Tuttle Creek Spring

This spring doesn’t have a name, so, “So. Fork of So. Fork of Tuttle Creek” is a description of its location in terms of drainage, in the John Muir Wilderness (within the Inyo National Forest), in the Sierra (aka Sierra Nevada mountains). It appears on the USGS topographic map, “Mt. Langley” at elevation 2,580 meters (8,464 feet).  There’s no trail after leaving the trail to the Tuttle Creek Stonehouse (aka Ashram).  I’ve been there several times while going to and for the top of Mt. Langley (14,025 feet).  This spring is in a long valley which has a trail marked on older topo maps, but, there’s no trail left to follow.  Note: There’s an inter-agency visitor’s center south of the town of Lone Pine, CA where you can get a permit to go into the John Muir Wilderness.  Have a look at the “17” red box on the 7.5 minute “Mt. Langley” topo map (SCALE 1:24 000).  The trail to the Ashram is seen, with a black dot for the structure at the end.  The map says “Tuttle Creek,” however, to avoid confusion, I’ve called it “South Fork Tuttle Creek” since it joins a north fork that is just as long as the “south fork.”  On the same map, “North Fork Lubken” and “South Fork Lubken” are labelled. At 2,400 meters, the So. Fork of So. Fork joins the main So. Fork.  Going uphill (going south), this spring is labelled “Spring” next to “Falls” (there are three “Falls” in box 17).  Why am I giving such a level of detail? Because, you do NOT want to get lost going to, or returning from, this spring.  The terrain is very steep. Visibility is very limited. The brush is very dense. It’s logical to find the junction of So. Fork and “So. Fork of So. Fork” and take the side fork, but it’s not practical since one must choose which side and find the easiest route.  Eventually, you will find a genuine “spring” gushing out of a “hole” in the ground. It’s very distinct.  Uphill, there’s no water (the “spring” is created by an underground stream). Downhill, there’s a fast-running stream.  If you do not have several years of wilderness travel (no trail), I suggest breaking the trip up into two segments over two days.  Look up the weather forecast at: weather.gov. On the first day, visit the Ashram, then go back to your vehicle.  On day 2, you will be relaxed and confident upon reaching the bridge over So. Fork Tuttle.  Don’t go right which is the trail to the Ashram, go left….. and bushwack to the spring.  Make this left in the morning, not the afternoon, unless it’s summer.  If it’s not summer, when the sun starts setting, it gets cold and dark FAST because of the depth of the Tuttle drainage (it’s in the Eastern Sierra, the second steepest escarpment in the lower-48). If you have a lot of mountaineering experience, it’s a piece of cake.  (Enjoy!)