I went over Shepherd Pass a week ago to climb Williamson and Tyndall. I’m going over next week for the 18th time. Some people never learn.
Yes, it’s a ball buster. 6,000’ of gain, including the 500’ you have to gain twice because the trail goes down 500’ on the way up. We started up at 6:00 AM last week and got to the pass at 2:00 PM. Many people will want to camp at Anvil Camp, rather than do it all in one day. The pass has many good campsites and a superb view of Tyndall.
There are four stream crossings down low. All can be done without taking your boots off or getting them wet. There is flowing water near the bottom of the 500’ descent. I drink it unfiltered; just hike above the trail to fill up. Anvil Camp has lots of water, but I would filter there because of all the human traffic. There is water gushing out of the rocks just right of the trail at about 11,000’. I always stop there and never filter.
The last several hundred feet of the trail are steep and loose. This section of trail is by far the worst. However, they have done some maintenance recently, and the trail isn’t nearly as bad as it has been in past years.
Finally, there is a patch of snow near the top of the trail. That snow can be absolutely treacherous, especially early in the season. Last week, the snow had melted out where the trail crosses it, so you will be able to walk across on dry dirt.
