High Sierra Trail

The biggest thing to manage this trip is afternoon thunderstorm timing on Day 1 (today) and Day 3 (Sunday). Both days show slight chances of showers and thunderstorms — 24% today, 17% Sunday — with the classic Sierra convective pattern. Above treeline exposure is the concern. Plan your exposed ridgeline and high-elevation travel for the morning hours and aim to be at or dropping toward camp by 1 PM on those days. Saturday is completely clean — sunny, light SSW winds 5-15 mph, 7% precip chance — so load that day with your biggest mileage or most exposed terrain. Temps are mild throughout, 55°F highs and 39°F lows, with no dramatic warming trend that would spike snowmelt runoff.

Stream crossings are in good shape. All five gauges are at or well below median flows — Salinas near Bradley is the highest at 103% of median, and the others are stable or falling. Nothing approaching the 150% threshold where crossings get sketchy. At 31 inches of remaining snowpack in the High Sierra, you will encounter snow on trail at higher elevations, but mid-to-late May with these temperatures means consolidated, supportable snow rather than punchy spring melt. Morning crossings of any snowmelt-fed drainages will be lower than afternoon — if you hit a sketchy crossing early in the day, it's going to be worse by 3 PM, not better, so don't count on waiting it out.

Note that the SNOTEL data returned for this briefing reflects stations well outside the High Sierra Trail corridor (Long Lake at 840 ft, McNeil Canyon at 1348 ft) and the 61-inch depth at Long Lake is likely a sensor artifact given that elevation. The 31-inch snowpack figure in the summary is the more reliable regional estimate for the HST zone — expect snow coverage on north-facing slopes and shaded drainages above 10,000 feet, with the trail fully clear at lower elevations.

No active fires within 50 miles and no smoke impacts to worry about. With 14h 17m of daylight and sunset at 8 PM, you have tremendous scheduling flexibility — early starts aren't mandatory but getting moving by 7-8 AM on thunderstorm days gives you a solid buffer. Saturday is your gift day; use it.