Sierras - Ansel Adams Wilderness Loop

Where, why, when, how

In September 2011 I hiked from Agnew Meadows toward Donohue Pass. I couldn't get permits for any desirable trailhead in Yosemite National Park. As a photographer I was drawn to the neighboring Ansel Adams Wilderness.

It's easy (and legal) to start in the AAW, hike right into YNP via Donohue Pass, and follow the popular Lyell Canyon north to Tuolumne Meadows. But the ESTA shuttle had ended operations for the winter, so I instead planned an out-and-back trip. Starting at Agnew Meadows on 12 September, Donohue Pass would be my turnaround point, with stunningly beautiful terrain and dramatic scenery along the way.

Planning note: One problem with designating new wilderness is that it becomes a red-tape hassle to visit. Inyo National Forest's regulations rival YNP's, including bear canisters and advance reservations for quota permits. Get online or call early.

I was lucky to get a permit reservation a week before my hike began. Contrast that with YNP, where September permits for starting at Tuolumne sold out in April.




Overall I saw a lot of striking landscapes, very few people, no wildlife, and absolutely no sign whatsoever of the alleged bear.

Total backpacking distance for the 3 days: 27.9 miles. Photos: 251.

Monday

Monday morning I checked out of the Travelodge in Mammoth Lakes and drove to the River Trail trailhead. It was a beautiful day, cool, with blue sky except for a few clouds on the eastern skyline. I would have quickly put miles behind me, but for the picturesque morning light on the Junipers and boulder-strewn meadows. I also stopped for a leisurely lunch in the sun on the banks of the rushing San Joaquin River.

Heavy rain the previous 36 hours mercifully kept the horse dust down. I met 3 parties during my day's hike, all of whom had come across Donohue Pass (elev 11,056') in that thunderstorm. They reported lightning, snow, sleet, hail, and rain all day and night. They were eager to get out.

This is a bitter aftertaste of quota permit systems: Per the rules, those hikers could not postpone their reserved departure nor change their starting trailhead due to weather -- so they had to choose between danger and disappointment. I met hikers who went ahead, while uncounted others canceled long-dreamt plans. Quotas are designed to keep visitors out; in the case of those I met, it will work for a long time. Their Yosemite experiences were far less than glowing. All in the name of solitude.

I made my first night's camp at Thousand Island Lake. This 9.6 mile section of trail is easy hiking with numerous campsite opportunities and water along its length.

I met no insects until TI Lake, and then very few. I hiked 1.2 miles along the shore and selected a campsite about 1/4 mi off trail, elev 9940', out of sight of the one other camp at the lake. I later discovered that I should have gone another 200 meters north (carrying water) to numerous, inviting campsites at elevation 10,000', about halfway between the shore and the JMT above.

That evening I ate dinner early and stowed my gear under cover. Good timing. At 7 PM Banner Peak disappeared in the approaching clouds and it started to hail, soon changing to rain. The count between lightning flashes and deafening thunderclaps was 4 seconds. This went on until midnight.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning the sky was again almost completely clear, except for a few clouds on the eastern skyline. There had been a full inch of rainfall.

I headed cross-country uphill to join the now-combined JMT-PCT trail as it approaches Island Pass, elevation 10,200'. This easy half-mile excursion was, unexpectedly, one of the prettiest parts of my trip.

Island Pass was a wildflower garden with alpine tarns reflecting blue sky and the shining glaciers of Banner Peak, Mt. Davis and the Ritter Range. One would not have to look far to find a nice campsite on the north or south approaches to Island Pass. Paradoxically, water is most plentiful at the pass.

The blue sky was shrinking, thunderheads brewing on all fronts. As I ate lunch on an outcrop of granite along the lovely creek draining Rodgers Lakes, I decided I had no appetite for being camped on or near the barren heights of Donohue Pass. I'm opinionated, as you might have guessed, but being a lightning rod is not my ambition.

I hiked a little farther, then turned west up Rush Creek. This is a lovely area, with loud, braided creeks interspersed with green meadows and clumps of mixed-age conifers. I went 0.4 mile toward Marie Lakes and there, at elev 10,200' was a large, grassy campsite with water.

This time I carefully chose a very sheltered site under the boughs of mature evergreens. I had a great view of the spires of Koip Crest, from whence the afternoon's roller approached. It rained from 3 to 5 PM, then mostly stopped. Perfect timing for dinner.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning the skies were partly cloudy. Frost on the grass glistened in the rising sun. This was to be day 3 of 4. I talked to a northbound hiker who had a fresh forecast: more rain. I decided this would be day 3 of 3, and headed toward Agnew Meadows, just over 13 miles away via the "High Trail" (PCT).



Badger Lakes were a nice place for lunch, with some large campsites between the two small lakes nearest to the trail.

An advantage of the practically treeless slope into which the PCT is cut is uninterrupted views southwest toward the Ritter Range. Campsites with water, however, are few and far between.

From 9800' and a view of distant Shadow Lake the trail loses 1200'. Then it finally descends 300' into Agnew Meadows by way of a boring mile of needlessly long, gradual switchbacks typical of horse-priority trails.

Looking back toward Donohue Pass, the weather looked quite daunting. As I arrived in the parking lot and walked toward my Jeep, it started to rain. Perfect timing.

Photo album link

Larger photo album with 15 images and a map.

My snapshots are all taken with the cheesy built-in camera in my GPS, so the accurate color and sharpness of a true digital camera are simply not there... but there are plenty of photos online of this area, and mine will give you an idea of the beauty that awaits you there.

Resources

In planning this trip I relied on several web sites (including this one) and blogs of people who had hiked this as part of longer trips, i.e., John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail journals. I also used "Sierra North" by Thomas Winnett et al, 8th Ed. 2002, Wilderness Press.

The Wilderness Reservation Office number is 760-873-2483.

The Welcome Center in Mammoth Lakes is 760-924-5500, press 0. They know more about current conditions and the ESTA shuttle schedule.

Inyo National Forest web site, permits page

Images

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