Pyramid Peak via Lyons Creek

 After a few failed attempts at bagging my first Sierra peak, I have finally succeeded. As usual the trip did not go plan but a solo summit of Pyramid Peak is still a win in my book.

Pyramid Peak from the North

 Pyramid Peak is a 9,984 foot peak in the Desolation Wilderness located near Lake Tahoe in California. It boasts some wonderful views of the wilderness as well as the lake. It is the southern terminus of the Crystal Range.

Per usual my trip plans changed day of. Originally I was aiming for an eighteen mile loop starting at Lyons Creek Trailhead and going to Twin Lakes so I could climb the Class 3/4  North Ridge of Mt. Price but that plan was scrapped day of because of my lack of fitness and sleep. All in all, bailing on that plan was the best decision made all day. I then decided to summit Pyramid Peak via its west ridge and then try to traverse to Agassiz and Price. But on route I ended up dropping off the ridge halfway through the traverse, leaving it for a future attempt.

Here are the trip stats according to my GPS (your mileage may vary)
Total Distance: 14 miles
Total Gain: 3,200 feet
Max Elevation:  9,984 feet

I arrived at the Lyons Creek trailhead at 6:00 am and quickly departed. The trail portion of this route is fairly straightforward. Follow the Lyons Creek trail for roughly 4.5 miles until the trail forks. Take the right towards Sylvia Lake. If you go during summer, you should apply bug spray at this point.

Take a right here

You will soon run into Sylvia Lake and get your first view of Pyramid Peak.

Pyramid Peak with Sylvia Lake below

The easiest way to get up to Pyramid Peak is to ascend the west ridge, seen on the right. The terrain is easy enough that you can take almost any route to up the ridge. Getting to the base of the ridge is another story though. I would not recommend going around the left side of the lake. You will end up in some not fun bushwhacking. Go right, you will have a much better time than I did.

Sylvia Lake with those nasty bushes sneaking into the frame.

Once you get to the base of the ridge, just start moving up. Most of the scrambling is easy class two but you could find some fun class three as well if you seek it out. Once you are on the ridge, follow it up to the summit. It is mostly a cross country class one slog from there on out.

Looking down on the class one section

Almost there

 Eventually you will make the summit and be rewarded with some amazing views of the Desolation Wilderness and surprisingly enough cell service. I thankfully got to enjoy the peak in peace and quiet with only one other hiker at the summit with me. I signed the summit register (my first!), and took a well deserved break.

Pyramid Peak

The summit register

From here I began the traverse. By now I did not feel great, the lack of sleep and fitness had really caught up to me. I decided to follow the ridge and take it slow and see how far I could get. I began the class two descent down the north side of Pyramid Peak. Some of the boulders are deceptively loose so watch what you step on.

The ridge of the Crystal Range

As I descended I spied some cool looking outcroppings. You can get on some of them fairly easily with a few class 2+ moves. Well worth the extra little detour.

From there continue north to follow the ridge. A majority of it is class 2 with the occasional class three section. At the beginning of the ridge most of the class three moves are mandatory. I could not find any safe alternatives to bypass them.The rock quality is fairly good but I definitely recommend checking your holds before doing any committing moves. Some of the boulders can be deceiving on the ridge.

I followed the east side of the ridge until the big outcropping which required a few class 3 moves. I then transitioned to the west side of the ridge to get back onto the class 2 terrain. 

A good look at the ridge

Once you have passed the mandatory class three moves, the ridge becomes easier to maneuver. While there are a few 4th class moves (maybe even easy 5th), they can be easily bypassed by dropping farther down on the west side of the ridge.

The ridge after a few class three moves

The next peak can be gained purely on class two scrambling.

Lake Aloha as seen from the unnamed peak

From there you descend down the north side. This is where the climbing got a little trickier for me. Most of the moves were fairly straightforward with a little bit of class 3 down climbing. There is one section that consisted of fourth class/ easy fifth down climbing. If my crack skills were a little better, I think I could have pulled the moves but my hand jams did not feel solid so I just retraced my steps up the ridge and bypassed it on the west side.

A view of the ridge. The tricky part cannot be seen sadly

After following the ridge for a little more, I decided to descend. Thankfully the crescent shape of the ridge allowed me to see Sylvia Lake making navigation back much easier.

View from the descent

It took me way too long to get a picture of this bird

Sylvia Lake borders the ridge on the left

Sylvia Lake runs up on the left ridge as you descend. You can take almost any route and it will get you there. I would recommend avoiding the bushes though. If you hang towards the left bunch of trees, you will be able to walk through a beautiful meadow. I was lucky enough to see an abundance of blooming daises and a few monarchs flying through.

They were everywhere!

Wading through tall grass to Sylvia Lake

Once you reach Sylvia Lake, follow the trail back to the trailhead. With only one hour of sleep in the past thirty hours and fourteen miles on my legs I was thoroughly exhausted. I took a quick dip in Lyons Creek followed by a well deserved nap.

Definitely a fun little trip but I will be back for Mt. Price and Aggasiz at some point. Maybe I'll even sleep beforehand.


7/12/18