Golden Gate, Skyline Trail Loop, Deadhorse Creek & Alta Vista Loop — Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024

I arrived close to 6:30 on a clear Sunday morning. At this time of year, it's still dark. By the time I hit the trail there was enough light not to need my headlamp, but too dark to see any of the beautiful fall colors. My route was Golden Gate to Lower Skyline to Deadhorse Creek to Alta Vista. By the time Golden Gate was lit up, I was near the top of the trail and I could see the hillside was gorgeous, so I came up with my Deadhorse Creek/Alta Vista plan. If your mission is a pink mountain and pink clouds, this isn't the route for you. If I was going again in the next week, I'd hit Alta Vista, circle down and hit Golden Gate to lower Skyline to Faraway Rock, Mazama Ridge, Lower or Higher Lakes loop. I'd save Panorama Point and High Skyline for the droves of people. When I left the park around 10am, the line to enter was longer than I've ever seen it. On a side note: beware of polite buttheads on the road. These are the ones who kindly use their signal to cross double yellow lines to pass you and the ones who stop on a two lane mountain road (instead of using one of many pullouts) but put on their emergency lights.