Dardanelles Pack Trail

Hiking this route boasts an amazing experience. Abundant with wildflowers and mixed-conifer forests, this trek also offers a snowmelt stream and scenic overlook of the High Sierra. This path is primitive, and the rearmost section is unmarked, so we encourage the use of a trail GPS. Note the dirt road to the trailhead is long and rugged, so a vehicle with high ground clearance and 4-wheel drive.

Setting out from the Country Line Trailhead, the Dardanelles Pack Hike follows the McCormick Creek Trail. This path will guide you east, gently ascending an incline. The path will weave you between lush meadowlands and dense woodlands as you hike. Hiking near the gurgling waters of McCormick Creek, you will be lulled into a state of relaxation. The further you climb into the wilderness, the more primitive the route will be. Soon you will diverge from the McCormick Creek Trail, heading east up to the Dardanelles Cones.

Eventually, the path will increase in intensity, diverting you up a rocky, vertiginous trail to the summit of one of the Cones—marvel at the panoramic views of the mountainous landscape and alpine lakes from here. Retrace your footing along the path back to the trailhead when you finish admiring the scene.