Buena Yosemite: Rutherford Lake and Post Peak Pass

Yosemite National Park

Sierra National Forest

DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8

static map — Yellow line for day 4. Click for interactive map

It was noted that we had started at 8:13AM on each camped day so far and maybe we should try to get along a little bit earlier. So we did.

194: faint trail among rocks and a vast valley of glacier smoothed granite with trees on top — Following the rough, then just faint, trail back to the main trail.

We arrived at the junction at 8:13AM, which somehow didn't feel like actually getting started earlier. And then we proceeded up, dallying at every little new thing as two of us are apt to do.

195: water bodies — A look back at the pond and the somehow better hidden, though much larger, Breeze Lake.

196: purple flowers — The rockfringe willowherb is not actually new.

197: bundles of white flowers — And the Shasta knotweed is new even if it does look a bit like beach knotweed.

We arrived at the top of Fernandez Pass, the very edge of Yosemite National Park. I had noted a "Mon 133" marked at another pass and had my eyes open for just the sort of monument I suspected it to be.

201: 1903 boundary benchmark — Although I hoped for some sort of older National Park marker, there is a quite old Forest Reserve marker. The Sierra Forest Reserve is mostly Sierra National Forest now.

Of course we all enjoyed the new view. Sierra National Forest stretched out before us. We would be spending most the day traveling through Ansel Adams Wilderness.

203: folks sitting on the other side of the pass — I guess the nice wilderness signs are a Forest Service thing.

204: mounts — New view of the Ansel Adams Wilderness in Sierra National Forest.

205: little bird with a bold black stipe on its face — The mountain chickadees darted through.

The view from Fernandez Pass is actually a little constricted. However, the trail travels a little way north without losing much elevation, opening up the view a bit.

206: bumps in high country — The bumps along the ridge line while following the trail north.

207: lots of distance — There's more and more distant mountains around the ridge as we travel north.

208: dome and valley — A low dome is among the interesting distant bumps.

210: much view — The opened up view of the San Joaquin River as the trail turns downward.

And so down we went. The map says we're on the California Riding and Hiking Trail, that lesser known precursor to the Pacific Crest Trail that was never finished. Without its lessons, the PCT would have suffered the same fate. It is hard to get a long, continuous trail constructed. It's sad that Yosemite doesn't bother to name this piece of history.

211: trail among trees — A very nice section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail.

213: fringed flower — A high meadow yields an alpine gentian.

215: lake among trees — A little of the Fernandez Lakes comes into view.

We found the short sign on a tilting post for the trail up to Rutherford Lake and dropped a bit of gear to head up and see it. At the split, the trail to Anne Lake was a bit fainter, but signed and there.

218: trail past rocks — A little extra uphill to Rutherford Lake.

We passed a small dam of good concrete and rocks, suggesting this has some not too distant mining history. The outlet is on the other side, but it must have tried to spill over here when they raised the level. The fellows continued on cross country to get a look at Anne while I hung out in the well camped area to ponder the larger Rutherford.

222: lake with layers of rocks — Arriving at Rutherford Lake.

223: vast lake and bare peaks — At the edge of Rutherford Lake.

224: much water — Rutherford Lake from near the camping area.

225: much wiggles at the edge of the mountain — Everything moves.

I thought we'd camped at the nicer spot, slightly. Eventually we headed down again to find our way to Fernandez Creek. We passed some fallen trees logged out of the trail and made approving noises about the beautiful crosscuts. Being one certified sawyer and a couple of folks who have pulled on the other end of a double bucked saw, we can spot the difference between the cuts in the Forest and those in the Park.

226: trail with a view — Back on the California Riding and Hiking Trail.

229: slow running creek — Near the crossing of Fernandez Creek.

Once across Fernandez Creek, we left the better traveled trail for the Post Peak Trail, starting a gentle climb with some sometimes confusing trail going trough meadows and crossing the West Fork Granite Creek.

231: fish in the water x3 — West Fork Granite Creek is full of brook trout.

233: rocky creek beside trail — The trail sticks closely to West Fork Granite Creek briefly.

The trail up to Slab Lakes looks like it could be interesting one day. But not today! We continued on to see a few ponds.

235: pond looks like two from here — The first pond along the trail.

236: water with a rainbow — The side of the pond shows colors when viewed from the right angle.

I was getting low on water, but the map showed the second to be a nicer lake for such things.

238: reed filled pond — The second pond is rather choked with grass-like growth.

I drank down the last of my water as I stared at a lake that was definitely not a better source for the stuff. We were going to have lunch at it, but decided to keep on going to Post Creek. Creek water is always better anyway. Almost always.

242: tall trees with view past their trunks — There's water there in the sky.

We arrived at a parched creek bed where we should have been crossing Post Creek. There are miles of creek upstream, plenty for it to gather the water to still be flowing, but it wasn't. Daniil had gotten there before me but only his pack could be found. He came up the wide creek bed saying he had learned something, that not all dry creeks were really dry, as demonstrated at Chilnualna Creek. (But this one is, I thought.) He continued on that there were indeed pools here, the ones downstream looked a little better. (So, no, this one is not dry.) The far side almost looked like there was still a little flow down there somewhere. It tasted very fine, is all I can say for certain. Reloaded with water, we started the real climb of the day.

