Killer Sunset at The Sisters near Carson Pass Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail Need a Map? Lost Al near Lost Keys Lake
Banner Map: Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney, the Pacific Crest Trail between Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass
Dicks Lake   Lake Aloha
Dicks, and Fontanillis Lakes from Dicks Pass

Backpacking
Ebbetts Pass
to Sonora Pass
on the
Pacific Crest Trail

Hiking
The Pacific Crest Trail
showing Regional Context with the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail

30 minute USGS Backpacking Map

Aloha Lake under Pyramid Peak from Dicks Pass
                     
PCT
Maps and Mileages
Trail Guide Tahoe to Whitney Indexes More
Miles and Elevations
7.5 Map Series Weather, Map Data

Map
INDEX

Ebbetts
Pass
to
Sonora Pass Topo Maps

Miles and Elevations

Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora
Pass

NORTH
30 min map

Carson Pass
to
Ebbetts
Pass

SOUTH
30 min map

Sonora
Pass
to
Bensen
Lake
Carson Iceberg Region Map Carson
Pass
to
Yosemite Region Map
Section Index

Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass
Page

Ebbetts Pass
Trail Guide Index

Tahoe
to
Whitney
All Miles

Tahoe
to
Whitney
Maps

 
Hwy
4
to
Hwy 108
All
Maps


Tahoe
to
Whitney
PCT
North

Carson Pass
to
Ebbetts Pass
Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora
Pass
PCT
South

Sonora Pass
to
Tuolumne Meadows
The Highland Creek Trail

Ebbetts Pass Weather

Sonora
Pass Weather

Toiyabe National Forest Resupply Points:

Lake Alpine
-&-
Kennedy
Meadows

Map Info

Road Map

           

Backpacking topo map
29.44 miles
on the
Pacific Crest Trail
through the
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
between
Ebbetts and Sonora Passes

West of this Topo map:
PCT to the TYT
via
Highland Lakes

NEW
Carson Iceberg Wilderness Regional Hiking Map

North PCT: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass   Toiyabe and Stanislaus National Forests  Click RED & BLACK DOTS  South PCT: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake

Ebbetts to Sonora Pass topo map of the Pacific Crest Trail across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness.

Pacific Crest Trail topo hiking map North: Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass                          Pacific Crest Trail topo hiking map South: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake

Western Edge of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness showing the Highland Creek connector to the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail to Lake Alpine

Ebbetts Pass
to
Sonora Pass
on the
Pacific Crest Trail

Main Features
The main feature of this map is the Pacific Crest Trail route between Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass. Also marked is the route option where I enjoy cutting up Highland Creek from the Tahoe to Yosemite route to join the Pacific Crest Trail for its run through the beautiful upper reaches of the East Fork of the Carson River.

Over the years I've come to weave together my favorite parts of the PCT and TYT. Summit City Creek South of Carson Pass is one favorite section on the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail. The upper section of the East Fork of the Carson River on the Pacific Crest Trail is another of my favorite sections. The Highland Creek Trail allows me to connect these two sections together, so I can walk through both during one Tahoe to Yosemite or Tahoe to Whitney backpacking trip.

More fun than time...

The Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite routes are also linked together by Arnot Creek, Disaster Creek, and Boulder Creek between Highway 4 and Highway 108. Check out my report on a Fall Trip making a loop of through the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. These connecting trails allowed us to use elements of the Tahoe to Yosemite heading South from Lake Alpine, then cut up to the Pacific Crest Trail to follow it's route North to end the backpacking trip at Ebbetts Pass.

Though the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite trails are taking quite different routes South from Highway 4 down to Highway 108, their routes virtually converge on Highway 108. Starting 15 miles distant from each other on Highway 4, the TYT trailhead at Saint Marys Pass and PCT trailhead at Sonora Pass are less than a mile apart on Highway 108.

The fact that these trails convergence as they head South is complimented by the series of trails connecting them with each other. This allows you to craft a whole series of custom medium to long distance trips within the Carson Iceberg Wilderness sewing together sections of the classic Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trail routes.

