Conditions listed on this page are the most current information the Wilderness Office has received from the field as of 7/02/09. This website will be updated as additional information is received. Late season winter conditions can occur at any time. Be prepared by checking weather conditions and going out with good route finding skills and all of the knowledge and equipment you will need to protect yourself in the wilderness.

Use caution at all stream crossings. Water levels can make crossings impassable. Streams generally peak between the late afternoon and evening hours with safer crossings in the morning hours. Some stream crossings at higher elevations may not be safe to cross until mid July. Check this site before your trip and be prepared to turn back if levels are dangerously high. Early season conditions may exist on some trails. Downed trees may be encountered until crews are able to clear trails.

Marmots are again creating problems at Mineral King trailheads as they crawl into the under-carriages of parked cars seeking antifreeze and sometimes causing damage as they do so. We recommend protecting your car with chicken-wire fencing or a tarp wrap. Contact the Silver City store for rentals or the Mineral King ranger station for more information.

IN KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Northern Kings Canyon Park
Cedar Grove/Road's End
Grant Grove/Roaring River 

IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
Lodgepole/Wolverton
Foothills (Ash Mountain)/South Fork
Mineral King
Kern
East Side (Inyo National Forest)

Northern Kings Canyon

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Evolution Valley/Basin	As of 6/24 a sign has been posted near the Evolution Creek crossing to ford the stream 25 yards upstream of the trail for an easier crossing.
Muir Pass	Staff on 6/22 reported snow covered trail 2 miles to east of pass and 3 miles to west of pass to Sapphire Lake area.
Le Conte Canyon/Dusy Basin/Palisade Creek	Lower part of Dusy Basin free of snow with about 80%coverage in upper area per staff report 6/24. Palisade Creek crossing is still treacherous. There is a log crossing 1/4 mile upstream from the washed-out bridge. It is broken in the middle but well supported, per staff report 6/30.
Mather Pass	North side has 1/4 mile of mixed snow & rock. Snow condition is slushy, no ice axes are needed. Snow makes the trail difficult to follow. South side: top 300' of switchbacks are snow covered. Rocks to the right of the trail have been used to get to the top of the pass. No ice axes are needed, per staff report 7/1.
Bench Lake Area	Per staff report 6/20 trail into Bench Lake is free of snow with some wading at 2 crossings of the South Fork necessary. Stay on Bench Lake side of South Fork to cross on large log.
Pinchot Pass	As of 7/3 staff reported north side of trail mostly clear of snow. The south side switchbacks are mostly clear except at the top. There is a 30' long, 10' high patch of snow that is negotiable at the top of the pass. Still not passable for stock, but passable for foot traffic. The trail down the south side is mostly clear of snow.

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TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Lewis Creek/Kennedy Pass	As of 5/25 visitors reported mostly free of snow to 10,000'.
Middle Fork Kings/Simpson Meadow/Tehipite	Travel between Simpson Meadow and the JMT has difficult stream crossings and is not recommended until late July or later. There is no longer a bridge over Palisades Creek and it is currently running very high pr staff reports as of 6/26. Trails through Tehipite Valley are open but expect some trail damage from the 2008 Tehipite Fire. Trail crews are currently repairing damage. Watch for rattlesnakes.
Granite Lakes & vicinity	Per staff report 6/26 trails are mostly snowfree to pass. West side of Granite Pass still has several snow fields. North side of pass has snow for about 1/2 mile and will probably not be stock passable for another 7-10 days.
Copper Creek	As of 6/26 staff reported trail free of snow to Granite Pass.
Woods Creek	As of 6/24 visitors reported mostly free of snow to Glen Pass. Watch for rattlesnakes especially to Paradise Valley.
Glen Pass	As of 6/25 staff reported south side of pass with about 1 mile of snow in patches 200-300 yards long. North side has patchy snow. Good route finding and strong winter hiking skills necessary with hiking poles or ice axe recommended. Not recommended for the average hiker. Stay on higher marked path when approaching from the south and dropping down the north side. Probably not stock passable until mid to late July. Sixty Lakes basin trail has about 3/4 mile of snow as of 6/24 and will probably not melt out for another 2 or 3 weeks.
Kearsarge Pass	Per staff report on 6/24 mostly free of snow with a few patches of snow near upper Kearsarge Lake. One 15' section of snow on top of pass may give stock problems for another week or so.
Bubbs Creek	As of 6/24 mostly clear of snow to Glen Pass. As of 6/25 Bubbs Cr crossing to East lake is running about 2 1/2-3' high per staff report and not expected to go down until mid to late July.
Forester Pass	Per staff report 7/2, North side of the pass is almost 100% snow down to 11,500'. The trail is difficult to follow. The south side has patchy snow. No ice axes are required at this time.
Sphinx Creek Trail	Snowfree to the pass
Avalanche Pass	Snow covered. Exact conditions unknown.

