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California trails · Sawmill Pass

Sawmill Pass

A 9.3-mile network in California, with 6,723 ft of climbing. Reaches Sawmill Pass and other lake/pass destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
9.3 mi
Elevation gain
6,723 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
40%
Steepest mile
+1,180 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
6.5 mi
Shape
network
Bikes
yes
Horses
yes
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

4,633 – 11,356 ft123456789

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Sawmill Pass

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

SAWMILL PASS TH — parking nearby. About 1 h 53 min drive (79 mi, 3 of them unpaved) from Mammoth Lakes. 36.93880, -118.29020 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:33 a.m., the sun rises at 6:59 a.m. and sets at 6:18 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:44 p.m. (PDT) — 11 h 18 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 9.3-mile route takes roughly 6 h 48 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:47 p.m. — 4 h 31 min before sunset.

Nearby trails