Hiking Shepherd Pass and Mt Williamson

Notes by piero scaruffi | See Travel resources | See Other California hikes

Mt Williamson (4,384 m) is the second highest peak in California and sixth in the contiguous USA, and lies about 10/15 kms to the north of Mt Whitney (the highest peak in California as well as in the contiguous USA). Mt Williamson is usually approached via Shepherd Pass.
Mt Williamson's trailhead is near Independence, California, which is south of Bishop. The Bishop ranger station (year 2006) hands out permits between 8am and 5pm (south of Denny's on the same side of the main street). Permits are required only if you camp on the trail. Permit reservation: 760-873-2483 cost $5 each (in 2006)
As of 2008, Mt Williamson was still forbidden from July 16 (not July 15) through mid December because it lies within the bighorn habitat (see below). The trail up until Shepherd Pass is open all year.
July is the ideal time to hike this trail because: usually the snow has already melted and thunderstorms are rare. Unfortunately, it can also be very hot at the beginning (and very cold after Shepherd Pass).

Trail description

The hike is much longer and tougher than Mt Whitney's main trail, as the trailhead for Shepherd Pass is only at 1920m. About 2/3rd of the way one reaches Shepherd Pass at about 3672m, then enters the Williamson Bowl, then climbs up the mountain itself. Except for this last stretch, the trail is mostly easy to follow or guess. There is usually no snow in July at Shepherd Pass. Details below.
There are two trailheads for the Shepherd Pass trail, one for hikers and the other for stock. Those hiking the stock trail hike an extra 2 kms. The only reason to hike the stock trail is if you don't feel like driving your car to the hikers' trailhead.
The trail begins in the Symmes Creek canyon. The sandy trail almost immediately crosses Symmes Creek four times. (The Symmes Creek comes down from Mt Bradley, and a south fork comes down from a ridge between Mt Bradley and Mt Keith). If the water is too high, you may skip the second and third crossings by bushwhacking along the right bank of the creek. After the fourth crossing, the trail begins the steep climb up Mt Begin (about 50-60 switchbacks). At the top, you reach a "saddle" (2770m), which is actually a series of three saddles, and cross to the other side into the Shepherd Creek canyon. From the saddle one can see Mt Williamson's north face sticking out above the hills in the south (Mt Williamson then disappears for most of the hike). Then you walk down (a 160m of altitude loss) until a fifth creek crossing (dry in summer) and then a sixth one (at the bottom of a little waterfall). You have reached (2620m) Mahogany Flats (technically that's the area way below by the creek, that the trail never quite touches). The new canyon in front of you is surrounded by waterfalls. The wall in front of you up the canyon, topped by trees, is where Anvil Camp is (3130m). Shepherd Pass is further up, at the top of the mountains that you see in front of you.

The trail starts climbing up very long switchbacks. You are about to reach Anvil Camp when you cross the seventh creek (usually dry in summer). Anvil Camp is at the top of the huge waterfall in front of you. Anvil Camp is shady and foresty. Yet another creek (this one wilder than all the previous ones) needs to be crossed after Anvil Camp.

Anvil Camp is a popular place to camp but actually infested with mice. Campfires are forbidden. Much better to camp a bit after it, out of the forest.

Two colossal mountains can be seen to the north: the ridge leading to Junction Peak (4233m), slightly northwest of Shepherd Pass, and Mt Keith (4260m), northwest of Anvil Camp or straight north of the "Pothole".

The trail after Anvil Camp is a brutal series of steep switchback up rocky terrain. The trail winds up to the right of a snow patch (many hikers lose the trail at this point and head south instead of west) and, after Pothole (another popular camping spot), reaches Shepherd Pass (3672m). The ascent to the pass is even more brutal, not only very steep but also on loose scree (and often snow till august).