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Grant Grove/Roaring River

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Sugarloaf Valley/Roaring River	Pr staff report on 6/21 trail clear of snow from Rowell Meadow to Roaring River Ranger Station. Stock passable. Stream crossings unremarkable.
Colby Pass/Cloud Canyon	Conditions unknown.
Elizabeth Pass/Deadman Canyon	Expect snow on north side of pass into late July. Lone Pine Cr has a difficult crossing into mid July.
JO Pass	Visitors on 6/8 reported 6-8" snow and recommended gaitors and hiking poles.  Also reported many downed trees.
Seville/Ranger/Lost Lakes/Belle Canyon	Staff reported 6/21 trail clear of snow from Rowell Meadow to Seville, Ranger, and Lost Lakes.
Redwood Canyon	Trail is clear of snow.

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Lodgepole/Wolverton

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Twin Lakes Trail	Per staff report 6/28 trail is mostly clear of snow to Twin Lakes with no snow around Twin Lakes. Staff reported Siliman pass with just a few patches of snow on upper swithbacks as of 6/21. Stock passable though one large tree near top of the pass will have to be removed. Mosquitos are out.
Panther Gap/Alta Peak	Alta Peak is snow free.
Pear Lake Trail	Watchtower trail is now open.  As of 6/25 staff reports Moose Lake and the northfacing slopes in the Tablelands still have lots of snow.
High Sierra Trail/Kaweah Gap	As of 6/15 High Sierra trail mostly clear of snow to Bearpaw Meadow and on to Hamilton Lakes. Use caution crossing the Hamilton Lake outlet. Staff on 6/21 reported solid snow from about 100' below Precipice Lake to 1/4 mile past the lake. Kaweah Gap has patchy snow with trail easy to find. As of 6/6/09 High Sierra Trail between Bearpaw Meadow and Hamilton Lakes was not stock passable due to a large boulder on the trail. Repairs are scheduled for mid to late June 2009.
Lone Pine Creek/Tamarack Lake/Elizabeth Pass	Per visitor report 5/23, trail to Tamarack Lake is mostly free of snow. The western most acess on the Over the Hill trail is recommended to avoid a dangerous crossing of Lone Pine Cr. Hiker also avoided crossing Lone Pine Cr below Tamarack Lake by staying on the north side up to the lake. Lone Pine Cr crossing dangerous until later in July. Elizabeth Pass trail is still buried as of 6/21 staff report and would require good route finding skills.
Bearpaw to Blackrock Pass (via Redwood Meadow & Cliff Creek)	As of 76/1 Cliff Cr reported running very high and not recommended for crossing at this time. Per staff report 6/29, the last crossing of River Valley is knee deep for 6-10' with the remaining crossing ankle deep.

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TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Middle Fork Trail	Trail is clear of snow to Redwood Meadow Grove and Bearpaw Meadow. Hikers into Redwood Meadow Grove can avoid a major stream crossing after the Middle Fork Kaweah bridge by continuing northeast up the trail and looping around to cross the Granite Cr bridge before entering into Redwood Meadow. Access from Redwood Meadow to Bearpaw is via River Valley was reported easier if hikers cross upstream of swift area near trail and use poles or a stick. Brush is slightly overgrown at the lower elevations. Watch for poison oak, ticks, and rattlesnakes.
Garfield Grove Trail	Brush is slightly overgrown at the lower elevations. Watch for poison oak, ticks, and rattlesnakes on the lower portion of the trail. Trail is clear of snow into Garfield Grove and South Fork Crossing. Watch for trail 100 ft upstream of main crossing if approaching from Garfield Grove. The crossing was described as ankle deep and no longer dangerous by staff on 6/20.
Ladybug Trail	Trail begins to disappear after Whiskey Log Camp at about 5 miles. Watch for poison oak, ticks, and rattlesnakes.

