Tree, Poison Flat, Carson Iceberg Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Your Backpacking Guide to the High Sierras Yellow Flower
Banner: Looking South along E Carson River at the Sonora Gap
Backpacking South to Gap above East Carson River headwaters. Beyond lays 10.500 foot Gap above Sonora Pass on PCT.

 

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Backpacking
Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Trail Guide Section 3

The Carson Iceberg Wilderness

Hiking
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail
Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass: 34.64 miles
West Flank of the Sierra

Hiking
The Pacific Crest Trail
Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass:
29.44 miles
East Flank and Sierra Cresttline

 

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North
INDEX
Lake Tahoe
to
Lake Alpine
  Main
Trail Guide
INDEX
 South
INDEX

Highway 108
to
Highway 120

Highway 4
to
Highway 108

TYT and PCT
Trailheads South

from
Highway 4 to Highway 108

Silver Valley TYT Trailhead and Ebbetts Pass PCT Trailhead

Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

Silver Valley Trailhead on the TYT at Lake Alpine
Lake Alpine to Saint Marys Pass

Silver Valley-Highland Creek
Trailhead

Trailhead Location:
East side of Lake Alpine on Highway 4

Roadmap

TYT
Trail Guide Pages

Lake Alpine backpacker

Lake Alpine to Rock Lake

Rock Lake to Jenkins Canyon

 

Connector Trail
TYT to PCT
TYT to Highland Lakes & the PCT

TYT Jenkins Canyon to PCT via Highland Lakes

 

TYT Trail Guide Pages
Continuing South

Jenkins Canyon to Boulder Creek

Boulder Creek to Lowest Ford

Lower ford to & out of Headwaters Bowl

Out the Headwaters Bowl to Saint Marys Pass

 

Sonora and Saint Marys Pass
TYT
Trailheads

 

TYT MAPS

Lake Alpine Hiking Map

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Map South

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Hiking Map

Click black-dotted routes for detailed maps
and red dots for guide information.

 

TYT Maps
Index

Lake Alpine
to
Saint Marys Pass
MAP INDEX

 

TYT
Miles and Elevations

TYT
Lake Alpine
to
Saint Marys Pass

 

TYT
Permits

Stanislaus NF,
Calavaras Ranger District Permits

 

TYT Videos

Lake Alpine
to
Saint Marys Pass

Trails Forum
Index

Pacific Crest Trail

Ebbetts Pass Historical Marker
Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass

Ebbetts Pass Trailhead

Trailhead Location:
15 miles East of Lake Alpine on Highway 4

Roadmap

PCT
Trail Guide Pages

Ebbetts Pass backpacker

Ebbetts Pass to Tyron Peak

Tyron Peak to Murry Canyon

Murry Canyon to Boulder Lake Trail

 

Connector Trail
PCT to TYT
PCT to Boulder Creek on the TYT

PCT to TYT via Boulder Lake

 

PCT Guide Pages
Continuing South

Boulder Lake junction to East Carson River

East Carson River to Sonora Pass

 

Sonora and Saint Marys Pass
PCT
Trailheads

 

PCT MAPS

Ebbetts Pass Region Trail Map

Pacific Crest Trail Route South

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Hiking Map

Click black-dotted routes for detailed maps
and red dots for guide information.

 

PCT Maps
Index

Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass
MAP INDEX

 

PCT
Miles and Elevations

PCT
Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass

 

PCT
Permits

Toiyabe NF,
Carson Ranger District Permits

 

PCT Videos

Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass

Trails Forum
Index

Road Map             Road Conditions

Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway
Information about the Highway 4 Corridor over the Sierra

Local Weather High Sierra Weather

 

Trail Safety Note
The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route between the Eureka Valley junction along the Clarks Fork of the Stanislaus to Saint Marys Pass above Highway 108 is unmaintained.

These difficult conditions degrade into no trail at all from Clarks Meadow to Saint Marys Pass.
There are some wild ducks and bits of use trail along this route. (definitions)
Below the safety issues we discuss alternative routes around this untrailed section of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

ISSUES
Dangerous Disclaimer Safety Safety Forum

Navigation

Note
The Maps and the Miles pages act as indexes for each trail section. Maps and Miles pages are linked to every trail guide page.

