Hike Leavitt Peak Stanislaus National Forest, CA

Aug 26, 2024 — Leavitt Peak is a high-prominence summit best accessed from Sonora Pass. You can park at the Sonora Pass Trailhead just north of Sonora Pass, but I didn’t know this existed and instead started from the side of the highway. After hiking to Stanislaus Peak on the opposite side of CA-108 earlier, I was thrilled I had enough time to blow off work and tack on this gorgeous summit. The majority of this hike follows the PCT. It begins gradually, winding through high-altitude meadows and sparse patches of trees. The sights are spectacular almost immediately, offering sweeping views to the east and revealing interesting volcanic formations poking out of the slopes.

The PCT winds around the grassy lower reaches, then forms a large arc into dark volcanic rubble just north of Margaret Lewis Peak. Here, the trees thin out entirely, leaving only hardy alpine shrubs and jagged rock formations. A major switchback brought me up to the ridgeline and then to the Emigrant Wilderness boundary. I could see Leavitt Peak ahead, but I was temporarily more captivated by the view west toward Deadman Creek, through which CA-108 travels.

The temporarily flat PCT bypasses Peak 11245 on its west side, but I’d snag that unnamed summit on my way back. The small lakes within the rocky basin on the north side of Leavitt Peak were beautiful. I reached a pass on the south side of Peak 11245, where the PCT leaves the ridgeline and drops a bit to the east. I was tempted to attempt the ridgeline for a more direct route to Leavitt Peak, but there appeared to be significant obstacles, and I decided bypassing them via the PCT was the wiser decision.

After a short descent into a minor rocky bowl, the trail ascends again to a saddle along a ridge with a bunch of cool rock formations. Here, I got an expansive view south, with the beautiful Latopie Lake positioned front and center. The PCT wraps around the base of some outcroppings and continues well above Latopie Lake, though a spur trail leads down to the lake if you're so inclined.

Some light ascending brought me to a fairly obvious turn-off point, initially a poorly-cairned social trail through the scree that quickly becomes a well-traveled path skirting a large, rocky basin. Now along the east ridge of Leavitt Peak, I made my way up the steeper trail to the summit. What appears to be a scramble from below ends up being a walk the whole way. The summit is broad and offers amazing views in every direction.

I backtracked to the south ridge of Peak 11245, deciding to tack on this minor summit, especially since it’s directly adjacent to the PCT. On the south ridge near the top, there was a small cliff band that I wrapped around on the east side. On the north ridge, I weaved around barely notable little cliffs and regained the PCT on the opposite side. Otherwise it's a just a quick up and over peak.

On the way back, I noticed a social trail that cut off the major arc near the trailhead, but I recommend just staying on the PCT. This unofficial trail is loose and becoming heavily eroded, and you miss the lovely views that the PCT was built to enjoy.