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ОглавлениеIntroduction
To stand atop a craggy peak and gaze through the clear blue skies of the High Sierra across the sparkling granite landscape of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon backcountry is a truly rapturous and transcendent experience. A similar stirring is found at the base of a cinnamon-colored giant sequoia, one’s face warmed while gazing skyward by the few rays of dappled sunlight that reach the forest floor through a towering canopy of massive limbs holding feathery green foliage. Gaze upon the rushing and turbulent waters of a wild river coursing through a canyon of vertical rock rising thousands of feet above and you’re likely to experience the same emotions that swept over John Muir when he first saw Kings Canyon and later declared this chasm to be “a rival to Yosemite.”
Human History
People have been interacting with the greater Sequoia and Kings Canyon area for centuries. Their influence on the land has been an important element of the evolution of the parks, the surrounding wilderness, and the frontcountry.
Native Americans and Early Settlement
The Native Americans who resided in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon region have been divided into four separate tribes—the Monache, Tubatulabal, Owens Valley Paiute, and Yokut. These four groups traveled extensively within the region, hunting, trading, and establishing summer camps. Several sites within the parks provide evidence of some of these settlements, with Hospital Rock in Sequoia perhaps the most visited by modern-day tourists.
Early European-American explorers, such as Jedediah Smith and John C. Frémont, tended to avoid the rugged, high mountains of the High Sierra in favor of more easily negotiated terrain to the north and south. Dissuaded by the difficult topography, early explorers knew little about the area until settlers in the San Joaquin Valley began venturing into the mountains in the mid-1850s.
Hale D. Tharp, a rancher from the Three Rivers area, was perhaps the first Caucasian to see the sequoias in the Giant Forest. At the invitation of some friendly Potwisha in 1856, Tharp headed east toward the mountains to see the rumored Big Trees and to scout a summer range for his livestock. He followed the Middle Fork Kaweah River upstream to Moro Rock and then climbed up to Log Meadow. A couple of years later, he retraced his route to the Giant Forest, continued north into the Kings River drainage, and then returned to his ranch by way of the East and South Forks of the Kaweah. Subsequently, Tharp grazed his cattle each summer in Log Meadow, using a fallen and burned out sequoia as a makeshift cabin.
Increasing settlement in the San Joaquin Valley ultimately spelled doom for the Native Americans, as exposure to various diseases decimated their populations. Surviving members of the four tribes either traversed the Sierra to the less desirable high desert on the east side of the range or remained on the west side and attempted to adapt to the white man’s culture. Additional pressure was placed on the Native American population when an even greater number of Euro-Americans settled in the area, lured by the prospects of gold, lumber, and fertile ranchland.
Exploitation of Resources
Much to the disappointment of the hordes of miners seeking their fortune, the southern Sierra proved to be a major bust in the search for precious metals. Mineral King, perhaps the preeminent site in the region, was imagined to be the area’s equivalent to Sutter’s Mill in the northern Sierra. However, the site never produced a commercially viable quantity of either gold or silver.
Lumbermen turned out to be as equally disillusioned as their mining counterparts. The discovery of the giant sequoia wetted the appetites of entrepreneurs who anticipated enormous profits from milling lumber from such gigantic trees. Unfortunately for the lumbermen, the sequoia wood proved to be too brittle for most construction purposes. Fortunately for the species, the labor-intensive effort required to fell the big trees turned out to be a commercially unviable enterprise. The mills never made much of a profit—some even lost money—and most of the sequoia wood was used for fence posts or shakes. Sadly, many lumber companies failed to realize the relatively poor quality of sequoia lumber until after entire groves were destroyed. Converse Basin, one of the finest stands of big trees, witnessed the destruction of every significant sequoia save one—the Boole Tree, which turned out to be the eighth-largest sequoia in the world.
Unlike mining and lumbering, cattle and sheep grazing in the San Joaquin Valley was fairly profitable, which ultimately produced a growing competition among ranchers for rangeland. In order to feed their herds and flocks properly, ranchers and sheepherders searched farther and farther afield for green pastures, inflicting extensive environmental damage on the meadows on the west side of the southern Sierra. Fires, set by the ranchers and sheepherders to clear pastures and create passage, ran unchecked throughout the range. Thousands of hooves trampled sensitive meadows each season. The resulting erosion produced by the combination of spreading fires and trampling stock created inevitable watershed degradation.
Hiker on the Mt. Whitney Trail (Trip 95)
California Geographical Survey
While the ranchers and loggers were investigating the natural resources of the area, the California Geographical Survey, under the leadership of Josiah D. Whitney, began exploring the High Sierra. The survey’s charge was to ascend the high peaks to obtain precise measurements that would enable accurate mapping of this previously uncharted region. As part of the 1864 survey, William H. Brewer led Clarence King, Richard D. Cotter, James T. Gardiner, and Charles F. Hoffman from Visalia to a base camp at Big Meadow. Proceeding east into the high mountains, the party climbed and named Mt. Silliman along Silliman Crest and Mt. Brewer on the Great Western Divide.
From a campsite near Mt. Brewer, King and Cotter left the others behind to make a multiday attempt on Mt. Whitney. Although failing to reach the range’s highest summit, the pair did scale 14,048-foot Mt. Tyndall, a mere six miles northwest. Following the climb, the party regrouped near Mt. Brewer and returned to Big Meadow.
Undeterred by the failed attempt on Mt. Whitney, King tried again, leading a small party from Three Rivers up the recently constructed Hockett Trail to Kern River. After following the river north for several miles, they veered away toward the big peak. Ultimately, their summit bid fell short by 300 to 400 vertical feet.
Following the second failed attempt, King join the resupplied and expanded survey party at Big Meadow in order to explore the Kings River area, which they would compare favorably to Yosemite Valley. After exploring the South and Middle Forks, and the Monarch Divide separating the two gorges, the party traveled upstream along Bubbs Creek and over the Sierra Crest at Kearsarge Pass, before descending to Fort Independence in Owens Valley.
From Independence, the group journeyed north through Owens Valley, eventually crossing back over the Sierra Crest at Mono Pass before establishing a base camp at Vermillion Valley (currently under the waters of Lake Edison). Although the exact route is undetermined, the survey headed south toward Le Conte Divide, from where Cotter, and a soldier named Spratt, made a 36-hour assault on Mt. Goddard, turning back about 300 feet below the summit. Returning to Vermillion Valley after yet another failed summit bid, the party headed north to Wawona, concluding the survey for the year. The California Geographical Survey made a more limited expedition along the east side of the range in 1870, before disbanding in 1874.
Despite failing to reach the summits of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Goddard, the Brewer Party was the first group of explorers to develop a significant understanding of the topography, botany, and geology of the High Sierra. In addition to scientific findings, the survey named several significant features, including Mt. Whitney, the highest summit in the continental United States.
Seeds of Preservation
Over his lifetime, John Muir made nine separate excursions into the backcountry of Sequoia and Kings Canyon, ultimately increasing public awareness of the beauty and majesty of the region as a whole and of the giant sequoias in particular. Over time, an increasing number of concerned citizens joined Muir to champion the cause of protecting the unique character of the region. These citizens included George W. Stewart, the youthful city editor of one of Visalia’s newspapers. Eventually, national and international figures lent their voices to the idea of setting aside this area as parkland.
