Morgan & Percival

[Grey J]

I'm probably in the minority of people on VFTT who have not done this hike and likely won't do it until next summer. It is most often described in a clockwise fashion hitting Morgan first and then descending from Percival. Is that just because the Morgan trailhead is the first one most people arrive at or is there a good reason to do so? Is there a compelling argument to be made for going counterclockwise? From the description, it sounds like a tossup to me. On loop hikes, I generally will ascend the steeper side. Regardless of direction, I'll be skipping the "chutes and ladders" alternate routes.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I think the ladders are why most people do it CW. The parking area is also much larger. I had the dog, so was skipping the ladders, and went CCW from the Morgan lot. It's a steeper ascent and I prefer to go against traffic.

 

[Ken MacGray]

Yeah, people usually go up the ladders and down through the caves. If you are skipping those alternate routes it really doesn't matter which way you go.

 

[sierra]

WE go counter-clockwise to climb the steeper Percival and descend Morgan which is somewhat easier. I also hike with my dog, so the ladders and the caves are not of any interest. I don't care for ladders anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. We definitely see more traffic on the Morgan side, especially in the winter.

 

[Grey J]

With the connector trail at the bottom, I guess you can park at either end and still go in either direction, but I'll probably go up Percival and loop CCW. There may be a few other hikes remaining for me on the 52WAV list that have options, but most of them are probably straightforward and obvious. I know there are 2 routes to Mt Hayes for example and I think Sierra has posted comments about both. I'll have to check about the other ones. Thanks for the replies.

 

[MikePS]

I find going CCW I most often have the Percival summit to myself, On Morgan I usually have company even on weekdays. I also prefer the descent from Morgan as noted by Sierra. A great short hike!