Sierra High Route


The Sierra High Route is a cross-country hiking route, long, through the Sierra Nevada. It was scouted by Steve Roper and described by him in his book Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country.
Much of the Sierra High Route runs parallel to the John Muir Trail, staying east of that trail and keeping above the timberline to higher elevations — between. About a third of the route follows maintained hiking trails ; the rest of the route traverses off-trail meadowlands, granite slabs, and, at high elevations, difficult loose-talus terrain. Hiking the route does not require advanced mountaineering skills, but the hiker occasionally encounters class-3 rock faces in which footholds and handholds must be carefully chosen and tested. The route requires the use of route descriptions, topographical maps, and one or more instruments to navigate. Writes Roper in Sierra High Route, "High Route adventurers will not be put off by the lack of an actual trail, since much of the singular joy of cross-country travel lies in wandering through the timberline country as the pioneers did--wondering what the next turn will reveal."
Roper divides the route into five segments:
From south to north, the Sierra High Route passes through Kings Canyon National Park, the Inyo National Forest, and Yosemite National Park.
In 2006, Backpacker magazine editor Steve Howe hiked the entire Sierra High Route in one month.