Sierra in late September

[Ed Poyer]

I have a nine day backpack planned in the southern Sierra, to start on Sept. 3 Our plan is to enter from Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass), hike south, tag Whitney if things go well, and exit from Horseshoe Meadows or thereabouts. We're all experienced four season backpackers, and have backpacked in the high Sierra several times in early June and in late August - early Sept.

The rub is that I've just learned that we have a vacation blackout at work from July 1 through Sept. 12. I'll need to push the trip to depart around 9/16 and exit around 9/24.

Our preference would be to do the intended route. Alternatively, we could switch our route to lower elevations, maybe doing the Yosemite to Bishop section. Moving the trip that much further north might just counteract the advantage of the lower elevation. We might also lose use of the pack stations for caching food.

I'm concerned about the weather, specifically snow and black ice. I'll discuss these concerns with the rangers, but would appreciate opinions from those of you with experience in the high Sierra in late September: is that too late for an extended backpack?

Ed

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Definitely check with the rangers, but I think for the most part, you should be OK. Do be prepared for some ice in the trail in the early morning hours where it's shaded - things start to freeze up as early as August above 12K' and thaw out during the day. Of course, anything's possible, but I've been on Whitney several times in mid- to late-Sept without problems.

Gets cold at night, and the temps drop rapidly. A down sweater will go a long ways.

 

[weatherman]

My experience on two occasions in the Tahoe high country was very similar to Kevin's. I did get snowed out once around Columbus day though. Enjoy!
Weatherman

 

[Ed Poyer]

thank you

thank you for the info,
Ed

 

[Paul_Bear]

My experience is similar to Kevin's ...

I've done several trips through there between mid-September and mid-October. Generally we've been blessed with beautiful clear weather (with the exception of a few inches of snow as we descended Whitney) with days in the 50s up high and nights dropping below freezing. But the year following my last visit in early October they had a BIG snowstorm and were using helicopters to pull people out of the backcountry.

It's the time of year where you'll have to keep an eye on the weather ... while I've been lucky, the worst case for that time of year can be pretty bad. I remember talking with a ranger who said the worse they'd seen for late September was a 6 foot snowstorm!

Good luck! It's beautiful country to explore.