5-Day Peak Bagging in Northern Golden Trout Wilderness

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” ~Carl Sagan

Route Overview

The Golden Trout Wilderness is an area known as the Kern Plateau located at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada. The area features two wild and scenic rivers: the North and South Forks of the Kern River. It is named after California’s brightly colored state fish. The Golden Trout Wilderness is a newer wilderness area, designated in 1978 and has miles of maintained and unmaintained trails. Many of my favorite backpacks and peak climbs have been in this fine landscape. I keep coming back to Golden Trout Wilderness on repeat. It is wild, remote, visited by few, and the permits are easier to secure.

I continue to savor the idea of a spontaneous trip armed with a good map and a spirit of exploration. This 5 day backpack deep into Golden Trout began as a “Choose your own adventure.” It ended up working as a really good route that I am excited to share.

The regular snow pack in 2024 was an opportunity for an earlier high country trek. After looking at the current snow level layer on CalTopo, I mapped out a general route. I also gathered information from Secor’s book “The High Sierra” on possible peaks to climb in the area. I have the Kindle version of “The High Sierra” downloaded on my iPhone.

My long time hiking and skiing buddy Michelle and I headed into the backcountry for an adventure prepared for most anything the mountains would dish out. During this time together we worked as a team making small goals, then deciding what was next given the weather and snow conditions and how we felt. Freedom really. It was transformative.

At the end of our mostly cross country journey, we had visited remote meadows, basins, and lakes. We traversed a plateau and climbed 6 peaks.

Meadows: Horseshoe Meadow, Big Whitney Meadow
Basins: Miter Basin, Siberian Outpost
Lakes: Chicken Spring, Soldier Lakes, Sky Blue, Iridescent, Johnson
Plateau: Boreal Plateau
Peaks: Trail Peak, Peak 11,620, Trailmaster, The Major General, Boreal Plateau, Johnson Peak

Route Details

TRIP DATE  June 8 – 12, 2024
DISTANCE  48.03 miles
ELEVATION GAIN  11,503 feet vertical gain
TRAILHEAD Starts and ends at Cottonwood/Trail Pass Trailhead
DIFFICULTY Strenuous on trail, unmaintained trail, use trail, cross country with some class 2-3 scrambling
NAVIGATION Map of Golden Trout Wilderness, map and compass skills, GPS of route
BEST TIME TO HIKE Summer and Fall
WATER Plenty of natural water sources
PERMITS recreation.gov online reservations
CELL SERVICE None

Trip Video

Guidebook, Maps, and GPS

• Secor’s The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, Trails 
• Golden Trout Wilderness Map
• Map set created on CalTopo, then printed on 11 X 17 paper (highly recommended) – I use Fed Ex online printing service.
• GPS track I created on CalTopo before the trip.
• Click “Open in “CalTopo” in upper right hand corner of map to view and download GPX.

3D Satellite View of Route

Tips & Options

• If you are NOT interested in climbing peaks, the next is a possible modified version of the route that is mostly on trail with use trail sections in Miter Basin and Rocky Lakes Basin: Horseshoe Meadow Trail > Trail Pass > PCT North > Cottonwood Pass > PCT North to Siberian Pass Trail > N on Siberian Pass Trail > Miter Basin via Soldier Lake Trail > Sky Blue Lake > Iridescent Lake > Soldier Lakes Trail > S on Siberian Pass Trail > W to Rocky Lakes Basin Trail > NW to Rocky Lakes Basin > Big Whitney Meadow > Cottonwood Pass > Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead
• Know and use the 7 Leave No Trace Principles

Recommended Gear

• Bear Canister – Required for the area of this trip. I have a few good bear can options on my gear page.
• Trekking Poles – Stronger hiking poles for rough terrain. I have had good luck with the Fizan Compact 3 Trekking Poles. The poles are relatively inexpensive, very lightweight, and I have yet to break a pole.
• Shoes – I love the approach shoe,  La Sportiva TX3  for hiking cross country. They have amazing GRIP, are supportive, breath well, lighter weight, and are wide enough for trail hiking.
• Gloves – I like the Gorilla Gloves: cheap, protective and VERY lightweight.
• Satellite Messenger – I carry a Garmin inReach Mini 2 and highly recommend it.
• Backpacking Kit –  It is important to get your backpacking kit as light as possible for safety, comfort, and your health. Here is my current lightweight gear list. 

