I was heading to the East Side of the Sierra to pick up a small handful of summits in Alpine County with Kristine, who lives just across the border in Nevada. My route would take me along the length of SR88 across the Sierra. On my way from San Jose, I spent the day on the west side of the range Jeeping around and picking up a large collection of minor summits, most of them forgettable, and none of them requiring more than a mile roundtrip from where I parked. This was mostly a Jeeping exercise, exploring an area of the Eldorado National Forest mixed with lands owned by the Sierra Pacific logging company. The weather today was heavy overcast with 60% chance of rain that only left a few sprinkles, but muted views significantly.

Tunnel Hill

This is a small hill in the southeast corner of Jackson, surrounded by a mix of residential and industrial development. I parked on the undeveloped Nevill Ct on the east side and walked up from there, on old roads and some cross-country. There is a clearing at the end of a dirt road coming up from the north (the route Julie Ann Gregg used on PB), marking the summit. Jackson Butte can be seen prominently a few miles to the east, other views are mostly flat. Just over ten minutes for the roundtrip effort.

Mt. Zion

Though it has less than 400ft of prominence, it was the most prominent summit of the day. It is located south of SR88 and the community of Pine Grove, and the centerpiece of the diminuitive Mt. Zion State Forest. There is a small network of trails through the area. The park entrance is from the north off SR88, conveniently named Mt. Zion Rd. It is a very short hike from the parking lot to the top that is crowned by a fire lookout originally constructed in the 1930's, currently maintained by CAL FIRE. There is also a small shaded picnic structure nearby built as an Eagle Scout project more recently. Views are limited due to trees.

Peak 3,580ft

This is the top of Meadow Vista Dr in Buckthorn, a drive-up, or rather, drive-over. The lamest of the day's summits.

Peak 4,019ft

This summit lies on a private parcel on the divide between Tiger Creek and North Fork Mokelumne River, surrounded on three sides by the Eldorado NF. Access is from Buckthorn at SR88, taking paved Tiger Creek Rd to the PG&E powerhouse at the base of the peak's SW Ridge at the east end of Tiger Creek Reservoir. A well-graded road climbs 1,300ft from the powerhouse to the flume that feeds the penstock dropping to the powerhouse. This would get most vehicles within about half a mile of the summit on its north side. A lesser road not shown on the topo map leads around the mountain to get one closer. I parked on the east side and went up from there, through moderate brush, helped some by old logging roads, taking about 10min to reach the top. No views.

Anderson Ridge

After returning to the Jeep, I spent the next hour and change driving back out to SR88 and then higher into the Eldorado NF. All of the remaining peaks are most easily accessed from SR88 via paved Mormon Emigrant Trail (also called Forest Rte 5). The entire area was badly burned in the 2021 Caldor Fire that threatened South Lake Tahoe and was one of the biggest Sierra fires on record. From Mormon Emigrant Trail, Forest Rd 9N68 passes within a few hundred feet of Anderson Ridge's summit on its west side. It took only a few minutes to reach the flat summit area, shrouded in fog now that I was in the cloud layer.

Leek Spring Hill

The lookout tower on Leek Spring Hill is easy to reach via well-graded Forest Rte 54, a few miles west of Mormon Emigrant Trail. A microwave repeater installation can be found adjacent to it. Plummer Ridge, upon which both structures lie, forms the southern boundary of the Caldor Fire. No views on this drive-up today.

Brown Rock

This is a small lump of volcanic rock along Mormon Emigrant Trail. One can park within about 10yds of the summit and do the class 2 scramble in less than a minute.

Iron Mountain Ridge

A short distance further along Mormon Emigrant Trail from Brown Rock, the summit of Iron Mtn Ridge can be found just off the pavement. Crews have been working to remove burned trees from near the roadway to keep it clear when they inevitably start falling. It's a gloomy look with charred snags and fog, the buckthorn growing back with a vengeance.

Baltic Ridge

This summit is located a few miles west of Mormon Emigrant Rd along Forest Rte 52. The road passes just below the summit on its north side, making for a quick hike to the top. A couple of modest boulders lie at the highpoint.

Alder Ridge

These last four are on the east side of Mormon Emigrant Trail. Pave Silver Fork Rd (Forest Rte 7) heads east and north off Mormon Emigrant Trail to Kyburz on US50, passing around the south side of Alder Ridge. A rough Forest road climbs halfway up the west side of the peak. Moderate brush is growing quickly in the burned forest, but no serious bushwhacking yet. There are two summits of similar height to this one, the northern being the highest according to LoJ and PB, but I doubt they've been carefully surveyed. I went to the northern point and back in about 20min.

Peak 6,340ft

These last three summits are all located north of Alder Ridge, accessed via lesser Forest roads where high-clearance is recommended. It's easy to get lost in the maze of roads that service both logging and recreational activities, so best to know where you're going - there are no road signs to help you out once away from the pavement. Decently-graded Forest Rd 10N68 forks north off paved Silver Fork Rd, wrapping around the east side of Peak 6,340ft. Much rougher 10N28C then climbs to the summit from the north, making this a drive-up. The summit lies on the boundary between USFS and Sierra Pacific parcels.

Peak 6,660ft

Leaving the decent 10N28 north of the previous peak, rougher roads took me northwest to Peak 6,660ft in a few well-earned miles. The summit area has been very recently logged and it appears they are still not done. On a Saturday, I could drive the various roads to get close, the highest not shown on the topo map. I parked in a mix of mud and shredded branches that served as a road to reach within 1/6mi of the summit on its north side. A short walk through the mechanized devastation allows one to feel the incredible power of modern logging techniques. No tree is too tall, big, or dense that it cannot be reduced to toothpicks with relative ease. The highpoint is a rock outcrop that provides the best-defined summit of the day.

Peak 6,740ft

Another 30min of driving on Forest roads led me to the east side of Peak 6,740ft. The steep slope leading to the summit was the brushiest of the day, taking about 20min for the roundtrip. The Caldor Fire had done a similar number on this peak as the previous 5-6, leaving few trees alive, none untouched. After returning, I attempted to continue southeast on the road I'd parked along, but soon found it blocked by downed trees I could not move. After several such blockages, I ended up driving partway back out before finding 10N29 that would lead me back to 10N28, Silver Fork Rd, Mormon Emigrant Trail, and finally to SR88.

It was close to 4p by the time I had showered and returned to the highway. I would continued driving SR88 over Carson Pass and into Gardnerville, NV, where I had dinner with Kristine at the Overland Restaurant. Afterwards, I would find a quiet place along the East Fork Carson River on the edge of town to spend the night.

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