Bishop Pass (JMT) Gear Checklist

What shapes your gear on Bishop Pass

Who issues the permit

The permit comes from Inyo National Forest and is tied to the South Lake trailhead and your entry date. Past the crest you are in Kings Canyon National Park, so the park's own rules apply there too, but you do not buy a second permit for the same trip.

From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits, Jack and Jill Travel and SoCal Hiker

Quota and season

The forest's 2021 quota list gives Bishop Pass 36 starting hikers a day, 22 reservable six months ahead and 14 reservable two weeks ahead. The forest's current page describes the same pattern as 60 percent released six months out and 40 percent two weeks out at 7 am Pacific, from May 1 to November 1. Canceled spaces go back on the calendar within 24 hours. Several blogs call the 14 spaces walk-ups, but the forest describes them as an online release.

From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021), Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits, Bearfoot Theory and Jack and Jill Travel

Size of the climb

Bearfoot Theory gives about 12 miles round trip and roughly 2,900 feet of gain, from 9,797 feet at South Lake to 11,979 feet at the pass. Another blog counts 14 miles for the same out-and-back. Plan for the longer figure if you add side trips in the basin.

From Bearfoot Theory and Pesto Lemon Travels

Nights are cold even in summer

Reports from the basin range from about 30 degrees Fahrenheit in late June to lows in the 40s at the end of July, ice on a rain fly in late August, and 17 degrees at the end of September.

From Bhramanti, Pesto Lemon Travels, SoCal Hiker and The Intrepid Life

Snow near the crest

Snow lingers late. Hikers crossed patches at the top in early July and an exposed snow-covered stretch in late June. After a big winter, the east side still had snowfields in late August, and a late September party met snow and a biting wind.

From Bearfoot Theory, Bhramanti, SoCal Hiker and The Intrepid Life

Water and bears

Lakes line the trail on the east side, so most hikers carry little water. One hiker watched a black bear walk past camp in lower Dusy Basin and another found large tracks in snow near the crest, while a July group saw no bears at all.

From Jack and Jill Travel, 100 Peaks, SoCal Hiker and Pesto Lemon Travels

What hikers carry on Bishop Pass

• A bear canister, rented or owned

  Everyone who wrote about the trip planned around it. One guide says the ranger station in Bishop where you pick up the permit rents canisters and has plenty. A couple of other parties got theirs from the visitor center or from outdoor shops. At the trailhead the forest provides shared food boxes, so scented items you will not carry can wait there.

  The forest's boxes are shared and limited, so put your return date on what you leave.

  From Bearfoot Theory, Jack and Jill Travel, Bhramanti and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears

• A stove for cooking and hot drinks

  Fires are not an option up here, so cooking is stove work. One solo hiker made coffee at Long Lake on the way in and again at a stone hut above Bishop Lake on the way out. Another couple relied on a canister stove and freeze-dried dinners.

  From 100 Peaks, Jack and Jill Travel and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations

• Insect repellent, plus long sleeves for the worst weeks

  Bug reports depend on the date. A guide who went in early July called the mosquitoes brutal and packed long sleeves and pants. A Labor Day party called the mosquitoes relentless around the water and used picaridin or lemon eucalyptus repellent. A group at the end of July saw none. Treat repellent as cheap insurance, especially near the lakes at dawn.

  From Bearfoot Theory, Jack and Jill Travel and Pesto Lemon Travels

• A sleep system for freezing nights

  Lows in the 30s and below show up in several reports, from a June trip to a September one. Hikers describe ice on the tent and cold that kept one photographer inside all night. A foam pad on a granite slab kept one solo camper comfortable on a warm September evening, but the same trip ended with rain.

  From Bhramanti, SoCal Hiker, The Intrepid Life, Pesto Lemon Travels and 100 Peaks

• A filter or purification tablets, with a small bottle

  The lakes and creeks run all the way up the east side. One couple carried a single liter bottle and tablets and said that was enough. Another group brought a filter for the basin. A solo hiker skipped a refill before the climb because he knew Upper Dusy Basin has water, then refilled at Bishop Lake on the way out.

  From Jack and Jill Travel, Pesto Lemon Travels and 100 Peaks

• A topo map and a satellite messenger for the basin

  The trail to the pass is easy to follow, but the lakes of Dusy Basin invite cross-country walking. Bearfoot Theory recommends a waterproof topo map, a GPS and an emergency communicator for that part.

  From Bearfoot Theory

• A headlamp and a rain layer

  Thunderstorms and hail were forecast the week before one July trip, and a September solo trip got an overnight soaking at Long Lake. That hiker packed up in the dark at 4 am, headlamp on, to beat more rain, and called out on the trail to warn any bears.

  From Pesto Lemon Travels and 100 Peaks

• Ibuprofen or similar for altitude headaches

  South Lake is already near 10,000 feet by one count and the pass is almost 12,000. Two parties had headaches at camp. One took Advil and food and felt fine, and another group went to bed early after dinner. A blog recommends carrying ibuprofen.

  From Jack and Jill Travel, Bhramanti and Pesto Lemon Travels

Gear questions for Bishop Pass