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- Comparison of SGT and SHR
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Definitions
of abbreviations - SGT is the Sierra Grand Traverse (our route along
the range), SHR is the Sierra High Route (sometimes called Ropers High
Route).
Whats shared
To
begin with, about one third of the Sierra
Grand Traverse follows sections of the SHR. In particular, most of the
route between Lake Virginia and Humphreys Basin (Carol Col) is shared
between the two routes. As two thirds of our 200 mile route is
different, it is significantly different to deserve its own title
rather
than be called a variation of the SHR. We have read critcism saying its
not really a new route and is just a variation of the SHR. If 2/3 new
route is not enough to have its own name then EVERY other
recognised route that shares part of the SHR such as the Southern
Sierra High Route and Kings Canyon High Route should also not be named
and just described as variatioms of the Sierra High Route. Sure, we use
part of the SHR, it would be very difficult to create a scenic route
that totally avoided the SHR, but the majority of our route is
essentially new.
For
those who have walked
the SHR, it is possible to vary some of the shared route. One
alternative route is to skip the Bear Lakes Basin, this is a very
scenic
alternative that we checked in 2019, almost as good as passing through
Bear Lakes. From Toe Lake, climb to and cross
Italy Pass to Granite Park (very scenic). Follow the trail to grid
reference 444342 (just before a small lake beside the creek), head
south climbing to a small tarn on the ridge above (has good views of
area) then
an easy climb southwest leads through the Class 1 Royce Pass to Royce
Lakes. Follow the lake chain south then head east to Pine Creek Pass
then follow trails to Elba Lake to either rejoin the SGT there or cross
Star Pass to rejoin the SGT in Humphreys Basin (we have walked all of
this variation). It is also possible to
simply stay on the trail from Granite Park to Honeymoon Lake
then Pine Creek
Pass but that is a less remote and also a less scenic option as the
small lake and Royce Lakes are very scenic. The alternative to the
small lake is Honeymoon Lake but it is not as good as it is surrounded
by forest and provides limited views of the surrounding
area.
Passes
The
SHR crosses 35 passes while the SGT crosses 41 passes. While the
SGT crosses a few more passes, in this aspect it is not
significantly different in character to the SHR
Lake Basins
A big difference is the number of lake basins passed through, the SHR
passes through 17 lake basins while the SGT passes through 28 lake
basins, significantly more. Of the 17 the SHR passes through, 12 are
also part of the SGT. We deliberately sited our route to pass through
as many lake basins that were on or above the tree line as we could while
remaining reasonably close to the highest sections of the range.
Total Length
The
SHR is 195 miles long, the SGT is 200 miles long, essentially the same.
As the SGT crosses more passes and spends a bit more time off trails,
compared to the SHR it is suggested to allow a few extra days to
complete the SGT.
Route selection - Dusy Basin to Kearsarge Lakes
We
had two choices, one was to follow the SHR to Palisade Lakes, then
follow the watershed boundary on the eastern edge of the range. This
goes over
Mather Pass on the JMT (as the SHR does) then stays east of the JMT and
follow a series of
small passes and saddles through the highest peaks on the divide
through to Taboose Pass, Baxter Pass then into the Keasarge Lakes area.
This route is not all that logical as it winds a lot crossing multiple
passes (some of them difficult) with a lot of scree and passes
only
a couple of lakes or small tarns. Yes it is the highest route with less
climbs and descents but not overly
scenic.
We instead choose a much more direct route and is in some
ways slightly harder as there is more climbing and descending
From Dusy Basin
head
south crossing three valleys and passing through a series of
high, very scenic
lake basins, namely Dumbbell Lakes, Lake Basin, Bench Lake, Window Lake
and Sixty Lake Basin. In terms of direction, our route is also logical
as it is an almost
strright line across the range to Kearsarge Lakes area. While not
following the eastern watershed boundary (the crest of the range), the
basins
passed through are some of the
prettiest in the entire range.
Snail Mail Address
John Chapman, PO Box 5042, Laburnum, 3130, Australia
Photographs and text are copyright © 2016-2026 John Chapman.
Last updated : October 12th 2026