01 Jul 25 - Trip Report: Gable Lakes Trail & Peak 12,808'

• Part 1: Gable Lakes Trail
  • Overview: Sometimes called "the other trail out of Pine Creek Canyon", the Gable Lakes trail heads up the back side of Mt. Tom toward the Four Gables.  Steep and sunny along the initial parts of the trail, the flowers are out, especially as you head up the switchbacks in Pine Creek Canyon. 3,500 feet of gain in roughly four miles makes you feel like you’ve earned it. The payoff is a stunning alpine setting with few visitors and some debris from the old mining days. You can look the whole way down Pine Creek Canyon onto the Owen’s Valley, with the Whites, Mt. Montgomery, and the Owen’s River Gorge all on display. Plus, there is great access to scrambling.

• • Surprises & Hazards
    • There are a few minor washouts along the trail in the first two miles. They require a few mandatory high steps onto 10-inch wide rock. Loosing your balance would result in an uncomfortable and steep scree slide. It is very manageable, but it will slow down those with a fear of heights.
    • There are a few downed trees that you can either crawl under or travel up slope to avoid. In a meadowy section in the final mile and a half, the trail does become slightly overgrown and hard to follow. Take the path of least resistance and the trial will be obvious again when the valley narrows and steepens near the end.
    • There is one notable stream crossing. We crossed with ease using the rocks available to us. Your toes might get a little wet if you’re hiking in boots without GoreTex or leather.
    • Right after the stream crossing was a short 30-foot snow field. It was easy to kick steps with soft-soled boots in the afternoon; in the morning, it was much more difficult. You can scramble around it on the talus if you want.

• • Strategy
    • We got a late start, so the heat was a factor. We chugged nearly a liter of water at the car and brought roughly 1.5 liters each as we started up the trail. Tree limbs above offered shade and our first rest stop occurred after the initial set of switchbacks. Then, a long traverse up the canyon was mostly sunny before the second set of switchbacks climbed through a few more scattered stands of trees.
    • The trail flattens out and becomes creek-side for a brief section a little over halfway up. We aimed to drink all of our water by the time we got here. Don’t go to the creek at the first opportunity; there are better access options less than 100 yards up the trail. Chug a half liter here and then take another liter the rest of the way. We hiked with a one liter Nalgene and a 500ml HydraPak/BeFree filter combo. There will be a few more opportunities to drink from the stream before the top, so we didn’t need to carry more than a liter.
    • Up ahead you will find the most overgrown section of trail. At times, the trail appears to also be a drainage path for the early melt. Do your best to leave no trace and don’t lose each other.
    • The trail terminates in the Gable Lakes zone. We only found one campsite that was easy to access from the terminus. Some minor scrambling and talus hopping will be necessary if you want to find good, private camping. It is absolutely worth it though and you can opt for a down-canyon view or perhaps one of the spectacular ridgeline.
    • Our campsite got light late in the morning so be sure to set an alarm if you have plans for the next day. Remember to camp and bury your poop 100 feet away from the lakes. Enjoy the alpine heather, columbine, and other wildflowers!
    • We found it was moderately buggy, mainly at sunset. The breeze was consistent and strong enough to keep the swarms at bay most of the time.

• Part 2: North Ridge of Peak 12,808’ (route description)
  • Overview: A class 2/3 ridge scramble out of the Gable Lakes area.  It sits between the Four Gables and Mt. Tom.  Viewed from Bishop, it is the peak nestled between Basin Mountain and Mt. Tom .

• • The Climb
    • Our sleeping bags were too cozy so we were slow to motivate that morning. With our shortened time window, we opted to climb via the descent route described on Mountain Project.  We hiked to the south-eastern most Gable Lake, located just west of Peak 12,120’. From there we picked our way westward up the low-angle talus to the saddle.
    • We headed southbound on the ridge. The route description recommends remaining exactly on the ridge for the highest quality climbing, but we found that staying just East of the ridge most of the time kept it feeling more like Class 2 or 3 without a significant loss of rock quality. As a climber, I try to scramble with my hands clasped behind my back as much as possible in order to keep the route reasonable for my partners who have less experience on rock. I ascended from the 11,500’ saddle to 12,300’ primarily in this way.
    • At roughly 12,300’, the terrain did start to become more consequential. Just before the final push to the summit, the ridge thins out significantly, the majority of the rock becomes rotten (or at least rotten looking), and the sense of exposure ratchets up a few notches. To stay on the exact ridge, as described on Mountain Project, would require class 4 or maybe even some low 5th class moves. Approach shoes and foot-jams are required for security. It was late enough in the day that a lunch break was required to get some calories in our systems prior to the final push.
    • We found the path of least resistance took us to the west side of the ridge in the final few hundred feet. At the final fin before the last saddle, traverse around the right side to find a small sidewalk with wildflowers growing in it. Traverse to the far end and navigate your way down a five- or six-foot-wide notch into the scree below the saddle.  Pick your way up through the most solid scree to find solid rock that takes you up the ridge. You’ll be at the summit before you know it. Your reward? a stunning view of the High Sierra, Bishop, and the Owens River Gorge.
    • The summit register we found was lightly visited. We have spent a ton of time in the area that surrounds this peak and it was nice to fill in this space in between our usual playgrounds.
    • Reverse this route to get home. We did not ascend the full ridge starting at 10,700’ near the end of the trail, but I suspect that doing the slabs at the start in reverse would have been far more work than it was worth.
    • A rope is not required for this climb. We went without helmets, which would have only been useful in the brief scree section before the summit. Careful spacing can mitigate that risk instead. I was happy to be in my approach shoes for the day. My partner wore a pair of mesh-GoreTex La Sportiva Ultra Raptors that worked just fine for staying in Class 2/3 terrain. We brought two liters of water, drank liberally, and were happy to get back to the lake on the descent.  Clouds started to roll in around 2:30pm, but only threatened us before backing off.

Need Hiking Gear? If you're in need of sleeping bags, hiking boots (Men/Women), trekking poles, crampons, ice axes, or other gear (backpacks, tents, etc.) for your adventures, you can rent or buy everything that you would need with us here at Eastside Sports.

Got a More Specific Conditions Question? As always, don't hesitate to call us at store (760-873-7520) if ever in need of adventure ideas or conditions information!

Want to get information like this all the time?? All you have to do is join our email list and you will get free standard shipping on any online order of $15 or more!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------