In my mind’s eye, I see the eastern Sierra defined by a series of more than forty trailheads situated between the Sonora Pass road to the north and the town of Lone Pine to the south. Each of these is connected by a lateral road to a main road, either Highway 108 or Highway 395, and their trails reach west to the Pacific Crest Trail. They are also tied together in a web of opportunities for long and short trips. Each trailhead is the doorway to a unique opportunity to access the fabulous backcountry scenery and fishing that can be found along the Sierra Crest.
The Horseshoe Meadows trailhead, situated at the southernmost end of the chain, provides four pathways into some of California’s most iconic wilderness while having the added advantage of sitting at an altitude of 10,300 feet. Thus, the steep uphill climbs that characterize hiking on the east side are greatly minimized.
To get a picture of the possibilities found at this trailhead, lay out side by side the Tom Harrison Golden Trout Wilderness and Mount Whitney backcountry maps (they’re wonderful resources, by the way.) You will see the Owens Valley and the town of Lone Pine to the east. To the west, find the Kern River and its massive trench. The southern boundary of our area of concern is Templeton Meadows and the South Fork of the Kern. Then f ind Tyndall Basin and Shepherd Pass on the north. The area inside these lines contains California’s highest peaks, numerous large and small meadows, a major river with a Yosemite-like canyon, and a myriad of lakes and streams. It would take a month or more to explore this region, and what a glorious month it would be. From the angler’s perspective, the common thread in all this is golden trout.
Getting to Horseshoe Meadows
You will see the Horseshoe Meadows road long before you are able to leave Highway 395 and travel out of the Owens Valley. Driving to Lone Pine from either the north or the south, a series of diagonal lines can be seen ascending the high ridgeline south of town. These are the switchbacks that allow a gain of 6,000 feet in altitude in less than 15 miles. The turnoff from Highway 395 is Whitney Portal Road, located in the center of Lone Pine and marked by the only traffic light in Inyo County outside of Bishop. Turn west on this road. Horseshoe Meadows Road is a left turn at a marked junction, three and a half miles from town. Keep on this road until it ends. The views from the road are spectacular, especially on the descent back out, with the Inyo and Panamint Mountains to the east across the floor of the Owens Valley and remnants of Owens Lake. Toward the top of the climb, look for hang gliders, who frequently take off from the last switchback before the meadow. The meadow area itself is about a mile long, bisected by Cottonwood Creek, which is fishable for small golden trout. There are two walk-in campgrounds and a third equestrian-outfitted campground and a pack station. The four trailheads in the meadow lead to four separate passes heading out of the basin.
The Siberian Divide
Looking at the maps, we can find Siberian Outpost to the northwest of Horseshoe. This wide, open meadow is located at the base of Cirque Peak to the east. Peter Browning’s Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt states that the valley was named by Harry Corbitt in 1895 “due to its bleak appearance,” while Patrick Armstrong, in The Log of a Snow Survey: Skiing and Working in a Mountain Winter World, says that it was named by federal troops put in place by President Theodore Roosevelt in order to guard the entrance to Sequoia National Park against sheepherders. Armstrong suggests they felt as though they had been banished to this stark location. In any event, the place is aptly named: it is a very large sandy plain surrounded by the granite peaks of Mount Langley, the Major General, and Cirque Peak, as well as by the Boreal Ridge, which marks the divide between the Whitney high country to the north and which averages more than 10,000 feet in elevation, and the Kern Plateau, which slopes away to the south and contains the headwaters of the South Fork of the Kern River and the original waters of California’s state fish. For my money, the area to the north, on which we will focus, is the essence of the Sierra high country in terms of altitude, scenery, wildlife, and flowers — and, of course, the high-country fishing experience.
North from Siberia
The area north of Boreal Ridge can be accessed from Horseshoe Meadows using either of two passes, New Army or Cottonwood. The first trail you will encounter at Horseshoe Meadows is the Cottonwood Lakes / New Army Pass Trail. A sign marks a right turn from the road at the beginning of the campground complex. Follow this lateral road for about a mile to the parking area and the start of the trail. The Cottonwood Lakes are located near the South Fork Lakes, and the trail is signed for both.
Soon after beginning, the hiker enters the Golden Trout Wilderness, where wilderness regulations apply. Bone up on these with the Inyo National Forest before you begin your hike. A mile out, you cross the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek. This stream offers your first opportunity to fish for golden trout on this trail, if you are willing to fight through the willows to get at them. Continue for half a mile or so of easy walking before beginning a long, steady climb. The trail passes the privately owned Golden Trout Camp and the proceeds into the John Muir Wilderness.
