Hi,
I have not done the JMT before and am ending my trip in Horseshoe Meadows. I was wondering if it is ok to leave my car parked there for about ten days? Are you able to do this, is there parking there, and will it be safe?
Thanks in advance.
Its as safe as any area. I started my 2008 JMT hike from Horseshoe Meadows but I'm not sure what their policy is on leaving a vehicle there for 10 days.
I'd give the local agency a call and ask them to be on the safe side.
doodah man
07-24-2010, 13:59
Ryan,
As Phreak did, I also started my 2008 JMT hike from Horseshoe Meadow. Actually, I did the hike with him! Hey there Phreak... Anyhow, there is an area for long term parking at the trailhead and there shouldn't be any problems. Horseshoe Meadow is remote enough and there are usually enough hikers around to discourage human troublemaking. However, bears could be an issue if you forget to remove smellables from vehicle. There are a lot of bear lockers in the vicinity, so it is convenient. For my hike last year, we left one car at Horseshoe Meadow and one at Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass trailhead). Stuff we left in the locker was still there when we came a week later to retrieve the car. The ranger station is in Lone Pine very near to the turn-off for the trailhead. You can check there before dropping the car off to see if there are any special instructions such as leaving your name, license plate info, and estimated finish date.
A side note, I have heard that Old Army Pass is now much tougher and a little dangerous due to some 2009 rock slides having disrupted some of the trail. I would plan on using New Army Pass or Cottonwood Pass to get from the PCT to Horseshoe Meadow. I would actually recommend New Army Pass since there are some really nice camping spots on the west side at Rock Creek Lake and Lower Solder Lake (Both had bear lockers last year).
If you would like, send me a private message with your e-mail address and I can send you a JMT spreadsheet. The file has about 170 entries for various features along the trial including mileage, elevation, and GPS coordinates.
doodah-man