Tioga Pass Skiing & Lundy Canyon Hike

Last week I towed the trailer up north, camped at Lundy Campground, skied at Tioga Pass, and hiked up Lundy Canyon.

First day I toured with my friends Jim and Elysia.

Jim at Dana Meadows just below the pass with Mammoth Peak behind.

We were hoping to head up the Dana Fork to the broad valley between Mts Dana and Gibbs, but we ran into a steep & patchy gorge so we turned around and did a little tree skiing. Elysia tears it up!

After some good fun in the trees we cruised back up the meadows to the car.

Pretty day.

Next day Mary, our pup Bristle, and I hiked up Lundy Canyon.

Lots of Beaver activity up there.

Note the Beaver lodge on the back right edge of the pond.

We made it up to this overlook of the falls.

This painted rock has been around for a long time. I like it!

Day three involved a solo trip to Mammoth Peak (right). After skiing down the Dana Meadows for almost a mile, I hiked another mile or so to the stream crossing on Parker Pass Creek.

I took a few minutes to find a good crossing without success so resorted to wading across here.

Soon I wound up and around near Kuna Lake where there was plenty of snow.

Kinda funky photo of the summit. I was able to skin up pretty easily just right of center, then scrambled to the summit. Fortunately there was better coverage immediately from the top back and to the right.

Looking north towards Tioga Pass.

Natural rock sculpture.

West to Tuolumne Meadows (right) and the Cathedral Range (left).

South along the Kuna Crest towards Mts Lyell and McClure (back center).

The hike back up towards Dana Meadows wasn't bad as I was able to find a largely snow free route.

Finally, on day 4, I checked out the Saddlebag Lake area. I was thinking of trying the SE face of North Peak but it looked pretty thin at the bottom.

Lots of tracks on the slopes above Greenstone Lake. I eventually came back and skied here.

The scenery up here is just outstanding.

Steelhead Lake.

North Peak from the East.

 

I worked my way up to the Sierra Crest above McCabe Lake.

Looking down into upper Lundy Canyon. Skiing up here was fair. Lots of texture and some runnels forming.

The skiing was a little better above Greenstone Lake. The tracks actually helped smooth things out. This bowl skied well right around 11am.

Coverage in here was great. Good run!

Almost the identical tour I took with my friend Ann five years ago. It was my last tour that year. This might be my last tour this year. We'll see!