Distance: 7.5 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 9983' (Sirretta), 9984' (Sirretta North)
Prominence: 1710' (Sirretta North)
Elevation Gain: 2300'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.0
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Forest Road 23S07
Difficulty: Moderate
On our second day in Kernville, we tackled Sirretta Peak (SPS #222). One thing we noticed about Kernville is that it's a river town, not a mountain town. The culture was different than Lone Pine or Bishop. That's not a judgment, just an observation. Recreation was geared around the Kern River, fishing and rafting, not the surrounding mountains.
The drive to the trailhead took one hour and 15 minutes on Cherry Hill Road and Forest Road 23S07. About half of the drive was on dirt, but the roads were smooth and sedan friendly. There were several parties camping around Big Meadow, but we were the only hikers. The trail started in a cedar and pine forest, mostly cedar. It was beautiful from the first step, but Sirretta was not visible for a while. The trail follows a wide draw with soft, powdery dirt. As we got higher, the views got better. We stepped off the trail to let three dirt bikes pass that were descending the trail. This was the first time I'd encountered dirt bikes on a national forest trail. We took a break just before the pass and had great views of Big Meadow. Tall rock piles dotted the ridge, but we couldn't positively identify Sirretta from below. We veered onto the summit use trail where cairns marked the start. It got steeper as we headed for the summit plateau, then we turned southwest for the last quarter mile. The summit was a 100' boulder pile.
I led us to the west side looking for an easy scramble, but instead found more difficult class 2. The easiest route was probably directly from the NE and that's how we descended. On top was a large cairn and a benchmark, but I could not locate a register. We took a lunch break and enjoyed nice views of Owens, Sawtooth, and Olancha. If not for clouds, we might have seen Whitney. The Big Meadow looked even bigger from Sirretta. The north summit of Sirretta (peak 9984) was less than a half mile away and officially 1' higher, so it claimed the higher prominence. Leisa wasn't interested, but waited 20 minutes for me to bag it. Sirretta North was a shorter class 2 scramble, maybe 50'. It didn't look as high as Sirretta, so I walked past it at first to see if something was higher further north. Finding nothing, I came back and climbed it, finding a register in a glass jar but no benchmark. It also had nice views and was worth the small effort. The descent was uneventful. With pristine forest and granite, Sirretta made my favorites list. Highly recommended.
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