Mid Sierra Musings: Day Hike To Tuttle Creek Ashram Near Mt. Whitney

Dale Matson

Click On Photographs To Enlarge

Route

Wilderness permit for an overnight here: https://www.recreation.gov/entranceDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72203&entranceId=315548

For Background, hike particulars and more photos there is an excellent article here: https://modernhiker.com/hike/hike-to-the-tuttle-creek-ashram/

There are a few things about our hike that need discussing up front. We began our hike after 10:00 am. It was already over 80 degrees with a finish of 105 degrees! This was the hottest hike I have ever done and should have known better. There is little shade on this exposed trail along the canyon wall.

Driving on this road becomes increasingly difficult. Much of the road has a downhill camber. If you have a great off highway vehicle and a skilled driver, you will find a place for two vehicles at the trailhead. If you don’t, park further down! I have a Tahoe 4X4 and limited courage so I parked in an open spot about 7/10^th of a mile below the trailhead. It is supposed to be a mile to the Ashram from the trailhead. My Suunto Ambit 3 had our hike distance round trip at 3.7 miles with about 1,300’ of gain overall. My Garmin Map 64 had the distance at 4.7 miles. Normally, this would not be too difficult except for the extreme heat and times when the trail grade was above 15 percent. I appreciate the difficulty and dedication it took to get building supplies up there. But…I wanted to do this for the last 3 years and had the time and opportunity.

I have hiked up the other side of Tuttle Creek looking for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep a few times so I was familiar with the terrain. The Tuttle Creek canyon is deep and the water is not accessible until you cross the footbridge not far from the Ashram. You can resupply there if you have a means to purify or filter the water. There is no water source at the Ashram itself.

The Ashram was never finished but the structure is well built and sturdy with poured concrete walls and ample roofing. The roof is not, however rain proof. It would be a good place to shelter if you were backpacking and a storm came up. You could pitch your tent inside the building. There is some evidence of disrespect but for the most part, folks have honored the place by leaving it as they found it.

One final note. There are some who use this trail as the beginning of an alternate approach to a summit of Mt. Langley. https://www.summitpost.org/tuttle-creek-to-mount-langley/314792

I used a Sony A7R3 with the 16-35 GM 2.8 lens and the Zeiss Batis 135 2.8.