The peaks of the northern Yosemite National Park area bear a striking resemblance to their higher brothers further south in the Sierra Range and among these the Incredible Hulk, the Sawtooth Ridge, and Matterhorn Peak stand out as targets for many a climber and mountaineer. Matterhorn Peak, which bears little resemblance to its European namesake, has a little bit of everything for the mountaineer: a moderate hike to camp, a snowy approach to a fine but short rock Arête and an outstanding view of northern Yosemite and environs. For literary trivia buffs this is also the peak that defeated Jack Kerouac in his book "Dharma Bums".

Itinerary
This is a two-day trip.

Day One: After a pack check we'll caravan to the trailhead parking area at Twin Lakes (7,092 feet). This parking

area is private land and there is a $5.00 per night fee to use it. The walk starts on a well-trodden trail and climbs steeply up hill into the Horseshoe Creek drainage. After a few hours we leave the good trail and follow a seldom-maintained use trail to our high camp at a small tarn at about 9,800 feet below the peak. The approach is a good solid day.

Day 2: We are up early and out of camp hopefully before first light. An easy glacier leads to the start of the route and five pitches, with some 5.7 lead directly to the 12,264 foot summit. The descent is either via the Northeast gully that many use as the ascent route and down the small glacier to a trail back into the Horseshoe Creek drainage, depending on exactly where our camp is located. We will be back to the trailhead by late afternoon.

Notes
The best guidebooks are Supertopo's “High Sierra Climbing” by Chris McNamara and Peter Croft's “The Good, The Great, and the Awesome”.
Get them from Maximus Press.

We highly recommend that you spend at least one night at moderate altitude (higher than 8,000') just prior to the trip. Spending a night in Mammoth would do the trick or better yet, camped at an even higher trailhead, such as the Sawmill Creek Campground on the Saddlebag Lake Road or in Tuolumne, for a night just before the trip. Please refer to our Planning for Success info sheet for more info.

We have to pay the Mono Village and overnight parking fee of $5.00 per night.

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