Farther along, a junction sign marks a split in the trail. The right fork continues to climb toward New Army Pass, while the left leads to the Cottonwood Lakes. These lakes are a popular destination for both single-day and overnight trips. They could be a first-night destination for someone looking to ease into a longer trip or who is getting a late start for a day hike. Because of their popularity, permits for the area go fast, and you need to check with the Forest Service far in advance. The Cottonwood Lakes and their connecting stream are now open for fishing, but special restrictions limit tackle (barbless hooks) and take (zero). If you plan to fish here, know the regulations before heading out.
To cross the Sierra and enter the Whitney bench country, continue up the New Army Pass Trail through a series of switchbacks until reaching the summit at 12,300 feet. The higher you climb, the more spectacular the views of the lakes basin below and the Owens Valley and Inyos and Panamints to the east. The summit is the boundary of the Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, in which new regulations apply to hiking, particularly a prohibition on dogs. Be sure you are familiar with these before going into the park.
The trail drops quickly through a stark cirque before entering a forested area. About six and a half miles from the summit, the trail intersects a north-south lateral. The right-hand fork leads to Soldier Lake and a trail that follows Rock Creek until eventually linking up with the Pacific Crest Trail at the Rock Creek crossing. The left fork runs south to join the PCT at the eastern edge of Siberian Outpost. Once you reach the PCT, a right turn leads to the north toward the Whitney high country. A left turn leads back to Horseshoe Meadows, and you can also go straight across the PCT to Siberian Pass and Big Whitney Meadow. We will leave the treasures of Big Whitney and the Kern bench for another time.
The Pacific Crest Trail can also be reached from Horseshoe Meadows via the Cottonwood Pass Trail. This offers a more direct access to the Rock Creek area, but lacks the extended alpine experience of the New Army Pass Trail. To start on the Cottonwood Pass Trail, drive past the turn-off to the South Fork Lakes / New Army Pass trailhead and continue to the end of Horseshoe Meadows Road. The trail starts near the pack station and is clearly marked. The walk begins by going west along the edge of the meadow, paralleling the creek. At the western end of the meadow area, the trail turns north up the creek for a short distance, then crosses the creek and begins a long, switchbacked climb toward the summit. There is no water source after this creek crossing, and this can be a hot, dry slog. Be sure you have water with you and that you have hydrated in advance. The final switchbacks climb through a rocky cirque, and the trail reaches the summit (12,200 feet) three and a half miles from the car. Check out the views of the Great Western Divide to the west and the Inyo range to the east. The Pacific Crest Trail is just a short way beyond the summit. As indicated, the Whitney bench lies to the north or right fork. If you continue to follow the Cottonwood Pass Trail by crossing the PCT, you will reach Big Whitney Meadow, while a turn to the left at the PCT junction offers access to the Kern Plateau.
Heading north, the trail passes Chicken Spring Lake, climbs over a ridge, and drops into Siberian Outpost to join the New Army Pass Trail. From there, the hiker descends into the canyon of Rock Creek following the PCT.
Rock Creek
Whenever I talk with people about angling in the Sierra backcountry, the topic of Rock Creek will eventually come up. I have fished along the length of this stream from its headwaters near Soldier Lake to down below the PCT trail crossing. The creek has decent size, being maybe twenty or so feet across at the PCT crossing, and is capable of carrying heavy flows during the spring and early summer. Up higher, the creek flows through a series of meadows, big and small, as it builds its flows. Much of the fishing is done in riffles and plunge pools as the creek drops toward the Kern River Canyon.
The stream also has large pools. I have fished one such pool on three separate trips and have been the beneficiary of memorable angling on each occasion. This particular pool is maybe twenty-five or thirty feet in length and perhaps twelve feet across. It is carved between two rock walls, and the only way to fish it is from a narrow ledge just big enough to accommodate two careful casters. The water is astoundingly clear, and literally dozens of trout are visible from the perch on the ledge. My wife and I have fished this pool, alternating turns, and nearly every cast brought a strike. We would find a fish and then call it out and see if we could get it to take without disturbing any of the others. Across from us was a shelf, and the first time we visited, there was a line of trout facing upstream ranging in size from the biggest at the front to smaller fish behind. If you took the first fish in the line, the others would move up a space as the trout was played and released. It would then return to the shelf and take up its place in line as the others retreated into their ranking. We finally moved on in an attempt to not to spoil ourselves.
North of Rock Creek
Even if you have only time enough to reach Rock Creek at any point along its flow, doing so would make this a worthwhile trip. However, the idea here is to continue north on the Pacific Crest Trail to explore the magical high bench that extends north to the Tyndall Basin. The topography of this section of the PCT allows one to hike for around seventeen miles at an altitude above 10,000 feet without any significant up and down.
