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Overview
Home to the world’s largest trees, one of North America’s deepest canyons, and the tallest mountain in the continental United States, the greater Sequoia-Kings Canyon region offers unparalleled mountain majesty. Hundreds of miles of trails provide access to boundless wildflower-covered meadows, cascading streams, alpine lakes, deep forests, and craggy peaks.
Discover the sparkling granite landscape of the Range of Light with expert author Mike White. His popular guidebook presents 122 of the best hikes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, as well as the surrounding Golden Trout, John Muir, Jennie Lakes, and Monarch wildernesses and Giant Sequoia National Monument. From a half-mile loop by pictographs and bedrock mortars to an 82-mile trek along the wild and remote Middle Fork Kings River, there are hikes for all skill levels and interests.
Inside you’ll find:
- 122 recommended hiking (and backpacking) routes
- Detailed trip descriptions and maps
- At-a-glance icons that spotlight campgrounds, spectacular views, swimming holes, wildflowers, giant sequoia groves, and more
- Park, campground, and driving information, including road logs for the Generals and Kings Canyon highways
Grab a copy of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, and enjoy the spectacular wonders of the southern High Sierra!
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780899976723 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wilderness Press |
| Publication date: | 08/07/2012 |
| Pages: | 480 |
| Sales rank: | 1,123,888 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
TRIP 4
East Fork Grove
DISTANCE: 5 miles, out-and-back
ELEVATION: 6,600'/6,240', +525'/-820'/±2,690'
SEASON: Late May to November
USE: Light
MAP: Silver City
ATWELL MILL
In the 1870s, the Atwell Mill provided the town of Buelah (now Mineral King) with lumber for buildings and mines, also supplying a million board feet for a flume between Oak Grove and a hydroelectric plant in Hammond. The high cost of transporting lumber to the San Joaquin Valley eventually doomed the mill, but not before many stately giant sequoias near the mill succumbed to the logger’s axe. Ironically, the brittle sequoia wood proved to be useful only for shakes and fence posts.
INTRODUCTION: Most hikers and backpackers who endure the rigors of the drive on Mineral King Road are bound for the high country above the valley, overlooking some of the lesser-known treasures along the way. Some of these neglected riches are found along the Atwell-Hockett Trail, which leads to a picturesque river canyon and a nearly forgotten grove of giant sequoias. On this 5-mile hike, visitors will enjoy the turbulent East Fork Kaweah River, which cascades through a narrow cleft of granite and a fine selection of Big Trees sans crowds.
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: From the east end of Three Rivers, leave Highway 198 and turn onto Mineral King Road. Follow the road for 8 miles to the Atwell Mill Campground entrance and then continue another 0.2 mile to the signed trailhead parking area, which has a bear box, at the east end of the campground.
DESCRIPTION: Walk down a road toward the campground, which has water and vault toilets, for about 250 yards to the beginning of the signed Atwell-Hockett Trail. Follow a path past redwood stumps to a small meadow filled with relics from the long abandoned Atwell Mill.
Through a mixed forest of black oaks, white firs, sugar pines, ponderosa pines, incense cedars, and sequoias, you veer away from the old mill site and descend around a hillside, soon dropping to diminutive Deadwood Creek. The descent continues through forest another half mile to a stout steel-and-wood bridge spanning the granite cleft of East Fork Kaweah River, 1.25 miles from the parking area. The bridge offers a picture-postcard view of the cascading river plummeting over slabs and boulders down a narrow, sequoia-lined gorge.
Beyond the bridge, proceed through the East Fork Grove on a mild to moderate climb away from the river to Deer Creek, a good turnaround point for dayhikers. From the creek, the Atwell-Hockett Trail continues to the unceremonious southern end of the East Fork Grove.
Table of Contents
Backpack Trip Features xi
Dayhike Trip Features xv
Preface xxi
Introduction 1
Human History 1
Flora and Fauna 9
Geology 17
Climate 18
Traveling in the Backcountry 21
About This Guide 35
Generals Highway Road Log 39
Kings Canyon Highway Road Log 47
West Side Trips 55
Introduction to South Fork Kaweah River 56
South Fork Kaweah River Trailhead
1 Putnam and Snowslide Canyons 57
2 Ladybug Camp and Cedar Creek 59
3 Garfield-Hockett Trail to Garfield Grove and Hockette Lakes 61
Introduction to Atwell Mill and Mineral King 64
Atwell Mill Trailhead
4 East Fork Grove 67
5 Atwell-Hockett Trail to Hockett Plateau 69
6 Paradise Peak 72
Mineral King Trailhead
7 Cold Springs Trail 74
8 Mosquito Lakes 76
9 Eagle Lake 78
10 White Chief Canyon 79
11 Farewell Gap 81
12 Franklin Lakes 84
13 Franklin Pass and Sawtooth Pass Loop 85
14 Crystal Lake 90
