“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Route Overview
The Great Western Divide is a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada that separates the Kern, Kings, and Kaweah watersheds. The range is relatively remote at least compared to other peaks and sub-ranges in the Sierra.
Our goal was to climb a couple of peaks (Mount Brewer and South Guard Peak) on the Great Western Divide while enjoying treks through several high basins. A failed summit attempt of Mount Brewer about 20 years ago due to a thunderstorm put this peak high on my list to climb. A portion of this trip is on Andrew Skurka’s Kings Canyon High Basin Route.
This arduous route starts at the Onion Valley Trailhead following the trail to Kearsarge Pass, to the JMT, then southwest following Bubbs Creek, turns south to East Lake, then climbs Mount Brewer, Longley Pass, South Guard Peak, and back to East Lake. The route then retraces the hiker’s steps to Onion Valley completing this lollypop shaped loop.
Our hike ended up being about 45 mile mix of trail, off-trail, and included the climb of 2 prominent remote, classic peaks: Mount Brewer elevation 13,576’ and South Guard Peak elevation 13,232’. We left with 5 days of food in our packs, but finished up the trip in 4 days.
This route left Dan and I more than well exercised and challenged. Along with seeing very few humans, we enjoyed breathtaking light, dramatic clouds, overwhelming talus for day, fun route finding, terrifying moments, and lounging by remote lakes.
Route Details
TRIP DATE September 6-9, 2024
DISTANCE 43.66 miles
ELEVATION GAIN 13,915 feet vertical gain
TRAILHEAD Starts and ends at Onion Valley Trailhead
DIFFICULTY Strenuous off trail with exposure, class 2 scrambling on small and large boulders
NAVIGATION Advanced map and compass skills required
BEST TIME TO HIKE Summer
WATER Abundant natural sources
PERMITS recreation.gov online reservations
CELL SERVICE High point on Kearsarge Pass
Guidebook, Maps & GPS
- Secor’s The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, Trails route description for Mount Brewer
- Map set created on Cal Topo, then printed on 11 X 17 paper (highly recommended) – I use Fed Ex online printing service.
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon Overview Map
- GPS track I created on Cal Topo before the trip.
- Click “Open in “CalTopo” in upper right hand corner of map to view and download GPX.
Recommended Gear
- Bear Can – Required for this area – Bearikade Scout Bear CanisterT
- Trekking Poles – Fizan Compact 3 Trekking Poles
- Shoes – La Sportiva TX3
- I carry a Garmin inReach Mini 2 and highly recommend it
- 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
Route Description
Evening 1 – Onion Valley Trailhead > Below Kearsarge Pass
4.4 miles – 2,288′ elevation gain
We left Tehachapi in the early afternoon and picked up sandwiches along the way at the Lone Star Bistro in Lone Pine for a fresh on trail dinner.
After getting to Onion Valley Trailhead I remembered that I forgot to add a lighter to my kitchen kit. Dan and I share a Jetboil stove when we hike together. The lighter didn’t get added.
Dan noticed a couple of hikers hanging in the shade and encouraged me to ask them if they had an extra lighter AND ya know what, they did. So cool. We talked trail and gear for a bit. Such great guys.
Climbing up from Onion Valley trailhead later in the day in the cool shade is a luxury as opposed to direct sun early in the day. Shortly after leaving the trailhead, we talked to a hiker coming down the hill. Turns out, his name is Space Case and we had messaged each other a couple of years ago about snow and routes. He was in the middle of a thru-hike linking some very serious routes together. Hard core.
As we climbed the sky opened with lovely soft pink lighting. Just as night fell and cool air enveloped us, we found a wonderful established camp below Kearsarge Pass.
Day 1 – Below Kearsarge Pass > JMT > Junction Meadow > East Lake > Below Mount Brewer
12.34 miles – 3,031′ elevation gain
This day was diverse!
- Huge elevation gains and losses
- Animal life (we saw Black Bear and Sierra Grouse)
- Beautiful groomed trail to off-trail navigation through avalanche destruction
- Sunny warm weather to threatening thunderstorms
- Staying on planned route to diverting to the next drainage navigating through hundreds of downed trees
- Wearing shorts for most of the day and ending doning full rain gear
The trail from Kearsarge Pass descending DOWN to East Lake Trail is a cruise with expansive views. I was concerned about what the condition of the East Lake Trail would be. Just a few years ago when I hiked through here on the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the trail was littered with downed trees and debris. We were pleased that the uphill trail was in great shape.
