Duck Lake Peaks Loop in Inyo National Forest, CA

Hike Duck Lake Peaks Loop Inyo National Forest, CA

Class 3 12.8 miles 4200 gain 7-10 hrs Loop Aug 30, 2024
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Duck Lake Peaks Loop GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

After hiking Mammoth Mountain a few days ago and catching sight of the many peaks south of Lake Mary from a distance, I grew increasingly interested in exploring the area, particularly the summits around the basin holding the massive and beautiful Duck Lake. While several peaks surround the lake, my goal today was to reach unnamed Peak 11916 (which I'll refer to as Pika Peak due to its proximity to Pika Lake), Duck Lake Peak, and the provisionally named Herlihy Peak (aka Duck Pass Peak), which form the northern and eastern perimeter. These three grouped well together as there’s a reasonable traverse, not exceeding Class 3+, to connect them. I’ll need to come back another time to tackle the summits on the south and west sides of Duck Lake.

I parked at the busy Duck Lake Pass Trailhead and followed the Duck Lake Pass Trail through the forest. The hike begins with a pleasant grade on a well-maintained, heavily trafficked trail, passing short spur trails to visit the beautiful Arrowhead Lake and Skelton Lake along the way before reaching the north side of Barney Lake. Duck Pass becomes visible above, and the trail ascends numerous switchbacks and then wiggles around rock outcroppings to reach the pass.

From Duck Pass, I could see my three peak objectives clearly ahead. Initially, I had considered traversing from the unnamed peak south of Pika Peak, but from here I realized that would be a risky mistake filled with sketchy, loose ridgeline traversing. I was immediately glad I decided to group these three, saving the others for another time since they would make a nice grouping as well. My first goal was to reach the Pika Pass, the saddle separating Duck Lake Peak from Pika Peak. I followed the Pika Lake Trail down from Duck Pass, leaving the trail when it seemed logical to start ascending the forested and tundra slope, which quickly became steep and riddled with boulder obstacles as it entered the small basin beneath the peaks. I navigated granite ramps and made a couple of Class 2/3 moves to overcome little cliff bands, reaching the base of an extensive boulder field. Getting through this involved some Class 2 talus hopping, which brought me up to Pika Pass, though I hadn’t expected as much scrambling to this point. I quickly realized this outing would be longer than I had anticipated.

From Pika Pass, I headed southwest along the ridge crest, which initially had many massive, loose boulders that unnerved me, so I stayed just to the right until they seemed more stable. The ridgeline began wide and covered in large boulders, until it narrowed and I encountered a steep Class 3+ section, which I almost backed off from. I’ve been so accustomed to loose rock scrambling, so the solid granite of the Sierra surprised me. I took my time on the scramble even though it was a short section. Some more light scrambling led to a prominent gendarme along the crest, which I immediately decided to bypass on the right, dropping down on a Class 3 series of blocky moves in a guarded chute. I could see the summit ahead, but I stayed low, choosing to reascend to the crest only once I was sure I'd passed the gendarme. A few slanted terraces with small cliffs separating them added some scrambly moves. I gained the summit and was rewarded with excellent views in all directions. I could also see the traverse from the peak to the south and confirmed I had no desire to tackle that traverse.

I backtracked from the summit and began the ascent to Duck Lake Peak, where easy Class 2 scrambling took me up from Pika Pass. Above I could see a headwall that could possibly cause me to turn around, but I couldn't tell from here. Duck Lake Peak can be much more easily ascended via its west slope via Class 2, but I wanted to first see if I could save myself the vertical elevation loss and just take the crest, knowing I could always backtrack and ascend using the standard route. Just before reaching the base of the headwall, I encountered a short drop that required a brief detour around it. The obstacle in question began easier than I had anticipated, with a pleasant Class 2+ slab leading up to a point where I thought my little adventure might end. A serious-looking fractured face with a collapsed car-sized boulder looked like a dead end, but I poked around and got creative. From past experiences with granite, I knew that massive boulders often lead to talus caves. Sure enough, I found a crawl-through that might be difficult for larger people or those with big packs. This 20-foot, protected Class 3 crawl was incredibly fun and boosted my spirits, and I managed to make my way under the car-sized boulder and up to the base of a vertical face. Again I was sure I'd reached the end of the route, but I spotted a way to traverse beneath it on more massive boulders. These were precariously stacked, so I stepped gingerly. Thankfully, nothing shifted aside from a few pebbles that tumbled below. This traverse led me to a final Class 3+ move to gain the ridgeline above. I was thrilled the route worked out!

I continued northwest off Duck Lake Peak down a bouldery slope, which gradually transitioned to sandy terrain scattered with bushes. I tried to avoid the foliage but occasionally had to crawl through it. My final summit was Herlihy Peak, which I wasn't confident on how to access. I chose to ascend via the south ridge, which introduced some steep Class 2/3 climbing on boulders that looked stable but shifted slightly, as well as a short Class 4 downclimb. I enjoyed this scramble overall, though once I reached the summit, it wasn’t entirely clear which summit block was the true high point. After passing over a few slightly lower blocks, I’m fairly sure I reached the highest one. Rather than backtracking along the south ridge, I decided to try to drop east down the peak's steep slope, then traverse south to regain the crest before the south ridge scramble. I highly recommend taking this approach if you want to keep the route at Class 2, as it was straightforward and avoided the dangers of the ridgeline.

I made my way back to Duck Pass down Class 2 boulders, then contoured west on a combination of tundra and little cliffies. This was an unexpectedly fun afternoon outing, and I was pleased that my planned link-up route undfolded pretty seamlessly.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Pika Peak (Peak 11916)
11916 ft
316 rise
2
Duck Lake Peak
12051 ft
667 rise
3
Herlihy Peak (Duck Pass Peak)
11785 ft
401 rise

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

Starting along the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
Starting along the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
Junction with a spur trail for Arrowhead Lake.
Junction with a spur trail for Arrowhead Lake.
Ascending via the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
Ascending via the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
A tiny detour to see Skelton Lake.
A tiny detour to see Skelton Lake.
Above Skelton Lake.
Above Skelton Lake.
Nearing Barney Lake's north side.
Nearing Barney Lake's north side.
Past Barney Lake, headed up to Duck Pass.
Past Barney Lake, headed up to Duck Pass.
View back down toward Barney Lake.
View back down toward Barney Lake.
Higher up along the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
Higher up along the Duck Lake Pass Trail.
The trail meanders around rock outcrops before reaching the pass.
The trail meanders around rock outcrops before reaching the pass.
Duck Lake Pass, view toward Duck Lake. You can see Pika Peak center, Duck Lake Peak left, and the serious-looking traverse I am happy I didn't attempt that would link Pika Peak up with its southern neighbor, no thanks. You can also see the standard Class 2 route up Duck Lake Peak (far left).
Duck Lake Pass, view toward Duck Lake. You can see Pika Peak center, Duck Lake Peak left, and the serious-looking traverse I am happy I didn't attempt that would link Pika Peak up with its southern neighbor, no thanks. You can also see the standard Class 2 route up Duck Lake Peak (far left).
Along the Pika Lake Trail, view back.
Along the Pika Lake Trail, view back.
My aim is the saddle seen center.
My aim is the saddle seen center.
I left the Pika Lake Trail and ascended this rocky/tundra slope.
I left the Pika Lake Trail and ascended this rocky/tundra slope.
View back toward Duck Lake.
View back toward Duck Lake.
Higher up on the slope, increasing steepness.
Higher up on the slope, increasing steepness.
Another shot back along one of the granite ramps I took.
Another shot back along one of the granite ramps I took.
I entered the basin beneath the peaks, a Class 2 boulder-hopping field of talus.
I entered the basin beneath the peaks, a Class 2 boulder-hopping field of talus.
View back at Duck Lake again.
View back at Duck Lake again.
Progress up the basin.
Progress up the basin.
From Pika Pass, view back down.
From Pika Pass, view back down.
Initially Class 2 up to Pika Peak. I kept right to avoid loose stuff.
Initially Class 2 up to Pika Peak. I kept right to avoid loose stuff.
I rejoined the crest, lots of boulder-hopping.
I rejoined the crest, lots of boulder-hopping.
View back toward Pika Pass. Duck Lake Peak seen left, Bloody Mountain seen top right.
View back toward Pika Pass. Duck Lake Peak seen left, Bloody Mountain seen top right.
Approaching the Class 3+ crux.
Approaching the Class 3+ crux.
Ridgeline narrows.
Ridgeline narrows.
View down at the Class 3+ move.
View down at the Class 3+ move.
Higher up, more Class 3.
Higher up, more Class 3.
Avoiding a scary gendarme by dropping right off the crest.
Avoiding a scary gendarme by dropping right off the crest.
Class 3 drop from the crest in a chute-like formation.
Class 3 drop from the crest in a chute-like formation.
Looking back at the gendarme I avoided.
Looking back at the gendarme I avoided.
Terraces with Class 2/3 moves separating each.
Terraces with Class 2/3 moves separating each.
Summit of Pika Peak, view back the way I came.
Summit of Pika Peak, view back the way I came.
Pika Peak, view south.
Pika Peak, view south.
Pika Peak, view northeast toward Mount Mendenhall, Red Slate Mountain, etc.
Pika Peak, view northeast toward Mount Mendenhall, Red Slate Mountain, etc.
Onward to Duck Lake Peak.
Onward to Duck Lake Peak.
Mostly tame Class 2/2+ up to the base of the significant headwall seen ahead.
Mostly tame Class 2/2+ up to the base of the significant headwall seen ahead.
View down a fun Class 2+ slab.
View down a fun Class 2+ slab.
Approaching the crux. I crawled through the hole seen center.
Approaching the crux. I crawled through the hole seen center.
Class 3 through the talus cave.
Class 3 through the talus cave.
View down at the squeeze to escape the cave.
View down at the squeeze to escape the cave.
Sketchy Class 3 on questionable boulders, which I used to wrap beneath the higher headwall that was too vertical to overcome.
Sketchy Class 3 on questionable boulders, which I used to wrap beneath the higher headwall that was too vertical to overcome.
View back at the Class 3 avoidance using loose boulders on a ledge.
View back at the Class 3 avoidance using loose boulders on a ledge.
A Class 3+ move on the left brought me back to the ridge crest.
A Class 3+ move on the left brought me back to the ridge crest.
I rejoined the crest and headed up to Duck Lake Peak.
I rejoined the crest and headed up to Duck Lake Peak.
Duck Lake Peak, view south. Pika Peak seen far right.
Duck Lake Peak, view south. Pika Peak seen far right.
Duck Lake Peak, view down toward Duck Lake and the standard Class 2 slope route, as well as Herlihy Peak (right).
Duck Lake Peak, view down toward Duck Lake and the standard Class 2 slope route, as well as Herlihy Peak (right).
Close-up toward Herlihy Peak.
Close-up toward Herlihy Peak.
View back up toward Duck Lake Peak.
View back up toward Duck Lake Peak.
After Class 2 boulder-hopping down from Duck Lake Peak, I made my way to the base of my third summit, Herlihy Peak seen ahead.
After Class 2 boulder-hopping down from Duck Lake Peak, I made my way to the base of my third summit, Herlihy Peak seen ahead.
View back as I start up Herlihy Peak.
View back as I start up Herlihy Peak.
South ridge was far more sketchy than my descent was, but had some fun parts.
South ridge was far more sketchy than my descent was, but had some fun parts.
A Class 4 drop along the crest.
A Class 4 drop along the crest.
More steep stuff along the south ridge.
More steep stuff along the south ridge.
Somewhat unstable Class 2/3.
Somewhat unstable Class 2/3.
Summit of Herlihy Peak, Pyramid Peak seen center, and the lakes along the Duck Lake Pass Trail I'd walked by earlier.
Summit of Herlihy Peak, Pyramid Peak seen center, and the lakes along the Duck Lake Pass Trail I'd walked by earlier.
Herlihy Peak summit, view toward Duck Lake (far left).
Herlihy Peak summit, view toward Duck Lake (far left).
I dropped off Herlihy Peak via its easy slope, which was steep, but far less sketchy.
I dropped off Herlihy Peak via its easy slope, which was steep, but far less sketchy.
A straightforward traverse back to the ridgeline. I recommend just using this route.
A straightforward traverse back to the ridgeline. I recommend just using this route.
View back. The south ridge is above me, but as you can see it's totally avoidable.
View back. The south ridge is above me, but as you can see it's totally avoidable.
Descending back to Duck Lake Pass, center.
Descending back to Duck Lake Pass, center.
View back up toward Herlihy Peak shortly before reaching Duck Lake Pass.
View back up toward Herlihy Peak shortly before reaching Duck Lake Pass.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!