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What are the best SPS peaks for someone new to the high mountains?

I am a (slow) ultrarunner with some hiking/backcountry experience but not much
(I ran the Rae Lakes loop in a day last year, runs on Alta Peak, snowshoeing in SeKi NP, only class 1 stuff)
so I am fine with physically demanding routes, but I am looking for not technically demanding routes to start.
Any suggestions?

I have been reading Bob burds trip reports which have got me inspired to head out for the mountains, and I am looking
to go this month.

Thanks for any advice/tips you can give.

You're going to get some different answers, as members perceptions vary like the quality of a sunset.

I always liked to go out to Pinnacles or Sequoia, but you can find some awesome desert peaks in Death Valley and east into southern Nevada.

But, don't forget those areas will be "heating up" very soon !!!

thanks lcarreau.

However, i was looking for a recommendation from the list of Sierra Peaks list
http://www.summitpost.org/sierra-peaks-section-sps/404706
(maybe I should have been more specific)

Thanks for your reply tho, I am interested in the desert peaks. I have my eye
on running the cactus-to-clouds trail on san jacinto mountain, and on telescope peak,
but I thought I would wait til the fall when the temps are down, and the peaks don't have
any snow on them.

I'd consider hiking up Mount Dana, Mount Whitney via the trail, Mount Langley, Mount Conness via Alpine Lake, Mount Agassiz (class 2 from Bishop pass), and Mount Brewer (class 2 via East ridge). These are ordered roughly in order of difficulty.

If you are looking to go this month your options will be limited as most of the Sierras will be still be snowbound.
(And its already getting hot enough that many of the Desert routes will be uncomfortably hot)

How far are you willing to drive from San Jose?

Check out the SPS website. They have a list of all of the peaks with the class (1 - 5) of the easiest route to the top.

Agreed with starting in the Yosemite corridor, Dana especially. Route finding is trivial, and if you want to add Gibbs on its a simple affair and a bit of cross-country to get back down to the Mono Pass trailhead or back up to Tioga.

zoltarburger wrote:thanks lcarreau.

However, i was looking for a recommendation from the list of Sierra Peaks list ...

DAH ... I didn't know that list had existed.

The last time I did Alta Peak was in May, and I ran into a bit of snow. Might want to wait until the snowpack goes down five or six feet.

The south sides of peaks will melt out more quickly than the north and east sides. Best of luck!

Langley, for sure. If you did Rae Lakes in a day, Langley will be a cinch...and you get the bonus of a '14er feather' in yer cap!

fedak wrote:If you are looking to go this month your options will be limited as most of the Sierras will be still be snowbound.
(And its already getting hot enough that many of the Desert routes will be uncomfortably hot)

How far are you willing to drive from San Jose?

I figure seven hours is ok. But I think that will get me too pretty much any TR on the list.

I figure seven hours is ok. But I think that will get me too pretty much any TR on the list.

Not until the passes open

Most of the easier ones are in Northern Sierra (Tahoe area) and Southern Sierra (around Lake Isabella). Most of these are accessible this time of year. If you've done the Rae Lakes Loop in a day, I would imagine you're fit enough to tackle 90% of the list already. My suggestion would be to do the Tahoe ones - I find them far more enjoyable with snow cover than without, and snowshoeing is about as hard as walking to pick up and learn.

The Tahoe area peaks are very scenic and will have plenty of water and flowers this year . I'd start with Round Top ,Red Lake ,and Stevens Peak and than move on to Freel,Pyramid ,and Mt. Tallac before driving down Hwy.395. These are all grand ski peaks.