Conness. We had just enough room to walk the ridge. Left of Conness one can find Mount Ritter and Banner Peak. After passing beautiful alpine lakes, we get a view of the North East face of Mt. On the north side, the sheer cliffs continued westward, transitioning to form the headwall cliffs of the Conness Glacier. The climbing is enjoyable, clean and generally quite easy even for a 5.6. Mount Conness is right behind. Easy walking mostly on the level allowed me to enjoy the scenery and make good progress. Conness is one the best moderate alpine climbs in Tuolumne. Dana (at the far right). On summit plateau looking toward the summit of Mt. The day begins with a pleasant, easy hike in spectacular alpine terrain above Saddlebag Lake. Peaks: Mt Conness (sorted/filed as Conness) ; Place: California Difficulty: glaciers, skis . In fact, moments before summiting, I lost my brand new Arc'teryx hat. West Ridge Mt. Conness. CMC members Paul Morash and Ron Norton climbed the west ridge of Mt. Looking down the precipice from the knife-edge ridge leading to the summit. This climb is found in Peter Croft's the Good, the Great the Awesome book and if I'm not mistaken it gets an Awesome rating by Sir Peter. The first route from the west requires an overnight stay at Young Lakes or the closer Roosevelt Lake. Easy walking, therefore, up grippy bedrock. Conness is a spectacularly long and serpentine alpine ridge ⦠The lake sits beneath a rounded buttress that forms the ultimate termination of Mt Conness' eastern reach. West Ridge of Mt. I tickled my alpine itch this weekend by heading up highway 120 and climbing the North ridge of Mt. Above, another few hundred feet of crags and talus would bring one to its crest - but instead I chose to start traversing along at a constant elevation, hoping to avoid unnecessary elevation gain and loss. (. Peaks: Mt Conness (sorted/filed as Conness) Place: California. The summit dropped away fairly steeply on the southwest side; on the east side, it dropped much more precipitously, down to the snows and ice of the Conness Glacier. The emergence onto the plateau also meant that I had entered into the territory of Yosemite National Park. Yongsung Kim 1,955 views. Send feedback or leave comments (note: comments in message board below are separate from those in above message board), Web Page & Design Copyright 2001-2020 by Andrew Lavigne. Conness. Spectacular spires along southeast ridge of Mt. From here you can climb the class 3 East Buttress itself for excellent views of North Peak and Mount Conness or skip the buttress by heading northwest to gain the East Ridge more gradually. West Ridge of Mt Conness. Under crystal clear skies and still air, I started up the ridgeline. To the west, the angle of the ridgeline afforded me my first view of the 12,591-foot summit of Mt Conness - bare, solid, and still about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away. Our objective summit came into view as we scrambled along the blocky ridge crest. Conness, Rock Climbing, Sierra Nevada, SMI News. What's the scramble REALLY like above Alpine Lake? This is mostly a cross-country hike from Tioga Lake to Mt Conness via a number of lakes. Tutlumne County: West tojust east of Eureka Valley and eastward nearly to Sonora Pass, at 9,000 feet; on WhiteMountain, Mount Conness, ridge between Dlngley and ⦠Soon I was approaching the shallow saddle separating the buttress with the "real" start of the Mt Conness east ridgeline. Mount Conness is located on the north east border of Yosemite National Park at an elevation of 12,590â². Armed with a favorable snow report from the guys at telemarktips.com, I made plans to head back to the backcountry skiing mecca of Tioga Pass -- specifically, to climb Mount Conness and ski the chutes and bowls on its east ridge. Conness as a day hike on Aug.17, 2008. (. Conness, the Conness Glacier and the long, serpentine ridge forming the right skyline. Conness. Some people say they prefer the North Ridge of Conness, but I can't speak to that yet, since I haven't done it. The first bit was moderately steep, but wide and composed of solid, minimally-fractured granite. Mt. I happened to find myself in the Bay area of California for a work-related course in mid-August. Credit: rhyang. Mount Conness is a 12,590 foot (3,840 m) mountain in the Sierra Nevada range, to the west of the Hall Natural Area.Conness is on the boundary between the Inyo National Forest and Yosemite National Park.The Conness Glacier lies north of the summit. There are at least two class 3 routes to the summit. I wasn't sure what the knife-edge would bring, but for a few more minutes the going was easy as I walked across the firm gravel of the "mini-plateau". Ascent via class 2 east chute between Conness and White. Alpenglow on the approach. It's rated 5.6 which seems petty accurate. In fact, Peter Croft called it