Snowshoeing to the Portal . . . - 09/14/10 01:36 AM
Gonna be out there in February for my annual winter Death Valley hiking trip, and the idea occurred to me about possibly taking a day to snowshoe up the Portal Road to . . . the Portal. I think I've read some brief accounts of folks doing this in the winter, but I can't recall the specifics. Seems like a cool thing to do for those of us woefully lacking in serious winter skills (i.e., crampon and ice axe). Anyone done this before and have feedback?
Looking at the map, it appears to be something on the order of 7 miles each way and about 2000 feet of gain - does this sound right? That's measured from the road's first right turn at about 6600 feet, heading up to the first switchback, which is where I recall seeing the Road Closed signs a couple of winters ago.
I realize it's 5 months away, but I'm funny that way. Cogitating on what I'll do in Death Valley in February and the Sierra in summer gets me through the boring winters.
Looking at the map, it appears to be something on the order of 7 miles each way and about 2000 feet of gain - does this sound right? That's measured from the road's first right turn at about 6600 feet, heading up to the first switchback, which is where I recall seeing the Road Closed signs a couple of winters ago.
I realize it's 5 months away, but I'm funny that way. Cogitating on what I'll do in Death Valley in February and the Sierra in summer gets me through the boring winters.