Elephant's Perch info

How difficult is the hike, with regards to not getting lost, to elephants perch (after the shuttle across the lake)? Is this something that can be done at night or are the trails to difficult to find? Considering hiking in this Friday but wont get there until dark.

It's pretty obvious. The place you could get lost is by missing the left turn. I think it was about 2 miles in, and the "climber's trail" was very obvious and looked as well traveled as the official trail.

I only have Friday evening and all day Saturday.
q1)What time is the last boat across the lake?
q2)When does the shuttle stop running for the season?
q3) Is it reasonable for a team of two or three to get to the boat by 5pm on Friday, hike in, camp, do the Mountaineers route, and get back to the boat Saturday night?
q4) are the belays bolted/pitoned? If we have to build belays that will cut into our time.
Kevin

Last boat is 5. I don't know how late in the season they are keeping their regular schedule. It's only a couple hours from getting on the boat til you're at the perch. Mountaineers route can easily be done in half a day. The first couple belays are bolted and the rest will require building your own belays. I think you should be able to climb and be to boat by 5.

Unless it has changed, the last shuttle is 7pm. I have always had a little trouble finding the trail on the way up after the creek crossing. Gets a little confusing and lots of rogue trails but all lead to the same spot. If you are proficient climber the 5 pm shuttle is easy to get to after climbing. I've done several routes on the wall and all took me about 6 hours or less. If you move, like really move, you can get down to the boat from the summit in under 2 hrs. But like I said, thats moving. Good luck and have fun.

here is info about the shuttle. i havent called yet to see if the hours have changed since labor day.

redfishlake.com/marina/

The crux will be finding the right stream crossing and piecing it together on the far side for the next few hundred feet or so. The trail is/was a bit indistinct after the crossing, so you might get confused for awhile trying to get back on track. Good news is the terrain is easy and fairly open, and once you find the trail it should be easy even in the dark.

The hike isn't too bad. I suck at directions but didn't get lost. To answer Kevin's questions, I think you can easily climb Mountaineers route and hike out in a day. If you miss the last boat, you can hike out. The climb is super easy and fun. I remember one bolted anchor. There might have been two, but it's mostly 'set up your own belay' style. If you are feeling a bit strong, I highly recommend doing 'chasing the dragon' variation on the first two pitches.

I just got down from the perch and man was it awesome. Today was the last boat ride before they close for the season. I was late getting off the top so I missed the last boat yesterday. I'd like to go back and do Astro E but temps are lowering. We started climbing at noon when the sun touched the Mountaineers Route.
goood times