As ranching and farming increased in the San Joaquin Valley, so rose the demand for water for irrigation. Watershed degradation from mining, logging, and grazing in the southern Sierra conflicted with the agricultural needs of the ranchers and farmers downstream. Concern over water issues, combined with a growing preservationist ethic, created increased opposition to the unmitigated consumption of the area’s natural resources and the environmental destruction of the landscape.
The first official step toward the establishment of a national park in the region occurred in 1880, when Theodore Wagner, US Surveyor General for California, suspended four square miles of Grant Grove, prohibiting anyone from filing a land claim. Unfortunately, a 160-acre claim had already been filed adjacent to the area (Wilsonia remains in private hands to the present day). Although little progress toward preservation was made in subsequent years, the seeds of a grand idea had been planted.
Backpacker near Columbine Lake, Sawtooth Pass Trail (Trip 13)
The Kaweah Colony
A group of socialist utopians from San Francisco created one of the more colorful chapters in the history of the region. Armed with a big dream, a heady dose of gumption, and a limited supply of capital, thirty-some members of the Cooperative Land and Colonization Association filed claims on nearly 6,000 acres of prime timberland within the Giant Forest. As a means of funding their utopian society, the colonists planned to build a road from Three Rivers to a proposed mill near their timber claims to harvest timber and mill it for sale.
Controversy swirled around the legality of the colonists’ land claims, which became an ongoing dilemma. Despite the brewing controversy, nearly 160 colonists were camped along the North Kaweah River in 1886, ready to begin construction on their wagon road. Idealism and optimism reigned within the colony, as they successfully built the road over the following four years. Despite using only hand tools, the quality of construction and the grade of the road were remarkable. Coaxing a steam tractor named Ajax to a saddle at the end of the road, the colonists erected a portable sawmill. However, a variety of complications prohibited them from fully realizing their dream, including inexperience, internal squabbles, insufficient funds, and an inability to secure full title to their land claims. By 1892 the dream ended and the remaining trustees officially dissolved the colony.
Although the utopian dream of the Kaweah Colony was short-lived, their road had a much longer life. Eventually extended from Colony Mill to the Giant Forest by the US Army, the road was opened to one-way traffic in 1903, serving as the principal access to Sequoia for the next few decades.
Creation of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks
While the Kaweah colonists were busy with the construction of their road, political winds had shifted unfavorably in Washington, DC, as a more development-friendly Department of Interior assumed power. In 1889, the General Land Office reopened for private sale several townships west of Mineral King, which alarmed George W. Stewart and others sympathetic toward preserving this area. The tract offered for sale included Garfield Grove, one of the finest giant sequoia groves in the southern Sierra, along with expansive Hockett Meadows. In response to this threat, Stewart vigorously courted public opinion and successfully maneuvered through political channels to pass a bill on September 25, 1890, setting aside 76 square miles of Sierra forest as a public park.
Mystery shrouds the next step in the process of setting aside Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Unbeknownst to Stewart and his associates, another bill came before Congress a mere six days after passage of the bill for Sequoia, establishing Yosemite as a national park. Attached to the Yosemite measure was the addition of five townships to Sequoia, including the area around the Giant Forest and four sections surrounding Grant Grove. No one knows for certain who was behind the bill’s additions, or how the size increased by more than five hundred percent from the original proposal. However, on October 1, 1890, Yosemite and General Grant National Parks were born and Sequoia National Park was greatly enlarged. Speculation points toward Daniel K. Zumwalt, a Southern Pacific Railroad agent, as the man behind the bill, but his motivation remains unclear.
Management of the new parks became problematic quite quickly. By the following spring, Captain Joseph H. Dorst and the Fourth Cavalry had the unenviable task of protection, although the mission for the new national parks was ill defined. They spent most of that first summer dealing with the Kaweah colonists, who had rather unjustly been denied their claims in the Giant Forest. A small contingent of the colonists resurfaced near Mineral King to log sequoias for the leased Atwell Mill. The government initially took issue with the project, harassing the colonists for much of the summer, but eventually acquiescing after determining the mill was located on private land and was a perfectly legal operation. However, the colonists proved to be inexperienced and failed to turn a profit. By the time the lease came up for renewal the following year, the colony had disbanded. During the remainder of the summer and into autumn, Dorst and his men explored the parks, dealing with problems of logging, grazing, and squatting.
Stewart, Muir, and others continued their push to place more lands under federal protection. As a result, in 1893, President William Henry Harrison signed a presidential proclamation creating the Sierra Forest Reserve, which removed most of the central and southern Sierra from private sale. The preserve was reclassified as Sequoia National Forest in 1905, placing the area under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, which was more concerned with resource management than preservation. During the first part of the 20th century, the idea of a large national park for the southern Sierra still had life, but very little progress was made toward that goal.
Unnamed tarn in Dusy Basin (Trip 113)
The military continued their minimally successful attempt at protecting the parks until 1914, when Walter Fry became the first civilian superintendent of General Grant and Sequoia National Parks. By then the Colony Mill Road had been extended into the Giant Forest. Also, the Mt. Whitney Power Company had constructed several hydroelectric power plants on branches of the Kaweah River. Aside from these improvements, most of the area was still virtually untouched by any form of development. Ongoing cattle grazing, private inholdings, lack of access, and poor facilities plagued Fry’s administration.
The Reign of the National Park Service
In 1916 Congress created the National Park Service, with Californian Stephen T. Mather appointed as the first director. Mather was quite familiar with the Sequoia region, having organized an expedition of notable persons to traverse the range in 1915. Armed with firsthand knowledge, along with a Park Service mandate for conservation and enjoyment of the parks, Mather ushered in a new era of park management.
Mather was given two mandates for Sequoia—acquisition of private lands inside the park and expansion of the park’s boundary to include the High Sierra and Kings Canyon. Acquiring private inholdings was a fairly easy proposition compared to park enlargement, which drew staunch opposition from nearly every quarter, including ranchers, hunters, and Mineral King property owners. Additional opponents included the Los Angeles Bureau of Power and Light and San Joaquin Light and Power Company, which hoped to build hydroelectric dams at Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley. Even the Forest Service joined the opposition, reluctant to give up lands currently under its control with mineral, timber, and grazing potential. A scaled-down proposal to expand the park was passed in 1926, incorporating lands east over the Sierra Crest, but omitting Mineral King and Kings Canyon.
The Generals Highway, from Ash Mountain to the Giant Forest, opened in 1926, replacing the old Colony Mill Road. Nine years later the road was extended to Grant Grove. Easier access, combined with America’s growing fascination with the private automobile, led to a dramatic rise in park visitation, which in turn sparked a need for new and expanded facilities. In addition to improving roads and utilities, an extensive network of trails was built (including sections of the John Muir and High Sierra Trails), campgrounds were improved, a number of government and public structures were erected, and a concession monopoly was granted. Completion of a road from Grant Grove to Kings Canyon accelerated development of campgrounds along the South Fork Kings River, but more significant projects were put on hold until the question of hydroelectric dams was settled.
