47°F at South Lake Trailhead, 9,800 ft. Wind 8 mph southwest with gusts to 18 mph. AQI 41 — Good, PM2.5 dominant but well within green-band range. No fires within 75 km. Sky is clearing after a low-pressure system pulled out yesterday afternoon; rain probability today 12%. At Bishop Pass itself, six miles up at just under 12,000 ft, current temp is 22°F with steady wind.

That 68 is accurate. This is a "go but pick the right turnaround" day, not a "do the full pass-and-back" day. The lower section to Long Lake — about 2.5 miles in, 1,000 vertical feet of gain, topping out around 10,800 ft — is in great shape. The upper basin past Long Lake is still snow-locked in patches that you don't want to navigate without traction and gaiters this early in the season.

I drove up from the East Side Wednesday and Kipper and I scouted the lower trail Thursday morning. This article is current as of Saturday morning, May 9, 2026.

What May 9 Actually Looks Like Up There

South Lake Road opened to the trailhead on May 5 — that's about average for a normal-snowpack year, two weeks earlier than last year's stubborn spring. The lot at the trailhead is plowed and open. There are no fee booths staffed yet but the self-pay envelopes are out. Bring a pen.

The first half mile climbs through Jeffrey pine and red fir on a well-maintained trail with switchbacks that ease the grade. There's water in the creek crossings — running fast and cold, snowmelt-clear, ankle-deep at the low crossings and mid-calf at the highest. There are no log bridges this early. You will get your boots wet.

From mile 0.5 to about mile 2, the trail traverses a series of small benches with intermittent views down toward South Lake. The grade is moderate. Snow patches start showing up at around 10,400 ft — small ones, easy to step around or kick steps through. Nothing requiring traction yet at this elevation.

Long Lake sits at about 10,800 ft on a glacial bench surrounded by granite walls, with the Inconsolable Range rising another 1,500 ft to the south. As of yesterday morning, the lake was about 60% ice-free at the outlet end, with the main body still showing winter ice along the shaded north side. Snow patches around the shoreline are 1–3 ft deep in protected pockets, bare ground in sun-exposed spots. The trail to the lake is followable but has a few sections where you're walking on packed snow that will start to slush by mid-afternoon.

If you turn around at Long Lake, that's about 5 miles round trip with 1,000 ft of gain. It's a good day. It's a great day for a dog.

If you push past Long Lake toward Saddlerock Lake, Bishop Lake, and the pass itself, you cross into snow that hasn't seen serious melt yet. The trail disappears under continuous snow at around 11,200 ft and stays buried to the pass. You'd want microspikes minimum, ice axe and crampons depending on conditions higher up, and a willingness to navigate by GPS because the trail is invisible. That's not the day this is, with these conditions, on this score. Save the pass for a July weekend when the snow has cleared.

Kipper's Day at Bishop Pass

Kipper is staying close to me on this one because there are still bear and coyote tracks fresh in the snow patches above 10,500 ft. Predator activity picks up in the early-spring shoulder when the bears are coming out hungry and the deer are still moving up-elevation. We're not going to encounter anything dramatic, but loose-dog dynamics aren't ideal in a snowmelt environment where animals are hunting calorie-dense food and your dog could look like dinner to a hungry coyote pack.

Inyo National Forest allows dogs on leash. The Inyo NF leash rule is a 6-foot maximum. Bishop Pass Trail does not enter Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park boundaries until well past the pass, so on the Long Lake out-and-back you're entirely in Inyo NF and dogs are legal the whole way.

A few things specific to bringing your dog on this trail in May:

Cold creek crossings. The water is snowmelt — high 30s in the streams. A small dog will get cold fast crossing barefoot. Kipper is a medium-sized dog with a double coat and she's fine, but I'm carrying a quick-dry pack towel and dropping us at sunny spots between crossings to warm her paws. If you have a short-coated breed, consider booties for the cold-water crossings or carry your dog across.

