Location: The Mokelumne Wilderness on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Main Features: This map as well as the previous and next detailed topo hiking maps are important because they depict the section of the Summit City Creek that is unmaintained. The unmaintained section begins at the trail junction below Fourth of July Lake and extends South to Camp Irene. This section is arguably the hardest part of the Classic Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

Once you intersect with the Summit City Creek Trail and turn South, down river on Summit City Creek, you will be backpacking across unmaintained "trail," if you are sharp enough to stay on the old trail route, until you reach Camp Irene on the Mokelumne River. Between the junction with Summit City Creek down to Telephone Gulch, the well-trodden trail bed is discernable and easy to follow despite being crossed by many fallen trees and some sections of dense over-growth.

From Horse Canyon South the trail bed deterorates considerably, and South of Telephone Gulch to the open rock area before the first ford of Summit City Creek, the going is pretty rough. There are dense forests of Sword Ferns that have large networks of exposed, elevated roots. The roots want to trip you, so the Swords can impale you. There are wide sections of downed forest and washouts.

These areas are hard to travel across due to the occassional necessity to climb over downed trees and push through dense overgrowth.  Footing is very poor. After all that you come to an exposed section of fine granite before reaching the first ford of Summit City Creek.

This beautiful section of exposed rock is well ducked, and leads to the first ford. A nice campsite sits under the edge of the stand of trees just North of the Upper Ford. After fording, turn right to follow the route over a rocky granite outcropping. We are passing around a rough section of Summit City Creek as it passes though a deep and narrow gorge.

Summit City emerges from its tumultous path flowing onto a wide granite flat as our path again accesses the creek. There's a nice campsite on the far South side of the flat. At the end of the flat the route again climbs away from Summit City Creek as it begins its steep drop down a granite encased cut in the mountains. We will make our way down a hot exposed mountain side filled with a dense maze of Manzanita.

At the bottom of our descent we again see Summit City Creek emerging into a densely wooded flat where we again converge with the creek. A short hike through creek-side debris brings us to the lower ford.

refer to the trail guide for more...

Mapping, Mileage, and National Forest Information

Miles and Elevations

(Coming Soon!)

Trail head to road/trail junction (the first red dot): 1.35 miles

Road/trail junction to end of map: 3.04

Total Trail Mileage: 4.39

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Map Name: Mokelumne Calif.-Nev., 1979, 7.5 minute Topographic

Compass Offset: Magnetic North is 16 and 1/2 degrees East of True North

scale: 1:24 000

Contours: 40 feet

The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail between Carson Pass and Lake Alpine

National Forest: You are in the El Dorado NF from Carson Pass, until you reach the ford of the Mokelumne River at Camp Irene. Here you depart the El Dorado NF and enter the Stanislaus NF. The Mokelumne Wilderness continues within the Stanislaus NF up to the top of Mount Reba. At the top of Mount Reba you exit the Mokelumne Wilderness.

US Forest Service websites

National Forest Backpacking permitting authorities

El Dorado National Forest

Stanislaus National Forest

Wilderness Area: Mokelumne in the El Dorado

Molkelumne Wilderness

Wilderness Area: Mokelumne in the Stanislaus

Molkelumne Wilderness

More Information

Trail Guide: El Dorado National Forest information

Trail Guide: Stanislaus National Forest information

Physical location: Between Highway 88 at the Carson Pass to Highway 4 at Lake Alpine

Telephone Gulch : 6720 feet

Upper Ford : 6560 feet

Lower Ford : 5540 feet

elevation drop: 1180 feet

miles and elevations

Trail Guide, Section: Carson Gap to Lake Alpine

Trail Guide, Segment: Summit City Creek

Google Map:

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior: The USGS

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USGS Topographic Map Information