Initially, the park improvements seemed to be a good and necessary way to accommodate the growing number of visitors. However, as both visitation and development continued to increase, ills such as traffic jams, congestion, and overcrowding began to characterize the Giant Forest and, to a slightly lesser extent, Grant Grove. Environmental concerns created by a meteoric rise in tourists and rampant development provided a real threat to the long-term health of the park, particularly the sequoia groves.
Additional management concerns surfaced with threats to vegetation and wildlife. Fire suppression was the rule of the day, allowing a dangerous buildup of fuels that could produce potentially disastrous forest fires. The previous ban on stock grazing was lifted, throwing open the door to severe environmental damage to meadows and other vegetation. Wildlife management suffered similar setbacks. The last grizzly bear in California was shot during the 1920s near Horse Corral Meadow. Increased conflicts between humans and black bears put “problem” bears at risk. The evening garbage feast at Bear Hill (Sequoia’s garbage dump), where marauding bears put on a show for tourists, was emblematic of the times.
Two Eagle Peak and Fifth Lake, Big Pine Lakes (Trip 111)
A philosophical shift occurred when Colonel John R. White became park superintendent from 1920 to 1938 and 1941 to 1947. He made visible efforts to reduce the effects of excessive visitation at the Giant Forest, placing limits on future development and moving many of the government facilities to other areas of the park. Unfortunately, he had little impact on limiting the number of concessionaires. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was in defeating several proposed roads into the Sequoia backcountry, including two trans-Sierra links, one from Cedar Grove to Independence, and another between Porterville and Lone Pine. Colonel White also squelched the notion of the Sierra Way, a mountain highway that would have connected Yosemite and Sequoia, with a link between the Giant Forest and Mineral King through Redwood Meadow.
The Creation of Kings Canyon National Park
While management confronted issues of overcrowding at the Giant Forest, the fight to preserve Kings Canyon escalated. In 1935, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes proposed the creation of Kings Canyon National Park, most of which should be managed as wilderness. Opposition came from four distinct groups. San Joaquin Valley business professionals saw extensive commercial potential in Kings Canyon. The Forest Service favored a multiuse approach and was once again reluctant to relinquish authority over currently held lands. Central Valley ranchers were concerned about possible reductions in irrigation water. Power companies maintained their interest in building hydroelectric dams on both the South and Middle Forks of the Kings River.
Compromises were eventually made to secure passage of a national park bill for Kings Canyon, most notably the exclusion of Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley, which pacified the commercial and power interests. Ranchers were assuaged by a promise to build a dam for irrigation storage at Pine Flat Reservoir. After some political intrigue between two local congressional representatives, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill establishing Kings Canyon National Park on March 4, 1940. Along with a vast area of wilderness, the new park included the old General Grant National Park and Redwood Mountain. Kings Canyon and Tehipite Valley were added to the park in 1965, eliminating the possibility of dams on the South Fork and Middle Fork Kings River.
The Battle for Mineral King
Following the establishment of Kings Canyon National Park, controversy over Mineral King began to swirl. Responding to the demands from the public for more recreational facilities, in 1949 the multiuse-oriented Forest Service sought proposals from private developers for a ski resort at Mineral King. No suitable developer with the necessary capital was found until the Walt Disney Company was awarded a temporary permit in 1966. Disney’s proposal included a large-scale Swiss village, with two hotels, 14 ski lifts, and parking for 3,600 vehicles. The Sierra Club deemed the small subalpine valley unsuitable for such a large-scale development, initiating a series of legal battles to thwart the project and obtaining a restraining order in 1969.
The Sierra Club tied up Disney in the courts long enough for public opinion to turn against the proposed resort. Another strike against Disney occurred when California withdrew its proposal to construct a new state highway from Three Rivers to Mineral King, requiring potential developers to come up with several million more dollars for construction, as well as having the responsibility of acquiring all the necessary permits for a route crossing both state and federal lands. As the public’s awareness of environmental concerns grew, Disney began to lose the public relations battle, putting the proposed development in serious jeopardy. On November 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Omnibus Parks Bill, which, in part, added Mineral King to Sequoia National Park, permanently ending the notion of a ski area in the lovely valley.
Recent History
The post–World War II era was characterized by increased visitation, improvements to infrastructure, and the advancement of scientific research for the purposes of determining park policy. The Park Service instituted steps to protect the sequoias in the Giant Forest by reducing development. By 1972, campsites, picnic areas, and most structures were removed and relocated to less sensitive areas. The visitor center was moved to Lodgepole, and the gas station and maintenance facilities were moved to Red Fir.
Nearly twenty-five more years would be necessary before the Park Service finally resolved the problem of commercialism at the Giant Forest. Following the 1996 season, the historic Giant Forest Lodge was permanently closed, replaced by a new lodge at Wuksachi. Two years later, the commercial buildings had been removed, with four exceptions. The old market was renovated and remodeled into the Giant Forest Museum, which opened in 2001. Additional improvements at the Giant Forest included trails, interpretive displays, and new parking areas. A free shuttle bus system was instituted in 2004 in an attempt to reduce traffic on the nearby roads.
Cedar Grove eventually saw limited commercial development in 1978, when a lodge with 18 motel rooms, a snack bar, and general store was built—a small-scale fulfillment of the vision once held by the San Joaquin Valley’s business professionals from so many years before. Construction of the John Muir Lodge has increased the number of overnight accommodations at Grant Grove, which never really suffered the extent of problems of overdevelopment experienced at the Giant Forest.
Wilderness and Backcountry Issues
Since 1984, nearly 90 percent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon has been managed as wilderness. Combined with the adjacent Forest Service wildernesses, a vast stretch of the southern Sierra remains wild. After decades of some neglect, the Park Service developed backcountry regulations and policies to prevent severe overuse and restore environmental health. By 1972, backcountry permits and quotas were in place to forestall the crush of backpackers in the more popular areas of the parks and surrounding wilderness areas. They put camping bans and stay limits in place for areas of severe overuse and banned campfires above certain elevations. In addition, rangers from both the Park Service and Forest Service began a campaign to educate visitors about wilderness ethics. More recently, both services began requiring the use of bear lockers and canisters in heavily used areas and strongly suggesting their use in others.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon have faced many challenges and undoubtedly await more trials in the future. Although visitation is below the peak levels experienced during the late ’80s and early ’90s, managing hundreds of thousands of visitors per year can be a daunting task. Even more difficult is dealing with consequences produced beyond the park’s borders, such as air pollution from heavily populated urban areas of western California, which creeps into the Sierra and threatens animal and plant life (including giant sequoia seedlings), reduces visibility, and produces acid rain. Illegal marijuana cultivation plagues remote areas in the western foothills and promises to be an ongoing dilemma because of a lack of personnel and proper funding to deal with the situation. Fortunately, backpackers will experience few, if any, of these problems while on the trail, with perhaps the notable exception of securing a wilderness permit.
