Highlights

From start to end

Finding the South Bairs trailhead in Independence

Note: the driving route changes every year depending on road conditions. Check out this page for my most updated info. Click here for directions to the George Creek trailhead in 2012.

As you approach from the north on highway 395

As you approach from the south, the turnoff is just after this bridge

The turnoff off highway 395

Turn right here

Four way junction: turn left

15-ton bridge

Turn right at this colossal junction

Turn right

Turn right

Cross the creek

Turn left where the car is in order to get to the George Creek trailhead, turn right to go towards the Bairs Creek trailheads

This sign does not exist anymore (2015) but it would tell you that you are on Foothill Rd

The cattle grid about 1km later on Foothill Rd: turn immediately left or just park here

Turn left into this very steep road or just park here and walk to the trailhead

This sign has collapsed but was still on the ground in 2015

The road to the trailhead

The road to the trailhead

The tiny parking lot

The Hike

The trailhead (not much of a trail, eh?)

The beginning of the trail

South Bairs Creek route

South Bairs Creek route at dawn

South Bairs Creek route at dawn

Almost at the spherical spire

The trailhead down below

Your plastic at work. This is a route rarely traveled by humans, and it already has plastic garbage.

A splendid sculpture of wood and stone

At the spire

The notch

The notch

The notch

The notch

The spire

Further up

Cactus (a reminder of how low you started)

You can barely see the spire from the foresty other side

Not much of a use-trail going up

Not much of a use-trail going up

Not much of a use-trail going up

The tunnel rock

The tunnel rock

Not much of a use-trail but intuitive where the passage is

The creek is down there

The creek is down there

Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet

Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet

Steep uphill and the cirque is not even visible yet

Owens Valley down below where my car is

At the top you can see the ridge that separates the North Bairs and the foresty northern branch of the South Bairs

Stay to the right of the granite slabs

Lots of bouldering

and some shade

At the split

At the split

At the split, crossing the southern tributary

At the split

Cactus flowers

Ascending the foresty northern branch (not the best route but just to check out the view on the northern side of the Bairs ridge)

Foothill Rd down below where my car is

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

You can also ascend this chute

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

Up the foresty branch

View below

View below

Owens Valley in all its glory

The North Bairs route from the ridge that separates the two

The North Bairs route from the ridge that separates the two

The pre-cirque chute to the George Creek route

Down below

Coasting the ridge

The creek down below

Coasting the ridge: no need to climb each peaklet, just stay to their left

The pre-cirque chute is all the way to the right in this picture

A look at the North Bairs route and its own cirque

Avoid all these peaklets by staying lower to the left

Owens Valley

The route so far

The route so far

Wildflowers

Mt Whitney in the distance

The cirque that you need to reach (the George Creek route)

The route involves some saddles, up and down

Mt Russell (the mountain with two horns) and Mt Whitney

Just passed one of the saddles

Another saddle

The use-trail is down there

The upper route almost connecting to the George Creek route

The last section of the upper route

Most of the chutes at the cirque are impassable

Passing the last peaklets

The last saddles

The last saddles

At the northern tip of the cirque

You can guess where the pre-cirque chute is

Scrambling towards the George Creek route above the cirque

Whitney

Finally the first view of the summit

If instead you prefer the pre-cirque chute, ignore the foresty branch and continue straight up. The use-trail is just a groove as you leave the tree line

The use-trail is just a groove as you leave the tree line

The cirque in the distance

The foresty branche to the right

The cirque (the pre-cirque chute is to the left of this picture)

Option 1: The pre-cirque chute

Option 1: The pre-cirque chute

Option 1: The pre-cirque chute

Option 2 and 3: The ridge route described in the previous pictures (not recommended unless you want shade in the forest and then views of the North Bairs) and the one described in the next pictures

If you are walking up the canyon and want a shorter route than the pre-cirque chute, past the waterfall there's an easier way to get to the same ridge

Past this waterfall there's an easier way to get to the same ridge

An easier chute to get to the ridge

An easier chute to get to the ridge

An easier chute to get to the ridge

An easier chute to get to the ridge

Not an option: The chutes of the cirque itself are all impassable

View from Whitney to Versteeg (Trojan in the middle, Barnard slightly in the back)

View from Versteeg to Williamson, the summit in the middle

Russell, Whitney and Trojan

Trojan and Barnard

Versteeg

Up the George Creek route

The final headwall...

...or the chutes

The North Bairs route and Owens Valley

The North Bairs cirque from above

The chute from below (exit to the upper right into the summit plateau)

The chute from the top

The top of the chute to bypass the headwall

The summit plateau and the east horn

Owens Valley

The summit is all the way to the left

East horn

East horn and summit

Views from the top