Taboose Pass (JMT) Gear Checklist
Taboose Pass climbs about 6,000 feet from a desert trailhead near 5,400 feet to a crest above 11,300 feet, with two big creek crossings on the way. The hikers who wrote about it describe a hot sagebrush start, water from Taboose Creek once you reach the canyon, crossings that were wild in a big snow year, and a descent that is almost as hard as the climb. This page lists what they carried, what they wished they had done differently, and the Taboose Creek fire closure that the forest posts for the canyon.
What shapes your gear on Taboose Pass
- Who issues the permit
- Inyo National Forest issues the permit for a trip that starts at Taboose Pass, even if the first night is in Kings Canyon National Park. The permit is valid only for the trailhead and entry date you reserved.
- Quota and season
- The forest's 2021 quota list gives Taboose Pass, trail code JM27, 10 starting hikers a day, 6 reservable six months ahead and 4 reservable two weeks ahead. The 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. Canceled spaces return to the calendar within 24 hours.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
- Size of the climb
- Reports give the gain as about 6,000 feet, with the bulk of it packed into the final 6 miles, over a trail that writers measure at 6.5 to just under 10 miles. The trailhead is given as 5,400, 5,448 and 5,500 feet, and the pass as 11,300 to 11,400 feet. A 2015 hiker timed the climb from the trailhead to the top at 7 hours and 15 minutes, including a nap and lunch.
From Backpacking Light forum, Calipidder, Climber.org, Sea to Summit Ultralight and Scout Boot Tracks
- Heat and the sagebrush start
- The trail crosses about 1.5 miles of flat sagebrush before the climb. A party that left at 6:30 am said even that was an hour late, because the sun was already over the Inyo Mountains. A mid-July party hiked at night to avoid the heat and found 107 degrees at the car on the way out. The creek is first crossed near 8,000 feet, and the shade there was a relief.
From Backpacking Light forum, Climber.org and Calipidder
- Creek crossings in a big snow year
- In September 2023, after a record winter, the first crossing of Taboose Creek was washed out but passable. The second one, below a small waterfall, was raging with a fallen tree across it, and the hikers got wet to the waist. A solo hiker they met had turned around at the first crossing because she was uncomfortable crossing alone.
From Scout Boot Tracks
- Road and trailhead
- A mid-July 2013 party drove low clearance cars up the dirt road and had no trouble. A 2023 party said some washed-out parts are blocked off by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and that the last stretch gets rough, but it was fine for two-wheel drive.
From Climber.org and Scout Boot Tracks
What the agency requires on Taboose Pass
An overnight wilderness permit, printed
Camping overnight in the John Muir Wilderness needs a permit for your trailhead and entry date. Reservations are not transferable, and the forest cancels one that is not printed before the no-show deadline.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Regulations
A stove instead of a campfire in the Taboose Creek drainage
The Taboose Creek drainage is on the forest's list of areas closed to campfires, and campfires are also banned above 10,000 feet north and above 10,400 feet south of the Mount Humphreys and Mount Emerson ridgeline. Stoves that burn gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed. Stoves that burn twigs or solid fuel are not.
Food storage that keeps bears out
Taboose Pass is not one of the eight forest areas that require a bear-resistant container. Elsewhere you may use either a container or a hang at least 15 feet up and 10 feet from the trunk, and a container is required where there are no trees tall enough for a hang. No other food storage method is allowed.
A way to bury or pack out waste
Bury solid human waste 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 100 feet from water or camp. Camp at least 100 feet from trails and water, and pack out all trash.
What hikers carry on Taboose Pass
A headlamp for a night or pre-dawn climb
A mid-July 2013 pair started up the trail at 8 pm and walked by headlamp until 11:30 pm, reaching the creek at 8,000 feet before they bivouacked. They filled up at a stream around 9:30 pm, passed two dry stream beds in the dark, and called the walk eerie. They recommended a start after sundown, since daytime temperatures make the lower half unpleasant.
From Climber.org
Water to reach the first creek crossing
Reports put the first creek crossing at about 8,000 or 8,100 feet. A party that reached it after a hot, late start spent a while cooling off in the cold, shaded water. After that, crossings and springs make water easy all the way up.
From Backpacking Light forum, Calipidder and Climber.org
A warm sleep system for October nights
A solo hiker in October 2015 camped on a lake at 11,592 feet below Split Mountain with a homemade 25 degree quilt. The forecast was the high 20s, the temperature fell to 21, and he wore all of his clothes to stay warm.
