"Second time summiting Pyramid Peak, this time in winter. Originally, we planned to climb Agassiz nearby by taking the Pyramid Peak trail and veering off down a couloir, but when we arrived at said couloir to downclimb it, it had became incredibly steep. Alongside that and a huge mound of snow sloping of the west cliff of pyramid peak that blocked our route, we decided to climb Pyramid instead. No micro spikes or crampons were used despite it being icy, however we did use an ice axe coming down for glissading. " — goodseal • Feb 1, 2026

"Snowy for the upper 3/5ths of the hike, personally not equipped with any water for some reason, my group behind me got lost and scaled down the wrong side of the ridge and looped around to the trail. " — goodseal • May 31, 2025

"Me, Bethanni, and Birdie set out aimlessly into Desolation from the Eagle Falls trailhead. Our permit was for Fontanallis Lake but we weren't too worried about that. Our goal was to let Birdie play in the snow patches, seek out boulders for an upcoming climbing trip, and finish the bottle of Wild Turkey that we brought. We did end up camping at Font after checking the lake for some deep-water soloing. The next day we wandered over to Lake Aloha after stomping through the snow-melt soaked woods floor. We must have stared up at Pyramid for too long because we hatched a plan to scramble straight up to it. Aleck told us not to over the phone but we did it anyway. Besides, we were several miles from the car and we knew we could hitch a ride back to Eagle Falls if we made it to highway 50 from the Horsetail falls TH. Well, we made it. And we saw a golden eagle while at the top, and yellow-legged frogs in Pyramid Lake once we got back down!" — haleydavis • Jul 26, 2023

"Weekend trip to Desolation Wilderness. After meeting up with my friends at Lake Aloha and setting up camp, we climbed Ralston Peak. On day 2, we went around the south side of the lake and climbed up the side of Pyramid until we reached the summit trail. We submitted Pyramid Peak and continued along the Crystal Range Traverse, we went over the sketchy class 3/4 area just below Pyramid and continued along the ridge to Peak 9686, Mt Agassiz, and Price. Then we descended down the saddle at sunset to connect up with the PCT and got back to camp at 11pm. The entire loop took about 12 hours." — timothylaurent • Jul 2, 2022

"Snowshoe trip via Rocky Canyon with continuous deep snow cover from car to summit. Conditions made for difficult hiking. The bottom third of the mountain was a breakable crust - a complete Sufferfest. Middle third was variable, but included long stretches of powdery drifts. Thankfully the top of the mountain was wind-scoured and firm. Caught my breath at the summit and was able to enjoy the views and sunshine. The snow was a sloppy mess on the descent. I really need to learn alpine touring..." — klotito • Feb 6, 2021

"Departed Falling Leaf Lake (Stanford Sierra Camp) at 3:30 AM, reaching the summit of Pyramid Peak at 8:30 AM via the "East" Ridge route. Rocks were frosty and slippery on the shaded side of the mountain. Backtracked and crossed the PCT to tag Kieths Dome. Went south to Ralston Peak, reaching the top at 12:30 PM, then over to Echo Peak at about 2:15. I attempted to follow the ridge to Indian Rock and Angora Peak, but my legs were wasted and it appeared to be more of a class 3 or 4 scramble than the "trail" denoted on Caltopo. I turned back and counted myself grateful for the sunny November day in my beloved Sierras." — TynanRammGranberg • Nov 1, 2018

"This is not a peak to be taken lightly...it kicks ass! The hike to the base of the peak, is through the green forest, along a nice creek. When you come out of this and look up, the peak seems like it's miles away. It's not, keep following the trail and the cairns, and you'll arrive at the pile of large stones. Once you hit this, you'll start the scramble up to the top. I didn't see any specific route, and made my way over the stones I could (being 5' 2", I'm selective on what to scramble up). Once you hit the top, enjoy the view and accomplishment. There are rock made walls that provide a bit of protection. One thing about this peak, altitude sickness may be a factor. It's non-stop UPHILL trail (no switchbacks here). Make sure to give yourself enough time, bring lots of water and snacks. Look at all the routes and plan accordingly. Having GPS (gaia) is helpful, but I really think everyones scramble to the top will be different. Going down isn't much different, hard on the knees. ps. if anyone see's a pair of grey pant legs, hit me up. Lost mine out of my pack when digging for some advil." — colleenmarie512 • Jul 4, 2018

"As soon as you get on the trail it is an uphill climb to the peak. The peak itself is a pile of boulders so be prepared to scramble, climb, and rock hop up to the summit. Nice views one you get to the top. " — runningvegan • Jul 4, 2018

"I took the Rocky Canyon Route. It was pretty steep hiking the whole way. The forecast showed strong winds moving in for the day but they weren't too bad until I hit the treeline, then they were horrendous! My legs were feeling every bit of the elevation gain and started cramping up around the same time I hit the treeline. The freezing 60 MPH crosswind made getting to the top that much harder, I could barely keep my balance trying to hop around the car sized boulders. I finally summited and took a rest behind the wind break to try and warm up. Up top it was howling!! I only stayed up top long enough to eat my lunch and take a couple pictures. I had gotten a late start and didn't want to get caught out in the dark. It was also freezing up top and I wanted to get out of the wind. I took the same route down and it seemed just as steep on the way back. I didn't see another person the whole day, and now I see why. I was the only one crazy enough to do the hike today!" — Sledhead29 • Oct 19, 2017

"Climbed up Rocky Creek trail on a hot day. Encountered snow around 8,500 feet but it was melted away about 0.4 miles from the summit. We diverted from the trail to avoid some steepness in the snow on the way up. T-shirt weather the whole way, even with the wind across 0.2 mile rock hopping to the top. Saw a family of marmots (3) while at the top and eating lunch. Easy stream crossing, but rocks were a little under water on the return, due to higher temperatures and more runoff later in the day." — TCH • Jul 8, 2017