Flora and Fauna
Encompassing the change in elevation from near the floor of the San Joaquin Valley to Mt. Whitney, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon region of the southern Sierra supports a diverse cross section of plant and animal life within several distinct communities. The following general divisions should not be viewed as definitive descriptions. Consult the bibliography for additional resources on plants and animals in the Sierra Nevada.
The Foothills
Plant Life: The western fringe of Sequoia National Park includes the Sierra foothills, a low-elevation zone extending from the edge of the San Joaquin Valley east to elevations between 4,500 and 5,000 feet. The foothills plant community is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, with mild temperatures, winter rain, and dry summers. Average rainfall varies from as little as 10 inches per year in the lowlands to as much as 40 inches per year in the upper elevations. Much of the vegetation may appear parched and dry throughout much of the year, but following the rainy season, the hills come alive with a vibrant carpet of green, sprinkled with a brilliant display of wildflowers.
Grasslands cover the lower slopes of the foothills, as they rise from the broad plain of the Central Valley. Nonnative grasses have mostly overtaken the native species. Periods of drought, coupled with severe overgrazing in previous centuries, have favored the invasive European annual grasses over the native species.
Diverse woodlands alternate with chaparral on the higher slopes east of the grasslands. Generally, woodland occupies shady slopes where the soil is damp, while chaparral flourishes on dry and sunny slopes. Foothills woodland is characterized by savannalike growth of trees and grasses, including oaks (blue, live, valley, and canyon), California buckeye, laurel, and redbud.
Dry, rocky slopes in the foothills are typically carpeted with chaparral, a tangle of shrubs that includes chamise (greasewood), manzanita, ceanothus, buckeye, flowering ash, mountain mahogany, and California coffeeberry. Fire plays an important role in the chaparral community, regularly burning areas every 10 to 40 years.
Although the foothills zone is generally considered to be a dry environment, rivers, streams, and creeks flow through the area, transporting meltwater from the High Sierra toward the thirsty valley below. A varied plant community thrives along these watercourses, well-watered by the plentiful moisture. Cottonwood, willow, alder, oak, laurel, and sycamore are common streamside associates.
POISON OAK
Poison oak is found in both the foothills woodland and chaparral communities. As the saying goes, “leaves of three, let it be.” Poison oak leaves typically grow in groups of three; they are bronze and shiny in spring, green in summer, and scarlet in fall. The leaves usually fall off the plant prior to winter. Poison oak may grow as a creeping plant, erect shrub, or even a small tree under the right conditions. All parts of the poison oak plant, including branches, stems, leaves, and even roots, contain the oil urushiol, which is the causal agent for the rash that may develop after contact. Even a microscopic drop of urushiol is enough to trigger a reaction in people sensitive to the oil. The toxin may penetrate the skin within less than 10 minutes after being exposed to it.
Upon contact, immediately wash your skin or attempt to absorb the oil with dirt. Touching clothing that has come in contact with the plant is oftentimes just as potent as direct contact. Wash contaminated clothing in soap and hot water as soon as possible. If a rash develops, treat the affected area with hydrocortisone cream. For severe reactions, consult a physician.
Animal Life: The mild, Mediterranean climate of the foothills region is hospitable to a wide variety of creatures. Common woodland amphibians include three varieties of salamander and the California newt. Several varieties of lizards can often be seen scurrying across the trail. Snakes are quite common in this zone as well, with the western rattlesnake receiving the most attention from humans.
Several varieties of rodents find a home in the foothills, including gray squirrel, dusky-footed wood rat, and deer mouse. Rabbit species include the brush rabbit, black-tailed jackrabbit, and Audubon’s cottontail. Bats can often be seen around dusk, as they flit through the sky searching for insects. Medium-size mammals, such as the raccoon, ringtail, gray fox, skunk, and coyote are familiar residents. Larger mammals in the foothills include mule deer and two reclusive cats, the bobcat and mountain lion.
Numerous birds can be found in the foothills—far too many for a casual list of even the common species. Familiar raptors include the red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, American kestrel, and great horned owl. The California quail is the most common game bird. The turkey vulture, the ubiquitous buzzard of the California sky, is also common.
Montane Forest
Plant Life: Above the foothills region, a zone of mixed coniferous forest, composed of conifers and deciduous trees, extends across the west slope of the southern Sierra roughly between 4,500 and 7,500 feet. The two most dominant conifers are the three-needled ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and the white fir (Abies concolor). Generally, ponderosas are found in relatively dry areas, while white firs occupy soils with more moisture. Mature ponderosas can obtain heights between 60 and 130 feet.
Ranger Meadow, Deadman Canyon Trail (Trip 46)
At higher elevations in the zone, Jeffrey pines replaces ponderosa pines. Closely related to the ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pines are more adaptable to the colder temperatures and increased snowfall of the upper limits of the montane forest. A host of other evergreens may intermix with these conifers, most commonly incense cedar and sugar pine. Some of the more common deciduous trees include dogwood and black oak.
On the east side of the range, in the rain shadow below the Sierra Crest, the montane forest is found between elevations of 7,000 and 9,000 feet. Stands are typically less dense and less diverse than in their western counterpart. The forest is composed primarily of Jeffrey pine and white fir.
As expected, streamside environments within the montane forest harbor many more species of trees, shrubs, and plants. On the west side, quaking aspen, black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, nutmeg, laurel, Oregon ash, and numerous varieties of willow line the banks of rivers and streams. Riparian zones on the eastside are home to quaking aspen, Fremont cottonwood, black cottonwood, and water birch.
Animal Life: The esantina salamander, western toad, and Pacific tree frog are the three most commonly seen amphibians in the montane zone. Reptiles include a wide variety of lizards and snakes, including the western rattlesnake, which is common up to around 6,000 feet. A wide variety of birds, including songbirds, woodpeckers, and raptors live in this zone.
Similar to the foothills, the montane forest is home to many rodents, including the broad-handed mole, Trowbridge shrew, deer mouse, pocket gopher, northern flying squirrel, chipmunk, and dusky-footed wood rat. Bats also frequent the evening sky above the montane forest. In addition to the medium and large mammals of the foothills zone, the porcupine and long-tailed weasel and black bear also reside in the montane forest.
Weighing up to 300 pounds, the black bear (Ursus americanus) is the largest mammal in the Sierra and ranges from cinnamon to black in color. A female typically gives birth to two cubs every other winter. She cares for her offspring through the summer and following winter, before forcing them to fend for themselves the following spring. Male bears do not participate in raising the cubs, and would possibly kill and eat them if the mother did not fiercely protect them.
Giant Sequoia Groves
Plant Life: The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron gigantean) sets the Sierra Nevada apart from all other forests in the world. When Europeans first reported trees of such stature, their claims were largely discounted by virtually all who had not seen them firsthand. A few of these “Big Trees” were chopped down, cut into pieces, and sent to expositions, where they were carefully reassembled, only to be viewed as hoaxes by an unbelieving public. Few could comprehend that a living tree could attain such enormous size. Unfortunately, when lumbermen caught wind of the Big Trees, they turned a lustful gaze toward the stately monarchs. Only after hundreds of sequoias were felled, did the lumbermen realize the brittle wood had little commercial value, good for nothing more than fence posts and shakes (shingles). Only after conservationists waged an arduous battle lasting many decades did the giant sequoias receive the appropriate protection. Today, the Big Trees are safe and secure in three national parks, a national monument, and a handful of state parks.
