Couple years ago on an outing in the Sierra Nevada I “discovered” this spot near Island Pass. Banner Peak and Mount Ritter are visible from so many places we’ve been, but I had just never recognized them or their significance.
The idea of seeing the view from the top of Banner Peak was compelling. This July, we made it a reality. Great trip – Carol, me, Ken and Sean – despite some challenges from rainy weather.
Rush Creek to Thousand Island Lake pictures. Ken and Sean enjoyed the hike in from the Rush Creek Trailhead so much that they returned to the trail head by a different route.
Thousand Island Lake to Banner Peak pictures. Peak day was pretty rough – lots of talus-hopping, route finding on 3rd class rock, glacier crossing (Carol’s favorite part!), watching for lightning-bearing-death-clouds and so forth. Happened across a great quote that applies – “Remember, it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun!” – Barry Blanchard
Beta on climbing Banner Peak, “arguably the most picturesque peak in the Sierra Nevada” per Summit Post.
Panoramic view from Banner Peak. Click through, select “full screen”, pan and zoom, check out the snapshots of landmarks…
Bonus!
We did a warm-up hike to North Peak before heading in to Thousand Island Lake
North Peak hike pictures. Beta on climbing North Peak.
Panoramic view from North Peak. Click through, select “full screen”, pan and zoom, check out the snapshots of landmarks…