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Elevation: 10,991 ft 3,350 m
GPS: 38.10706, -119.40867
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Shared By: Justin Johnsen on May 19, 2015
Admins: Chris Owen, Lurk Er, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes
Warning Access Issue: SEE ACCESS NOTES BELOW. DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

The Sawtooth Ridge area is the northern limit of the true High Sierra (it's in the Hoover Wilderness, which has been separated in MP for convenience). Nationally renowned for high country rock climbs being developed on Incredible Hulk, which appear in most recent years' American Alpine Journals, within sight of the popular hiking and climbing destination of Matterhorn Peak. Wild mountain play of all difficulties between may be had here.

Many start their treks from Horse Creek, or two other nearby trailheads , making Annett's Mono Village a popular, but not free, base of operations (see their website for the latest details; it recently costed $10 to park at the marina there).

The Hoover Wilderness lies on the east slopes of Sawtooth Ridge, so overnight stays starting here require permits; see the website for information, or to reserve one in advance. Yosemite National Parks begins on the west slopes. Day trips into the protected areas from here are free.

Further reading:

A Climbers Guide to the High Sierra (1954)

Getting There Suggest change

From the town of Bridgeport on highway 395, turn south onto Twin Lakes Road, which winds south and west into the Sierra Nevada. This ends at Anett's Mono Village Resort. From here, the exact trail to take depends on your destination.

ACCESS NOTES

This area is within the Hoover Wilderness. A permit is needed for any overnight stay. ALL of these permits can be found at recreation.gov/permits/445856 (or one can Google Humboldt-Toiyabe wilderness permits). Since COVID there are no longer any walk-up permits available at the Bridgeport Ranger Station. The "walk-up" allotments are available online starting 3 days before your entry date. To camp at the Hulk, climbers want to look for 'Little Slide Canyon' permits - the quota is 8 overnight users can enter each day. Permits are $3 per person.

- Bear cans are required in the Hoover Wilderness. Bear hangs do not meet the standard for food storage - and although bears are not common in Little Slide they are a growing issue in the Robinson Creek drainage. The rodents are already a big issue in this area.

- Wag bags are not legally required but they are **HIGHLY** recommended. There are not a lot of options for burying waste. All TP needs to be packed out regardless. Human waste is most likely to be the issue that would affect or limit access in the future.

52 Total Climbs

Route Finder - Best Climbs for YOU!

Location: 02 - The Sawtooth Ridge Change
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Classic Climbing Routes at 02 - The Sawtooth Ridge

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 27
Crimson Gem
Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b
 420
Red Dihedral (aka "Yggdrasil")
Trad, Alpine 12 pitches
5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b
 64
The Polish Route
Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 433
Positive Vibrations
Trad, Alpine 12 pitches
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 147
Sunspot Dihedral
Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 41
Tradewinds
Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 24
Lost in the Sun
Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 20
Wind Shear
Trad, Alpine 13 pitches
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 20
Free Radical
Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b
 9
Sun Burn (aka Solar Burn)
Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 45
The Venturi Effect
Trad, Alpine 11 pitches
5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b
 17
Blowhard
Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b
 32
Solar Flare
Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
5.13a/b 8a 29 IX+ 29 E7 6c
 9
Airstream
Trad, Alpine 11 pitches
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c
 4
Green Thunder
Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Crimson Gem Juggernaut
 27
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
Red Dihedral (aka "Yggdrasil") Incredible Hulk
 420
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad, Alpine 12 pitches
The Polish Route Incredible Hulk
 64
5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
Positive Vibrations Incredible Hulk
 433
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Trad, Alpine 12 pitches
Sunspot Dihedral Incredible Hulk
 147
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
Tradewinds Incredible Hulk
 41
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
Lost in the Sun Incredible Hulk
 24
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
Wind Shear Incredible Hulk
 20
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Trad, Alpine 13 pitches
Free Radical Little Slide Sp… > Regge Pole
 20
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
Sun Burn (aka Solar Burn) Incredible Hulk
 9
5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
The Venturi Effect Incredible Hulk
 45
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Trad, Alpine 11 pitches
Blowhard Incredible Hulk
 17
5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
Solar Flare Incredible Hulk
 32
5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b Trad, Alpine 9 pitches
Airstream Incredible Hulk
 9
5.13a/b 8a 29 IX+ 29 E7 6c Trad, Alpine 11 pitches
Green Thunder Incredible Hulk
 4
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
More Classic Climbs in 02 - The Sawtooth Ridge »

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