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Mineral King

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Paradise Ridge Trail	Clear conditions to Paradise Peak w/ great views from the top. As of 6/1 patchy snow reported beyond Paradise Ridge.
Timber Gap	Per staff report 7/26, trails north and south are clear of snow. Cliff creek is running high and swift but crossable.
Glacier Pass	Per staff report 7/1, the south side and the top of the pass are free of snow. On the north side there is a large snowfield but no special equipment is required. Spring lake thru Hands and Knees Pass is mostly free of snow. This cross-country route is NOT recommended for average hiker.
Little Five/Big Five Lakes	Snow free
Blackrock Pass	Per staff report 6/29, there is 60% snow on the east side. The trail and switchbacks are not too difficult to find. The west side is clear of snow.
Monarch Lakes/Sawtooth Pass	As of 6/26 snow is patchy to Monarch Lake. Sawtooth Pass mostly clear of snow on south and west with 90% snow on north and east approaches. Please stay on established switchbacks on south side of Sawtooth Pass to avoid erosion. Trail to Crystal Lake is snow free.
Franklin Lakes/Franklin Pass	Per 6/26 report, pass is mostly free of snow on west side with 50% snow for 500' on east side. Trails are snow free to Franklin Lakes.
Farewell Gap	Per 6/26 report, patchy snow on north side with an active fire in Sequoia NF, 7 miles south of the park boundary.
White Chief/Eagle Lake/Mosquito Lakes	Snow free
Atwell/Hockett/Tar Gap	Snow free. Hockett Plateau open for stock per staff report as of 6/20. Stream crossings unremarkable. Be prepared for mosquitoes.

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Kern

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Forester Pass	Per staff report 7/2, north side of the pass is almost 100% snow down to 11/500' and the trail is difficult to follow. South side has patchy snow. No ice axes are required at this time.
Tyndall Area	Conditions unknown.
Crabtree Meadow/Whitney Area	Per staff report 6/28, patchy snow on trail both east and west above 12,000'. No special equipment is required. Visitors are advised to use caution when snow and ice are present.  Between Guitar Lake and the juunction with Trail Crest, There are 2 large sloping fields of snow and ice. They are passable without crampons but hiking poles are recommended for balance.
Rock Creek/Miter Basin	Rock Creek to Crabtree snowfree with low creek crossings as of 6/21 staff report.
Kern Canyon	As of 6/1 free of snow per staff report. As of 6/20 Jerky trail from the south is not yet recommended for stock due to downed trees.
Coyote Pass/Lakes Pass	Conditions unknown.
Rattlesnake/Soda Creeks	Conditions unknown.
Big Arroyo/Nine Lakes Basin	Per report on 6/29, river crossings are moderate.
Kern-Kaweah/Colby Pass	Conditions unknown.

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East Side (Inyo National Forest)

TRAIL/DESTINATION	CONDITIONS
Bishop Pass	Per staff report 6/20 trail from South Lake to the pass is fairly easy to follow to the summit then difficult thereafter with postholing up to the knees. As of 6/26 still about 3 feet of snow with postholing. Not stock passable at this time. Rock slides continue to be active at the "rock glacier" on the eastern approach to Bishop Pass. Hikers should enter at their own risk and keep moving (i.e. do not stop for breaks) as they pass through the area. Expect such conditions throughout the year.
Taboose Pass	Per staff report 6/22 east side has patchy snow, west side long stretches of patchy snow until close to Bench Lake with trail somewhat buried.
Sawmill Pass	Conditions unknown.
Baxter Pass	Conditions unknown. As of May 2009 the road to Baxter Pass trailhead remains closed due to heavy rain damage from last season. Call 760-873-2500 for updates.
Kearsarge Pass	Mostly free of snow per 6/20 staff report.
Shepherd Pass	Per staff report 6/28, Ice axes are recommended. The east side switchbacks have 3' of snow for the last 100'. Reminder: Due to Bighorn sheep in the area no dogs or goats are allowed.
Mount Whitney Trail	Per staff report 7/2, between Guitar Lake and the junction with Trail Crest, there are 2 large sloping fields of snow and ice. They are passable without crampons, but hiking poles are recommended for balance. Per report on 6/28, trail both east and west has patchy snow above 12,000'. Visitors are advised to use caution when snow and ice are present.
New Army Pass	Per staff report on 6/26, there is one large patch of snow covering the trail from the top of the pass down several switchbacks.  Use caution along the edge at the top, there are several cornices that are starting to melt out.
Army Pass	Conditions unknown.
Cottonwood Pass	Conditions unknown.

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