the Sierra was beautiful in August. But then I think the Sierra is great every month of the year.

We're planning a trip this coming August through Williamson Bowl and out through North Fork of Lone Pine Creek.

RickF wrote:No offense to SLR...

None taken. To each, his own... I just like to have a lot of snow. Imagine this without any snow. Imagine having the hike through this without any snow...

yes, i figured, there wil be plenty of water sources, and early august should be fine. i would rather deal with potentially higher temps, then dealing with ice and snow. Thats just my opinion. Plus, with an elevation of 10,000 feet plus....it shouldnt be all that bad for temps, right? I will be traveling light, probably about 35lb pack. I cant get enough time off in july , or that would be a good option for the time frame to go. I would much rather thru hike to the portal, but for now, it is not an option.

Clambering over boulders for a few miles doesn't sound like my idea of fun. My traverse via Bishop Pass - Thunderbolt Pass - Potluck Pass area wasn't exactly great in September. Causing rocks the size of mini coopers to shift and slide is always a little bit unnerving.

yosemiteforlife67 wrote:Hello out there, i just had a request for some advice regarding my plan to do a through hike from shepherd pass to mt whitney. I leave june 18th, with a summit date of june 21st.....i already realize, thre will be some snow, but given the fact that this is a light winter so far.....i just wanted some advice anyone might have on this time frame , and this trailhead ..on any possible complications i might run into, since i am going in June, instead of later in the summer. I do have an ice axe and micro spikes...and very good water proof boots. I heard there is a large snow bank near the top of shepherd pass that is there pretty much year round. Has anyone done this route, and what might i be in for??? Any comments on this would be helpful, thanks.

It's too soon to ask about conditions in June. Check back closer to the date of your trip.

RickF wrote:

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:In August the snow will GONE. IMHO, the Sierras are pretty ugly at that time of year.Personally, I much prefer the late May to mid-July time frame for the Sierras.

Last August A friend and I did a trip through Shepherd Pass and exited via the Main Mt. Whitney Trail. No offense to SLR but in my opinion the Sierra was beautiful in August. But then I think the Sierra is great every month of the year.

We're planning a trip this coming August through Williamson Bowl and out through North Fork of Lone Pine Creek.

Bold mine. Everyone has their opinion, which is fine, but. . . I beg to differ with SLR's. . . Sure, mountains in general are nice with a bit more snow, and the Sierra can feel awfully dry and full of rock in Aug, but. . . depends upon one's route, I suppose, and what one is after. In SLR's photo, the lake is covered, and one would be cruising(if the route in topic is "off-trail), on snow rather than just on rock, but. . . Ugly? Jeez, what about this shot,(and many more like it), taken in late summer? I personally like walking through wildflowers, looking at sparkling lakes(and taking a dip in them!), surrounded by rocky spires that usually still have a bit of snow at their base or on them. . . Again, just my opinion, from one of my favorite places. . .

sparkling lakes? you making the area sound like a gay party, dskoon.

Vitaliy M. wrote:sparkling lakes? you making the area sound like a gay party, dskoon.

Just for you, Vitaliy.

Rather interesting where this thread has ventured.

Something to note. Most if not all of the best photographers that have based their professional photographic lives on the Eastern Sierra, Ansel, Galen, Claude etc etc etc., they focused most if not all of their Sierra classic works, during Spring, Summer and Fall.

Personally, I prefer the late Summer and Early Fall. Most humans and skeeters are gone, the fishing is awesome and the colors simply mesmerizing.

that is a very good point. i like the snow, but not a ton of it. If you can time it right...where you can enjoy a little bit of snow, but it is warm enough to see and enjoy the meadows, rivers and canyons(and mountain peaks of course) without it being frozen over, that would be a good thing.

I did the Shepard pass to Whitney portal last year. I went from the Shepard pass trailhead to Big horn plateau (which looked like a South American high plain!) the first day. The snow as the pass wasn't hard to get up in summer. Check conditions when its get closer to your trip

Going in warmer weather and less snow allowed me to bring less (no tent), be quicker and avoid skeeters. I didn't see many people before I hit the JMT, then a short hike off trail gave us a camp with no one around and great views.

Get a permit to exit WZ so you don't have to worry about what story you are going to pitch when you get checked (yes we got checked right at the exit near Lone pine lake).