What are some good side trips on the jmt

imported
#1

i have 21 days to play.no kids no cares no nothing.on the way from happy isles to whitney id like to bag some peaks and do some exploring.mt.dana im going to climb as well as ritter or banner maybe both.also mt .coness near may lake has got my attention.
half dome and clouds rest id like to see
are there any spots that are a must see.
im not familiar with any other spots

on a side note i must pass lil yosemite and morraine dome before camping.i dont want to rush to sunrise in one day.i was thinking merced lake or cloud rest junction and do half dome in the morning. what can you tell me about camping in that area

steve

#2

…as a BAD side trip from the JMT, it seems. Everything you mentioned sounds great, and the cloud rest jct. camping is good, with water and a pretty area. Last summer, it had a lot of nosy bears though, so bear canister or kiss your food goodbye.

The 2 sidetrips you didn’t mention that i really liked were Split Mtn. and Mt. Muir. Split is right after Mather Pass. You can camp at the Lake and then go around its south shore, head to the saddle north of Split, and follow the ridgeline up. It was pretty easy…no trail but no hands climbing. Mt. Muir, on the way down from Whitney, is very short, but a little more technical. If you’re doing Ritter, Muir shouldn’t be a problem for you. Refer to summitpost.org, their page on it, for route info, pictures, etc.

I would like to do Cathedral Peak, but we didn’t have the time. Rainbow Falls from Reds Meadow is a nice walk between meal #1 and meal #2 (2 hours later). I’d like to take the Fish Creek trail from Reds to Ida Bell hotsprings, but i just read a report from someone who said they couldn’t find the hot spring. Speaking of hot springs, Blayney springs near Muir Trail Ranch was really nice, and this year the river crossing to get to it should be easy. I wouldn’t miss that side trip either. VVR is a sidetrip maybe worth missing.

How about Middle Palisade? Anyone done that from the JMT? Or Mts. Tyndall and Williamson? Those look doable if you have 2 extra days.

markv

#3

Half Dome is the obvious side trip on day 1. I suggest you not miss it. I also would skip VVR if I were to do it again. I felt like I was on the Island of Misfit Toys while there. Especially when the two staffers locked teeth into one another - in the dining room - while I ate my dinner. But if you like to party, you might love the place. :cheers

jeffrey hunter

#4

I would second the recommended peaks above and add two more:

From Muir Pass you can climb Mt Solomons (13,034 ft, due south of the pass) or Black Giant (13,330 ft, southeast of the pass). Both are non-technical climbs. If I had to choose one, I would pick Black Giant for its view down into Le Conte Canyon.

Snowball