activity guide Adventure Guides backpacking Rachel McCullough

Granite Dome Fall Backpacking

Oct 01, 2024

PC: Rachel McCullough

When 38 Degrees Out Is Bliss: Fall Backpacking in the High Sierra

What: 3-day backpacking trip at Sonora Pass with a day hike in the middle
Where: Lower Relief Valley with a day hike to Granite Dome 10,332 ft.
When: September 2024

38 degrees can be delightful.

That is, when it’s spent in my tent on a fall morning, with nothing to do but wait for the sun to rise.

I breathe the crisp air and feel the chill on my face while cozy and warm in my sleeping bag, knowing there is nothing to do and nowhere to be. No hurry to get a cold start when waiting just a couple of hours will bring summer-like warmth, along with the motivation and excitement to hit the trail.

Fall brings a calmness to the mornings. There is no talk of getting in as many miles as possible before the heat of the day hits. Or getting up before sunrise to bag that summit before the thunderstorms roll in.

The evenings bring calm, too. No one is sent running for their tents to escape the onslaught of mosquitoes. Or staying up past when their eyes can barely stay open from exhaustion, just to catch a glimpse of the stars and the Milky Way. In the fall, we find plenty of bug-free time to look skyward and warm our toes by the fire before retiring.

Add three days, about 21 miles of hiking, a cross-country summit of Granite Dome, a swim in a chilly Iceland lake, pops of yellow fall colors, and my favorite sunset of the season, and you have a happy camper!

Ahhhh fall backpacking at Sonora Pass!