Independence Peak
11,742′
09/22/2026
Onion Valley Trailhead
Class 4
4.7 miles RT, Total gain: 2,625′ – 5h31m
This was a fun, if intimidating scramble. As there is not a ton of information out there on this route we opted to follow a GPS file downloaded from Peakbagger.com and hope things worked out. We scrambled up to the ridge to join as far southwest as we were able so that we could enjoy the full ridgeline. I was a little worried that route-finding would be an issue (GPS being great for an idea of direction only, and not great for navigating complex terrain) but things were pretty straightforward, with little backtracking needed. Each time I spotted a gap in the ridgeline there was a bypass to be had, and the scrambling was airy and very enjoyable. The route down was not as bad as it appeared, but is loose and time consuming in places.
