[Eaglecadd]

Just wondering if anyone has pics of the upper most part of Milk Creek Valley. I would like to see about planning a route, if possible, over to Deception Basin. I am not at all sure this is possible safely for a backpacker who is NOT a climber. If anyone has done this, is it possible to get some GRAPHIC route info...I am a very visual guy and it is hard for me to understand it if it is just verbal. Thank you for your help.

[meck]

I'll see if I can upload some photos and send you PM. I'm not really a climber and I've come down it from Fricaba several times as part of a loop day hike (Upper Dungy-Royal basin-Deception basin-Fricaba-Milk Creek drainage-cross the Dungy and then exit via Heather Creek/Upper Dungy trail). There are a few spots that are very, very steep that could be challenging to go over w/ hard snow pack as I recall.

[OlympicMtnHiker]

Milk Creek basin has been on my list of places to go for years now, but I still haven't made it over there yet. But it looks very wild and remote. These photos that I took of Milk Creek basin in 2007 while on the shoulder of Petunia Peak were what inspired me to add the area to my list:

Milk Creek Basin With Waterfall- 2007

Milk Creek Basin With Waterfall- 2007

Milk Creek Basin From near Petunia Peak

Milk Creek Basin From near Petunia Peak

You probably already have pictures of this part of the basin, but I've included them just in case they might be helpful. I've looked at potential routes into Milk Creek while hiking into Deception Basin. Last time that I was in the Southeast corner of upper Royal Basin (directly west of the ridge that divides upper Royal Basin from upper Milk Creek basin), I was looking at potential routes into Milk Creek. The ridge looked pretty steep but there were some potential animal trails leading over it, and it looked like you could reach the top of it with some basic scrambling. I don't know how the descent on the other side would be, but the Topo maps seem to indicate about the same steepness on the Milk Creek side. Here are a couple of pictures showing the terrain and the ridge dividing the upper portion of Milk Creek Basin from upper most part of Royal Basin.

Ridge dividing upper Royal Basin from Upper Milk Creek basin

Zoomed in view of the lowest point of the saddle (about 6560ft) in the ridge shown in the previous photo

And finally a photo taken from the (nearly) 7000ft peak just east of Snifter Spire on the ridge dividing Royal Basin from Deception. Looking east toward upper Milk Creek basin and Fricaba (just outside of the photo on the right side). This gives some idea of the kind of terrain in that area.

View looking east toward Fricaba from the (nearly) 7000ft 'peak' a little East of Snifter Spire on the divide between Royal Basin and Deception Basin.

One last photo that might be useful. This was taken from within Deception Basin looking up toward Mt Fricaba and the ridge dividing Deception Basin from Milk Creek Basin. If I remember correctly, Fricaba is on the right of the photo and the the spire/fortress-like peak to it's left is an unnamed 7000ft peak. On the far side of the saddle between the two peaks is the uppermost part of Milk Creek Basin. It may be possible to climb over the saddle between those two peaks

Mt. Fricaba from Deception Basin

Anyway, hopefully meck or someone else on the board can provide you with better pics and some solid route info, but I'm posting these photos in the hope that they might be of some help to you in the mean time.

[Eaglecadd]

Thanks for the GREAT pics. It really helps me to try to make this a great and safer route. I know there will be many challenges to find a way through here and I want to do it in a safe manner. One of my concerns is crossing the ridge on the North side of Deception Basin toward Royal Basin. Has anyone done it? If so, where?

[meck]

There should be a pretty obvious scree path up out of Deception Basin to the low pass just east of Mt Deception, that then drops into Royal Basin (I've gone up over this north->south twice over to Fricabe, and south to north once from climbing Hal Foss). The scree could be tedious (three steps forward, 1-2 steps back). The Royal Basin side is very steep towards the top of the pass, and depending on snow conditions, could be quite dangerous. The exposed shale slopes in mid summer allowed me to stay slightly east of the pass on the Royal Basin side above the hard snow mini bowl on two occasions, but another time I went over it the snow was quite soft and I was able to boot-up the bowl (even the steep section approaching the top).

[Jake Robinson]

[Eaglecadd]

Thank you Jake. I appreciate the info and pic.