Alternative Backpacking Routes across
and
Loops Around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness

The
Highland Creek
Hybrid

Route

Tying the TYT & PCT Together
across the
Carson Iceberg Wilderness

Four Trails Connect
the

TYT and PCT
across the
Carson Iceberg Wilderness

The Highland Creek Trail is the Northernmost
and a
Classic Trail

These four trails connecting the TYT and PCT across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness provide exceptional Carson Iceberg Wilderness Backpacking Loops and Alternative Routes of Varying Distances to the Main PCT & TYT routes.

Four trails

North Carson Iceberg
TYT to PCT via Highland Creek

#1

TYT
from
Jenkins Canyon
to
Highland Lakes
to
Gardner Meadow
to
PCT at Wolf Creek Pass
is the
Northernmost and longest.

 

Highland Lakes
Topo Hiking Map

Central Carson Iceberg
TYT to PCT via Arnot and Disaster Creeks

2 & 3

The
Arnot Creek

and

Disaster Creek
trails
connect the
TYT to the PCT.

Central and South
Carson Iceberg Wilderness

Backpacking Map

 

Carson Iceberg Wilderness
Topo Hiking Map

South Carson Iceberg
TYT to PCT via Boulder Lake

#4

TYT
to
Boulder Lake
to
PCT above E Carson River
is the
Southernmost and Shortest routes tying the TYT to the PCT.

 

Boulder Lake
Topo Hiking Map

Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Backpacking Loops
using the
PCT and TYT

Unique Routes Each
As with their respective routes across the Mokelumne Wilderness to our North, the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails continue to explore completely different routes across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness to our South.
But unlike the Mokelumne Wilderness, where no series of trails connect the PCT and TYT routes, four trails connect the PCT and TYT routes across the length of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

These are the Highland, Arnot, Disaster, and Boulder Creek Trails.

High and Low Trails
As in the Mokelumne Wilderness to our North, the Pacific Crest Trail hiker crossing Ebbetts Pass Southbound will stay (mostly) on the Eastern flank and follow the Sierra Nevada Crestline to Sonora Pass, while the Southbound Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hiker crossing Highway 4 at Lake Alpine backpacks much lower down along the Western flank of the Sierra until we make the big climb over Saint Mary Pass to the Saint Marys Pass Trailhead on Highway 108 near Sonora Pass.

TYT Back to the Sierra Crest
At the South end of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness TYT hikers will watch the trail transition into an unmaintained trail as we climb alongside the Clarks Fork of the Stanislaus River.
At the top of the unmaintained trail on the stunningly beautiful North edge of Clarks Meadow we depart our sweet campsite to route-find our way South up an untrailed route and out of the headwaters bowl of the Clarks Fork River over Saint Marys Pass.
We pick up maintained trail down to the TYT-Saint Marys Pass Trailhead on Highway 108, which lays very close to the Sierra Crestline just a short distance West of Sonora Pass.

Local Backpacking Loops around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness
Hiking either the PCT or TYT South across the length of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness we find four convenient trails linking the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail.
These trails allow local backpackers to craft loops of various diameters staying within the Carson Iceberg Wilderness using sections of both the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails. North to South these trails are Highland Creek, Arnot Creek, Disaster Creek, and Boulder Creek.

We can begin backpacking loops from trailheads around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. Highway 4, the Clarks Fork Road off Highway 108, and the high trailheads at Sonora Pass on Highway 108 are all potential excellent starting points for great and small backpacking loops around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.
Check out the Carson Iceberg Wilderness Hiking Map, consult the mileage pages for the TYT and PCT routes across the Wilderness linked to above to figure out the Carson Iceberg Wilderness hiking loop that's perfect for you.

Alternative Routes to the TYT,
Longer routes than the PCT
There are three basic reasons to hike alternative routes to the standard TYT and PCT routes across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. For TYT hikers the main reason given is to detour around the unmaintained segment of trail between Eureka Valley and Saint Marys Pass. The second reason would be to detour around the lengthy segment of trail along the busy Clarks Fork Road.
The final reason is to expand the length of our hike and the number of things we see as we backpack between Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney. We can both avoid the Clarks Fork Road and hike through the untrailed South end of the Carson Iceberg on the TYT.
We would hike up Highland Creek off the TYT and back to the TYT via Boulder Lake to achieve this maximal route.

Highland Creek Hybrid
The Highland Creek Hybrid is one of my favorite routes through the Carson Iceberg Wilderness heading Southbound along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.
At the Jenkins Canyon trail junction we depart the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail to continue hiking up Highland Creek past its source at the West Highland Lake, past the East Highland Lake and the car campground nestled between the lakes to the Gardiner Meadows trailhead.
From Gardiner Meadows we have but a short hike to join up with the Pacific Crest Trail at Wolf Creek Pass. Past Gardiner Meadow Trailhead we encounter the trail junction where the Arnot and Disaster Creek trails coming up from the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route along Clarks Fork Road tie into our trail to the PCT.
This is where the North end of both the Arnot and Disaster Creek trails link up with the trail between Gardiner Meadow and the PCT.

