Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

June 28th, 2025 at 5:04 AMJohn Muir Wilderness, CA

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Info

Distance

10 mi

Elevation gain

6,200 ft

Route type

Out & back

Duration

9 hr

Crux

Class 3

Quality

8/10

Vehicle type

Car

Ecoregion

Peaks bagged

1

SPS

Vagmarken

14,089 ft / Rise 1,105 ft

2

SPS

Vagmarken

13,571 ft / Rise 282 ft

SPS
Sierra Peaks Section
Vagmarken
Vagmarken Sierra Crest List

Report

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Starting up the Old Mount Whitney Trail.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Joining the North Fork Lone Pine Creek Trail.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Approaching the Ebersbacher ("E") Ledges.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Exposed section of the E Ledges.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Climbing to the outlet of Lower Boy Scout Lake (top center).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Lower Boy Scout Lake.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — A gentle, shaded section of trail along the perimeter of Lower Boy Scout Lake.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back toward Lower Boy Scout Lake.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Sticking to these slabs to avoid bushwhacking through Clyde Meadow (left).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Starting up a sandy chute leading to Russell-Carillon Pass.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back toward Clyde Meadow.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Picking up a use trail.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back down the chute.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View toward Mount Irvine (left of center) and Mount McAdie (right), separated by the aptly named Arc Pass.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Approaching Russell-Carillon Pass. Mount Russell is on the left.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Closeup on Mount Whitney. Hardly visible to the naked eye, a party of climbers nears the top of the Mountaineer's Route (the snow-filled couloir).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Approaching the pass.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back down the wide slope.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View of Tulainyo Lake from Russell-Carillon Pass.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Mount Russell's impressively sheer north face.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Starting up Mount Russell's east ridge.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Class 2.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back toward the pass. From left to right, the three peaks surrounding the lake are Mount Tunnabora, The Cleaver, and Mount Carillon (the last climbed later in the day).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Class 2 ledge on the north side of the ridge.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Knife edge section.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View toward Mount Whitney.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back along the knife edge.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Class 3 section.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back at the exposure on the Class 3 section.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Approaching Mount Russell's east summit.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Gaining Mount Russell's east summit. The slightly higher west summit lies just a quarter mile ahead. Mount Whitney, yet 500 feet taller, looms to the southwest.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View northwest.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Traversing to the west summit.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back toward the east summit.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — The route drops down to the north side of the ridge before climbing up the back side of the west summit.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Mount Russell west summit. View toward Mount Whitney.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Closeup on Mount Whitney's north face.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View west. Opposite Kern Canyon in the distance lies Mount Kaweah.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View east.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View north toward Wallace Lake. Mount Williamson, another 14er, is on the right.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Descending the Mount Russell's east ridge.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Carefully downclimbing the more exposed sections.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Returning to the Russell-Carillon Saddle.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Back at the saddle, starting up Mount Carillon's west ridge.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back toward Mount Whitney (left) and Mount Russell (right).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Stiff Class 2 near the summit of Mount Carillon.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Mount Carillon summit. View east toward The Cleaver (left) and Gambler's Special (right of center).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View east toward Mount Russell.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View north toward Tulainyo Lake.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View southeast.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View southwest toward Mount Whitney.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Descending Mount Carillon's south slope.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Quick descent down the sandy chute to rejoin the North Fork Lone Pine Creek Trail.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Back on the trail, view toward Upper Boy Scout Lake (not visible).

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — View back up the slabs.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — Descending to Lower Boy Scout Lake.

Trip report photo for Mount Russell and Mount Carillon — From Lower Boy Scout Lake, final view toward Mount Whitney.

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