Daily Route Journal

Day 1 – Entering the Wild

Cottonwood/Trail Pass Trailhead > Trail Pass > Trail Peak Summit 11, 605′ > Above Poison Meadow
4.55 miles – 1,740′ elevation gain

Energy and excitement was high heading out late afternoon with loaded packs. Trail Pass entrance into Golden Trout out of Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead is non-quota and permits are easily obtained online. The trail begins very gently at a high altitude just under 10,000 feet. Then it turns left onto the Trail Pass Trail. The well graded trail to the pass has switchbacks and a seasonal water source on the way up.

At the top of the pass, we left the maintained trail to climb Trail Peak. The climb up is non-technical on mostly dirt and sand with stunning views of the southern and northern Sierra. It’s a fun little climb. We were fortunate to reach the top just in time to enjoy a jaw-dropping sunset. Dramatic cloud formations enhanced the view. While at the top, we had a superior view of our route for the next day. The next day’s goal was to climb both Peak 11,620′ and Trailmaster.

We descended the north face of Trail Peak on granite ledges. The ledges led to sandy slopes just above the Pacific Crest Trail. We found the perfect camp to pitch our tents for the night and quickly set up before darkness. To celebrate I enjoyed one of my favorite homemade dinners, Coconut Chicken Curry.

Day 2 – Be at the Ready

Pacific Crest Trail North > Peak 11,620′ Summit > Cottonwood Pass > Trailmaster Summit 12,336′ > PCT North to Siberian Pass Trail > Miter Basin via Soldier Lake
13.49 miles – 3,422′ elevation gain

Fun and wild day. The 6:00 am go time set us up for a day full of exploration. First off, we headed a short bit down to the Pacific Crest Trail, turned west (left). After about 2 miles, headed off trail to climb Peak 11,620′. It is a short, fun, non-technical climb to the top, but the views are well-worth it.

We then traversed and dropped down to the PCT at Cottonwood Pass. This is a popular PCT hiker exit for resupply in the town of Lone Pine. We sited a hiker coming up over the pass and it was Guru! I not only had hiked with him in Alaska, but the week before I dropped off stove fuel for him when he was resupplying in Tehachapi. We chatted and parted ways. How cool is that?

Just above the pass, Michelle and I stashed extra gear. We wouldn’t need it on the climb up Trailmaster, the next goal. The route up is on sand and granite boulders. At the top we used our maps to scout out possible areas we wanted to visit. Miter Basin, a remote off trail basin dotted with alpine lakes was on top of the list. We also scouted out: The Major General, Siberian Outpost, and south toward Johnson Peak. A huge advantage to see where the snow was and wasn’t and check out the terrain obstacles. The descent back down was direct and quick. At the bottom we ate lunch, packed up our gear and headed to Soldier Lakes.

Early season around the Soldier Lake area is wet and muddy. We looked for little areas to go up and around to avoid the bogs. It mostly didn’t work and was a waste of energy. At the head of the uppermost Soldier Lake, we planned a route through the rocks. This path would lead us to Miter Basin. There are several routes up from Soldier Lake on faint use trails that would work nicely.

Dark clouds and wind rolled in just as we crested and entered magical and dramatic Miter Basin. We urgently started looking for a good, sheltered camp without big rocks. We eventually found a slightly sheltered ledge perched well above Rock Creek. Wind picked up, it was impossible to use tent stakes to pitch our tents on the rock ledge. Luckily there were many rocks nearby. We used the big and little rock method for pitching a non-freestanding tent. In my experience, this method is incredibly effective if rocks are available nearby. It works exceptionally well in high winds, where tent stakes can easily be pulled out of the ground.

Michelle and I made and ate our dinners in our tents sheltered from the increasing wind.

Day 3 – Staying Flexible

Sky Blue Lake > Iridescent Lake > The Major General Summit 12,408′
8.72 miles – 2,607′ elevation gain

WOW, the wind during the night picked up and did not stop until early-morning. Not a great night, but the rocks I used to set up my tent held strong. I was amazed and thankful. Making my hot morning coffee proved to be quite a challenge.

There are many lakes to explore in Miter Basin. A hiker can spend a few days here just wandering. Michelle and I chose to spend the day to visit Sky Blue and Iridescent Lakes. We took only the necessary gear and set out. We stashed the rest in trash bags jammed at the base of a rock. We both opened the app CalTopo on our phones, located ourselves and placed a Marker on the spot. That way we both locate our gear stash on the way out,

First off we descended into the basin below and followed a use trail up to Sky Blue Lake. On the way we gawked at a sparkling sunrise and cascading waterfalls. Early season in this basin is so worth it. Michelle and I hung out a bit at Sky Blue. Then we left the use trail to traverse 500 feet up to Iridescent Lake.