Our off trail portion began after a pleasant lunch at East Lake’s west shore. Secor’s description up to the ridge below Mount Brewer was to head up Ouzel Creek. To our surprise, shortly after leaving the lake the area looked like an apocalypse with hundreds of huge trees tousled about and was impassable. After trying a few options, we heading north to the next drainage that worked and went in the direction we needed to go.
Night was coming in quick and water sources on our maps were well below where we were hiking. Luckily we found a lovely flat ledge with water and clearing for a tent. We called it a little paradise.
Day 2 – Below Mount Brewer > Mount Brewer Summit > South Guard Lake > Longley Pass
5.33 miles – 3,771′ elevation gain
WELP this was probably the slowest and more difficult, but rewarding 5 miles Dan and I have ever hiked. Day 2 was spent primarily on big boulders, talus, and loose scree climbing and descending Mount Brewer traversing over to South Guard Lake and then up to Longley Pass WITH LOADED PACKS.
The first objective today was to summit Mount Brewer. At 13,570 feet, it is one of the highest peaks on the Great Western Divide. It is an emblem peak, which is considered one of the most iconic peaks in the range. From a distance Brewer dominates the entire area and is one beautiful and graceful mountain.
The approach to the ridge from our camp was on grassy ramps and granite slabs, then quickly transitioned to giant boulders that were mostly stable. After the ridge, Secor describes a notch to cross over to access the final safer approach to the summit. We found the notch pretty easily, naively thinking it would be easy and short going to the top. It wasn’t. It was longer than expected and many of the large boulders moved. We worked our way up with a big reward at the top. ALL THE VIEWS.
The descent down to Cinder Col was long and tedious on loose talus, scree, and sand. After the descent we enjoyed our lunch and coffee at the tarns below the peak.
After looking at our maps, the route I had drawn in on Cal Topo, and the actual terrain in front of us, we decided on another route to access South Guard Lake. Large snowfields blocked our way. Dan even tried to kick steps in the snow, but it was too solid. Our route ended up going high then dropping down to the lake.
The plan was to spend some time at South Guard Lake, but the weather digressed in the afternoon with incoming wind, cold, and clouds. We contoured over and found use trails up the sandy slog to Longley Pass. Fortunately we found a nice sheltered camp near the pass tucked between boulders for the night perched perfectly for an early morning climb of South Guard Peak.
Day 3 – Longley Pass > South Guard Summit > Reflection Lake > East Lake > Vidette Meadow
12.61 miles
- 2,532′ elevation gain
THIS DAY!
- Epic sunrise and sunset
- Quick and easy climb up South Guard Peak
- One magical alpine lake after another
- Lounging and swimming
- More coffee
- Special find on the side of the trail
- Perfect camp and swim at the end of the day
After waking up to a stunning sunrise, we packed up just enough for a quick climb up South Guard Peak. It was quite nice not to carry a loaded pack. From the summit of the peak we were able to view most all of our route from the previous day. It looked daunting.
We descended the peak, packed up all our gear and headed down Longley Pass. Longley can be difficult early season or on high snow years. It holds a U shaped cornice. Heading down the pass was straight forward with no particular problem. There is a nice class 3 route on the north side of the cornice, if the pass is blocked by snow.
The descent down to East Lake offered one beautiful lake after another. We considered stopping to camp at one of them but decided to keep going to take advantage of evening cool air and shade to make the climb back up Bubbs Creek to Vidette Meadow. We found the perfect secluded camp with no other camper in sight with a dipping hole nearby to celebrate our last night.
Morning 4 – Vidette Meadow > Kearsarge Pass > Onion Valley Trailhead
8.98 miles – 2,293′ elevation gain
This day was quick, uneventful, and loaded with hikers. On top of Kearsarge Pass we visited with a large group of rock climbers that had just finished climbing Charlotte Dome. On the way down to Onion Valley Trailhead we encountered one hiker after another coming up the trail. Crazy busy.
I thought it fitting to for this trip’s quote (at the top of this post) to be from one of my favorite books. Maybe because of the clouds, drama, danger, light, darkness, threatening weather, and joy, I felt just like a Hobbit as I traveled through and on The Great Western Divide.
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