There are four major watersheds north of Rock Creek, and they are nicely spread along the trail a reasonable day’s hike apart. Going north out of Rock Creek, they are Whitney Creek, Wallace and Wright Creeks, and then Tyndall Creek. Readers of Charles McDermand’s delightful book Waters of the Golden Trout Country will recall his descriptions of the area and understand why the book was one of the things that inspired my original visit. All four streams are similar in size and character and offer as much dry-fly action as anyone could reasonably hope. The fish do not attain great size in these creeks. Their growing season is short, four to five months top, and insects are not as prolific as they are at lower elevations. In addition, there are a lot of fish here, so there is heavy competition for what food is available. This may be bad news for the big-fish fanatic, but it makes this backcountry a perfect location for someone who is learning the sport.
Filling up a fly box for a trip into this area is a pretty simple task. If you stick to the creeks, bring a selection of dry flies, which can include Royal Wulffs, Humpies, Sierra Bright Dots, Parachute Adamses, Blue-Winged Olives, Elk Hair Caddises or other caddis imitations, Cutter’s Perfect Ants, and grasshopper patterns. If I am going to visit one of the lakes, I will put together a box with streamers such as olive and black Matukas and Woolly Buggers and beadhead nymphs such as Prince and Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Copper Johns, and a midge pattern or two.
It may seem as though the fish in these waters are not at all selective, but that is not exactly the case. Size does matter, and the natural insects upon which the trout feed are generally small. So my imitations are in the size 16-to-20 range, with the hoppers going as large as a size 10. Streamers do not need to be any larger than size 8, and the nymphs should be in the same size range as the dry flies. As is always the case in high-country angling, there are spots that are more difficult to get to, and they contain the most and largest fish. The difference is that it is also possible to take fish in the spots where you can make your casts from the trail. These fish are spooky, so use a little stealth and care coming up on them.
Heading north from Rock Creek, the first stopping point is the Whitney Creek and Crabtree Meadows area. Whitney Creek is a smallish stream that drains a large watershed, which includes several lakes. It is home to an eager population of golden trout as it flows through Upper and Lower Crabtree Meadows. There are a lot of people to be found there. Most of these folks are either starting or finishing the John Muir Trail or targeting the Mount Whitney summit and are not there to fish. The climbers will turn off from the PCT onto the John Muir Trail at Crabtree Meadow and follow the route up to Trail Camp and to the summit and then out to Whitney Portal. Mount Whitney is a magnet for hikers who use this western approach in lieu of obtaining a permit to walk up from the east.
Fortunately, it is easy to avoid these crowds by fishing the creek in areas that are removed from the trail. One way to do this is to leave the meadow and go downstream from the PCT crossing. From this point, the creek begins to drop quickly into the Kern River canyon and loses its meadow character, becoming a steep series of plunge pools. Wherever you fish, bring out your dry flies and enjoy the action. This is not to say that you needn’t worry at all about technique. What pressure there is on these fish is concentrated near the trail, so there are places where they have had experience with the dangers of a fly. The water is extremely clear, and the meadow transmits vibrations from footfalls, so the fish are easily put down. An afternoon or morning spent on this creek is a memorable experience, combining the splendor of the setting with dry-fly angling for pretty, wild fish.
Wallace Creek and Wright Creek are one day north of Whitney. Wallace Creek is probably the more heavily visited. It is a larger creek, draining a larger area. The creek’s origin is Wallace Lake, a fairly large body of water in a stark rock basin at the base of Mount Russell. It is above the tree line in a tundra landscape with tiny grasses and flowers. In nice weather, the lake is a joy to fish, but on inclement or windy days, it can be brutally cold. I have been there for both. To the extent that there are people to be found in the area, they will most likely be at the lake, so you might have to share. The creek, on the other hand, holds a great many golden trout and, particularly below the tree line, offers shelter from the winds that can hammer the lake. Again, I have been fortunate enough to fish this creek all the way from the lake to the trail crossing. This can be done in a couple of days. As is the case with all of these streams, there is a mixture of water types and trout habitat, along with a huge amount of willows and golden trout willing to feed on the surface. The Wallace fish tend to be larger and a bit more difficult than those in Whitney Creek and the fish just to the north in Wright Creek. This latter stream offers the same angling opportunities as Wallace in its flow from its origin at Wright Lake down toward the Kern.