If we had continued South along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail from Jenkins Canyon, and turned North to link up with the PCT through either the Arnot or Disaster Creek trails, this junction is where we would end up. That's three trails to the same place!

Why Switch Trails?
We are looking for the best of both the TYT and PC trails, and moving our route through the segments of trail that most appeal to our tastes. To our North the choices we faced hiking through the Mokelumne Wilderness were stark: either we hike the TYT thorough beautiful granite gorge holding Summit City Creek and the North fork of the Mokelumne River with its section of unmaintained trail, or we hike the stark volcanic flanks of the East Sierra on well maintained trails.

Since I prefer magnificent granite gorges to stark volcanic flanks I generally hike the TYT route through the unmaintained trail section from Carson Pass to Lake Alpine.
South of Lake Alpine in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness one of my favorite sections of terrain is the East fork of the Carson River, which lays along the route of the Pacific Crest Trail. But I am standing at Lake Alpine along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail.

My only question is "which of the four connector trails will I hike over to the PCT, and which one back?"

Well, the way back to the TYT is almost always the Boulder Lake Trail in the very Southern end of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness...

My Favorite is Highland Creek
Switching trails allows us to hike through the rigors, isolation, and beauty of the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route through Summit City Creek in the Mokelumne Wilderness on our way South from Carson Pass to resupply at the Lake Alpine Lodge along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route.
From Lake Alpine we'll continue South along the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail route to the Jenkins Canyon trail junction before turning Northeast off the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail towards the Pacific Crest Trail.

TYT up Highland Creek to PCT at Wolf Creek Pass
Backpacking Map

At the Jenkins Canyon TYT trail junction we continue NE following Highland Creek through the top of Highland Canyon and past the Highland Lakes to link up with the Pacific Crest Trail at Wolf Creek Pass. Or, we have the option of continuing South on the TYT up Jenkins Canyon.
There are three more trails South of Highland Creek along the TYT that link up with the PCT as we cross the length of the Western Carson Iceberg.

Central and South Carson Iceberg Wilderness
Backpacking Map

If we Southbound hikers return to the TYT through the fourth and Southernmost of the connector trails, the Boulder Lake Trail, the Southbound TYT soon deteriorates from maintained trail into an unmaintained route, and finally climbs into and through what can only be called a "route through the terrain," rather than a conventional trail, or even an "unmaintained" trail.

The TYT South from Clarks Meadow (and maybe even further North, lower down) is a route, not a trail. From Clarks Fork Meadow we must self-navigate ourselves to Saint Marys Pass independent of trailbed, ducks, or blazes.

It's not quite scrambling, because there is a route through the terrain, but its not normal backpacking because there is not any discernable trail or trailbed.

It is pretty frkn cool, if you are into that sort of thing.

There are a few "wild ducks" marking the route around Clarks Meadow, but not many. Explore the maps, miles and elevations, and trail guide pages to inform yourself about these routes.

Here's the Key Trail Guide Page...

Lots to See Here
My point is that we have lots of route options hiking across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. The first time I hiked the whole Tahoe to Whitney trip in 1998 I found great joy in finding, and sewing together the most interesting sections of trail possible, and I have continued this approach to the present.

Carson Iceberg Wilderness Map
Click Red and Black Dots for more information

Great alternatives to the standard Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes continue and even expand when we cross Highway 108 into the next wilderness to our South, the Emigrant Wilderness. We have three basic routes across the Emigrant Wilderness to the Yosemite boundary. These routes' deep interconnections allow a fantastic range of backpacking loops around the splendors of the Emigrant Wilderness for short and medium distance backpackers. Like the Carson Iceberg Wilderness to its North, we can easily put together 90 mile loops around the High Altitude sections of the Emigrant Wilderness.

Whooo-Hoooo!

My annual backpacking cycle in the Carson Iceberg is a Winter trip or two accessing the Sierra through Rodriguez Flat North of Walker on Hwy 395 or up Highway 108 West of the Marine Base. Spring brings the annual attempt to reach Sonora Pass via the unmaintained E Carson River trail, which is also one of my early season conditions scouting trip. Then come the Summer Trips, which generally involve exploring some trail variation connecting together the PCT and TYT as I hike South to Tuolumne Meadows.

