Cottonwood Pass (PCT) Gear Checklist
Cottonwood Pass starts at the Horseshoe Meadow trailhead above Lone Pine, climbs a sandy meadow edge and a set of switchbacks to the pass, and joins the Pacific Crest Trail near Chicken Spring Lake. Inyo National Forest names the Cottonwood Pass area as a place where food must go in a bear-resistant container, and it bans campfires there. Hikers on this stretch carry a canister, a filter for a dry plateau, a tent that handles wind, and footwear for deep sand and a creek crossing at Rock Creek.
What shapes your gear on Cottonwood Pass
- Quota and reservations
- The forest's 2021 quota list gives Cottonwood Pass 40 starting spaces a day, 24 reservable six months ahead and 16 reservable two weeks ahead. Reservations open online up to six months out. The forest says this entry is not part of the Mount Whitney lottery. A permit is only good to start on its own date and trail.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
- Distance to the pass and the lake
- A 2024 family trip counted 3.75 miles to the top of the pass and a little under a mile more along the PCT to Chicken Spring Lake. A 2020 trip logged 4.2 miles from the trailhead to the lake. Both describe the first half as sandy and the second half as the real climb, with switchbacks starting around mile 2.5.
From Nearby Adventure and 100 Peaks
- Water is scarce past the lake
- Beyond Chicken Spring Lake the PCT crosses a dry plateau. A 2025 hiker found one spring that held up in a dry year, about two hours past the lake, and no flowing water after it until close to Rock Creek. Rock Creek itself had water for everyone who camped there in the other reports.
From Outdoor Gearzine (note.com), 100 Peaks and Your Own Hike
- Wind at Chicken Spring Lake
- A father and daughter in August 2020 found the wind at the lake strong enough to shake the tent all night and too cold for a swim. They moved camp uphill between a boulder and a juniper. A family at the lake in July 2024 reported a crowd of PCT hikers and a trail crew instead.
From 100 Peaks and Nearby Adventure
- Bears and the trailhead
- A 2020 camper found bear tracks all over the area around Chicken Spring Lake and ate dinner uphill from the tent. The trailhead has bear boxes, and the walk-in campground there has individual or shared boxes too. A July 2024 family stored a cooler in the trailhead box.
From 100 Peaks and Nearby Adventure
What the agency requires on Cottonwood Pass
A bear-resistant food container
The Cottonwood Lakes and Cottonwood Pass area is one of eight places in Inyo National Forest where food and scented items must go in a container that keeps bears out. The rule applies all year.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears
A stove, not a fire
The forest lists the Cottonwood Pass and Chicken Spring Lake area as closed to campfires, and it bans fires above 10,400 feet south of the Humphreys and Emerson ridgeline. Gas, petroleum and liquid-fuel stoves are allowed.
A printed overnight permit
An overnight stay in the Golden Trout, John Muir or Ansel Adams wildernesses needs a permit for your trailhead and date. Print it before the no-show deadline or the reservation is canceled.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A trowel, or a pack-out kit if you continue to Mount Whitney
Away from the Mount Whitney Zone, bury solid human waste 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 100 feet from water or camp. In the Whitney Zone the forest expects hikers to pack waste out.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
What hikers carry on Cottonwood Pass
A bear canister and a plan for the trailhead box
A father and daughter on a four-night walk kept their food in canisters. A family on a one-night trip used the trailhead bear box for a small cooler before starting up. The forest also tells hikers not to leave scented items in the car.
From 100 Peaks, Nearby Adventure and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears
A water filter and a refill plan for the plateau
A hiker who knew the route filled one liter at the plateau spring and carried it on to Rock Creek, because the dry stretch has nothing else in a dry season. A father and daughter loaded their water at the trailhead campsite before heading up. The same 2025 hiker treated his plateau water with a filter.
From Outdoor Gearzine (note.com) and 100 Peaks
A tent that can be fully staked, plus a sheltered pitch
The father and daughter pitched at the lake's open edge, then moved up the hill to a spot between a big rock and a juniper because gusts shook the tent all night. A hiker in a dry year found the shade west of the lake and moved the tent again once the sun reached it.
