Mt Whitney Webcam
Mt Williamson Webcam
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 155 guests, and 16 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
#14925 06/08/11 06:25 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
J
Jch Offline OP
OP Offline
J
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
Thanks

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Jch #14926 06/08/11 07:03 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
A friend emailed me this morning:

"I inquired of the Horseshoe Meadow road at the visitor center. It was still closed as of yesterday morning, but they hoped to get it open later today."

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Steve C #14929 06/08/11 07:53 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
J
Jch Offline OP
OP Offline
J
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
Originally Posted By: Steve C
A friend emailed me this morning:

"I inquired of the Horseshoe Meadow road at the visitor center. It was still closed as of yesterday morning, but they hoped to get it open later today."


Thanks, I will be up there week after next. I wonder how much snow is left on the trail to Cottonwood Pass.

Last edited by Jch; 06/08/11 07:55 AM.
Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Jch #14933 06/08/11 10:07 AM
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 49
Offline
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 49
Nathan checked and was advised road open as of yesterday.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Jch #14944 06/09/11 05:18 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,253
W
Offline
W
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,253
Based on being up there 3X in the last 6 years in Mid-June, there will be snow at least at the top of the pass. How much is the question. If no one has gone through it before it became solid ice and put deep foot print in, you will need ice and crampons to cross it.

However, you can you work your way around it. At about 11,000' head north off the trail. There is a saddle which can be crossed which will eventually put you back on the PCT. There is a there little to no exposure going this way.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
wbtravis #15014 06/11/11 07:11 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
J
Jch Offline OP
OP Offline
J
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8
Thanks, I'll just be doing a little day hike.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Jch #15026 06/12/11 01:02 PM
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453
Likes: 1
A
Offline
A
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453
Likes: 1
Yes, it's open. I was there Thursday night and Friday morning. The road there and the campground is free of snow.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Anonymous1 #15030 06/12/11 06:31 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 59
Offline
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 59
Some people advise to stay a couple of night at the Horseshoe Meadow campground before Mt. Whitney climb.
At the same time I found a statement on the official web site that you can stay only one night there.

Could you please clarify how to stay more than one night there and whetehr this is feasibloe at all?

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Yury #15031 06/12/11 06:50 PM
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453
Likes: 1
A
Offline
A
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453
Likes: 1
Yury, there is no one there. When I was there last November, it was just me in that very large campground. This past week, I saw one other car. I've asked a ranger about this as well, and he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and told me no one cares. confused grin His answer might be different in August. The traffic there and the Whitney Portal is night and day.

I don't have the official answer for you, sorry.

Last edited by 2600fromatari; 06/12/11 06:51 PM.
Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Anonymous1 #15042 06/13/11 02:36 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 59
Offline
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 59
How do you pay for this campground?

It's rather small and it doesn't look like there is a full time person assigned to it.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Yury #15048 06/13/11 07:00 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
Yury, you fill out a form, put money in an envelope, and slip it through a slot at the registration kiosk.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
Steve C #15095 06/14/11 02:46 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4
G
Offline
G
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4
Has anyone been up Langley? I was thinking about attempting it this weekend, will I need full ice-gear? Thanks everyone!

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
gradstudent #15107 06/14/11 07:36 PM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
M
Offline
M
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
I climbed Langley on 6/10/11 via Army Pass. The trail was mostly free of snow up until the Cottonwood Lakes Basin, then the snow coverage was pretty solid. All of the passes on the south side of the basin were covered in steep snow. Crampons and ice axe would be helpful, but you could just kick steps without the equipment if you are comfortable on steep snow. The crest from Army Pass up to the Langley was largely free of snow.

If you do not want to deal with really steep snow and want to leave the crampons and ice axe behind, you can take the chute between the Fin and Langley above the highest lake. That chute is largely melted out. Then circle over to the southwest side of Langley to climb mostly snow-free slopes to the summit.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
marmoting #15116 06/14/11 09:31 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,505
Likes: 103
(Old) Army Pass in June of this year? I would have thought the wind-blown snow at the crest of the pass would have made a nearly impassable wall!

Thanks for the info.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
marmoting #15118 06/14/11 10:14 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4
G
Offline
G
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4
Thanks Marmoting, I appreciate the beta. Did you do new army or old army pass? Theres no cornice?

My 11 year old Montrail Moraine mountaineering boots finally gave out this winter and I havent lined up a replacement so I may just see what I can do dodging the steep snow on my backup boots frown

Originally Posted By: marmoting
I climbed Langley on 6/10/11 via Army Pass. The trail was mostly free of snow up until the Cottonwood Lakes Basin, then the snow coverage was pretty solid. All of the passes on the south side of the basin were covered in steep snow. Crampons and ice axe would be helpful, but you could just kick steps without the equipment if you are comfortable on steep snow. The crest from Army Pass up to the Langley was largely free of snow.

If you do not want to deal with really steep snow and want to leave the crampons and ice axe behind, you can take the chute between the Fin and Langley above the highest lake. That chute is largely melted out. Then circle over to the southwest side of Langley to climb mostly snow-free slopes to the summit.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
gradstudent #15120 06/15/11 05:22 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
M
Offline
M
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
I went over "Old" Army Pass, but went directly up the chute rather than using the trail. There was no cornice in the chute, but the trail route passed directly above one. The snow steepness near the top of the chute was probably in the 50-60 degree range. To avoid the steep snow you could climb class 3 rocks along the sides of either New or "Old" Army Passes, or use the Fin chute.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
marmoting #15122 06/15/11 06:12 AM
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595
Offline
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595
A comment re: cornices -

A cornice at the top of a headwall one year does not necessarily mean that it will be there every year. Sometimes they form from just one storm, based upon the prevailing wind in that storm.

For example - I remember one year (maybe 2005) when there was a cornice at the top of the "chute" on the main Whitney trail which necessitated climbing a couple of hundred yards to the right of where you usually top out at Trail Crest. It wasn't a huge cornice, just large enough to make climbing it a bit risky.

I'll be up in the Cottonwood area this weekend. I doubt I'll be within eyesight of "old" Army Pass, but if so will be sure to take pictures.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
KevinR #15129 06/15/11 08:45 AM
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
L
Offline
L
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
That would be great if you took pictures. We are doing a backpacking trip through HM to the portal and we would like to avoid as much snow as possible. The concerns I can see is new army pass and the 99 switch backs given the snow melts in time for the rest of the area.

Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
lesper4 #15205 06/16/11 07:37 PM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
M
Offline
M
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
Below is a picture of "Old" Army Pass. The entire Cottonwood Lakes Basin had similar snow coverage.


Re: Is the road to Horseshoe Meadows open yet?
marmoting #15223 06/17/11 06:35 AM
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
L
Offline
L
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15
I wonder how much of that will melt in a month?


Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.037s Queries: 54 (0.030s) Memory: 0.6670 MB (Peak: 0.7970 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-28 18:33:31 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS