Hiking West Tyndall

Notes by piero scaruffi | See Travel resources | See Other California hikes
West Tyndall (4127m) is located immediately west of Mt Tyndall, and is reachable in a (long) day hike via Shepherd Pass and a much longer multi-day trip via the John Muir Trail (JMT), which is also the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) at that point.

First, let's clear any misunderstanding. I have seen many reports of hikers claiming to have climbed West Tyndall from the PCT/JMT as an easy class-one scramble. That's not West Tyndall. It's a little hill that looks like a mountain when you are on the PCT/JMT. West Tyndall faces directly Mt Tyndall to the east and Mt Versteeg to the north. It's a huge imposing mountain, just a little shorter than Mt Tyndall. To get there from the PCT/JMT is not trivial.

See this page for details on the trail to Shepherd Pass.

When you reach Shepherd Pass, you see Mt Tyndall in front of you:


From Shepherd Pass a relatively easy trail continues gently downhill west towards the JMT/PCT. You are soon immediately coasting the north face of West Tyndall on your left. It is up to you when you want to start climbing. The real summit is all the way east, facing Mt Tyndall proper, so in theory you should start as soon as possible. There are two steep chutes that seem affordable that will take you close to the summit. But in reality it is probably easier and faster to wait until you reach the obvious saddle that connects West Tyndall to the hill that PCT hikers often confuse with West Tyndall. The saddle is at about 3500 meters of elevation, so you lose 200 meters of elevation from Shepherd Pass. On the other (south) side of the saddle are the Wright Lakes. There is a use trail to climb the saddle but you can start way earlier to head for it diagonally. From there start climbing boulders, mostly class-2 and occasionally class-3. You will probably reach a "gate" between two prominent wall-like structures. On the other side of this gate you'll have a view of the basin: Tyndall ahead of you, Versteeg and Barnand to your right, Williamson in the distance, etc. Now you can see the ridge that leads to the top. It overlooks a giant bowl of loose scree that goes down to lake 3645. Alas, all the peaklets of this ridge are not the real summit. The real summit is at the very eastern end of this ridge. Folloow the ridge, peaklet after peaklet, until you reach a peaklet that easily allows you to cross to the northern side. You'll find yourself on a wide plateau. At this point it should be obvious which one is the real summit. A short distance from the real summit the plateau ends. There is a summit register at the top of the real summit (but i found no USGS marker).

Times below are for a summer hike when there is no major slowdown due to snow/ice:

  • Trailhead: (1920 m)
  • First creek crossing: 25'
  • Fourth creek crossing: 40'
  • Saddle: 2770m, 5 kms (2 hrs 15')
  • Fifth Creek crossing (usually dry), end of downhill: 6 kms (3 hrs)
  • Sixth Creek crossing (never dry): 2620m, 7 kms (3 hrs 15')
  • Nice rock in shade and camping sites (3h 45')
  • Big pyramidal boulder by trail (4h 25')
  • Last creek crossing before Anvil (sometimes dry in summer): (5 hours)
  • Anvil Camp: 3.130 m (5h 15' hrs)
  • Pothole: 3.200m (5h 45')
  • Shepherd Pass: 3.672 m, 18 kms (7 hrs 15')
  • Base of West Tyndall: 8.5h
  • Gate: 10.5h
  • Summit plateau: 12.5h
  • Summit: 13 hrs

From the JMT/ PCT

If you hate Shepherd Pass (and especially its trailhead), you can also reach West Tyndall from the JMT/PCT. The huge advantage is that the trailhead is on a paved road and most of the hike is on well-marked and well-maintained trails. The disadvantage is that you almost double the distance. From Onion Valley hike to Kearsarge Pass, take the John Muir Trail south, cross over Forrester Pass (quite a climb) and descend coasting the Diamond Mesa on your left. When the Diamond Mesa ends, leave the trail and head straight for the saddle between West Tyndall and fake West Tyndall. It's a long and difficult crossing because of the many ridges, moraines and (last but not least) swampy meadows. You'll probably find the use trail to climb the saddle. If not, pick any route.
  • Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass (3587m) 7kms
  • Kearsarge Pass to JMT +6.5kms
  • to Bubbs Creek trail +2.5 kms
  • to Forester Pass (4011 meters) +13kms
  • Forester Pass to where to leave the trail +6kms
  • to the saddle of West Tyndall +8kms
  • summit +3kms
  • Total: 46 kms

    The traverse from West Tyndall to Tyndall

    The traverse from West Tyndall to Tyndall proper is not impossible but simply silly. There is a huge gap between the two mountains. You'd have to downclimb to hit the ridge of Mt Tyndall and then hike the (notoriously hellish) ridge all the way to the summit. The sensible way to reach Mt Tyndall is to simply descend West Tyndall via the convenient class-2 sandy slope to the south. Turn the corner to the left and you'll hit lake 3645. A promontory leads from the lake to the eastern face of Tyndall. This route implies a massive elevation loss/gain, but it works.
    		• Pictures of this hike
    Mt Williamson weather
    Directions from Independence to Shepherd Pass trailhead:
    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.