Eagle Scout Peak - The Trek
CLIMBING EAGLE SCOUT PEAK
Scouting units will plan their treks to Eagle Scout Peak in the summer of 2026, and in subsequent summers as they are accustomed to. Qualified Scouts, Venturers and Scouters should be experienced in multi-day backpacking at high elevation. Eagle Scout Peak is 3 days into the Sequoia Backcountry from any trailhead and is in the middle of the 7.5-minute topographic map entitled “Triple Divide Peak”.
This is a trek for experienced units. There are lots of possibilities such as: (1) in and out trek from Crescent Meadow in Sequoia; (2) in at Crescent Meadow and exit at Mineral King (via either Black Rock Pass, Sawtooth Pass, or Franklin Pass); (4) cross the Sierra west to east and exit at Whitney Portal or New Army Pass; (4) enter on the eastern side of the Sierra and go east to west and bag Eagle Scout Peak and exit in Sequoia. The last mile or so to the summit of Eagle Scout Peak is a Class 2 scramble, but doable if there is not too much snow. Mid July to August is the best time. The summit is airy and drops down about 1300 feet on three sides of the summit block. The recommended maps to study and carry on the trek are the USGS 7.5-minute topographic map “Triple Divide Peak” and the Tom Harrison Map “Mineral King Trail Map” (www.tomharrisonmaps.com).
WILDERNESS PERMITS
Wilderness Permit Reservation Instructions for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks entry can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wilderness_permits.htm
If you are entering from the eastern side of the Sierra, you must obtain a wilderness permit through the Inyo National Forest. Information can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo
REFERENCES
1. Wenk, E, White M, et. Al.: Sierra South, Ninth Edition. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, CA 2021.
2. Secor RJ: The High Sierra: Peaks~Passes~Trails, Third Edition. The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, WA, 2009.
Above is a Google Earth image that shows the Class 2 route out of the Big Arroyo as if you are standing on the west slope of Black Kawea, or are a Clark’s Nutcracker doing a fly by. As you can see, you start out in the Big Arroyo about due east of the summit and meander up and through the subalpine meadows. Look for a green grassy ramp that starts relatively right and then cuts left, which you can see in about the middle of the red squiggly line (and see the pic below).
Negotiate the green, grassy ramp and bust out onto some huge slabs of gently sloping granite. Lots of water here from snowmelt and a steam coming down from the saddle to the left of the summit. Then, take off and head straight up the little gravel gully, just to the left of the summit. But don’t do what Secor’s book says and go all the way to the saddle. It is a knife edge and dangerous. About maybe 300 feet below the saddle, cut right and zip up to the summit. There are some huge granite boulders to get around but safe and you will see footprints from prior trekkers.
There are ducks here and there along the way to help but remember that sometimes ducks are not positioned well by good intentioned trekkers so don’t rely on them too much. Use your route-finding sense. Some may be tempted to just traverse over on the granite slabs from Kaweah Gap and avoid going down into the Big Arroyo. Doable but not recommended unless you are an experienced rock climber or have no fear of steep granite. Not recommended for Scouts.
Here is what that Class 2 trek looks like if you are a Yellow-bellied Marmot perched on a boulder in the Big Arroyo. Eagle Scout Peak is visible, upper one third in the center. Correlate this view with the Google Earth pic above. You can see the first part which is the subalpine meadow and make out the start of the green, grassy ramp in the middle of the picture that then cuts left. The huge slabs of gentle sloping granite above the green, grassy ramp is where the last water is.
Scouts and Scouters going up the green, grassy ramp heading to the rest spot with water.
Trekking on the huge slabs of gentle sloping granite, above the green, grassy ramp. The summit of Eagle Scout Peak is dead center in the upper third of the pic. The last water is just to the left of here.
Here is the view from the huge slabs of gentile sloping granite with the saddle on the left skyline and the summit of Eagle Scout Peak on the right. You can see where to go. Head up the gravel gully on the left and cut right about 300 feet below the saddle. Trek on up to the summit. Most boulders from here on can be bypassed. Lots of sand. If there was heavy snow the previous winter, the gravel gully can be snow filled, but low angle and relatively safe.
This is mid-July, just below Precipice Lake on the way to Kaweah Gap and you can see the high snow levels covering 80% of the trail. This was a heavy snow year. Slow going but doable.
This is the north face of Eagle Scout Peak as you see it passing Precipice Lake (still frozen over), which is just beyond the snow field in the foreground This is where Ansel Adams stood and took that famous photograph called “Precipice Lake”. The summit is the right of center high point in the picture, and if you look closely, you can see the summit block jutting out, with a near free fall on three sides.
There are two technical routes on the north face. They are Dancing Deer Direct (5.7) which puts you up the gully just to the left of the summit block, and North Face (5.7), which is the next gully over to the left.
The outlet stream for Precipice Lake is a great rest spot before Kaweah Gap.
On the summit of Eagle Scout Peak and looking north, enjoying the fine views. That is Triple Divide Peak in the immediate background, for which the 7.5 topo is named. And you can see why it is called Triple Divide Peak. It was first named” The Keystone” in 1902.
This is the summit view looking northeast up the headwaters of Nine Lakes Basin and the Big Arroyo. That’s Ritter and Banner and the Minarets (Clyde Minaret is the spike sticking up in the dead center on the distant horizon). Cross country Pants Pass is to the right of the distant lake, center of the picture. That gets you over to the John Muir Trail quickly via the east drainage of the Great Western Divide and Gallats Lake. But Pants Pass is steep Class 2, hence the name. You spend a lot of time sliding on buttocks and tearing holes in one’s pants.
Looking due east from the summit at Black Kaweah. Red Kaweah is behind to the right.
The summit block of Eagle Scout Peak. About 1000’ down on three sides.
The water spot that is just below the summit. Heavy snow year.
Camping in the Big Arroyo. The stream to the left is full of brookies.
The original crew of Eagle Scouts who made the measurements (elevation, latitude and longitude) of Eagle Scout Peak that appear on the commemorative medal. Brian K. (aka Scarecrow), Jason W. (aka Cowardly Lion and holding the 20-pound battery), Michael M. (aka Dorothy and holding Toto), and Ben C. (aka Tin Man) striking a pose below the north face of Eagle Scout Peak (the Emerald City).
The Eagle Scouts working with geodesy engineers at RBF Consulting in Irvine, California and downloading Toto’s data for the first ever GPS measurement of Eagle Scout Peak’s elevation to a tenth of a foot, and the latitude and longitude.