If done in a single day, the Matterhorn peak in California’s Sierra Nevada Range can be long and brutal, but absolutely beautiful at the same time. You can expect to boulder for stretches of miles which can challenge your stamina and experience beyond its limits.

We had done the hike in the first week of June 2020 yet there was still a good bit of snow toward the top. Our advice for the first-timers is either be at or near the summit before 9AM or do this when there is NO snow. We ran into a field of soft and slippery snow at the top and it was almost impossible to traverse.

Overall highly reccomend, start early, and expect to be on trail for 7+ hours if you are trying to summit.

Trail itself:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/matterhorn-peak-climb-trail

11 Comments

  1. I climbed Matterhorn Peak back in 1980. A day trip from Bridgeport with local boyscouts. I remember having to cross snowfields having only shovels and ropes. No crampons.. But we made it! Living in Bridgeport at the time helped. I was a wilderness ranger for this area in 1983 and summited other peaks in the area. Life was and still is good!

  2. 1. Big Mistake to proceed without eyewear. You could have required rescue. This is no BS… 2. "To Boulder" does not mean what you think it does. You were simply hiking on loose scree and talus. 3. No summit shot = ??? Other than that, nice quality photography.

  3. Excellent video I'm thinking of doing the winter mountaineering course with International Alpine Guides great information thank you

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