Cottonwood Pass in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Looking back on Horseshoe Meadow from Cottonwood Pass

From the high-elevation trailhead at Horseshoe Meadow, it is 3.5 miles to Cottonwood Pass, one of the easiest Eastern Sierra gateways to the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park.

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Head east over packed sand along the northern edge of Horseshoe Meadow. After a third of a mile, the level trail crosses an early junction. To the left is the path to Trail Pass and to the right is the pack station (which means there will be horse presents on the trail from here on).

Trail Peak beyond Horseshoe Meadow

The trail passes through a light forest and remains fairly level for the first two miles. Just past the end of the meadow, you will cross a small creek (twice) and begins a series of long gradual switches, ascending of bulk of the 1,200 feet between the trailhead and the pass.

Just over Cottonwood Pass comes a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. Straight ahead, the trail continues west across the Golden Trout Wilderness and down to Big Whitney Meadow. To the right, the PCT heads toward Rock Creek, Lower Soldier Lake, and the whole of Sequoia National Park. After just 0.6 miles, this track comes to Chicken Spring Lake, a worthy turn around point for an 8.2-mile round-trip day hike.

Big Whitney Meadow beyond the pass

What you should know before you go:
A wilderness permit is required for all overnight stays and a trailhead quota of forty backpackers per day is in force from the end of June to Mid-September. A permit may be booked in advance for a five-dollar fee or obtained the day of the hike for free at the nearby ranger station in Lone Pine (or one of the other permit offices in the Inyo National Forest). Sixteen of the forty permits are saved for hikers without reservation. If you get to Lone Pine early on the day of your expedition, snatching up a permit should not be a problem.

To be safe, backpackers must carry a bear canister which can be rented in Lone Pine for five dollars. Bear lockers are also provided at the trailhead. Make sure your vehicle is bear-safe before leaving the parking lot.

Given the near 10,000-foot elevation of the Cottonwood Pass trailhead, altitude sickness is common among backpackers. You are well advised to spend a night of acclimation at one of the trailhead campgrounds or be prepared to face the symptoms (headaches, nausea, and lack of appetite) out on the trail.

Day hiking in the Golden Trout Wilderness is cost and permit free, so get out and enjoy!

To get to the trailhead: The city of Lone Pine is a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, and it is another half hour from there to the trailhead. From Lone Pine on Route 395, turn west at the traffic light on to Whitney Portal Road. After three miles, turn left on Horseshoe Meadow Road. Twenty miles of road switch up the mountain and terminate at Horseshoe Meadow. The Cottonwood Pass trailhead is straight ahead at roads end.

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	You might also enjoy:
	Chicken Spring Lake This lake sits just beyond Cottonwood Pass, 4.1 miles from the trailhead at Horseshoe Meadow. The lake makes for a nice day hike, or a first stop on a backpacking trip into the Sierras.
	Lower Soldier Lake This scenic lake is an ideal backpackers' campsite for a trek to Mount Pickering or deeper into Eastern Sierras. Alternatively, the 19-mile loop to Lower Soldier Lake from Horseshoe Meadow provides a long but picturesque day hike.
	Cottonwood Lakes The Cottonwood Lakes Trail visits several lakes before rising to the 12,300-foot New Army Pass. The Pass is 7.5 miles from Horseshoe Meadow, but day hikers can turn around a mile sooner by omitting the climb up to the pass.
	South Fork Lakes This nine-mile round-trip hike along the Old Cottonwood Creek Trail offers a secluded trek into the Cottonwood Lakes Basin.
	Hikes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains This list of trails explores the Sequoias, peaks, waterfalls, lakes, and streams of the Sierra Nevadas.