Hike Stanislaus Peak and Sonora Peak Stanislaus National Forest, CA

Aug 26, 2024 — Sonora Peak is often approached from Sonora Pass via the PCT, but I wanted to more easily group it with Stanislaus Peak, so I started from the Marys Pass Trailhead. I made my way up through forest and tundra. On my left colorful rock formations jutted out from the slope, and looking back I could see Leavitt Peak. The trail doesn't actually lead up to Saint Marys Pass, a bit of a misdirection since it is located just below to the west, but it does reach the western shoulder of Sonora Peak. Progressively, the trail became much steeper to reach this point, where I could see the butte-like form of Stanislaus Peak to the north. This is also the Sonora Peak Trail junction I'd return to later.

I continued from the shoulder toward Stanislaus Peak, following a mostly flat trail through sweeping tundra. A couple of miles later, I reached the east saddle of Stanislaus Peak, where the trail abruptly ended at a cluster of white rock. It took some Class 2 to navigate around this rock, and then a steep social trail led up along the rim. On my right the ridgeline dropped away into cliffy terrain, a contrast to the rolling tundra I'd been hiking on so far. The social trail wiggled around a bit but was mostly just a slog up a loose slope. Just below the summit, the terrain steepened further, introducing some Class 2 scrambling to overcome the band surrounding the top. There might be a tougher Class 2 move in there somewhere, but only because the ground was loose and I felt the need to keep myself stabilized, though the scrambling isn't quite Class 3. On my way back down, I kept more to the south of the rim, but social trails led in all sorts of odd directions, so I recommend just keeping to the rim.

After backtracking to the shoulder above Saint Marys Pass, I picked up the Sonora Peak Trail. I suppose I could have cut away from the Stanislaus Peak Trail earlier to meet the Sonora Peak Trail, but I was enjoying myself along the tame tundra. An established social trail started west toward Sonora Peak, disappearing as it entered the tundra higher up. I could see an obvious social trail carved into the talus on the opposite side of the tundra, so I just hiked toward it. After ascending steeply up this short talus slope, the trail bent south and continued to the summit on a defined, more moderately graded path. The views were spectacular from here, notably Leavitt Peak just to the south and Mount Patterson's bright form in the distance.