Sonora Pass / Leavitt Peak
Sonora Pass (Hwy 108, north of Bridgeport) · near Bridgeport / Kennedy Meadows · Eastern Sierra
Backcountry Skiing · Nordic & Snowshoe
At a glance
- Vertical
- 3000
- Best season
- April–June · Spring corn once Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) opens · Big, treeless alpine faces
- Best season
- Dec–May; dependable high snow (~7,000–10,000 ft)
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit. Humboldt-Toiyabe / Stanislaus National Forest. Access via Hwy 108 (Sonora Pass), which is gated by snow in winter and plowed open in spring — the zone comes alive as the road opens. High, treeless alpine terrain.
What is here
- Activities
- backcountry · snowshoe
- Setting
- summit
- Amenities
- Remote high-Sierra touring · Winter-closed Hwy 108 · Leavitt Peak objectives · Deep solitude
- Best for
- Expert, remote backcountry touring
- Features
- Wild Sonora Pass country · Steep high terrain · Winter-closed highway · Long, deep season
Worth knowing
- Gear you must bring
- Beacon · Probe · Shovel · Skins · Ski crampons · Ice axe · Boot crampons · Helmet
- Gear worth bringing
- Airbag pack · Whippet
- Hazards
- Serious avalanche terrain — expertise required · Very remote — no services · Winter navigation & storms · Full avalanche kit & training essential
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guides
- International Alpine Guides
- Rentals
- No
Backcountry Skiing detail
- Nickname
- The Northern High Sierra Spring Corn
- Directions note
- Hwy 108 closed in winter — spring corn access from the closure gate or the pass
- Ates
- complex
- Tour types
- ski-mountaineering · day-tour
- Summit
- 11569
- Approach
- Spring access as Hwy 108 (Sonora Pass) is plowed open — a spring corn zone with big alpine terrain
- First timer with guide
- No
- Guide recommended
- Yes
- Avi zone
- Bridgeport Avalanche Center (advisory area) · check current forecasts
- Signature lines
- Leavitt Peak · The Sonora Pass bowls & chutes
- Intl tip
- Sonora Pass (Hwy 108) is between the Central Valley and Bridgeport — the same crest as the Sawtooth Ridge to the south. Bridgeport (and its hot springs, like Buckeye — see the swimming guide) is the eastern base; the Stanislaus high country and Kennedy Meadows are to the west. A quieter alternative to the busier passes.
Nordic & Snowshoe detail
- Venue
- backcountry
- Ability
- expert
- Snow
- 4
- Trail notes
- Wild, remote backcountry touring where Highway 108 closes for winter — high, steep terrain around Sonora Pass and Leavitt Peak for experienced ski tourers seeking solitude
- Terrain note
- ~7,000–10,000 ft; steep remote backcountry; long, deep snow
- Intl tip
- One of the wildest, most remote backcountry ski-touring zones in the Sierra, high on Hwy 108 — for experienced, self-reliant tourers seeking steep terrain and solitude. In winter the highway closes over the pass; from the plowed ends and Leavitt Meadows, venture into rugged high peaks (Leavitt, Sonora), open bowls, and buried valleys holding some of California's longest-lasting snow, with a monthslong spring season. Emphatically expert: serious avalanche hazard, extreme remoteness (no services), demanding navigation, volatile weather — need training, gear, strong partners, full self-sufficiency. Not for beginners.
The guide
Sonora Pass, where Highway 108 crosses the Sierra crest north of Bridgeport, opens up a big, quiet, high-alpine spring corn zon…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sonora Pass / Leavitt Peak — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.328, -119.636