From 100 Peaks and Outdoor Gearzine (note.com)
Footwear that copes with deep sand and a wet creek crossing
The first miles skirt Horseshoe Meadow on sand that tires you out under a heavy pack. At Rock Creek in a snowy year, a pair took their shoes off to wade, while a hiker in a dry year crossed on stones without getting wet.
From Nearby Adventure, 100 Peaks, Your Own Hike and Outdoor Gearzine (note.com)
A cook set and a dinner spot away from the tent
Fires are closed here, so meals come off a stove. The 2020 camper carried dinner uphill from the tent after seeing bear tracks near camp. The 2025 hiker cooked rice meals and made instant coffee at lunch stops.
From 100 Peaks, Outdoor Gearzine (note.com) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Cottonwood Pass
An open pitch right at the water
The father and daughter relocated up the hill for shelter from the wind. Two other camps in the reports picked sites back from the shore, one to avoid a trail crew and the other to find shade.
From 100 Peaks, Nearby Adventure and Outdoor Gearzine (note.com)
Packing food too tight
The 2020 camper reached Rock Creek with a pounding headache and little energy after a day on low calories and short sleep, and later wished for more food on a trip that ran four nights.
From 100 Peaks
Counting on running water across the plateau
In a dry year a normally reliable creek had dried up and the hiker had to rely on one spring about two hours past the lake. Filling at the lake or the spring before the long flat stretch is safer than hoping.
Food or coolers left in the car
The forest says bears break into vehicles for scented items. The trailhead boxes exist for that, and the 2024 family used one.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears and Nearby Adventure
A fire plan
The Cottonwood Pass and Chicken Spring Lake area is closed to campfires, and the trail has a sign reminding hikers that fires are off limits above 10,000 feet. A stove is the only option.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Nearby Adventure
Gear questions for Cottonwood Pass
Do you need a bear canister for Cottonwood Pass?
Yes for an overnight trip. The Cottonwood Lakes and Cottonwood Pass area is one of eight places where Inyo National Forest requires a container made to keep bears out. The trailhead has bear boxes for food you will not carry.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations, Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears and Nearby Adventure
Can you have a campfire at Cottonwood Pass?
No. The forest closes the Cottonwood Pass and Chicken Spring Lake area to campfires, and it bans fires above 10,400 feet in this part of the forest. Liquid-fuel and gas stoves are allowed.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Nearby Adventure
Is there water past Chicken Spring Lake on the Cottonwood Pass route?
Very little. The PCT crosses a dry plateau between the lake and Rock Creek. One hiker relied on a single spring in a dry year, then found nothing flowing until near Rock Creek. Fill up and carry a filter.
From Outdoor Gearzine (note.com) and 100 Peaks
How far is Chicken Spring Lake from the Cottonwood Pass trailhead?
About 4 to 4.5 miles one way. A 2024 trip counted 3.75 miles to the pass and a little under a mile more to the lake. A 2020 trip logged 4.2 miles.
From Nearby Adventure and 100 Peaks
How many people can start from Cottonwood Pass each day?
The forest's 2021 list gives 40 starting spaces a day, 24 reservable six months ahead and 16 reservable two weeks ahead. Check the live calendar on Recreation.gov, because quotas can change.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
Sources
- Wilderness Permits · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Bears · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Mount Whitney Backpacking Trip - Horseshoe Meadows over Cottonwood Pass · 100 Peaks, Derek Loranger · Trip report
- Chicken Spring Lake via Cottonwood Pass · Nearby Adventure · Trip report
- John Muir Trail Northbound Thru-hike (2025 NOBO) Record, Chapter 2: Horseshoe Meadow to Mount Whitney · Outdoor Gearzine (note.com), Outdoor Gearzine · Blog
- Mt. Whitney via Cottonwood Pass · Your Own Hike · Trip report