When you reach Shepherd Pass, you see Mt Tyndall in front of you (south). Look left across the lake (east): that's the direction where Mt Williamson is, but you still cannot see it. Abandon the trail and walk southeast (left) up the ridge past the lake and you will see it emerge from the ridge in all its sinister glory. (If, instead, you keep following the trail, you will be hiking north-west, among beautiful landscape, passing, to the west, Milestone, Midway and Table mountains, and eventually hitting the Muir trail, but totally unrelated to Mt Williamson).
As you walk up that southeastern ridge above Shepherd Pass, passing another little lake on the left, the mountain on your right is Mt Tyndall. You are constantly walking left of Mt Tyndall. Keep left of the rocky area and you should meet the sign about the July 16 closure. The trail from Shepherd Pass to this point is sandy but solid, and the grade is not strenuous at all. Eventually you reach the rim overlooking the Williamson Bowl: a towering boulder on your left, the four lakes, the middle "bridge" that leads to the foot of the mountain, and the mountain itself in front of you. (Things are actually more complicated, but that's what it looks like from the rim). Now you descend into the Williamson Bowl. (In July, there is usually little snow in the "bowl" and little snow on Williamson itself). This is about 3kms past Shepherd Pass.
The so called Williamson Bowl is actually a series of little hills that separate the lakes. Most people descend into the bowl (losing about 100m of altitude) and then walk in between the lakes. As you descend, it looks like there is a "bridge" leading from the wall of the rim to the center of the bowl. Alas, this bridge is far from a simple straight line up. There are several gaps that create separate hills. It is your choice if you prefer a straight line that goes up and down or if you want to try to keep a stable altitude by walking around the hills. The terrain is mostly rocky. Snow might actually be a godsend in the bowl. On your left (east) you have views of Owens Valley. The Williamson Bowl is about 3kms wide, but you'll probably walk more than 3kms because nobody follows a straight line. When you reach the fourth and highest lake (3733m, second on your right), coast it to the left and start ascending towards a "black stain" left by the snow. (There is usually a snow patch on its right, in which case you want to aim for in between the two).
The moment you reach the altitude of the black stain, you will notice a wide chute that goes straight up diagonally above the black stain. If unsure, you are probably not in the chute: the chute is about 20m wide, thus hard to miss. It only climbs 300 vertical meters (and is probably only 500m long) but the grade is a killer. The skree is not as bad as often advertised (in fact, one can almost always use stable rocks to go up faster) but the grade is indeed demanding. (Most recent descriptions of the skree are probably copying descriptions written decades ago: today most of the skree is at the bottom). The summit is physically south of all of this, invisible all the way.
Two thirds into the chute, a tall boulder on the left of the chute is the key milestone to reach the summit. (See my pictures). It is recommended that you take a picture of this boulder and of the chimney with you because it is hardly obvious. (Contrary to descriptions i have seen, the boulder does not stop you from continuing up, and it is smaller than other boulders encountered before, so visual recognition could be a great help). If one continues straight, a view of Owens Valley appears, but you just made your life harder because you walked in the opposite direction from the summit, i.e. east instead of west. If you recognized the right boulder, look right. There is a narrow chimney (contrary to what often advertised, it is not even 20 meters tall). The bottom of this chimney is a good place to drop the backpack. The chimney is vertical enough that it requires using your hands, but it is relatively easy class-3 climbing. It just requires a bit of thinking (especially coming down). One emerges on the summit plateau (quite a change of landscape from the chute). The summit to the left (east) is clearly a false "eastern" summit. The 200m ridge to the right leads to a second false "western" summit (but worth the ten-minute climb) sitting on top of a pile of white boulders. The real summit is 200m to the left (south) of this western summit and is just a pile of darker and smaller rocks. It is not visible when you emerge from the chimney. It can be reached from the western summit in ten minutes. (I have read this section described as an "easy scramble" or "short walk": at that altitude nothing is easy or fast, and the boulders are truly annoying regardless of how little tired you are).

See my pictures

(click on map)

If you are in good shape, estimate six hours to Shepherd Pass, six hours to the summit, 10 hours back down non-stop.
There is water at good intervals. Don't forget that on the way back you will still need quite a bit of water for the last devastating hill, the saddle (which is actually three saddles).
If attempting a day-hike to Williamson, there are several factors to consider (besides the distance, of course): 1. the heat, which on a sunny day beats the Grand Canyon; 2. the saddle, which comes at the end of such an exhausting to hike; 3. the bowl, which takes pretty much the same time in both directions.
(Contrary to what advertised on rangers-friendly websites, the saddle could be avoided by making a more sensible trail. This saddle exists because of a combination of stupidity, always in vast supply in government bureaucracies, laziness, also in vast supply, and lack of funds).