the best route he had done in the Sierra backcountry (albeit before embarking on some of his recent mega-traverse-linkups). After about thirty minutes and four hundred or so feet of climbing, I popped out onto the so-called summit plateau - a broad southward-slanting plain of barren gravel and rock (or snowfields early in the season) that connected the east ridge route with the summit block. Hiking Las Vegas.com 1 Hike: Mt. Home » Blog » North Ridge of Mt. The elevation here was now well over 12,000 feet - pretty high for someone who had come from sea level only 14 hours ago. Specifically the east ridge approach? Nearby North Peak has two steep couloirs popular for ice-climbing. One trailhead is on the northern side of Tioga Lake, which is located a few minutes east of Tioga Pass (the toll entrance station) at an altitude of about 3,000m. By most accounts, the East Ridge/Buttress is the shortest route up Mt Conness. In addition to offering relatively easy side-scrambling, this route also had the advantage of not having to deal with the clefts along the ridgeline, since it ran at roughly the level of the base of the clefts. A few minutes later, three more hikers arrived at the summit. 3:20. Scrambling up through the 5th class sections ju⦠2. The West Ridge of Mt. It's more of a scramble most of the way and probably more enjoyable in sneakers than in climbing shoes. Right of Conness one can see the highest ridge of Yosemite NP, with Mount Ritter and Mount Maclure. It reminded me at this point of the knife edge on Katahdin in Maine. It was airy in a couple of places, but only in one or two spots is a hand needed to assist progress. Pretty cushy for an off-trail route! I had thought this part might have been class 3 also, but I didn't use my hands at all, even on the steeper upper part. Credit: rhyang. What appeared to be a weather station was installed in the middle of this stretch of flat gravel. Descent via class 2/3 East Ridge Trip Report GPS Track Basically just gradually make your way up the west ridge for a little ways until itâs obvious that you need to leave it and proceed more directly up. Brett scrabbling up the NOrth Ridge 3. The North Ridge of Mt. From the ridgeline's little mini-plateau, I could also now see - off to the south - a little body of water perched on the southeastern slopes of Mt Conness. Reminding myself that Secor et. It was exhilarating, and - for the first few minutes - not all that bad. Airy but walkable. I could now survey most of the knife-edge ahead of me: roughly 700 yards of narrow, shattered, jagged rock, interrupted intermittently with ridge-crossing clefts. To do the entire stretch of Mt Conness' east ridge, one starts at Saddleback Lake - a roughly 10,000-foot high body of water not far from Tioga Pass, and accessible via a short intermittently gravelled road off of highway 120 near Yosmite National Park's east entrance. It would certainly be easy to access, as you could definitely land a helicopter here. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I was a little nervous as the mini-plateau narrowed and I approached the shattered bump of rock that marked the start of the knife-edged arete section. If you look down you can practice your thousand⦠5. I awoke before dawn and packed up, quietly walking back through the Sawmill campground to my car. Mount Conness offers challenging technical rock routes on its north ridge and southwest wall. Hiking Saddlebag Lake to Conness Lakes, East of Yosemite - Duration: 3:20. Nasty traffic resulted in a seven-hour drive from the Bay area to the start of my chosen route, in the Saddlebag Lake area on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park. Dayhike to Mt Conness. Conness is perhaps the best moderate alpine climb in Tuolumne. Alpine rock climbing at its finest! I made for the most reasonable line up the broad face before me - it looked quite steep, but as I began up it, I found that it was an easy series of gravelly ledges. Next section between the ridge and Conness plateau is a steeper class 2 section of dirt/rock mix. Conness, North Peak, Twenty Lakes Basin, Greenstone Lake, Saddlebag Lake, Mt. With such suitable conditions and given the near-noon time, I took off my pack and had a nice lunch break. The summit block itself was very prominent, rising up another few hundred feet into the sky a short way to the west. This was "Alpine Lake" - an important waypoint along the easier south-eastern route. Trip Date: 9.7.19. Although the forecast was good, I wanted to get a nice early start to minimize the chance of encountering afternoon showers or thunderstorms. "East ridge looked pretty prominent during our climb of the north ridge", they said. ;-) After drying my eyes, I quickly made haste to Mt Conness by following the North Ridge proper. Conness? I chose the northern Sierra as my target, but something a bit