15 Monarch Lakes 91
16 Little Five and Big Five Lakes Loop 93
17 Great Western Divide Loop 98
Introduction to the Foothills 103
Potwisha Trailhead
18 Potwisha Pictographs Loop 105
19 Marble Falls 107
Hospital Rock Trailhead
20 Middle Fork Kaweah River: Hospital Rock to Potwisha 109
21 Paradise Creek Trail 110
22 Middle Fork Kaweach River: Hospital Rock to Panther Creek 111
North Fork Trailhead
23 North Fork Trail 114
24 Colony Mill Road: North Fork to Colony Mill Ranger Station 116
Introduction to the Giant Forest 119
Crystal Cave Road Trailhead
25 Colony Mill Road: Crystal Cave Road to Colony Mill Ranger Station 121
Crescent Meadow Trailhead
26 Huckleberry Meadow Loop 123
27 Bobcat Point Loop 126
28 Crescent and Log Meadows Loop 128
29 High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Panther Creek 130
30 Giant Forest East Loop 132
31 Bearpaw Meadow, Hamilton Lakes, and Nine Lakes Basin 134
32 High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal 137
Giant Forest Trailheads
33 Moro Rock: Soldiers Trail and Moro Rock Loop 145
34 Sunset Rock 148
35 Big Trees Trail 149
36 Hazelwood Nature Trail 150
37 Trail of the Sequoias 151
38 Circle Meadow Loop 153
39 Congress Trail 156
Introduction to Wolverton, Lodgepole, and Wuksachi 158
Wolyerton Trailhead
40 Mehrten and Alta Meadows 160
41 Alta Peak 162
42 Panther Gap Loop 164
43 Lakes Trail to Heather, Aster, Emeralad, and Pear Lakes 166
Lodgepole Traihead
44 Tokopah Falls 170
45 Twin Lakes 171
46 Kings-Kaweah Divide Loop 174
Wuksachi Trailhead
47 Wuksachi Trail 182
Introduction to Dorst Creek 183
Dorst Creek Trailheads
48 Little Baldy 184
49 Muir Grove 185
50 Lost Grove to Dorst Campground 187
51 Cabin Creek Trail 188
Introduction to Giant Sequoia National Monument and Jennie Lakes Wilderness 189
Stony Creek Trailhead
52 Stony Creek Trail to Jennie Lake 191
Big Meadows Road Trailheads
53 Jennie Lakes Loop 193
54 Seville Lake 195
55 Mitchell Peak 197
Kennedy Meadow Trailhead
56 Evans Grove 199
Introduction to Redwood Mountain 201
1 Generals Highway Trailheads
57 Big Baldy 202
58 Buena Vista Peak 204
Redwood Mountain Trailhead
59 Redwood Mountain Grove: Hart Trail Loop 205
60 Redwood Mountain Grove: Sugar Bowl Loop 208
Introduction to Grant Grove 210
Grant Grove Trailheads
61 Big Stump Grove 212
62 Hitchcock Meadow 214
63 Sunset Loop Trail 215
64 Azalea and Manzanita Trails Loop 217
65 North Grove Loop 219
66 General Grant Tree Trail 220
67 Park Ridge Lookout 222
Converse Basin Trailheads
68 Chicago Stump 224
69 Boole Tree 225
Introduction to Cedar Grove 227
Deer Cover Trailhead
70 Deer Cove Trail 229
Cedar Grove Trailheads
71 East Kennedy Lake 231
72 Don Cecil Trail to Lookout Peak 234
73 Cedar Grove Overlook 236
74 Hotel and Lewis Creeks Loop 238
Roads End Trailheads
75 Zumwalt Meadow Nature Trail 239
76 River Trail 241
77 Kanawyer Loop Trail 242
78 Sphinx Creek 243
79 Circle of Solitude: Great Western and Kings-Kern Divides Loop 246
80 East Lake and Lake Reflection 256
81 Charlotte Lake 259
82 Mist Falls 262
83 Rae Lakes Loop 264
84 Copper Creek Trail to Granite Basin 271
85 State and Horseshoe Lakes 273
Introduction to John Muir Wilderness: West Side 277
Crown Valley Trailhead
86 Middle Fork Kings River 279
Courtright Reservoir Trailhead
87 Red Mountain Basin 293
Florence Lake Trailhead
88 Blayney Hot Springs, Goddard Canyon, and Martha Lake 298
East Side Trips 305
Introduction to the Mount Whitney Ranger District 306
Horreshoe Meadow Trailhead
89 Chicken Spring Lake 309
90 Cottonwood Pass and New Army Pass Loop 311
Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead
91 New Army Pass Trail 314
92 Cottonwood Lakes 316
93 Soldier Lakes and Rock Creek 318
94 Cottonwood Lakes to Whitney Portal 322
Whitney Portal Trailhead
95 Mount Whitney 327
96 Meysan Trail 332
97 John Muir Trail: Whitney Portal to Onion Valley 334
Symmes Creek Trailhead
98 Shepherd Pass Trail 339
Onion Valley Trailhead
99 Robbinson Lake 343
100 Kearsarge and Bullfrog Lakes 344
101 Charlotter Lake and Rae Lakes Basin 348
102 Trans-Sierra Trek: Onion Valley to Cedar Grove 353
103 John Muir Trail: Onion Valley to South Lake 358
104 Golden Trout Lakes 370
Oak Creek Trailhead
105 Baxter Pass Trail 372
Sawmill Creek Trailhead
106 Sawmill Pass Trail 374
Introduction to the White Mountain Ranger District 376
Taboose Creek Trailhead
107 Taboose Pass Trail 380
Red Creek Trailhead
108 Red Lake 382
Birch Creek Trailhead
109 Birch Lake 385
Big Pine Creek Trailhead
110 Brainerd and Finger Lakes 387
111 Big Pine Lakes 390
South Lake Trailhead
112 Long, Saddlerock, and Bishop Lakes 396
113 Dusy Basin and Le Conte Canyon 399
114 John Muir Trail: South Lake to North Lake 404
115 Chocolate Lakes Loop 415
116 Treasure Lakes 418
117 Tyee Lakes 420
Lake Sabrina Trailhead
118 Sabrina Basin 423
119 George Lake 427
North Lake Trailhead
120 Lamarck Lakes 429
121 Evolution Basin via Lamarck Col 431
122 Piute Pass Trail to Humphreys Basin and Piute Canyon 436
Appendices
I Highest Peaks and Largest Sequoias in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park 441
II Contact Information 443
Suggested Reading 445
Index 447
About the Author 458