Duck Pass (JMT) Gear Checklist
Duck Pass starts from the Cold Water Campground lot above Lake Mary near Mammoth Lakes, climbs past a chain of small lakes to a rocky pass, and drops to Duck Lake and the John Muir Trail near Purple Lake. Inyo National Forest makes food storage in a bear-resistant container mandatory in the Duck Pass and Purple Lake area, and it names this drainage as closed to campfires. People who have done the trip carry a canister, a stove, layers for near-freezing mornings, a shell for hail and thunder, and bug protection that depends on the month.
What shapes your gear on Duck Pass
- How many people start here
- The forest's 2021 quota list gives Duck Pass 30 starting spaces a day, 18 reservable six months ahead and 12 reservable two weeks ahead. The forest's current page describes the quota season as May 1 to November 1, with 60 percent released six months out and 40 percent two weeks out at 7 am Pacific.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
- Distance and climb to the lakes
- An Outbound write-up counts 9.29 miles round trip and 1,880 feet of gain to Duck Lake. A Backpacking Light member, going on to Purple Lake, logged 7.7 miles in and about 2,700 feet of cumulative gain. The Outbound guide calls the early climb steady but mild, then the last mile above Barney Lake steep, rocky and hot.
From The Outbound and Backpacking Light
- Camping is tight at Duck Lake
- Duck Lake sits in a cirque, so flat ground is limited. The Outbound guide points hikers to Pika Lake over a side trail for more sites in the trees. The forest bars camping within 300 feet of the outlets of Duck Lake and Purple Lake.
From The Outbound and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
- Cold mornings
- A group at Purple Lake in August saw the temperature fall from about 60 degrees to the high 30s overnight. A Backpacking Light member at Lake Virginia in 2014 logged 33 degrees overnight, after a hailstorm took the afternoon from 60 to 42.
- Crowds at Purple Lake
- One hiker counted about 15 people around Purple Lake in August 2010, and a ranger was checking canisters on the trail into it. A 2009 group found a Boy Scout troop and several parties around the same lake.
- Starting before dawn
- A father and son on a 2020 section hike left the lot at 4:50 am with headlamps on, got a sunrise view on the climb, walked past Duck Lake, and reached Lake Virginia by about 11 am.
From Take a Hike!
What the agency requires on Duck Pass
A bear-resistant food container
The Duck Pass and Purple Lake area, including the John Muir Trail to Lake Virginia, is one of eight places where food and scented items must be stored in a container made to keep bears out. The rule runs all year.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Bears
A stove instead of a campfire
The Coldwater drainage, which holds the Duck Pass trail, and the Duck Creek and Purple Lake area are listed as closed to campfires. Fires are banned year-round above 10,000 feet north of the Humphreys and Emerson ridgeline. Stoves that burn gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed, and stoves that burn twigs or solid fuel are not.
A printed permit carried by the group
A reservation is canceled as a no-show unless the permit is printed, picked up or marked for late arrival. The overnight deadline is 10 am on the entry date. Permits are not transferable.
A camp plan that respects outlet closures
Do not camp within 300 feet of the outlet of Duck Lake or Purple Lake. Choose a site that already exists and stands well clear of trails and water, which the forest sets at 100 feet.
What hikers carry on Duck Pass
A bear canister
A ranger was checking canisters on the way into Purple Lake in August 2010, when the lake held about 15 people. The area rule covers every overnight trip through the Duck Pass drainage.
Rangers do check, and a hang will not pass in this area.
From Santa Barbara Hikes and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A canister stove and fuel
Fires are closed here, so hot food and coffee come from a stove. The 2020 pair bought a fuel canister at a store after flying in, since it cannot go on a plane, and they made coffee before dawn on day two.
From Take a Hike! and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A warm sleep system and a hat
Lows fell to 33 degrees at Lake Virginia in 2014 and to the high 30s in August at Purple Lake. The August group said they had to bundle up before leaving their sleeping bags.
A rain shell and a tent that sheds hail
An afternoon storm at Lake Virginia in 2014 dropped hail for about 40 minutes, with thunder close behind each flash. The writer's solo tent held up with hail piled on it.
From Backpacking Light
A headlamp for a pre-dawn start
The climb to the pass has no shade, and the Outbound guide calls the pass hot. A 2020 pair started in the dark at 4:50 am and covered 15.2 miles to Squaw Lake that day.
From The Outbound and Take a Hike!
Light shoes and a light pack for the climb
That hiker carried a 15 pound base weight and wore trail shoes, and said the 2,700 feet of gain to Purple Lake was the easiest he had managed at that mileage.
From Backpacking Light
Bug protection, with the month in mind
Reports disagree. The 2014 trip had almost no mosquitoes. A mid-August solo hiker found Tully Hole thick with them and slept inside a net tent. Pack repellent for August and know that dry, windy weeks can be quiet.
From Backpacking Light and Santa Barbara Hikes
Water bottles to fill at the lakes
The Outbound guide suggests filling bottles and soaking a hat on the hot climb to the pass, and Barney Lake sits just below the pass. A pair at Squaw Lake refilled their water at the shore.
From The Outbound and Take a Hike!
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 Duck Pass
Firewood
A 2009 group built a fire at Purple Lake, but the forest now lists that basin as closed to campfires. Dry wood and starters are dead weight.
From Randall Bytwerk's Sierra pages and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A dog on a trip that continues south
Dogs may stay in the national forest, but they are prohibited on trips that enter Sequoia or Kings Canyon wilderness. The John Muir Trail past Lake Virginia leads toward those parks.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Take a Hike!
Heavy boots and a full base weight
The 2014 hiker credited trail shoes and a light pack for an easier climb than usual and said heavy gear would have cost more than the miles suggest.
From Backpacking Light
Gear questions for Duck Pass
Do you need a bear canister for Duck Pass?
Yes. Inyo National Forest requires a bear-resistant container in the Duck Pass and Purple Lake area, and a ranger checked canisters near Purple Lake in one trip report.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations and Santa Barbara Hikes
Can you have a campfire on the Duck Pass trail?
No. The forest lists the Coldwater drainage, which holds the Duck Pass trail, and the Duck Creek and Purple Lake area as closed to campfires. Use a gas, petroleum or liquid-fuel stove.
How many people can start on Duck Pass each day?
The forest's 2021 list gives 30 spaces a day, 18 released six months ahead and 12 released two weeks ahead. The forest's current page describes 60 percent six months out and 40 percent two weeks out. Check the live calendar, because numbers 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
Where can you camp past Duck Pass?
Duck Lake has limited flat ground. Writers point to Pika Lake for sites in the trees, and others went on to Purple Lake or Lake Virginia. No camp is allowed within 300 feet of the Duck Lake or Purple Lake outlets.
From The Outbound, Santa Barbara Hikes and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
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
- Duck Lake via Duck Pass Trail · The Outbound, Sierra Joy · Blog
- Two trips in two weeks! Duck Pass and Gianelli Cabin THs · Backpacking Light, d k · Forum thread
- Duck to Bishop Pass, August 2010 · Santa Barbara Hikes · Trip report
- South of Mammoth Lakes: August 2009 · Randall Bytwerk's Sierra pages, David Hoekema · Trip report
- John Muir Trail - Duck Pass to Bishop Pass · Take a Hike! · Trip report