Click the red dots on the Pacific Crest Trail route to see the trail guide page for that location.

Trail Guide Section

Highway 4 to Highway 108

Forum

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass

MAP NOTE
Those squares breaking the USGS topo maps up into a grid are the Universal Transverse Mercator / Military Grid Reference System, otherwise commonly known as UTM.

What's important for our general reference purpose is that each side of a square is 1000 meters, or a Kilometer.
From my point of view that is 1093.6 yards or .62 of a mile.

Diagonal: 1414.22 meters, if my trig is correct.

 

HIGHWAY 108 CORRIDOR

ROAD MAP

Sonora Pass (PCT) and Clarks Fork Road and Saint Marys Pass (TYT)

This is a road map for highway access to the trailheads on the South end of the trail map above.

Centered On
Highway 108

 

 

Mapping, Mileage, and National Forest Permit Information

 

Miles and Elevations

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass
29.44 miles

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass
Point to Point Miles and Elevations

 

Meeks Bay to Sonora Pass

Meeks Bay to Echo Summit
30.71

Echo Summit to Carson Pass
12

Carson Pass to Ebbetts Pass
27.1

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass
29.44

Total, Meeks Bay to Sonora Pass
99.25

 

Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass
Trail Guide Index

Trailhead

Backpacking permits

Federal Websites

Toiyabe National Forest website

Home Page Toiyabe National Forest

Wilderness Area: Carson Iceberg

Permits: Carson Ranger District

Physical location: On the East side of the Sierra Crest between Highway 4 and Highway 108

Stanislaus National Forest website

Home Page Stanislaus National Forest

Wilderness Area: Carson-Iceberg

Permits: Calavaras Ranger District...

You're better off calling the office...(209) 795-1381 for permits. They are great people up there, so just press the option to speak to a real person and they will hook you up.

Physical location: On the West side of the Sierra Crest between Highway 4 and Highway 108

Maps

Map Names
Smith Valley, Calif-Nev, 1985, 30x60 minute Topographic

Bridgeport Calif-Nev, 1985, 30x60 minute Topographic

Compass Offset
Magnetic North is 16 degrees East of True North

scale
1:100 000

Contours
50 meters

 

Backpacking permits

The Carson Ranger District of the Toiyabe National Forest administers the Pacific Crest Trail between Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass. The Carson Ranger District administers the whole Eastern section of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.

The Western section of the Carson-Iceberg is administered by the Stanislaus National Forest. The Western Carson-Iceberg mainly concerns Tahoe to Yosemite Trail hikers. The Northwest and Southwest sections of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness are split between two Stanislaus NF Ranger Districts, the Calavaras and Summit Ranger Districts, respectively.

Tahoe to Whitney Trail Guide

Eastern Sierra Nevada

Toiyabe National Forest

All Eastern Carson-Iceberg
Carson Ranger District

 

Western Sierra Nevada

Stanislaus National Forest

Contact Information

Northwest Carson-Iceberg
Calavaras Ranger District

Southwest Carson-Iceberg
Summit Ranger District

 

Next topo map South: Sonora Pass to Bensen Lake                              Next topo map North: Ebbetts Pass to Carson Pass

Elevations   More Information

Ebbetts Pass
8732 feet

 

Sonora Pass
9643 feet

Trail Guide
Ebbetts Pass

Trail Guide
Sonora Pass

Google Maps

Ebbetts Pass    Sonora Pass

 

Map Credit

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
The USGS

USGS MAP LOCATOR

Move the Map to the Sierras. Select size of Maps you wish to locate. Click "Mark Point" on map to see the USGS map grid of the selected map scale.

USGS Topographic

Map Information

Map Symbols

Trailhead
Comments: on this
Contact
Alex Wierbinski

top of page

Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney

Your guide to backpacking the Sierra Crest, including the Tahoe to Yosemite, Pacific Crest, and John Muir Trails
© Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney: Crown Jewel of the Pacific Crest Trail