Approximate distances and times

(in brackets the 2008 times)
Trailhead: (1920 m)
First creek crossing: 25'
Fourth creek crossing: 40' [30']
Saddle: 2770m, 5 kms (2 hrs 15') [2h 39']
Fifth Creek crossing (usually dry), end of downhill: 6 kms (3 hrs) [3h4']
Sixth Creek crossing (never dry): 2620m, 7 kms (3 hrs 15') [3h20']
Nice rock in shade and camping sites (3h 45')
Big pyramidal boulder by trail (4h 25') [4h34']
Last creek crossing before Anvil (sometimes dry in summer): (5 hours) [4h 52']
Anvil Camp: 3.130 m (5h 15' hrs) [5h 6']
Pothole: 3.200m (5h 45') [6h 27']
Shepherd Pass: 3.672 m, 18 kms (7 hrs 15') [7h 42']
July 16 sign and rim of bowl: 3.900 m, 21 kms (8 hrs 30') [9h12']
Bridge inside bowl: 3720m [9h27']
Fourth lake: 3733m
Black stain, 3 kms from rim (10 hrs) [10h57']
Chimney (12h30'hrs) [13h12']
Summit plateau [13h20']
Mt Williamson: 4.384 m (13 hrs) [13h42']
The return from Mt Williamson to Shepherd Pass takes another 4.5 hours, from Shepherd Pass to the bottom of the saddle takes about 2/3 hours, but hiking up the saddle (45') and then walking down the switchbacks (1h 30') can easily take more than 2 hours. Count 10 hours at a brisk pace from the summit of Mt Williamson to the parking lot.

The town of Independence, the trailhead and the mountains:

George Creek route

Another way to climb Mt Williamson is via the George Creek drainage. This is a totally cross-country route. I have never done this uphill because it involves climbing a very steep sandy chute. I have done it downhill and it made for an interesting alternative to the Shepherd Pass way. (On the Internet i have found several warnings that this route is forbidden in the summer, but i saw absolutely no signs saying so. As far as i can tell, the route is perfectly legal. Maybe the "closure" refers to multi-day hikes, not to day-only hikes).

There are two ways to reach the trailhead:

Drive west on Market Street/ Onyon Valley Rd in Independence and turn left onto Foothill Rd. Turn left as if you are going to the Shepherd Pass trailhead (see directions for Shepherd Pass) but at the sign for Shepherd Pass Keep going straight (south) instead of turning right to go to that trailhead. After about 10 kms and two creek crossings (feasible with regular cars), the second being Bairs Creek, you reach a fork: if you bear right, you go to Bairs Creek trailhead, if you go left you get to another fork. At that fork, turn right to reach the George Creek trailhead (the parking lot is physically near the creek). Needless to say, it takes a lot of patience to drive all that distance on a bad unpaved unmaintained road. See these directions to the George Creek trailhead.
You can also get to the same trailhead from the Manzanara National Monument. From hwy 395 south of Independence and north of Lone Pine turn west onto the road that marks the north boundary of the Manzanara site (if you are coming from Independence, turn right into the road just before Manzanara, if yo are coming from Lone Pine, turn left into the road just after it). Follow the boundary and turn left as soon as you can, coasting now the western boundary of Manzanara. Then the road crosses the Bairs Creek and gets to a fork: turn right (southwest) and drive all the way to the end. The road will get closer and closer to the George Creek. When it hits the creek, that's the parking lot. Map.

The one and only time i did this, i went up the Shepherd Pass way (leaving from the Symmes Creek trailhead) and came down the George Creek way. THen i had to walk four grueling hours on Foothill Rd to go back to the car.

George Creek drains the southeast slope of Mt Williamson. The route is all class 1 and 2. The description below is of what i did in 2008: downhill, not uphill.

From the summit head south trying to stay on the summit ridge. Eventually you will get down to the summit plateau. On the right (western) handside you should see the sandy chute that slides down into the green drainage. Find the best way to get into the chute between two huge boulders and slide down. This took me an hour, all the way down to the first little creek. Then stay left of the water and circle around the mountain heading southeast and eventually just east. If you get too close to the water, the bushwhacking gets intense (and the mosquitoes may become ferocious). If you stay too high on the mountain, you have to deal with sand and rocks. At some point the canyon narrows so much that you have to stay near the water. You can find "use trails" on both sides of the creek. Most likely, you will keep wading the creeks to find better terrain. Whichever way you do it, this involves quite a bit of bushwhacking. A good reference point is a little pine forest on the southern side of the creek, where it's really easy to walk. When the canyon makes a right turn and forces you to wade the creek again to the other (northern) side, you are less than one hour from the end. You should be able to find better and better marked "use trails" that will take you all the way down to the dirt road. This happens abruptly. Suddenly the use trail turns sandy and then it gets wider and then you realize you are on a dirt road with signs about camping. (I did *not* see any sign advertising any seasonal closure neither at the end of this dirt road nor at the turn-off of Foothill Rd). This dirt road comes from the Manzanar historical site and stays on the left (northern) side of the creek.