Not only is the giant sequoia the largest species of tree by volume on the planet, the statuesque conifer lives within only 75 groves on the west side of the Sierra Nevada. All but eight of these groves are found within the greater Sequoia and Kings Canyon ecosystem. The largest groves are Redwood Mountain in Kings Canyon National Park and the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. Most of the largest individual specimens are also found within this area, with the General Sherman Tree receiving top honors, followed by Washington, General Grant, President, and Lincoln—all five within the park boundaries.
Giant sequoias may reach heights between 150 and 300 feet, with widths between 5 and 30 feet. The trees have cinnamon-colored bark with deep furrows. For such a huge tree, the oblong cones are rather small at 2 to 3 inches. Limbs on mature trees are oftentimes as big as the trunks of other conifers, bearing branches of lacy, flat, blue-green foliage.
Rather than pure stands, the giant sequoia grows in a mixed coniferous forest made up of white fir, sugar pine, incense cedar, and dogwood. Somewhat less drought tolerant than other Sierra conifers, the Big Trees are found only in areas of moist soil at elevations between 4,500 and 8,400 feet. Average yearly precipitation in sequoia groves varies between 45 and 60 inches, but the soil’s ability to hold moisture throughout the typically dry summers is perhaps more important to the sequoia’s long-term survival.
Although the sequoia has an extensive root system, the roots are generally shallow in relation to their immense size. Most mature trees meet their ultimate demise, not from the more common maladies of forest fire, disease, or insect infestation but from simply toppling over.
Thick bark makes the sequoia highly resistant to both insects and fire. Typically, the only insult a forest fire leaves on a giant sequoia is a black scar on the lower trunk. Forest fires help giant sequoias propagate. Their small cones require extreme heat in order to open and release their oatmeal-size seeds. Fire also clears the forest floor, making way for the tiny sequoia seedlings and minimizing competition with other plants for moisture and light. Although fire suppression was the rule of the past for park and forest management, modern-day foresters use controlled burns in sequoia groves and elsewhere in the forest to restore this natural process and reduce the accumulation of fuels that could produce unnaturally intense wildfires.
Animal Life: The animals in giant sequoia groves are similar to those found in the montane forest.
Red Fir Forest
Plant Life: Unlike the mixture of trees in the montane forest, the stately red fir is often the sole species in the climax forest on the west slope of the Sierra. Growing to heights between 60 and 130 feet, red fir is quite susceptible to lightning strikes. Mature specimens are between 2 and 4 feet wide, with maroon-brown bark with red furrows. Their branches sweep down and curve up at the end, bearing short, blue-green needles and 5- to 8-inch long cones.
The tall trees often form such dense cover that competitors and understory plants cannot survive—any plant that does grow in the red-fir zone must be shade tolerant. Where red-fir stands are less dense, associates may include lodgepole pine, western white pine, Jeffrey pine, western juniper, and quaking aspen (one small stand of mountain hemlock occurs in this zone in Sequoia National Park). White fir oftentimes intermingles with red fir along the lower end of this zone.
IDENTIFYING RED AND WHITE FIRS
The easiest way to differentiate a white fir from a red fir, which are similar in appearance, is by examining a tree’s bark. The bark on a mature red fir is maroon-brown, while white fir has grayish bark. Also, the slightly longer needles of the white fir are twisted at the base and have white lines; the shorter red fir needles are four-sided and not twisted.
Red fir prefers deep, well-drained soil and is found in the southern Sierra roughly between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, from Kern County northward. The species thrives in areas receiving the greatest amount or precipitation, usually in the form of winter snowfall.
Animal Life: Inhabitants of the higher elevations of the upper forest zones must adapt to more severe weather conditions and periodically scarce food supplies. Common amphibians in the red fir forest are limited to two varieties each of salamanders, frogs, and toads. Reptiles include the garter snake and three types of lizard.
Ordinary small mammals you might encounter in this zone include the deer mouse, pocket gopher, vole, shrew, broad-handed mole, pika, chipmunk, chickaree, Belding ground squirrel, golden-mantled ground squirrel, northern flying squirrel, beaver, white-tailed jackrabbit, and yellow-bellied marmot. Bats are commonly seen around lakes and meadows in the evening. Medium-size animals include the red fox, porcupine, coyote, long-tailed weasel, fisher, ermine, wolverine, badger, and pine marten. The Sierra bighorn sheep lives in this zone but is very reclusive. Black bear and mule deer are the most common large mammals.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are quite numerous in the southern Sierra, since their main predators, the grizzly bear and the wolf, are now extinct in California. Mountain lions are their most common predators today. Starvation and disease are the most common causes of death for mule deer. Mature males may exceed 200 pounds. Each March, males shed their antlers and start to regrow them again in April.
Although not as numerous as in the lower zones, a vast number of birds find a home in the upper forest belt. Among some of the more interesting species are the blue grouse, dipper, and mountain bluebird. The most common (and occasionally obnoxious) bird known to backpackers is the Steller’s jay, whose bold exploits to snatch human food has earned it the nickname “camp robber.”
Lodgepole Pine Forest
Plant Life: Perhaps no tree is more closely associated with the High Sierra than the lodgepole pine. Found between 8,000 and 11,000 feet in the southern Sierra, this versatile conifer with pale gray bark flourishes in soils where red fir struggles because the soil is either too wet or too dry. In stark contrast to the red fir, which is almost exclusively found in California, the two-needled lodgepole pine is one of the most widespread trees in the American West. Typically tall and thin, they reach heights of 50 to 100 feet, and their cones are 1 to 2 inches long.
Although commonly found in exclusive stands, the lodgepole also intermingles with western white pine and whitebark pine in the higher elevations and red fir in the lower elevations. Quaking aspen and lodgepole oftentimes grow together in areas that have plentiful groundwater. On the east side of the range, lodgepole pines are common between 9,000 and 11,000 feet, where the western white pine is the most common associate.
Animal Life: Animals found in the lodgepole pine forest are similar to those found in the red fir forest.
Subalpine Zone
Plant Life: Roughly occurring between 9,500 and 12,000 feet, the subalpine zone straddles the Sierra Crest and bridges the gap between the mighty forest of the lower elevations and the austere realm above timberline.
The most common conifer in this zone is the interesting foxtail pine, with its characteristic pendulous branches. This five-needled pine is similar in appearance to the bristlecone pine. The foxtail pine grows only in Inyo and Tulare Counties in the southern Sierra and in the Klamath Mountains of northern California. Mature specimens reach heights between 20 and 45 feet, and they bear purplish, prickly cones 2 to 5 inches long. Foxtail pines occasionally can be found in pure stands along the eastern fringe of Sequoia National Park and along the Kern River. The most common associate is the majestic whitebark pine, an oftentimes multitrunked tree that survives the harsh conditions just below timberline, sometimes in the form of a windblown shrub. Less common associates include western white, lodgepole, and limber pines.