That's when life is working properly...

I have a couple of more discussions about our backpacking trip loop options around the Carson Iceberg Wilderness at the Jenkins Canyon Trail Junction and the Boulder Creek Trail Junction.

Highway 4 on the East Shore of Lake Alpine
Silver Valley Trailhead

The Old Highland Creek Trail sign at the Silver Valley Trailhead

The sign above was at the Silver Valley Trailhead before it was removed. Though a classic trailhead sign, both in color and form, yet both the trailheads and the route have changed significantly over the years.

Gabbott Meadow was drowned by the creation of Spicer Meadow Reservoir in 1989. Gabbot Meadow now sits under the East side of the reservoir, though surrounded by lakeside campsites. The Jenkins Canyon trail junction at 11.58 miles South down the combined TYT-Highland Creek Trail is where the TYT turns Southwest and the Highland Creek Trail continues up Highland Canyon to Highland Lakes.

Wolf Creek Pass is 3.27 miles NE from the Highland Lakes Trailhead at the top of Highland Canyon. This puts the distance from the Silver Valley Trailhead along the TYT to Wolf Creek Pass on the PCT at 21.27 miles.

I have this distance measured out at 21.11 miles on my miles and elevations list.

Yet the mileages on this sign above, as well as figures from all sources including me, are suspect due to intervening years full of trail route modifications since the routes were laid out and measured. But the mileages on this sign are close, so I vote they should have left this sign up.

My General Approach to High Sierra Miles Figures

Wolf Creek Pass is 9.73 miles NE up Highland Canyon from the Jenkins Canyon trail junction where the TYT route continues South.
Wolf Creek Pass is about 7 miles South of Ebbetts Pass and 22.48 miles North of Sonora Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Thus we can hike from the Silver Trailhead via the Highland Creek Trail to Wolf Creek Pass and then North on the PCT to Ebbetts Pass over 28.27 miles.

Trail Guide Map Series Miles

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Too many hiking options to count

 

Hiking Opportunities off of Highway 4 at Lake Alpine and Ebbetts Pass

Section Hike It!

I recently (October 2011) did a four-night fifty mile Fall loop of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness beginning at Silver Valley Trailhead on the East side of Lake Alpine and exiting through Ebbetts Pass. Check out my Trip Report.

Both of these Southbound trailheads along the Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails into the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness offers excellent short, medium, and long distance backpacking trips within this incredible Wilderness.

In fact, all of the great hiking areas between Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney described on this trail guide can be explored one section at a time without having to hike all the way down to Tuolumne Meadows or Mount Whitney. Section hiking is the way backpackers who cannot get 50 days off to hike the Tahoe to Whitney at one time do it over a few seasons. Section hiking can offer advantages through-hikers lack.

If you are section hiking the Sierra you have the opportunity to extend each section, as possible, by linking up segments of the PCT and TYT through each of your sections to get a much bigger picture of the terrain and the wilderness area you are hiking across. This is opposed to the circumstance of most long-distance hikers, who find themselves blindly rushing through the shortest route to make the most miles as quickly as possible.

Section hikers have more time to smell the wild roses, and soak up the magnificent views.

Or, you can create very interesting loops and in and out trips through each of the Wilderness Areas between Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney. Create a "section hiker daisy chain," where you put together a series of loop hikes exploring every Wilderness between Tahoe and Whitney.

For the strictly local backpacker, hiking North or South from these Highway 4 trailheads offers an amazing range of terrains and unique backpacking experiences for a wide range of skill, experience, and fitness levels.

Happy Trails!

Backpacking Route History

The Tahoe-Yosemite Trail Ebbetts Pass History
and
Historical Markers

Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway History

 

Resupply

On the North Side
of the
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
along
Highway 4

Lake Alpine Lodge

Bear Valley General Store

The Town of Arnold

On the South Side
of the
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
along
Highway 108

Kennedy Meadows Pack Station

The Towns of Walker and Bridgeport

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North and South
Up and Down the Trails

Trail Guide Index
North
Lake Tahoe to Highway 4
Trail Guide Index
Trail Guide Index
South
Highway 108 to Tuolumne Meadow
Trail Guide Index

 

Back to the Trail Section Index Back to the Trailhead

Contact
Alex Wierbinski

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Sunrise at Donohue Pass

Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails

Wet Winter Snow, Warm Tent
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail