Miles & Elevations

Pacific Crest Trail

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass: 26.78 miles

Backpacking Miles

Mokelumne Wilderness in the Toyiabe National Forest

The trail South from Carson Pass is the driest terrain we have yet crossed since departing Meeks Bay. The Geology has now shifted to an almost completely volcanic terrain. The raw granite of Desolation Wilderness is but a memory, and the deep forests of the Meiss Roadless Area have been replaced by great open stretches of dry volcanic terrain broken by small forested areas.

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass 30 min backpacking Map

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Echo Summit to Carson Pass Miles and Elevations

Location                         Elevation           Mileage

Start: Carson Pass                   8600                       0

                                          +280                           1.04

Winamucca Lake jnct             8880                   1.04

                                        +200                   .95

Elephant Back                          9080                   1.99

                                            -480                  1.86

Ponds in Forestdale                 8600                   3.85

                                          +240                  +1.25

1st Trail junct: Forestdale Divide to Summit City                                                   8840                    5.1

                                           0 change                       .35

2nd Trail jnct: Forrestdale Divide to Summit City                                                               8840                   5.45

                                            0 change                       .1

Forestdale Rd                           8840                  5.55

                                             -200              1.46

Lost Lakes Dirt Road                 8640                 7.01

                                                 280               .99

The Nipple peak:9342        trail ele: 8920                 8.0

                                              -880              2.65

Blue Lakes Road                        8040               10.65

                                                -40                         .12

Junction to Tamarack trlhd      8000               10.77

                                             -192                 .72

Tamarak Lake                           7808                11.49

                                                  72                       1.83

Dirt Road #?                              7880                13.32

                                            0 change              1.2

Wet Meadow trail jnct             7880                 14.52      

                                              240                 .2  

Wilderness Boundary               8120                 14.72

                                                                       -240                          .38

Break at the Creek/camp       7880                  15.1

                                                                    760                         3.0

Raymond Lake Junction          8640                  18.1

                                                                       -280                         1.86

Raymond Canyon                     8360                 19.96

                                                                  -200                         1.82

Pennslyvannia Creek               8160                 21.78

                                                 360                1.56

Eagle Creek                               8520                23.34

                                                                       150                          3.18

Upper Kinney Lake jnct           8670                 26.52

                                                                          62                           1.36

Ebbetts Pass                             8732                 27.88

Check out the Carson to Ebbetts Mileage Forum to discuss these figures.

Note: The Ups and Downs of the Moklumne between Carson Pass and Ebbetts Pass. And every other High Sierra Trail...

This trail guide, like the High Sierras, divides itself into ups and downs. Your miles are generally done either going up to the top of the mountain, or you are coming down from the mountaintop into the valley that separates you from the next mountaintop. This means that the mileages and elevations between the peaks and the valleys is going to be important in determining how many miles you can reasonably expect to cover that day. This will be instrumental in planning where you are going to camp every night, and ultimately this information will determine how many days it will take you to cover a given distance. This in turn establishes your proper food load.

There are 27.1 miles between the Carson Pass and the Ebbetts Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail. Ebbetts Pass is 1355 feet higher than the Carson Pass. But these gross elevation and mileage figures do not describe the constant ups and downs that virtually all Sierra trails present to their visitors.

From Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass the terrain can best be categorized as a roller coaster. You are climbing and descending constantly until you reach Ebbetts Pass.

Remember this important rule: Every descent route holds many mini-ascents, and every ascent has many mini-descents within its route. Your mileage will very rarely just go up, or just go down. You are going endlessly up and down.

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Section: CARSON PASS to EBBETTS PASS

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