Re: The Other Mono Pass and Garnet Lake Outlet

Went up to Mono Pass. Great views of Little Lakes Valley.



Up at the Pass. Techie Steve where are you? Oh yeah he was going to the other Mono Pass.



I've been intrigued by the trail up Garnet Lake outlet. Seen very little info on it. One of the few things that I've found is this warning from a few years ago, which was a very high snow year.
"The SAR team has responded to a number of calls in the vicinity of the Garnet Lake outlet stream this summer, and the Team advises against attempting the trail from Garnet Lake to the San Joaquin and also advises against attempting a stream crossing at the confluence of the Garnet outlet stream and the San Joaquin River."
http://www.monosar.org/hikesafe/accidentreports.html

The confluence of the Garnet outlet and San Joaquin River was only about a foot deep. I was able to cross without incident. I'm sure it could be trouble with a higher stream level. The trail was in pretty good shape, with a short class 2-ish section at the very top.

Garnet Outlet:



Garnet Lake





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2013 07:14PM by yosemitejim.

Nummy nummy area! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Isn't that Little Lakes to Mono Pass a great little day hike? So much bang for the hiking buck, I like to say! Dang. Need more time to get to the Eastern Sierras to play more... Thanks for posting!

Here is interesting reading about how Yosemite National Park boundaries used to include Devils Postpile. I like to think of the Ansel Adams Wilderness as Yosemite's back yard.
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/devil_postpile/

Glad they didn't do this in 1910.
"In 1910, water interests were planning to dam up the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and inundate the Devil Postpile, then still called Devil’s Postpile."
http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/devil_postpile/

We did the Garnet Lake trail mid-summer last year. It was a piece of cake. Here is M working her way down it. Note that the trail is south of the outlet from Garnet Lake



And there is even a very rough use trail from the bottom of this trail down the west side of the San Juaquin for a mile or so, where you meet the trail coming up the river. It's a bushwhack made by fishermen, but it's doable.

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That is a good shot near the top of the trail. Just have to go up that short section, which was pretty easy going up.

Another one from Garnet