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Sierra Nevada Bear Boxes
Details for HS02

Updated 21 Jun 2008, see revision history for details.
CORRECTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED! contact Steve Eckert.
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For bear box data, including maps and location instructions, you can jump to:
  • the main Bear Box Page or a clickable Bear Boxes Map
  • click on a sorted list of 141 bear boxes or short list of 25 box regions

    Bear box 'HS02'
    (Mehrten Creek)

    Detail Map: (scroll down for directions, waypoints, and area map)

    1. HS02 is a standard box, at about 7600 feet, in the High Sierra Trail region.

    2. Note: Mehrten Creek crosses two trails close together. This box is near the southern trail (the High Sierra Trail from Crescent Meadow), where the creek flows over slabs in a broad treeless bowl, not the northern trail (to Mehrten Meadow and Wolverton). There was a sign loosely tied to a tree when approaching from the west, which may or may not stay put, but no sign was visible approaching from the east.

    3. Directions from Steve Eckert, with GPS waypoint, Oct 2002:
      A standard box, 80' elevation above the trail and 40 yards west of the creek. As noted by Gary, the box is entirely invisible from the trail. Furthermore, a 15' face above the trail makes it seem unlikely there is actually a box up there... but there is one! Look for the creek and the bowl (described above), then go to the clump of trees on the west shore of the creek. Follow the west bank for 50 yards or so up the creek (on slabs) to get around a 10-15' rock face, then cut west to the only 4' diameter pine tree for miles, and the bear box is 20 yards to the southwest (behind the roots of a fallen tree). Campsites are limited, but have a view of the Central Valley. FYI, there is a really good cell phone signal here also!

    4. Directions from Gary Craig, August 2002:
      Didn't actually see this box, but there is a map attached to a tree right next to the trail directing you above (north of) the trail, just west of the creek crossing. The posted map is obvious if coming from the west but somewhat obscure if hiking from the east.

    5. Directions from Mineral King ranger info sheet, dated 1991:
      One box 40 feet above the [High Sierra] Trail on the west side of Mehrten Creek.

    6. Find waypoint HS02 in region waypoints or all waypoints file.
      (NAD83 decimal degrees or NAD27 UTM data suitable for TOPO! software or Waypoint+ software)
        (lat,lon) = (36.5727800, -118.6844400) in decimal degrees, NAD83.
  (zone,east,north) = (11S, 349362.0, 4048606.0) in decimal meters, NAD27.
    7. Previous box is HS01: Crescent Meadow.

    8. Next box is HS03: Ninemile Creek.

    9. Scroll down for a regional map of the entire High Sierra Trail region.

    10. Use Google Maps or Google Earth to view this region overlaid with roads and trails on satellite images or maps.
      (Click on any icon to get details in a popup, double-left-click to zoom in, double-right-click to zoom out.)


    Map exported from TOPO! software, used with permission.