off the beaten path: a climb of Mt Conness, highest of the Sierra Peaks north of Tioga Pass and full of interesting routes, from easy to challenging. Anyone here hike Mt. Next was the long descent down the east ridge back to Saddlebag Lake. North Ridge of Mt. With the competition including Cathedral Peak and Matthes Crest, this says a lot. Gradually, the terrain on the south side of the ridge began to merge with the main southeast bulk of Mt Conness. Its standard class III climbing with a mercifully minimal amount of scree and boulder fields. Conness and the thin ridge leading to it. A couple of reasonably apparent herdpaths wound up these gravelly ledges, eliminating the need for any real routefinding here. Note for future climbers: The parking at Sawmill is for campers and will probably be full; the road has copious pullouts. Photo by Yao-Min Chen. North Peak juts into the sky across the valley containing Conness Lakes. Local Californians from the Santa Barbara area, they had climbed up via yet another route from the west. Conness, from near Cockscomb. The lower east ridge terminates in a broad saddle with a small weather station. Mt Conness - North Ridge North Ridge Route 5.6, Border of Yosemite National Park Lee Vining, California 1 day / Cost: $375.00 / per person with 1 Climber 1 day / Cost: $225.00 / per person with 2 Climbers The North Ridge of Mt. I chose the western one, crossing over a dam that harnesses the water of the lake - although at this point, the water level was so low as to nearly render the dam useless. At Middle Conness Lake, we left the trail and ascended granite ledges to gain the lower east ridge of Mt. Mt Conness East Ridge/Buttress Route Overview. The Conness Glacier was a fairly small sliver of its former self, hiding from the sun under the northeast-facing walls. The most direct start for the West Ridge Mt Conness starts at the Sawmill Campground, about halfway up the hill to Saddlebag. We experienced a picture perfect day on the North Ridge of Mt. I had hoped to camp at the Saddlebag Lake campground, but that was full by the time I arrived (on a Thursday evening, no less). At this point the ridge was only about two feet wide, and carefully peering into the gap, I didn't see any class 3-ish way to get down. Conness - East Ridge Route Trailhead: Sawmill Campground - marked Distance: 9 miles â up and back Elevation gain: 2,900 feet Elevation peak: 12,590 feet Time: 6 to 8 hours Difficulty: 4 Danger level: 3 Class: 3 â a few spots How easy to follow: 3 Children: No Map: See Page 6 Fees/Permits: None Waypoints (WGS 84): See Page 5 al. Send feedback or leave comments (note: comments in message board below are separate from those in above message board), Web Page & Design Copyright 2001-2020 by Andrew Lavigne. had described this as a class 3 route, and remembering to be extra careful while being out here alone, I started my way along the crest of the ridge. Summited in a couple more hours, quickly signed the register and made my way down the East Ridge. More Articles About California Hiking ... totally wiped out and fell asleep in the cold wind. Conness. Please see my memorial to Stephen Cook for more information. Pleasant, super-scenic ridgecrest walking brought me to a high bump along the ridgeline, roughly at about 11,700 feet. Photo licensing info. Conness August 2008 . Views of the Conness Glacier from the ridge were great. A few minutes later I was standing on the 12,590-foot summit of Mt Conness. But I had promised myself nothing more than class 3 while alone, so I began looking for alternatives. Posing with the awe-inspiring ridge traverse of⦠2. The objective was not the top of the buttress, but rather the start of the east ridge beyond it. It took me quite a while to figure out how to safely descend the chimney. 23 Aug 1998 - by Harlan Suits. Conness has been on tick list for a long time, but I was thwarted twice before, despite the route being very easy. Posted on July 10, 2020 by smiweb - Alpine Rock Climbing, Mt. September 4, 2010. Beyond the dam, a few hundred yards of easy trail walking brought me to a point beneath the buttress that seemed to offer the best possible ascent line, and I turned off, heading uphill over loose, blocky talus. Since it was now fully dark, I decided to simply continue a little ways up and off into subalpine terrain until I found a flat bit of unvegetated ground. Lastly, how scary is that summit block? Conness 7. The traverse idea worked out fairly well - the terrain at the roughly 11,000 foot level on the southern slopes of the buttress was fairly good - compacted gravel, or nice little stretches of subalpine grass or low scrub. We chose to get some garlic noodles but he made the wiser choice with Chick-fil-A. Mt Conness (Glacier Route) 30 Jun 2002 - by Richard Steele. There's even evidence of some trailwork along this ridge, where rock