SIERRA BUTTES (8,587') CLASS 1-2

Location: 2 miles N of Sierra City, CA

ROUTE A
Drive: Take Highway 49 to Bassetts Junction, which is 5.2 miles east from Sierra City's former Mountain Shadows Restaurant (now possibly the Red Moose Cafe), or some 8-9 miles west from Yuba Pass from the east. There is a cafe, gas, a motel, a store, and a map board here. Drive north on the excellent Gold Lake Road signed "Gold Lake 7 Grayeagle 17." Follow the highway north 1.4 miles and take the paved road to the left (west) signed "Sardine Lk Rd Packer Lake Rd." Come to a fork after 0.2 mile, and go right, following signs to "Packer Lake 3 1/2" with another sign "93." Stay on the main paved road. Pass the parking marked, "Packsaddle Campground and Trailhead," which provides some overflow parking, and continue another 0.4 mile, or about 3.7 miles from Gold Lake Road, past a lot signed, "Tamarack Lakes Trailhead*." Continue up narrow, winding, paved road to a high saddle after another 1.4 miles, to turn left. Follow a sign "93." A sign reads "Sierra Buttes 3." Up here is another overflow lot. Continue past on gravel road 0.15 mile to a large primitive parking area for maybe 20 cars. This is 5 miles from the Gold Lake Road Highway. A message and sign board is located here. No facilities are available. The dirt road continues for high clearance vehicles, signed "Sierra Buttes OHV."
Climb: Go through a USFS gate southward on a track toward the peak. A sign reads "Sierra Buttes Trail 12E06" and "PCT." Ignore the blocked off spurs in the next several hundred yards. The track soon turns into a regular trail. After 0.7 mile or so, take an unsigned, left fork, uphill. The signed, right fork is the PCT. In 100 feet, or so, come to the "Tamarack Connection Trail 12E30" to the left and downhill. Continue straight and up. Signs further along will indicate "trail." Come to a small primitive parking area, and continue straight through. A jeep road here goes right. Further on the hiking trail, another sign reads, "Sierra Buttes Trail 12E06." Come to another jeep road near the summit, and turn left on it, up the hill. Follow this jeep road to the final, airy, staircase, and climb to the lookout on top.

*The older way, before maybe about 1999, starts from the Tamarack Lakes Trailhead. A sign indicates "Sierra Buttes L.O. 4" and "Tamarack Lakes 4WD recommended 1." Follow the trail, which starts as an old logging road, south. Climb steadily, shortly gaining views of a small, unnamed lake on the left (east). This trail climbs to the northwest ridge. It comes to the new route near its junction with the PCT at the connection sign. Go left and follow the new Route A.

ROUTE B
Drive: Take Highway 49 to Sierra City. About 50 yards west of the former Mountain Shadows Restaurant (now possibly the Red Moose Cafe), a side road north signed "Butte Ave" leads to another sign in 0.1 mile. Turn left, following the signs to "Sierra Buttes Rd Look Out Disposal Site." Cross a wooden bridge in 0.2 mile. In 1.3 miles total from Highway 49, a graveled road signed, 'Sierra Buttes Road," takes off to the right. If you come to the dump, you have gone too far. Drive up the "Sierra Buttes Road" road as far as you wish, usually, with a regular car, to the sign full of holes indicating 4WD only, with a fork here dropping left to a mine. Park without blocking the road.
Climb: Continue on the main dirt road, taking the uphill forks. Follow this 4WD road to the west slopes where Route A from the other side is encountered. Follow the trail (Route A) or roads to the top. The Pacific Crest Trail intersects this route, and, from the bottom where it crosses Highway 49, may also serve as a summit trail, but the many switchbacks and extra distance discourages all but the strongest hikers to try that way.

WINTER SKI ASCENT: One must usually park at Bassetts Junction, and, carry skis, or ski up the Gold Lake Road. Route A can be followed, or, to begin a direct route, one may follow the road to Sardine Lakes. To get to Sardine Lakes, take the left fork at 0.2 mile from the Gold Lake Road on Route A, Drive, following signs to "Sardine Lakes Resort" and, after 0.6 mile, come to a parking lot. Go right up a 4WD road that leads to the dam. Assuming the ice is thick enough (only experience can tell), one may ski across the lakes to the far end. Proceed southwest up to the bowl that leads to Young America Lake. Steep (35 degrees) slopes lead up to the west slopes of the peak, where Route A can be joined.

TRIP STATS: Route A, 1,600 feet gain, 2.9 miles one way; from Tamarack Lakes Trailhead, it is 2,500 feet gain with 4 miles one way. Route B, 3,400 feet gain, 3.5 miles one way; winter ski ascent through Sardine Lakes, 3,300 feet gain, 5 miles one way, starting from Bassetts Junction.

Notes: Sierra Buttes is one of the most prominent peaks in the Northern Sierra, and is easily recognized from many of the peaks north and west of Lake Tahoe. Its summit crags are very scenic. From one point on the walkway that encircles the lookout tower, one may look straight down several hundred feet to the snowfield or rocks below. Without the stairs, the peak would be some class 3, by a deep gully not generally visible from the hiking route.
Route B, with its south-facing exposure, offers a partially snowfree route during drier years and earlier in the spring. Sometimes, a lower gully on this side is filled with snow, and makes a good glissading shortcut for persons with ice axe and snow skills, allowing a descent of as much as 1,500 feet in a very short time.

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