Sawmill Pass (JMT) Gear Checklist

What shapes your gear on Sawmill Pass

Who issues the permit

Inyo National Forest issues the permit for a trip that starts here, even though the first camp is often inside Kings Canyon National Park. The permit is good only for the trailhead and the entry date you reserved.

From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits

Quota and season

The forest's 2021 quota list gives Sawmill Pass, trail code JM28, 10 starting hikers a day, 6 reservable six months ahead and 4 reservable two weeks ahead. The forest's current page describes a quota season from May 1 to November 1, with 60 percent released six months out and 40 percent two weeks out at 7 am Pacific. One 2018 hiker said staff checked a map before issuing the permit, and another met only two other hikers all weekend.

From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021), Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits, First Church of The Masochist and Hike For Days

Size of the climb

Route descriptions put the gain at 6,700 to 7,180 feet and the round trip at 18.7 to 20 miles. The trailhead is reported at 4,600 feet, 4,636 feet and 4,500 feet, and the pass at 11,347 feet. One hiker logged the crest at mile 9.7 and Woods Lake at mile 11.4.

From onX Maps, The Outbound, Drempd, Hike For Days and First Church of The Masochist

The dry, exposed start

The first several miles cross sagebrush desert with no shade and no water. One hiker was 3.2 miles and 2,500 feet up before reaching any trees, and the first water in that account came at mile 4.2 and 7,250 feet. Another party left at 5 am in June and still spent hours climbing before they found their first tree. After the first creek, hikers describe running water, shade, a ridge called The Hogsback and a string of meadows.

From Hike For Days, The 365 Commitment and First Church of The Masochist

Where people camp

Sawmill Meadow has a few small campsites, and Sawmill Lake has several good ones on its east and north sides. Beyond the crest one hiker camped in a well-used spot at Woods Lake at 10,700 feet. A group arriving at dusk found only bare, sloping ground away from the water there. Hikers disagree on the elevation of Sawmill Lake, with accounts of 9,970 feet and 10,800 feet.

From Drempd, Hike For Days, First Church of The Masochist and The 365 Commitment

Late snow below the crest

At the end of May 2016 the bowl just below the pass held heavy snow. The hiker skipped it by scrambling up the ridge to the north. The route description says snow can start around 9,000 feet and recommends snowshoes in that season, and a map for finding the line to the pass.

From Drempd and The Outbound

What hikers carry on Sawmill Pass

• More water than feels necessary for the first miles

  A June 2021 group of four was out of water with the sun going down on the way up. On the way out they ran dry again in 110 degree heat, and a passing family gave them water and electrolyte tablets. A party that climbed in 1972 advised two quarts a person and a start near 5 am. The trailhead has no water, so the bottles you fill at the car are your supply until the first creek.

  These accounts are anecdotes from different years. Check the current creek flow with the permit office.

  From The 365 Commitment, Mountain Mouse, Hike For Days and The Outbound

• Electrolyte or salt tablets for the heat

  The June 2021 group got electrolyte tablets from a passing family when they ran out of water in 110 degree heat near the bottom. The same 1972 write-up advised salt tablets and said a girl died of heat prostration the day after that party went up. The first miles are the dry, exposed part, and both accounts treat heat as the main risk on the trail.

  From The 365 Commitment and Mountain Mouse

• Snowshoes or traction in a snowy season

  Snow can cover the trail above about 9,000 feet, and the route description suggests snowshoes to avoid post-holing then. In a late May trip, the snow in the final bowl was heavy enough that the hiker went around it, and flurries fell on the pass.

  From The Outbound and Drempd

• A topographic map

  The route description says that when snow covers the upper trail, a topographic map is how you keep to the right line to the pass. On the Woods Lake side, one hiker wrote that the trail was light and left it to head cross-country to the lake.

  From The Outbound and Hike For Days

• A head net or strong repellent for Woods Lake

  A June 2021 party tried to camp at Woods Lake and was driven off by what they called a horde of mosquitoes. They moved to a small hill nearby for relief. A September hiker who camped at the same lake did not mention bugs, so the date matters.

  From The 365 Commitment and Hike For Days

• A windproof layer for rest breaks

  One hiker sat down on The Hogsback to eat and was chilled fast, as the wind hit a sweat-soaked shirt. A 1975 party at Woods Lake went to bed at 7:30 because a cold wind was blowing.

  From Hike For Days and Mountain Mouse

• Freeze-dried dinners and quick oats

  The June 2021 group ate freeze-dried beef and macaroni after a 12 hour climb and quick-cooking oats the next morning. Both need only hot water, which suits a camp where fires are banned.

  From The 365 Commitment and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations

• A canister, or a plan for the trailhead bear box

  The trailhead has a bear box, and the 2018 hiker who used it did not expect much bear trouble in that landscape. Up high, a 1972 party described the Woods Lake basin as having small trees and little firewood. Because the forest requires a container where trees cannot support a hang, a container is the practical choice there. This is our reading of those sources.

  From First Church of The Masochist, Mountain Mouse and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations

Gear questions for Sawmill Pass