Snow-patch booby traps. Some of the snow patches between miles 1.5 and 2.5 are sun-cupped — meaning the surface looks solid but there are 4–8 inch deep cups underneath that a dog can step into and twist a leg in. Walk around obvious sun-cup fields rather than through them. The trail is generally edged by bare ground you can walk on.

Altitude. Long Lake is at 10,800 ft. Even healthy young dogs can get short of breath at that elevation if they live at sea level. Kipper lives in the Eastern Sierra at around 4,200 ft, so she has some baseline acclimatization, but I'm watching her breathing on the climbs and giving her water every 20 minutes. If your dog lives at sea level and has never been above 8,000 ft, take it slow on the way up, watch for excessive panting, and turn around if breathing doesn't normalize within 5 minutes of stopping.

Water along the route. Creek crossings give you natural water stops. Bring a collapsible bowl. Kipper drank from the creek twice and the lake outlet once on our scout. Snowmelt water at altitude is generally safe enough for a dog to drink without filtering, though you'd filter it for yourself.

Wildlife. Beyond the predator-track concern, there are pikas, marmots, and the occasional grouse along the upper portion of the trail. Kipper has good recall but I keep her on leash here because the marmots will lead a dog into rocks where you don't want a dog.

What the Score Does and Doesn't Tell You

The 68 captures: temperature is comfortable for hiking, AQI is in the green, no fire risk, low precipitation probability, but there's a snow-condition variable the score is weighting against today.

What it doesn't capture: South Lake Road just opened. That single fact changes this trail from "inaccessible" to "drivable" overnight. If you're an Eastern Sierra hiker, the May 5 opening is the trigger to put Bishop Pass on the calendar for the next four weekends, even though it'll score 65–75 most of those days because of variable snow patches. The window from now through mid-June is the quietest stretch of the season to be on this trail. By July it's busy.

For the next two weeks, Long Lake-and-back is a strong A-tier day in the Eastern Sierra dog-friendly category. The full pass becomes a B-tier day starting around mid-June and an A-tier day from late June through September. The shoulder is now.

Conditions Quick Reference

Score: 68/100 (Use caution)

Weather right now:

Air quality: AQI 41 (Good), PM2.5 dominant.

Fire risk: None within 75 km. Lake basin is snow-covered above 10,800 ft, low ignition concern in the lower forest.

Difficulty: Moderate to Long Lake (5 miles RT, 1,000 ft gain). Difficult-to-Hazardous past Long Lake without snow-travel skills.

Best time today: Start by 8 a.m. to be at Long Lake by 10–10:30, hike out in the afternoon while snow patches are softer for downhill traction. Avoid late afternoon if convective clouds start building.

Parking: South Lake Trailhead parking lot. Open and plowed as of May 5. About 30 spaces, never more than half-full this time of year on a weekend morning. Free; self-pay envelope for day-use fee.

Dog-friendly: Yes. Inyo NF, 6-foot leash maximum. Pack out waste — the Inyo Ranger District checks trailhead lots.

Gear:

Cell signal: None at the trailhead. Spotty AT&T reception at Long Lake on the granite shoulders facing east. Plan to be offline.

Two Quick Alternatives If 68 Isn't Your Comfort Zone

Higher score, same Eastern Sierra dog-friendly territory: Lake Sabrina to Sabrina Basin has a similar trailhead opening date and the lower trail to George Lake is more sheltered — probably scoring closer to 75 today. Same Inyo NF leash rules. Same drive.

Low-elevation dog-friendly day instead: Owens River Gorge (south of Bishop, around 4,200 ft) is a year-round trail with no snow concerns, 60s and sunny right now. Trade granite alpine for dramatic basalt walls and warm pools.

I'll be back at Bishop Pass next week to scout conditions toward Saddlerock — I'll update the trail page when something material changes. For now, Long Lake and back is the day.

If you go: send pictures. Tag the trail page on alwayshave.fun. Carry water for your dog.

— Olivia (and Kipper)

📍 Live conditions for Bishop Pass Trail to Long Lake →