Another day farther north, the trail winds down to meet Tyndall Creek. Most people stop here for a single night before heading out over Shepherd Pass or getting underway toward Mount Whitney. They are missing out on this lovely little creek, which flows west, gathering water from its very large watershed on the way to the Milestone Basin and the Kern River. From its juncture with the PCT, the creek flows through areas of beautiful pine forest and a series of riffles and pools separated by small meadows. Two or more days could easily be spent exploring the full length of the creek. Tyndall fish may be the most beautiful of all those to be found on this trip, and that is saying a great deal.
As far as the hiking from Rock Creek to Tyndall goes, the trip is mostly high and fairly level going, with (by Sierra standards) minimal grades for high-alpine travel. Leaving Rock Creek, the PCT makes the only steep climb of the route out of the canyon through thick forest. At the top of the canyon ridge, the going becomes a bit easier, and the trail crosses Guyot Creek, which is the last water source for about four miles. The trail proceeds along a mostly level and sandy course and crosses Guyot Flat until reaching a steep descent through a series of switchbacks to meet Whitney Creek. This is a very pleasant day’s walk, with the constant presence of the Great Western Divide to the west and the flanks of a row of 13,000-foot peaks to the east. The hiker winds through copses of lodgepole and foxtail pines and masses of tiny flowers that grow in the sandy soil.
Although Whitney Creek can be reached by following the PCT after it crosses Rock Creek, there is an alternate way to get to the creek and Crabtree Lakes and Meadows from Soldier Lake, crossing a pass near Sky Blue Lake and dropping into Upper Crabtree Lake. This is a cross-country route, but is used with enough frequency that there is probably a use trail to follow. I have not made this trip for two reasons. The first is that it seems to me the hike would involve a level of difficulty beyond what I would like, and the second is that it cuts off at the top of Rock Creek, which would deny me that wonderful fishing downstream. This cross-country route is often used by people seeking a shorter way to the Whitney summit via the west side. Talk with someone from a mountaineering or outdoor shop before making this trip to be sure you understand the route and its demands. If you intend either to summit from Crabtree or to exit the area via Whitney Portal, you will want to check in with the Inyo National Forest for up-todate permit requirements and information, because the trail and campsites draw enforcement activity.
A single easy day will bring you to where the PCT crosses Wallace Creek. Starting with an uphill walk though foxtail pines, the trail leads to the edges of Sand Meadow. It then winds around the shoulder of Mount Young, crosses a saddle at almost 11,000 feet, and descends through a dramatic field of large boulders to the Wallace drainage. During this descent, you have a great view of the Tyndall Basin peaks as well as the Great Western Divide to the west. As yet another example of the interweaving of trails in this part of the Sierra, the Sierra High Route Trail connects to the Pacific Crest Trail at Wallace Creek. This route drops steeply into the Kern River canyon, providing a connection to trails that lead out of the canyon to destinations on the western edge of the Sierra or to a trail down the river that ultimately leads to the Kern Plateau and, you guessed it, Horseshoe Meadows.
Tyndall Basin is the final point in the Whitney bench and is found a day’s hike to the north of Wallace Creek. The trail winds over the ridge that separates the Wallace and Wright Lake drainages and then begins a mile or so rise onto the Bighorn Plateau. This is a truly amazing place, a high, flat expanse of tundra lying beneath the peaks of Mount Barnard, Mount Versteeg, and Mount Tyndall. To the east, the Great Western Divide and the Kaweahs are clearly visible across the Kern canyon. The sense of place here is memorable, and I would make the trip again and again even if there were no fish. Thankfully, there is no need to act on that thought.
Shepherd Pass
One can exit the bench and return to the Owens Valley at Tyndall by way of Shepherd Pass. This trail joins the PCT just above Tyndall Creek and drops 8,000 feet in about fifteen steep, dry, and difficult miles to a trailhead just north and west of the town of Independence. The route from Horseshoe Meadows north is often done as a point-to-point trip using Shepherd Pass and a shuttle service to connect the trailheads. I have done this trip only from north to south and so I cannot offer advice as to what is it like to go down Shepherd. I am not sure how much I would look forward to doing this, but I know that I certainly am not a big fan of going up the pass, either. People who know me have heard many stories about the trips I have made across this pass. I guess hiking the Sierra is a little like childbirth — doing it more than once requires the ability to forget the details of the experience. I have been over this pass three times after having sworn I would never do it again.
Going north from Horseshoe Meadows into the Whitney bench is a backcountry experience that should not be missed. Whether you travel to all of the waters between Rock Creek and the Tyndall Basin or are able to make only a shorter journey, you will be rewarded with a combination of fishing and scenic excellence that will remain in your memory forever.