Forests are but one part of the diverse subalpine zone. Mountain lakes, craggy peaks, and granite-covered slopes are common features of the subalpine landscape, as are numerous grass-and-sedge-covered meadows harboring a vast array of midsummer wildflowers.
Meadow on the Lone Pine Creek Trail (Trip 14)
Animal Life: Animals found in the subalpine zone are similar to those found in the red fir forest.
Alpine Zone
Plant Life: The alpine zone occurs at the highest elevations in the Sierra, where the growing season is measured in weeks rather than months. Harsh conditions characterize this zone, with lower temperatures and cloudier skies allowing snow to linger longer than in other zones, despite the fact that the alpine zone receives less snowfall. At elevations above 12,000 feet, frost can occur at any time during the summer, and cool temperatures, nearly constant winds, and a significant lack of precipitation produce desertlike conditions. Generally poor, granitic soils further limit the number of species able to adapt to this harsh climate.
Most alpine plants have successfully adapted to their environment by developing a low-growing, compact, and drought-tolerant form, which allows them to avoid the full brunt of the wind, grow closer to the warmth of the soil, and survive on low amounts of moisture. Most alpine plants are perennial, using less energy than annuals, which must produce an entirely new plant each season. Vegetation in the alpine zone can be divided into two classifications: alpine meadow and alpine rock.
Alpine meadows are common in the upper realm of the Sierra where a sufficient layer of moist soil is present. Meadows are generally composed of grasses and sedges, with alpine sedge and common sedge the most common. A wide array of wildflowers put on a showy, colorful display over the course of an abbreviated summer, capitalizing on the greater amount of available moisture. Among them is Sierra primrose, an alpine wildflower preferring moist, rocky soils with reddish blossoms on a 1- to 4-inch stem. There are a limited variety of shrubs, including alpine willow, snow willow, laurel, and heather, in small groupings.
Vegetation grows in small patches in the alpine rock community, unlike the large swaths of foliage in alpine meadows. Open gravel flats and scree areas produce a smattering of alpine plants. The protected microclimates found in boulder fields are oftentimes more suited to the survival of a diverse group of plants; wildflowers are most common, but a few shrubs grow here as well.
Animal Life: Aside from insects and invertebrates, few animals find a permanent home in the rarified alpine zone, where both food and shelter are in short supply. The only common residents are the heather vole, marmot, and pika. Yellow-bellied marmots often sunbathe on the tops of boulders. These usually chubby beasts have brown backs, dull yellow undersides, with white around their eyes and a dark band above their nose. They utter a sharp whistle when alarmed, which accounts for the common name of “whistle pig.”
Sierra bighorn sheep may venture into these heights during the summer, but they generally prefer areas at or below timberline. Similarly, black bears make occasional appearances in the alpine zone but are much more common in the lower elevations. Although many different species of birds frequent the alpine zone, only the rosy finch is as common here as it is in the upper forest zones.
Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
Plant Life: On the east side of the range and in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada, between roughly 6,000 and 9,000 feet, is the pinyon-juniper woodland. Typically, this zone receives a mere 5 to 15 inches of precipitation per year, most of which falls as winter snow, with the rest coming from random summer thunderstorms. This zone is composed primarily of widely scattered singleleaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla), with Sierra juniper and curl-leaf mountain mahogany as its two most common associates. Trees in this zone often grow in the form of large shrubs, although the pinyon can reach between 20 and 25 feet in height with spherical cones 1.5 to 2 inches long. Something of a gourmet item today, the seeds were a staple of the Paiute tribe’s diet. Sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and bitterbrush commonly make up this zone’s understory.
Wildflowers near Golden Trout Lake (Trip 104)
Spring and early summer may bring a colorful display of wildflowers, including drought-tolerant species like paintbrush, lupine, and mules ears, to the woodland.
Along the banks of eastern Sierra streams in this zone, a dense display of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees flourish in stark contrast to the area immediately outside the riparian zone. Quaking aspen, cottonwood, willow, oak, birch, and ash are common streamside trees, which may intermix with conifers from the forest zones above. Currant, wild rose, and a variety of willows are typical riparian shrubs.
Animal Life: A wide variety of amphibians, reptiles, birds such as the sage grouse and red-tailed hawk, and insects find a home in the pinyon-juniper woodland, as do an assortment of mammals. Small mammals, including several species of mice, squirrel, vole, rabbit, shrew, and chipmunk are quite common. Larger mammals, such as the coyote, skunk, badger, and mule deer, are familiar residents as well. Coyotes (Canas latrans) subsist as omnivores on a wide-ranging diet. Their whelps and howls are commonly heard after sundown.
Sagebrush Scrub
Plant Life: Fortunately, only a few east side trails pass through the extremely hot and dry conditions found in the sagebrush scrub zone. This zone receives less than 12 inches of precipitation per year, most of which falls during the winter months. Occasionally, a welcome thunderstorm waters the parched ground and produces the characteristically pungent aroma of wet sagebrush.
At first glance, the gray-green sagebrush creates a seemingly unbroken band of vegetation across the lower foothills above Owens Valley. However, closer inspection reveals a diverse flora, including a mixture of bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, desert peach, and spiny hopsage interspersed within the sagebrush. Before native perennial grasses were overgrazed and replaced by invasive annuals, a healthy mixture of bunchgrasses filled the sagebrush scrub zone. After uncommonly wet winters and springs, the high desert produces a vivid display of wildflowers from late spring into early summer.
Animal Life: Animals found in the sagebrush scrub zone are similar to those found in the pinyon-juniper woodland zone.
Geology
Although the origins of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon regions are somewhat speculative, geologists have determined the composition of the rock forming the area’s soaring peaks and deep canyons. Even a cursory examination by the untrained eye reveals granite to be the overwhelming rock type in the High Sierra. These light-colored, salt-and-pepper speckled, coarse-grained rocks include granite, granodiorite, and tonalite (formerly referred to as quartz diorite). These rocks also contain varying amounts of minerals such as quartz, feldspar, biotite, and hornblende.
The Sierra Nevada Batholith, a term geologists use to describe the massive pluton of rock forming the range stretching 300 miles in length and 50 miles in width, was formerly a band of molten magma below the earth’s surface. The magma eventually cooled and crystallized, and was subsequently uplifted and exposed to form the Sierra Nevada as we know them today.
A much smaller percentage of rock in the Sierra is metamorphic. Typically dark in color and variegated in appearance, metamorphic rocks are considered older than the much more common granitic rocks. Remnants of these rocks are scattered across the Sequoia and Kings Canyon region, and four distinct metamorphic terranes have been identified. A number of caves, including Crystal Cave near the Giant Forest and Boyden Cave near Kings Canyon, were discovered in concentrations of marble, a type of metamorphic rock.
An even smaller percentage of the region’s geologic composition includes volcanic rock. Within park boundaries, this rock type is nearly nonexistent, the lone exception being a very old volcanic intrusion near Windy Peak along the Middle Fork Kings River. Smatterings of other volcanic activity are evident in small pockets west of Kings Canyon and southeast of Sequoia near Golden Trout Creek. The most noticeable evidence of volcanism in the area occurs east of Kings Canyon National Park in the Big Pine Volcanic Field, where passing motorists on US Highway 395 can easily see cinder cones and lava flows.
