Return to White Mountain California and Lake Sabrina July 2024

[ttora4runner]

In 2023 I had planned to hike to my 2nd California 14er White Mountain as part of a two vacation but due to issue with my feet from a hike a few days earlier I wasn't able to summit and had to turn back. So needing to get away from work and get some higher elevation hikes in as I had moved to Phoenix from Colorado in preparation for some other hikes I plan out as part of extended vacation a month later. I decided to make a long weekend and hike White Mountain and around the Lake Sabrina area.

Camp for the next two nights would be Grandview Campground in 2023 and this trip the campground was still most sparse and quiet.

Checked out the Discovery Trail by the visitor center after setting up camp for the night.






Storm off in the distance.










After the hike it was back to camp for dinner and to relax before the hike the next day.

White Mountain

The last time around I started a little earlier since I had longer hike since the road was closed but this time around the road was fully opened back to Barcroft Station gate.

Early morning on the trail.








Had to hike this section last time around - glad I could drive this time.


Out on the trail just after the gate.

 

[ttora4runner]

Only other hiker I saw on my way up the trail.


The area were I stopped at last time and turned around.


Nearing the summit.

If I got my area/summits right Boundary Peak the highest peak in Nevada is off in the distance.


At the summit.


White Mountain Research Station










Heading back down the mountain - past a number of hikers heading up the trail some more prepared than others and one group even had their cat with them. Which made me wonder why.




I so don't miss hiking this road all the way back to my car.


Once back at my car it was time for lunch and to let me feet take a break before heading back out on another trail. During that time the clouds had started to build and you could tell that a storm was on the horizon. Hopefully, the other hikers and the one mountain biker were prepared.

Heading back down to road and over to Patriarch Grove. The last time I was here the road back was still closed due to snow drifts on the trail but this around the road was opened.

 

[ttora4runner]

Patriarch Grove area. Had to dodge in and out under cover as it was lightly raining mixed with some hail.

 

[ttora4runner]

Heading back to visitor center to hike the Methuselah trail.



Methuselah trail

Most hikers stuck to the first half of the trail as the storm that hit me at Patriarch Grove had moved in and had started to lightly rain. After the first half of the trail I was the only hiker and the rain had let up but was still cloudy which made for a nice hike.

A little bit of rant here normally I'm pretty mellow while on the trail and don't say much outside of the 'Hello', 'How your doing' etc. but when it comes to people going off trail (especially when there is signage that says 'Stay on the Trail') or when people deliberately chuck debris off the trail down the mountain where there is another trail I will go off. This was one of those cases where a son and mother where hiking ahead of me and the son was chucking large rocks off the trail and down the mountain while the mother took photos. I got off them once (so did a family behind me) which made no difference as the continued to do so but once the trail opened up and I could pass them I had a few choice with them as I passed (some not so nice words and I felt bad that the little kids behind me heard it). Was what I said right, properly No, but actions like that irritate me. End of rant and on to the photos.

































Even though I had very little rain as I hiked it had apparently poured at the visitor center parking lot as the area was soaked. This had me a little worried since the campground was a few miles down the road and had me wondering if my tent was going to be soaked. Thankfully, when I got back to camp it had only lightly rained so my tent faired well and it helped to keep the dust down. After relaxing and getting some reading in it was off to bed early as I would have another early morning to head to the Lake Sabrina area to hike.

 

[ttora4runner]

The follow morning it was off to the Lake Sabrina area for some hiking.














Waterfall off in the distance.


Lake Sabrina


Heading further up the trail to Blue Lake - a number of backcountry campers where here and number more would be coming up the trail as I was heading back down.












After hiking around the lake and taking it in I headed a little further back in to the Donkey Lake area in lieu of going further up to the trail to another lake further back, which ended up being a good decision as another storm would latter move in.

 

[ttora4runner]

Donkey Lake - I was the only one here.








Another photo of Blue Lake as I was heading back down the trail.








After returning to my car eating some lake by one of the streams and relaxing a little bit I headed back up to North Lake to hopefully get another hike in but a storm had moved it and I opted to call it and head to Forks Campground for the night.








Once at the campground I stayed in my vehicle for around an hour before setting up camp to let the storm pass which let the opportunity to continue reading and figure out what time I would be leaving the following day to head for home. After the storm passed I headed back up to see the lake as the sunny was setting and as the storm was passing (hopefully, the hikers I saw earlier where prepared). Took a stupid amount of photos at the lake.





Overall, it was great trip and good to get away from work for a long weekend. I'm looking forward to planning another trip in the near future to do some more hiking in the area.

The rain on this trip was somewhat of a precursor to some of the rain I would run into the following month while out on my yearly two week vacation in the NW.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Thanks for posting!

 

[MotoDave]

Great photos and write up!

A fun variation is to make the drive from Badwater basin, past Ubehebe crater and up Wyman Creek Road up to Barcroft station on the one day its open to the public - Lowest to highest point you can drive to in CA, mostly all doable on dirt.