The trailhead for Mono Pass.
Our prospects for getting a campsite on a Saturday in the park were not good, so we decided to stay put for another night and find a hike close to the Tioga entrance.
We opted to hike up to Mono Pass, a 9-mile round-trip hike that starts at 9,700’ and gains about 900’.
The trail passes an old mining cabin before it climbs above treeline.
The trail initially winds its way through the trees, and is a moderate, easy trail the whole way.
Passing Mammoth Peak (12,117’) to the west.
You get above treeline about 3/4 of the way in, with views of the eastern, high-altitude side of Yosemite.
An unnamed peak forms the south side of Mono Pass.
After about 4 miles, you reach the high point, 10,600’ Mono Pass. At this point the Bloody Canyon Trail descends all the way down to Mono Lake.
Bloody Canyon got its name from the injuries suffered by livestock making the rugged passage.
Mt. Gibbs (12,764’) guards the pass to the north.
The scenery here is much different than most of Yosemite. It’s more similar to Mt. Rose and Mt. Freel in Tahoe.
A short hike past the pass gives you views of Lower Sardine Lake. The Bloody Canyon Trail descends to Mono Lake 4,200’ below.
130-year-old miners’ cabins.
A few miners’ cabins, established in 1879 and abandoned in 1890, sit a quarter-mile away.
Rustling up some grub.
The cabins area a reminder, once again, that miners are some tough SOBs. What a hard way to make a living!
Looking north from the south shore of Saddlebag Lake.
After our hike, we drove a couple miles from our campsite up to Saddlebag Lake to assess the view. The area just southwest of Saddlebag has 12,000’ White Mountain, which offers terrific backcountry skiing in the late spring.
Saddlebag Lake is large enough that it offers a ferry service for hikers and fishermen accessing the numerous smaller lakes north of Saddlebag.
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