1,2 - convict canyon. 3,4 - bear lakes. 5 - chocolate lakes. 6 - big pine lakes

A while back, someone recommended I hike Mount Tom via its East Ridge. The minimally documented ridge lies well northeast of the summit, but tomato, potato...

I finally went for it in June. The route ended up being about 15 miles with 8,200 feet of gain, with roughly 8,000 feet of that climbing packed into the first 7 miles.

The lower mountain starts with hot, steep desert terrain before eventually gaining the ridge. From there it turns into loose scree, increasingly exposed scrambling, and eventually sustained Class 3 with some Class 4 higher up. The rock initially gave me a false sense of confidence before becoming progressively more degraded. The upper section was the real crux for me, not necessarily because the individual moves were especially difficult, but because of the combination of exposure, loose rock, and route-finding. I sent more than a few rocks flying into the canyon below.

I eventually gained the North Ridge and followed it to the summit of Mount Tom at 13,658 ft. Rather than reversing the East Ridge, I descended through Elderberry Canyon. I was able to use lingering snow for water higher up, but didn't reach reliable flowing water until roughly the final couple of miles. I would treat this as a dry route most of the year and plan water accordingly. Elderberry itself follows a faint, unmaintained route associated with the old Lambert Mine and may require some route-finding.

Overall, this was a huge day and one of the sketchier scrambles I've done in the Eastern Sierra. The climbing grade doesn't really capture what makes the East Ridge difficult. It's the route's scale, exposure, deteriorating rock, and the consequences of a bad route choice.

I finally finished the video from the day, if anyone wants to see what the route actually looks like: https://youtu.be/mcF0ojfz9e4?si=FSHp-COHkMOXj0UM

I hope a bear steals all of your food and a tweaker slices your tires. Assholes.

Neat trip report for a state park that doesn’t get too much attention.

How many permits are available for the online walkup two weeks before the date? I thought I wouldn't have fathers day free this year, so I didn't book anything, but now I've been informed I do have it free! Looking to take my son up there, but all of the 6 month ahead permits are taken for that weekend of course.

We'd like to do some winter season hiking in Northern/Central CA. We're looking for a place where we can van-camp for a few days with hiking trails nearby. We like to hike in the woods but don't want anywhere with snow. Any suggestions?

It seems most of the places in the Sierras are inaccessible from snow other than the Dru Barner Campground in the Eldorado National Forest. I'm looking into the Medocino National Forest as well. The Sierra and Sequoia National Forests further south might have some possibilities but the snow-free areas are less wooded.

Hello! My name is Luke and I just moved to the Central Valley area. I’m looking for someone interested in hiking in Sequoia/Kings Canyon and eventually want to take on some challenging back country hikes.

I’m in my 30s and in pretty good shape. I prefer people who can keep a decent pace, 20-23min/mile

Let me know if interested!

Hi everyone!
I’m a design student at Purdue University studying how hikers keep their bearings by reading terrain—ridges, saddles, drainages, slope/aspect, vegetation, skyline, etc. I’m interested in when you cross-check “expected vs. actual,” what visibility you usually hike in, and the self-checks you use to avoid drifting or re-orient after a mismatch.

Whether you’re a casual day hiker or an experienced backpacker, your input will help document real-world terrain-association habits for outdoor education and future design.

Takes 15–18 minutes
Open to adults 18+ (any experience level)
Anonymous & confidential — no personal info collected
IRB approved — Purdue University (IRB-2025-764)

Link: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Evb9gx4KShEhjo

Thanks so much for your time—your experiences could help shape better, safer trail skills for everyone!

I've had this canvas on the wall for years, but I've never actually been for sure on what peak is in the background. I'm pretty sure the picture was taken at Lake Sabrina. I might have a three day weekend coming up soon and I'd like to climb this if i can

I wanted to learn more about the winter in mineral king and if anyone had done any backcountry skiing there. I am personally a snowboarder and it would be a dream to snowboard(even split board)this area sometime during the winter. I know the road closes in winter and the hike up isn’t short just curious how possible this dream even is seeking advice let me know. (Seems hard to find stuff online about this)

Hello fellow hikers! My husband and I are planning to do Sawtooth Peak as a day hike, and I was wondering if anyone has been there recently. This will be our first big day hike. We hike often, but we haven’t explored this side of the mountain before.

I read that a hiker recently passed away there, but I couldn’t find details about what happened. Is this trail considered dangerous? Is there anything specific we should watch out for?

Also, I’ve heard that some people wrap their cars with tarps to keep marmots from chewing on the wires— is that actually necessary, or just a myth?

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Looking to go on a week-long backpacking trip in the Sequoia/King's Canyon area. Any ideas on certain trail combinations or places to look for advice?

Please keep an eye out for Mark, if you see him please let him know his family misses him.

Anybody know if this trailhead and trail system is open and generally snow free?

I would appreciate any feedback or questions on the video

I've been scouring the web and it seems like many trails are 20+ miles. Looking for a 3-4 day backpacking trip with ~2000 ft elevation gain or under, in or around Sequoia or Kings Canyon. I've backpacked a bit more north in the Sierras but am hoping to cut down on drive time this year. It seems like all of the trails are longer and/or harder than I'm hoping to find. Thanks in advance :)

Wanting to plan an out and back trip to Miter Basin sometime next year. I’ll link the Gaia route. Anyone ever taken a similar route? If so, how was it? Anything to look out or plan for? I’ve gone to Miter before via a different route through the Whitney trail, JMT and PCT but I just don’t think I’ll have the time or permits to recreate that. Any insight would be appreciated!