244: yellow wood where a blaze once was — The remains of one of the area's odd "T" blazes.

245: peak peeking between trees — Gaining some views as we gain elevation and the trees thin.

The map indicated we would be passing swampy areas with a little bit of open water, maybe even with streams running out of them. The streams certainly were not in any evidence.

246: meadow hints through small trees — There could be marshy area on beyond this campsite.

248: shelves of land — Starting to see back the way we've come.

We eventually passed a spring below the trail, not that we needed water at that moment. We saw more as we got higher.

251: long line of peaks — And now seeing the long divide as we climb to cross it again. Zoom in enough and there are two figures on trail at the far right.

256: glacier carved rocks made of obvious rocks — Beyond the rather glorious composite rocks, we could just spot the surface of the Post Lakes through the trees.

I had thought to offer Porphyry Lake as a camping suggestion, but it really didn't fit in with any nice hike to a good camping spot the next night. We really had to push up and over the pass and get back into the Park. While passing it, nothing looked like a likely good camp near it anyway.

257: rectangular lake panorama — Porphyry Lake seen far below the trail.

259: rectangular lake on this end too — The outlet side of Porphyry Lake not visible in the above photo.

Climbing from near the lake, we found ourselves on some elaborate rock work that isn't even very old. Oh, and water poured down right in the trail from little springs. We still didn't need the water yet. And all this feeds into the nearly dry Post Creek below.

261: pond and lake — Leaving behind Porphyry Lake and the pond (left) that the trail does travel near. There did seem to be traces of camping near the pond.

263: lake and lake behind and very pointy peak — Post Lakes behind Porphyry Lake, now with no trees mostly hiding them.

265: rock work with water — Water pouring down the rock work trail below Post Peak Pass.

266: more water visible — Post Lakes may be even more visible in this last look.

We arrived at the pass with glee not for having reached the top (for I, personally, had been dreading the ensuing downhill more) but because it was so beautiful. Petr got high praise for choosing the route, and the timing, although he might have wanted to be there earlier. He seemed to insinuate that Red Peak Pass was somehow better, but I can't think how.

267: panorama of far peaks — The new view at the top of Post Peak Pass. I suppose Post Peak is sliding into some of it.

Like Fernandez Pass, we didn't actually start dropping until after some northerly travel. This time, we actually had a second pass to cross, this one unnamed. With it, we cross back into the park. I found a couple more Forest Reserve boundary markers on the way.

269: peak and very distant peaks — More and more distant peaks become visible around the edge of Post Peak as we travel north.

270: ridge and peaks and lower pass — We follow the ridge ahead, downward staying on the Forest (right) side until the unnamed pass. The low spot beyond it is Isberg Pass.

271: pink pom-poms — Granite buckwheat decorates the trail side.

We found more praise for Petr's most excellent route as we came in view of the campsite goal for the night.

273: plateau with lakes on the far side — Camp goal for the night: in the vicinity of the unnamed lakes below.

274: the mountains look on top of us — Ridge walking with Ritter and Banner (left) and the Minarets (right) apparently looming.

275: big, medium, and little lake — "Our lakes" for the night.

276: yellow flower bunches — Matted wild buckwheat brings in a little color too.

277: lakes near and far — Ward Lakes near and probably Sadler Lake afar with McClure Lake hidden between.

278: much distant mountains — The great expanse of the easterly view once Post Peak is no longer taking up so much of it.

279: ridge that drops abruptly — A look back along the ridge to Post Peak and numerous other peaks getting lost in the sun.

282: signs at the ridge — Leaving Sierra National Forest for Yosemite National Park once more.

The trail climbed one last little bit before we could pour ourselves down the far side. We watched marmots and ground squirrels and red tailed hawks as we went. There might have been one less squirrel when we reached the high plain than there was when we started.

285: red flowers — Paintbrush was frequent on the slopes.

287: tall standing animal in the rocks — Belding's ground squirrel stands lookout.

289: flat land ahead — The trail is a rut as we come to the plain.

290: hawk soaring low — One of a few red tailed hawks above the plain.

293: shadows on the plain — Getting late in the day and looking back to the pass.

294: turbulent clouds — Meanwhile, a storm raged on the far side of some mountains and had been for a while.

We aimed at some trees near the lake which proved to have multiple established camps along their line. We each piked a flat space for the night and I wandered toward the lakes in the last of the light rather than getting some food together.

297: dry stream — Nothing flowing in the outflow.

300: lakes below — The lower lakes and the circle of cliffs.

301: straight lake edge — North from the edge of the upper lake.

303: undulating lake edge — South from the edge of the upper lake.

304: down to pond and lake — Looking down to the lower lakes.

So I had to set up and eat in the dark. Which was not so difficult.

Continue on to the next day ⇒

*photo album*

©2025 Valerie Norton
Published 10 Dec 2025

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