28 Aug 25 - Trip Report: West Chute of Cloudripper (13,525' - CA)

Staff member (and Sierra Mountain Center guide) Colin has continued his lengthy recovery from major calf surgery with yet another milestone - his first peak scramble! Almost a year to the day since last doing West Chute of Cloudripper, he went back for a "full circle moment" since sustaining his surgery-causing injury a year ago. Cloudripper is a 13,525 ft peak in the Inconsolable Range of the High Sierra, close to Bishop, CA. Its West Chute route is often considered one of the best “intro to Sierra scrambles” because it combines real alpine exposure with manageable technical demands.

Trip Report: 

Current As Of: 28 August 2025*

Activity During Report: On and off trail hiking, Class 3-4 alpine scrambling on route

Total Mileage & Elevation Gain: ~8 miles total (~6 miles on trail, ~2 miles off trail); +3,800ft gain from trailhead to summit

Trip Information:

I set out from the Bishop Pass trailhead at South Lake (9,768’) late in the morning on 28 August, enjoying the cooler and overcast weather of alpine environment due to the monsoonal weather pattern passing through. There was some smoke and haze from the Garnet Fire on the west side of the Sierra blowing over as well reducing visibility and making the monsoonal overcast look all the more menacing (though there was little to no precipitation or lighting that was forecasted or occurred). Thankfully, while the smoke haze was clearly affecting visibility, it had little to no effect on the air quality that day.

The round trip is about 8 miles in total with it about even in distance at 4 miles going up  to the summit and 4 miles returning to the trailhead. From the trailhead, you head out on well-defined trail gaining 900ft of elevation in spurts over 2 miles until you reach the signed Chocolate Lakes trail junction (see photo below). As this is the main trail to Bishop Pass and the myriad awesome destinations on the other side such as Dusy Basin, I passed a fair number of people going in both directions along this segment. At the trail junction (see photo for the signage), you take the left fork towards Chocolate Lakes following the trail around the north end of Chocolate Peak until you reach the southern end of the third (and most eastern) of the three Chocolate Lakes (here). This segment takes you another mile on trail over undulating terrain that ends up gaining another ~300ft passing the 11,000ft mark. Not being the main trail or having super popular objectives branching off from it, it sees far less traffic and I did not cross paths with another person for the entire day after turning at the junction--an immersive and welcome solitude.

Once reaching the southern end of the third/eastern Chocolate Lake, you leave the trail and begin the off-trail travel portion of your adventure heading due east. (Note: This is last water access you will have until you are back down to the lake.) You pass thru a little bit of vegetation that surrounds the lake initially, but it quickly becomes a talus slog (that will seem interminable at some points - but that is part of the alpine fun/experience?) as you approach the mouth of the West Chute. As you approach Cloudripper, it is important to ensure that you pick the right chute as there are many options, but there are plenty of photos online like the one below to key into the right one. Having done the route last year (and also gotten off route accidentally last year), I knew what I was looking for and was able to move confidently.

Once at the mouth of the chute itself, the terrain alternates between sections of dirt/scree and Class 3-4 "steps". While none of it is very challenging, both types of terrain are nonetheless pretty physical (especially given the looseness of the dirt/scree) and the Class 3-4 sections are definitely made easier by knowing a baseline of rock climbing technique. Wearing climbing approach shoes or another similar show with sticky rubber on the bottom is absolutely warranted for the Chute, summit ridge, and descent gully. The farther up the Chute you go, you find less dirt/scree and instead find consistent talus and occasional options for Class 4 and 5 terrain should you so choose. At the top of the Chute, you come to a fork with either direction still leaving you on the summit ridge - choose your own adventure as desired! Depending on which fork you take, you will need to look left/right once on the summit ridge to determine which way you need to go to reach the actual summit.

On the summit, there is an ammo can with a summit register as well as a wooden sign. I made my time on the summit short as the mix of clouds and smoke (seen in the photos) made it not inviting for a longer visit. Additionally, while the summit is only about 1 mile from where you left the trail lakeside, it takes 1.5-3 hours to reach depending on your fitness as you gain ~2,500ft over that mile! The effects of the altitude and physicality are very real!

From the summit, I headed north along the summit ridge towards Vagabond Peak until reaching the saddle between the two peaks and heading due west down the descent gully. The descent gully is slow-going as it is overwhelmingly dirt and scree with the potential for rock as large as bowling balls to start rolling down at times. I was on my own, but if with a partner, you definitely need to be mindful of not being above each other in order to avoid kicking things down on each other. As you get closer to the bottom of the descent gully, bands of talus start to appear and I made my way over to them for surer footing and quicker travel. After an hour or so of careful route selection (and some definite butt-scooting through loose sections), you find yourself out of the gully and back to the edge of the eastern-most Chocolate Lake. From there, you choose the path of least resistance back to the trail lakeside and make your way back to the trailhead with the satisfaction of it being all downhill!

All in all, it was a great alpine, "Type 2 fun" day with the reward of stunning views over the Palisades, Vagabond Peak, and Sierra features give a huge payoff for the effort. There was no snow or ice encountered at all along the way. For those wanting to get more into alpine adventures but are unsure on where to start, this route is a great way to bridge the gap between hiking and more technical scrambling as it gives a taste of exposure, route-finding, scrambling without demanding full rock climbing gear. Easily done car-to-car in a day (8-10 hours total at most for most people), but still long enough to gently stress all the systems and fitness needed for bigger objectives, it is one of the ideal choices in the Sierra for an introduction into alpine scrambling!

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Passing the first Chocolate Lake after the trail junction with Chocolate Peak visible in foreground and the outline of Mt Goode in the back right

Looking towards the Vagabond-Cloudripper ridgeline while passing the Chocolate Lakes. Chocolate Peak visible on the right.

Starting up the talus slog after leaving the trail lakeside. You are shooting for the rightmost gully that has reddish rocks on the right side of its entrance/mouth.

View of the Chocolate Lakes during a snack break at the mouth of the West Chute

  

It may be getting late in Summer, but the wildflowers are still blooming even at altitude on route up the West Chute! 

The epic summit view (which was enjoyed only briefly)! You can see the Palisade Glacier in the back left.

View from halfway down the descent gully as the sunset creates an ominous looking orange line on the horizon as it attempts to burn through the smoke haze. Chocolate Peak and the eastern-most Chocolate Lake are visible at the bottom of the gully.

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