Micro-spikes, gaiters and waterproof socks in the shoulder season
The same October hiker carried basic snow gear because a storm can drop several inches quickly. Lingering snow on north-facing slopes kept him off his cross-country plans, and within one hour near Pinchot Pass the sky went from blue to black storm clouds.
A wind and hail layer for the pass
A September 2023 party took late-afternoon gusts strong enough to make them crouch, then hail, on the talus switchbacks below the pass. A 2015 hiker reached the top at sunset in a strong wind and dropped to the trees to camp.
A downloaded map on a phone
A mid-July 2013 hiker had no phone signal at all, but the GPS app tracked his whole day on a map saved ahead of time. It logged 16.11 miles and 5,578 feet of gain for his Split Mountain day.
From Climber.org
Blister care and a second pair of shoes
The same hiker developed heel blisters in his mountain boots over three days of climbing. He dressed them and wore sneakers for the long walk down to the trailhead.
From Climber.org
Food storage set away from camp
A hiker on Bench Lake found large, fresh bear tracks on the side trail and moved his camp away from the established sites. The October 2015 hiker made a quiet camp away from any established site and cooked and ate away from where he slept. The forest does not require a canister here, but a hang or container is required.
From Backpacking Light forum, Sea to Summit Ultralight 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 Taboose Pass
Starting after sunrise
The 6:30 am start still felt an hour late to one party, and a September 2023 group that left at 10 am said that start is not recommended for a hot, shadeless climb. A 2011 party left at 10 only because they had to pick up a permit first.
From Backpacking Light forum, Scout Boot Tracks and Calipidder
Descending the same day as a long day out
A 2014 pair walked back over the pass and out to the car in one day and finished at 6 pm, tired for days. Their view afterward was that stopping at the first bivouac and descending the next morning would have been wiser, since the descent is nearly as hard as the climb.
Mountain boots on the long walk out
Heel blisters made the last eight miles out of the canyon miserable for one mid-July hiker, who finished in sneakers.
From Climber.org
Leaving the car uncovered in the Owens Valley
One hiker found the valley at 107 degrees on return. His partner's rear-view mirror adhesive had melted in the heat and the mirror came off in his hand, and he suggested a car cover for the trailhead.
From Climber.org
A dog
Pets are allowed on forest trips, but trips that visit Kings Canyon National Park wilderness may not bring them. Taboose Pass is the way in, so a dog has to stay on the forest side.
Gear questions for Taboose Pass
Is there water on the Taboose Pass trail?
Yes once you reach Taboose Creek. The first stretch of sagebrush has none, and hikers report the first proper crossing near 8,000 feet. After that, the creek and its crossings supply water most of the way up.
From Backpacking Light forum, Calipidder and Climber.org
Do you need a bear canister for Taboose Pass?
Not by forest rule. Taboose Pass is not one of the forest's eight mandatory canister areas, but you must use a container or hang food 15 feet up and 10 feet from the trunk. A container is required where no tree can hold a hang.
How many people can start at Taboose Pass each day?
The forest's 2021 list gives 10 starting spaces a day, 6 released six months ahead and 4 released two weeks ahead. The current page describes a 60 and 40 percent split, so check the live calendar.
From Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) and Inyo National Forest (USFS): Wilderness Permits
Can you have a campfire on Taboose Pass?
No. The Taboose Creek drainage is closed to campfires, and they are also banned above 10,400 feet south of the Humphreys and Emerson ridgeline. Use a gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel stove.
Can a two-wheel drive car reach the Taboose Pass trailhead?
Two parties said yes. A 2013 pair drove low clearance cars up the graded dirt road, and a 2023 party said some washed-out parts are blocked off but a two-wheel drive vehicle can manage the rough last stretch.
From Climber.org and Scout Boot Tracks
Sources
- Wilderness Permits · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Wilderness Trail Names and Quotas for Inyo National Forest (June 2021) · Inyo National Forest (USFS) · Agency
- Bench Lake via Taboose Pass-KCNP 6/9-12 · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread
- Taboose Pass to Bench Lake · Calipidder, Rebecca · Trip report
- Taboose Pass Wanderings · Climber.org, Mike Bigelow · Trip report
- Taboose Pass ~ October 2015 · Sea to Summit Ultralight · Blog
- Lake Basin, Dumbbell Lakes, and Amphitheater Lake · Scout Boot Tracks, Mackenzie Wilson · Trip report