"Started from Sage Flats. It's a low snow year and the route was already snow-free before May. There was a small spring flowing on the PCT at ~10,000 ft, but not sure how long that will last. Took the "Cattle Driveway" up and the hiker trail down. Fun steep class 2 to the summit with spectacular views, but sad to see such little snow in the High Sierra." — klotito • Apr 30, 2021

"Was hoping to make this a snow climb, but even with the weekend storm it was pretty bare. Still amazing views, glad to finally tick this one. Complete TR: https://TheMtsAreCalling.com/olancha/" — Christopher • Apr 26, 2021

"Overnight trip up Olancha with some cool Orange County WTCers. Stayed at a bench off the PCT. Water levels are getting a bit scarce but there were a few spots off the PCT. I can't imagine they'll stick around long. It's also a bit buggy, especially before Olancha pass. Big scramble up to the peak. There are couple spots to start from, both marked by ducks. Many paths go and it's not nearly as bad as it looks from a distance. Incredible views of the lower Sierra, with Kaweah featured north and especially flattering views of Crag to the south." — JustinB • Jun 10, 2018

"Oh my god. The plan was to do Olancha as a snow climb. After reading recent trip reports, we expected there to still be plenty of snow on the route, so we were prepared with our ice axes, crampons and most of us had snowshoes as well. We drove up from Vegas on Friday and set up camp at Sage Flat. Since most of us worked on Friday, we weren't able to get there super early, but most were able to set up camp & get to sleep by 8-10pm. Wake up time was 1-130am & we were on the trail at 205am. The trail was clear of snow until about 7500, where it got patchy. A couple hundred feet higher and we had to put on our crampons to cross some steep snow slopes. We did our best to take plenty of breaks to keep the group together on the way up until we began the final assault on the summit. From there, we pushed at our own paces. Everyone arrived safely at the summit between 2-330pm - later than expected, but not horrible. The way back was a different story. People were exhausted and multiple people were low or out of water. The lack of sleep was getting to the group as we made our way back down. We kept the group together, moving at a very slow pace & stopping frequently. When we f..." — Kevin • Apr 22, 2017

"Overnight trip out of Sage Flats. Incredibly dry for any time of year, let alone April. Resorted to melting snow for water. Scramble to summit was steep but enjoyable. Views to Langley, Whitney, Kaweahs, great Western Divide. Not much snow in the high country." — edg • Apr 3, 2015

"After a week backpacking in the Grand Canyon and then a day running around Death Valley i decided i still wasn't done. So i headed to Sage flat by Olancha, Ca. I camped at the trailhead and got rained and snowed on all night. The next morning just before sunrise i headed up the Olancha pass trail. Less than 1 mile up and i was walking in 1" of snow already. The climb wasn't to bad and the early morning views over the Owens valley were awesome. Approaching Olancha pass the snow was 2-3" becoming 4-6" around Summit meadow. Lots of fresh animal tracks in the snow up there. It was really peaceful and serene. Then i met the PCT and the trail began to climb steeply so i pulled out the micro spikes for better traction. At this point the clouds were building, but i was getting close. A couple miles up PCT and i left the trail to begin the final climb up the steep talus. It was TOUGH!! I usually would have no problem with this kind of climb, but the snow was just making everything so much harder!(it also made everything look super awesome!!) As i climbed the last few hundred feet, the clouds proceeded to roll in more and more fogging up all the views. I got up top in the total fog and had a..." — DerekJayRichardson • Nov 2, 2014

"This was a side trip from the PCT section hike I did from southern Kennedy Meadows to Echo Lake, SLT. Super fun scramble with a view of the high Sierra peaks to come. Awesome." — galinabean • Jun 6, 2012