Pictures of this hike

Bairs Creek route

Yet another route to Mt Williamson is via Bairs Creek, and this seems to require less bushwhacking than the George Creek route but i have to wonder how it connects to the summit plateau. I was both at the summit and at the bottom, and neither time did it look like it was humanly possible to reach the summit plateau.

The trailhead for Bairs Creek (south fork) is located 2 km north of the one for George Creek. If you are coming from Manzanara, follow directions to go to George Creek but instead of going straight till the end of the road, turn right at the last fork into Foothill Rd. Then proceed about 1 km and turn left into the parking lot. If you get to the creek crossing you went too far: that is the "trailhead" for the north fork of Bairs Creek (not much of a parking lot).

The Bairs Creek routes seem to be for rock climbers only because both canyons end in vertical walls just before/below the summit plateau.

Pictures of this hike

Note of 2008: Reward if you help me catch this thief

Directions from Pleasanton to Independence:
Take the I-580 east towards Stockton
Take I-205 east towards Stockton
Take the I-5 North exit and follow signs for 120 east
After entering Yosemite, turn left on Tioga Rd
Drive through Yosemite until the end of Tioga Rd (Lee Vining) and turn right into US-395
Drive south on US-395 until Independence
From Hwy 395 in Independence, turn west on Market street, drive 7 kms to Foothill road, turn left.
The first parking lot (2kms on Foothill Rd) is the stock trail. In theory, only 4WD can go beyond this point. If you want to reach the hiker's trail, keep going on this very dusty road, and turn right at the next two forks. It's about 2 more kms than the stock trail, which means that it saves you 2kms of hiking. It easily takes 30 minutes from Independence to the trailhead.
There is no campground, but one can just pitch tent at the trailhead and leave the car there.

The total is about 500kms from Pleasanton to Independence.

Overview of trail

Ascent to Shepherd Pass (about 6/8 hours, 18kms, almost 1,800m of elevation gain)
Ascent to Williamson Bowl (about 1/2 hours, 3kms)
Crossing of the Williamson Bowl (about 2 hours, 3 kms)
Climbing the chute (about 2 hours, 0.5km, 300m of elevation gain)
Climbing the chimney (about 15', 0.02km, 20m of elevation gain)
Walking to the summit (about 30', 300m)

Links:

California Guidebook
National Parks
California State Parks
California Highway Conditions
Highway 395

Mt Williamson weather
Latest weather conditions
Bishop Weather
Bishop Weather
Bishop Weather
Lone Pine chamber of commerce
Bishop chamber of commerce
Bishop visitor center
Highway 395
Lone Pine trails
Hotels in Independence

Camping

You can park and pitch tent right at the trailhead. There are no bear boxes and there is no drinkable water. No bears have been sighted in this area in a long time.

The locals also told me that no bears have been seen anywhere in the Shepherd Creek canyon up to Shepherd Pass (as usual, rangers were clueless and simply repeated the mantra about storing food, but it is telling that bear canisters were not required for those camping at Anvil Camp as of 2007).

Permits

You do need a permit if you plan to camp on the trail. Check with Inyo National Forest (1-760-873-2408). Both the ranger offices in Lee Vining and Bishop issue permits. I am sure it will eventually change as the bureaucracy keeps getting worse, but, as of 2008, no permits were required for one-day hikes. But this could change as the Inyo National Forest keeps increasing its bureaucracy as it gets more and more money (mainly though the Whitney permit system) and therefore it can afford to hire more and more bureaucrats. Make sure to boycott any initiative meant to increase funds for the Inyo National Forest: those funds are mainly used to hire more staff to enforce more bureaucracy to ruin your experience in the wilderness.
Note that the Inyo rangers rangers seem to have no clue about trails and routes. If you have questions about the trail and conditions, you can call 760 876-6200 but it is unlikely that they will give you a competent answer. It appears that some of them never hiked in their life any of the mountains and might just be mere bureaucrats handing out permits and selling souvenirs. This is a serious mountain that should not be taken lightly, and your best source of information is the hikers you meet on the mountain or at the trailhead.
Note that Mt Williamson is "closed" from mid july because of the bighorn migration. There are no bighorns and there is no migration. Undoing the bureaucracy is now more complex than humans can achieve. Barring a revolution, that sign will remain there for eternity despite the fact that there is no bighorn migration inside the Williamson Bowl.