The Sequoia and Kings Canyon area is home to some of North America’s most impressive canyons. Modern geologists recognize the importance of both erosion and glaciation in the formation of these canyons. In the lower elevations, the erosive power of water is clearly evident, resulting in V-shaped canyons, such as the lower South Fork and Middle Fork Kings River. The characteristic U-shaped canyons cut by former glaciers are found in the higher elevations.
Speculation on the role of glaciers in the sculpting of the upper canyons of the Sierra Nevada is as old as John Muir himself, who proposed the notion back in the late 1800s. Whatever the extent of their importance in the past, today’s glaciers occupy a very small percentage of territory in the uppermost realm of the High Sierra (usually above 12,000 feet on the north and east faces of the highest peaks). Despite their lack of size, these remaining glaciers add a touch of alpine beauty to these otherwise rocky mountains, The largest glacier in the Sierra is Palisade Glacier, a pocket of ice less than one square mile in size.
Negotiating talus on the Lamarck Col cross-country route (Trip 121)
Backpackers negotiate the snow-covered trail on the way to Bishop Pass (Trip 103)
Climate
The Sierra Nevada experiences a wide range of weather within the four seasons, which greatly affects the recreational opportunities for exploring this majestic landscape.
Summer
Most visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and surrounding wilderness areas come to the region during the summer months. Compared to many other North American mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada is typically blessed with an abundance of mild, dry, and sunny weather. Summers are particularly fine, as 95 percent of the annual precipitation falls between November and March. Occasional summer thunderstorms account for the remainder, but they occur with much less regularity than in the Rocky Mountains, for instance. Summer temperatures are generally mild. However, they vary considerably from the foothills to the alpine heights.
When the snow has mostly melted in the highest parts of the Sierra, backpacking season begins in earnest. Warm weather usually persists in the High Sierra from mid-July into September. Although summers in the Sierra usually bring dry, sunny days, thunderstorms are not uncommon, particularly in the month of July, requiring backpackers to be prepared for fickle weather conditions. Usually thunderstorms resolve fairly quickly, but infrequent monsoonal storms lasting two to three days or longer are not completely out of the question. Afternoon highs during summer often creep up into the high 60s and low 70s in the high country, although the temperature may actually feel much warmer due to the increased solar radiation prevalent at higher altitudes. July is also when the mosquito population explodes, with a peak usually lasting over a two-week period. If you plan a trip for July, be sure to pack plenty of repellent and bring a tent.
Early to mid-August is the prime time for backpacking because thunderstorms are less common, a major frontal system is unlikely to affect the area, and the mosquito population has abated to a more manageable level. Lakes in the High Sierra, although rarely warm, are not as cold as earlier in the summer, offering refreshing opportunities for an enjoyable swim. Late August into early September brings less daylight, pleasant but slightly cooler temperatures, and far fewer mosquitoes. By then, the wildflower season has passed its peak and the meadows have started to dry out, but fewer people are on the trails.
Autumn
Pleasant Indian summer conditions generally continue for another month or so beyond the middle of September, but the reliably good weather usually comes to an end, at least in the upper elevations, by late October. Days are considerably shorter and temperatures noticeably cooler, especially at night. Backpackers should carry plenty of warm clothing and bring a multiseason tent instead of a lightweight one. By sometime in November of most years, the Sierra has experienced its first significant snowfall of the season, prompting most recreationists to think about winter pursuits. Autumn can be a fine time to enjoy the lower elevation trails and footpaths on the west side of the range. Fall is a pleasant season for hiking in the foothills, after the extreme summer heat has abated and the autumn foliage is at peak color.
Winter
The mountains of the Sierra Nevada usually receive a significant amount of precipitation during the winter. Except for the foothills, most of that precipitation falls in the form of snow, when cold Pacific storms may dump substantial amounts of the white stuff during the height of winter. However, significant winter snowfall is not always guaranteed in the southern Sierra since the region experiences periods of drought from time to time. Nevertheless, below freezing temperatures, high winds, and a lack of daylight even in dry years tend to discourage all but the intrepid few from backcountry pursuits during the winter months.
Most winter visitors to the park stay overnight at Grant Grove or Wuksachi Village and then cross-country ski or snowshoe during the day. Even fewer ski or snowshoe from Wolverton to stay overnight at the Pear Lake Ski Hut. For diehard hikers, winter can be a good time to visit the foothills because the trails usually stay snow-free throughout the year.
Spring
Late March and April may see extremely variable weather conditions: fair and mild in some years or an extension of winter in others. During periods of stable weather and with slightly longer days, the High Sierra is a perennial favorite among backcountry skiers, many of whom attempt multiday, trans-Sierra treks.
During the spring, the low elevations found in the foothills produce conditions quite favorable to off-season hiking. Although fall is a good time for hiking in the foothills, spring is perhaps the best time because the High Sierra is still cloaked in winter’s mantle, the foothills are green from winter rains, the wildflowers are in bloom, and the deciduous trees are leafing out.
Above the foothills, snow-free hiking isn’t available typically until later in May, after the highway into Kings Canyon has been opened and the trails in the Giant Forest and Grant Grove are no longer covered with snow. Once the spring thaw is underway, the snow line marches steadily up the mountainsides, opening more and more trails along the way. By June, most west-side paths are accessible into the Sequoia and Kings Canyon frontcountry, but the High Sierra usually remains snowbound until early to mid-July.
Average Precipitation and Temperatures in the Foothills
Average Precipitation and Temperatures in the Giant Forest
Traveling in the Backcountry
Recreating in the greater Sequoia and Kings Canyon region may present some significant challenges. The following information will help make your journey a pleasant one.
Fees
Entrance fees are collected at the Ash Mountain Entrance Station (where Highway 198 becomes the Generals Highway), the Lookout Point Entrance Station on Mineral King Road, and the Big Stump Entrance Station on Highway 180. If you enter the parks at an unmanned station, be prepared to pay the appropriate fee upon exiting.
About the Parks and Surrounding Forest Service Lands
Tourist-related facilities in Sequoia and Kings Canyon are not as developed or concentrated as those in the more popular Yosemite Valley to the north. However, visitors should find an adequate range of services.
Information
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271
559-565-3341
Inyo National Forest
351 Pacu Lane, Suite 200
Bishop, CA 93514
760-873-2400
Sequoia National Forest
1839 South Newcomb Street
Porterville, CA 93257
559-781-4744
Sierra National Forest
1600 Tollhouse Road
Clovis, CA 93611
559-297-0706
Park Service Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers
Mineral King Ranger Station
Open daily 7 a.m.–4 p.m.,
June to mid-September.
Books, maps, first-aid supplies, and wilderness permits.
Ash Mountain Visitor Center
559-565-4212
Open daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m. through early September, then 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Exhibits, books, maps, bear canisters, first-aid supplies, wilderness permits, and a pay phone.
Giant Forest Museum
559-565-4480
Open daily 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Exhibits, books, maps, and first-aid supplies.