As we sat and ate an early lunch, we identified the mountains to the east. A couple of years ago Michelle and I climbed Le Conte, Irvine, and Mount Mallory west from the Meyson Lake.

After making it back to our gear, we packed up and headed toward the mountain north of 14er Mount Langley, The Major General. The approach to the top we estimated to be just above the drop into Soldier Lake. The Major General dominates the area and looked like an interesting afternoon climb.

After stashing gear once again we examined possible routes up the peak’s many ledges. We worked together and agreed on a possible route. To be honest, we didn’t know if the route would go. I had very little information on a route up.

We picked our way up weaving in and out of a maze of rock ledges. After climbing the sandy plateau near top of the peak, the summit block was a fun class 2-3 scramble. From the top, we identified many peaks and strategically posed for our summit photo with a backdrop of Miter Basin.

After making it down off the mountain safely and picking up our gear, we lounged around. We agreed that climbing The Major General was a highlight of our trip so far.

We made it back down to Soldier Lake and then to Upper Rock Creek. There, we found a sheltered established camp slightly above the south side of the creek. The evening was peaceful and uneventful with Rock Creek cascading in the background. We savored every minute.

Day 4 – Walking on Air

Siberian Outpost > Boreal Plateau Summit 11,537′ > Johnson Lake > Johnson Peak Summit 11,371′ > Big Whitney Meadow
12.52 miles – 2,137′ elevation gain

For years I have traveled the PCT above the Siberian Outpost and wondered what it would be like to travel the length of it. Today was the day.

After a short jaunt on the Upper Rock Creek Trail, we headed off trail into the heart of the Siberian Outpost. It was open territory with easy walking and a 360 degree view. Perfect off trail travel. After traveling a couple of miles on mostly flat terrain, we spotted the small saddle that would be our access up to the Boreal Plateau.

Before climbing up the saddle and out of the head of the canyon, it was snack time. We gathered extra water from a stream for the next leg. We anticipated there would be little water until reaching Johnson Lake.

The climb up onto the Boreal Plateau was gentle, uphill walking. As we crested the plateau the snow cornice seen from far away was now close up. I love plateau walking. So high, open, and exhilarating. The descent to Johnson Lake on the sandy slopes went quickly.

Surprisingly, Johnson Lake’s water level was quite low, which added an adventurous twist to our trip! We scrambled over boulders to gather water for our delicious lunch and the climb up Johnson Peak. Enjoying our meal in the refreshing shade of a tree, we lounged, laughed, and studied our maps for the next hike up Johnson.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ascent of Johnson, navigating through a forest of Foxtail Pine. The summit block offers an exciting class 2 scramble, and the breathtaking views from the top truly making this remote peak worth every bit of energy and time expended.

However, the VERY STEEP 1 mile descent down off the peak to Johnson Creek was not pleasant. It requires concentration and careful footing.

We utilized our maps and GPS to cross-country over to the trail that would lead us north to Big Whitney Meadow, our destination for the final night in the backcountry.

I was pretty beat at the end of this day. Finding a location for a sheltered camp above Big Whitney Meadow was not easy. Michelle and I worked together finding the perfect spot located above the meadow and creek, offering expansive views.

Once we settled in, I focused on taking care of my personal needs and felt rejuvenated after cleaning up and enjoying dinner. We spent the warm evening relaxing, reminiscing about our route selection and cherishing the time we spent together.

Day 5 – Short and Steep

Big Whitney Meadow 8,950′ > Cottonwood Pass 12,126′ > Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead
8.73 miles – 1,597′ elevation gain

After basking in the morning light, we headed up to Cottonwood Pass. The trail is well maintained and nicely graded, though steep, which adds to the excitement! With our fresh morning energy, we swiftly made it to the top of Cottonwood Pass. At the end of a fulfilling trip like this, I feel an uplifting mix of satisfaction and eagerness, ready to unpack and embark on a new journey.

Michelle and I shared many laughs during those last miles and even stopped to chat with an older gentleman making his way to the pass. He was incredibly informative and let us know that “Trail Pass” is a non-quota entrance to one of my favorite places on earth.

Golden Trout, you just might be seeing me again next week! 🙂

My Personal Highlights from the Route:
👍Climbing on grippy, solid, granite boulders
👍Miter Basin’s evening lighting
👍Strolling on the Boreal Plateau
👍MY FOOD. I nailed it. Favorites: Paleo Valley Bars, Siete Almond Flour Tortillas, Organic Valley String Cheese, Paleo Valley Teriyaki Beef Sticks, RX Almond Butter Packets, Siete Tortilla Chips (2 bags)

👍Immersing my body into cold creeks and lakes
👍The company of a fine hiking partner

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