Page Type: | Route |
---|---|
Lat/Lon: | 37.42900°N / 118.7653°W |
Route Type: | Scrambling |
Season: | Spring, Summer, Fall |
Time Required: | Half a day |
Rock Difficulty: | Class 3 |
Difficulty: | Class 3 |
Mt. Starr's south ridge is a fabulous class-3 climb, despite having no mentions on the Internet that I could find as of 2016. It caught my attention during my several trips up the Mono Pass trail, and I finally decided to check it out.
From the Mosquito Flat trailhead, hike towards Little Lakes Valley and turn right onto the Mono Pass trail. This trail proceeds along the bottom of Starr's east face, and eventually hooks around Starr's south side before turning north on the way to Mono Pass. Shortly before the trail turns north (above Ruby Lake), leave the trail to the right and make your way up to Starr's south ridge.
The start of the ridge is on the left side of this photo, taken a half mile or so prior to leaving the trail.
The bottom part of the ridge starts at the Mono Pass trail and heads N/NE. An initial bit of sand and brush quickly gives way to very enjoyable, solid rock. Staying as close as possible to the ridge proper yields some very enjoyable & steep class-3 climbing.
At the top of this initial section, pass through a small notch and begin a less steep class-2 section, which will curve to the right (east) and then eventually back to the left (north).