SUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS | MAPS | VIDEOS | BLOGS | MARKETPLACE | CONTESTS
TRY BACKPACKER FREE!
SUBSCRIBE NOW and get
2 Free Issues and 3 Free Gifts!
Full Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email: (required)
If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $12.00, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.
Your subscription includes 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Or click here to pay now and get 2 extra issues
Offer valid in US only.
Canadian Subscriptions | International Subscriptions
CLOSE WINDOW
Cities
Asheville Atlanta Boise Boston Boulder Bozeman Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Des Moines Indianapolis Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Minneapolis New York City Philadelphia Phoenix Portland Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle St. Louis St.Lous Tulsa Washington D.C.
States
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
National Parks
Acadia National Park Adirondack Park Arches National Park Badlands National Park Big Bend National Park Biscayne National Park Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Boundary Waters Bryce Canyon National Park Canyonlands National Park Capitol Reef National Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park Catskill Mountains Channel Islands National Park Crater Lake National Park Death Valley National Park Denali National Park Everglades National Park Glacier Bay National Park Glacier National Park Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Grand Canyon National Park Grand Teton National Park Great Basin National Park Great Sand Dunes National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Haleakala National Park Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hot Springs National Park Isle Royale National Park Joshua Tree National Park Katmai National Park Kenai Fjords National Park Kings Canyon National Park Lake Clark National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park Mammoth Cave National Park Mesa Verde National Park Mount Rainier National Park North Cascades National Park Olympic National Park Petrified Forest National Park Redwood National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Saguaro National Park Sequoia National Park Shenandoah National Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park Voyageurs National Park Wind Cave National Park Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Yellowstone National Park Yosemite National Park Zion National Park
BEST HIKES EVER
John Muir Trail, CA Escalante Route, AZ Teton Crest Trail, WY Denali, AK Presidential Traverse, NH The Lost Coast Trail, CA The Needles Traverse, CO St. Mary to Lake McDonald, MT Appalachian Trail, GA-ME Zion Narrows, UT Wonderland Trail, WA Southern Traverse, AK Four-Pass Loop, CO The Long Trail, VT Boundary Waters, MN Wind Traverse, WY Redwood Creek Trail, CA Olympic Traverse, WA Willow Gulch, UT Northville-Placid Trail, NY
MOST DANGEROUS HIKES
Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains, TN Barr Trail, Pikes Peak, CO Bright Angel Trail,, Grand Canyon, AZ Buckskin Gulch, UT Huckleberry Mountain, Apgar Range, MT Kalalau Trail, Kauai, HI The Maze, UT Mist Trail, Half Dome, CA Mt. Washington, NH Muir Snowfield, Mt. Rainier, WA
INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURE TRAVEL
New Zealand Switzerland Nepal Canada Machu Picchu, Peru Chile
Long Trails
Appalachian Trail Continental Divide Trail Get Out More Long Trail Pacific Crest Trail
CLICK HERE TO LAUNCH FULL SCREEN MAP

Pacific Crest Trail: Best Dayhike - Sonora Pass, CA

CA

Star Star Star Star Star

Distance: 8.9 miles


This 8.9-mile section hike gets top billing for its 100-mile Sierra views of shimmering alpine lakes, towering peaks, and hillsides bursting with wildflowers.
  • On the ridge
  • Ridge walk

Getting PCT cognoscenti to agree on the trail's top dayhike might seem like a Sisyphean effort, but there's surprising consensus on the 8-mile walk from 9,628-foot Sonora Pass south to Leavitt Lake Pass. Here, the PCT straddles a windswept ridge high above treeline, with 100-mile Sierra views. In the foreground, shimmering alpine lakes dot glacial cirques among towering cliffs and hillsides bursting with lupine, green gentian, and other wildflowers. Gnarled whitebark pines claw the air in mute testimony to their own staying power. And off in the distance, in every direction, are regal stone giants. On a good day, you'll see Mts. Conness and Lyell in Yosemite. Cap off your hike with the half-mile scramble up 11,570-foot Leavitt Peak, leaving the PCT at 10,880 feet on the peak's east shoulder. Then, to reach your car at Leavitt Lake, descend 1.7 miles on an old, closed jeep track called Horse Meadow Road, which is 8.1 miles south of Sonora Pass near 10,640-foot Leavitt Lake Pass.

LOCAL WISDOM Create a shorter, partial loop back to Sonora Pass by linking Latopie, Koening, and Leavitt Lakes via cross-country routes.


PRINT THIS PAGE RSS FEED
Digg Delicious Yahoo Facebook Reddit StumbleUpon Google Newsvine MySpace Twitter
Post a comment

ADD A COMMENT

Your rating:
Your Name:

Comment:




Go
View all Gear
Find a retailer
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat Better
The Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Full Name:
City:
Address 1:
Zip Code:
State:
Address 2:
Email (required):
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only. Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions