Mt. Conness
Yosemite NE boundary / Saddlebag · near Lee Vining · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Mountaineering
At a glance
- Grade
- technical
- Elevation
- 12590
- Best season
- July–September for dry rock
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Saddlebag Lake / Sawmill approach (Tioga) · Conness Glacier below the peak · Guide services climb the West Ridge · Options from scramble to roped rock
- Best for
- A high peak with routes from class-3 to 5.6
- Features
- Commanding Tioga-country summit · Superb West Ridge (5.6) · Class-3 standard route too · Above the shrinking Conness Glacier
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Long approach and big day at altitude · Exposed climbing on the West Ridge (5.6) · Route-finding on the standard class-3 line · Afternoon storms high on an exposed peak
- Beginner friendly
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- Yes
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- roped-rock · scrambling · altitude
- Style
- mixed-alpine
- Altitude
- 3
- Route notes
- A commanding peak on Yosemite's northeast edge offering a whole spectrum of climbing — a class-3 scramble by the standard route, or the superb West Ridge (5.6), a long, airy alpine rock line to a high summit above the Conness Glacier
- Beta note
- ~12,590 ft; standard Class 3 / West Ridge 5.6; a big alpine day from Saddlebag Lake
- Intl tip
- Dominates the Saddlebag Lake country on Yosemite's NE edge, with something for many climbers: a class-3 standard route for strong scramblers, or the elegant West Ridge (5.6), one of the region's finest moderate alpine rock lines. Either way a big, high day from the Tioga high country, with real altitude and storm exposure, above the small shrinking Conness Glacier. Excellent for climbers moving from scrambling toward roped alpine terrain; guide services run the West Ridge.
- Directions note
- Common approach from Saddlebag Lake off Tioga Rd (Hwy 120 closed in winter)
The guide
Mt. Conness dominates the country around Saddlebag Lake on Yosemite's northeastern edge, and it's a peak with something for a w…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mt. Conness — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.9686, -119.3203