staircases have been formed out of slabby boulders. The walk across the plateau was a nice change from ridge scrambling or ledge climbing - nice, easy, flat walking. The route begins on Class 2, but sharp, distinct backbone ridge. For those interested in less technical scrambles, Mount Conness crest area is paradise. I then came to the first of the 'clefts' - gaps, perhaps 20 or more feet deep, that cut across the ridgecrest. I took a little break when I had finally fully descended the chimney. Mt. The scrub was the only thing that caused a bit of obstruction, but a bit of searching usually revealed an easy way through. We rolled out the east entrance of the park and headed up the road to Saddle Bag lake. We didn't end up pulling up to Saddlebag lake road until around midnight. Well fed we headed off to Tioga pass. Two trails encircle the waters of Saddleback Lake. On the opposite side of this mini plateau I could see a small knob of highly-fractured granite. Sarah and I met up with Andrea in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Pleasanton as usual. Conness to kick off the alpine rock climbing season in the High Sierra! How about the White Mtn/Conness saddle approach? I watched it rise and blow easterly with the winds as my eyes filled with tears. Trip: Mt Conness - East Ridge from Saddlebag Lake Date: 7/26/2008 Trip Report: On Saturday we climbed the complete east ridge of Mt Conness (myself and friends Randy and Ken). West Ridge of Mt. Later we would traverse the ridge from the summit to Virginia Peak, on the lower right of the photo (2020-10-18). The bump drops off sharply to the east and south in ribbed cliffs; to the west, the bump gently merges with a small, gravelly mini-plateau. Eventually I was forced to take off my camera bag and pack and squeeze myself and each of them through the narrow bits one by one. Being the highest peak in the area, the view was unobstructed in all directions. The rock began to transition to classic white Sierra Granite as I approached the saddle. I couldn't help but try and fit in some time in the mountains before heading back east. Based on the remaining ridgeline, I could only assume that this little bump was the beginning of the knife-edged portion (and therefore most challenging) part of the ridge. There's one section of particularly significant exposure, however the rock and route quality remain consistently good. All Locations > California > Yosemite NP > Tuolumne Meadows > Glen Aulin Area > Mt Conness West Ridge 5.6 YDS 4c French 14 Ewbanks V UIAA 12 ZA S 4b British Sure enough, the ground soon dropped away sharply on both sides, and what had previously simply seemd like a little bump at the end of the plateau turned out to be an airy perch. Overlooking Conness Glacier from a notch on east ridge. Conness in particular has claimed a number of lives. Panorama from low on the East Ridge (l to r): The East Ridge, Mt. I reverted to the nearby Sawmill walk-in campground, but I discovered (as I was walking in with my gear) that it too was full. I was able to more or less regain the crest as I neared its western end. Roosevelt Lake is a trudge from Tuolomne Meadows, but there's great scenery along the way. The West Ridge of Mt. Is it very dangerous? At the western end of the plateau, a narrow neck of rock winds up onto the prominent summit block. Next morning I started from Saddlebag Lake around daybreak and made my way towards the tarn east of Alpine Lake and the east ridge of Conness. Nearly a thousand feet of rather tiring talus ascent (sometimes a little steeper, sometimes a little gentler) brought me to a reasonably flat shoulder of the buttress. The east side approach is shorter but a bit more difficult. If I had been with others, I might have been more adventurous. We found this route to offer various terrain, with some class 1 through class 4 stuff. Fantastic views were now available both north and south off of the ridgecrest; to the north, the Conness Lakes Basin, and to the south, the basin of the Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, plus many craggy and high peaks of Yosemite National Park beyond. To do the entire stretch of Mt Conness' east ridge, one starts at Saddleback Lake - a roughly 10,000-foot high body of water not far from Tioga Pass, and accessible via a short intermittently gravelled road off of highway 120 near Yosmite National Park's east entrance. Although afternoon clouds had begun to form, it was still mostly sunny and only slightly breezy on the summit. It is a scenic climb with not too much vertical gain and can be done in 1/2 day. Conness with Mitchell. A five-minute drive brought me back up to Saddlebag Lake, where I stopped at the large trailhead parking area. Fortunately, I didn't feel sick (but I was definitely experiencing a reduction in aerobic capacity - hence the 30 minutes to climb 400 feet!).