Lodgepole Visitor Center
559-565-4436
Open daily 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Movies, exhibits, books, maps, first-aid supplies, wilderness permits, a pay phone, and Crystal Cave tickets.
Kings Canyon Visitor Center (Grant Grove)
559-565-4307
Open daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m. through early September, then 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Movie, exhibits, books, maps, first-aid supplies, bear canisters, wilderness permits, and a pay phone.
Cedar Grove Visitor Center
559-565-3793
Open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.,
May through early September.
Books, maps, first-aid supplies, bear canisters, and a pay phone.
Roads End Wilderness Permit Station
Open daily 7 a.m.–3 p.m.,
May through late September.
Maps, bear canisters, and wilderness permits.
West Side Forest Service District Ranger Stations
Sierra National Forest
High Sierra Ranger District
29688 Auberry Road
P.O. Box 559
Prather, CA 93651
559-855-5355
Sequoia National Forest
Hume Lake Ranger District
35860 East Kings Canyon Road
Dunlap, CA 93621
559-338-2251
Inyo National Forest
Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center
Junction of US Highway 395 and State Route 136
Lone Pine, CA 93545
760-876-6222;
White Mountain Ranger District
798 North Main Street
Bishop, CA 93514
760-873-2500
Lodging
A variety of overnight accommodations are available inside the parks, although reservations are highly recommended during peak summer season. Some of the parks’ facilities remain open year-round. Communities surrounding the parks, including Fresno, Visalia, and Three Rivers on the west side and Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine, and Bishop on the east side, offer additional lodging options.
Mineral King (Silver City)
Silver City Resort
Open late May to November.
559-561-3223 (summer)
559-734-4109 (winter)
reservations@silvercityresort.com
Lodgepole Area
Wuksachi Village (Delaware North Companies)
Open all year.
Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp (Delaware North Companies)
Open mid-June to mid-September.
Pear Lake Ski Hut (Sequoia Natural History Association)
Open December through April.
559-565-3759
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Montecito Sequoia Lodge
Open all year.
800-227-9900
Stony Creek Lodge
Open May through early October.
866-522-6966
Grant Grove
Grant Grove Cabins
Open all year.
866-522-6966
John Muir Lodge
Open all year.
866-522-6966
Kings Canyon Lodge
Open April to November.
559-335-2405
Campgrounds
Both Sequoia and Kings Canyon offer an extensive array of improved campgrounds. The surrounding national forests also offer numerous camping options.
For reservations, call 877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov.
On the west side, for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, here are the campgrounds by area:
Mineral King: Atwell Mill and Cold Spring
Foothills: Potwisha, Buckeye Flat, and South Fork
Lodgepole: Lodgepole and Dorst
Grant Grove: Azalea, Crystal Springs, and Sunset
Cedar Grove: Sentinel, Sheep Creek, Canyon View, and Moraine
For Giant Sequoia National Monument, campgrounds by area include:
Hume Lake Area: Princess, Hume Lake, Tenmile, and Landslide
Big Meadows Road and Stony Creek Area: Stony Creek, Upper Stony, Horse Camp, Buck Rock, and Big Meadows
On the east side, there are numerous campgrounds in two separate US Forest Service ranger districts:
Mt. Whitney Ranger District: Cottonwood Pass, Golden Trout, Lone Pine, Whitney Portal, Whitney Trailhead, Upper Grays Meadow, Lower Grays Meadow, and Onion Valley
White Mountain Ranger District: Sage Flat, Upper Sage Flat, Big Pine Creek, Palisade Glacier, Clyde Glacier, Big Trees, Four Jeffrey, Intake 2, Bishop Park, Sabrina, Willow, and North Lake
Pack Trips
A number of private individuals and companies offer pack service for trips into the parks and surrounding forest lands. Each outfitter operates under a permit issued by the governing agency. Check with either the Park Service or Forest Service about current status, as the pack services that hold permits may change from year to year.
West side park services include:
Big Meadow Corral (Delaware North Park Services)
559-564-3404 (summer)
559-564-6429 (winter)
Cedar Grove Pack Station (Delaware North Park Services)
559-565-3464
Grant Grove Stables (Delaware North Park Services)
559-335-9292 (summer)
559-337-1273 (winter)
Horse Corral Pack Station
559-565-3404 (summer)
209-742-6400 (winter)
East side pack services include:
Bishop Pack Outfitters
760-873-4785
Cottonwood Pack Station
760-878-2015
Glacier Pack Train
760-938-2538
Mt. Whitney Pack Trains
760-873-8331
Pine Creek Pack Station
760-387-2797 (summer)
760-387-2627 (winter)
Rainbow Pack Outfitters
760-873-8877
Rock Creek Pack Station
760-935-4493
Sequoia Kings Pack Train
800-962-0775 (summer)
760-387-2627 (winter)
Additional Park Facilities
To reduce environmental concerns, gasoline is not available within park boundaries, except for in emergencies. Motorists approaching the parks from the west will find the least expensive fuel in Visalia or Fresno. Closer to the parks, prices tend to rise. Gas is available in Three Rivers, Hume Lake, Clingan’s Junction, and at Kings Canyon Lodge.
East side travelers won’t find any bargain prices in the towns along US 395, but Bishop is the least expensive.
Here are a few other key park facilities on the west side:
Post offices: Lodgepole and Grant Grove
Showers and laundry: Lodgepole, Grant Grove, and Cedar Grove
Groceries and supplies: Lodgepole, Grant Grove, and Cedar Grove
Snack bar and deli: Lodgepole, Grant Grove, and Cedar Grove
Restaurants: Wuksachi Village and Grant Grove
Nonprofit Organization
Sequoia Natural History Association (SNHA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting education, interpretation, research, and the natural and historic preservation of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Devils Postpile National Monument, and Lake Kaweah. SNHA is committed to enriching the experiences of visitors and promoting public awareness of the significance of public lands through educational programs, publications, and financial support.
The SNHA participates in the following activities:
Operation of visitor center bookstores
Operation of the Sequoia Field Institute and Beetle Rock Education Center
Publication of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks newsletter
Free and low-cost school programs
Tours of Crystal Cave
Operation of the Pear Lake Ski Hut
Purchasing supplies for ranger programs
Financing active protection of black bears
Field seminar courses
Funding visitor center and trail exhibits
Providing information staff at visitor centers
Publishing books and maps of the parks
Funding scientific research within the parks
Membership categories include: park partner for $25 per year, green partner for $40 per year, supporter for $65 per year, business sponsor for $150 per year, and park guardian for $300 per year. Membership benefits include the following: a 15-percent discount on visitor center and online purchases, discounts at Pear Lake Ski Hut and on all Sequoia Field Institute seminars and naturalist services, copies of the biannual Seedlings and Nature Connections newsletters, a monthly email newsletter, a 10- to 20-percent discount at most other national park visitor center bookstores, connection coupons, volunteer opportunities, and discounts on local lodging. For more information, contact them at: 47050 Generals Highway #10, Three Rivers, CA 93721, 559-565-3759, 559-565-3728 (fax). Email them at snha@sequoiahistory.org or learn more at www.sequoiahistory.org.
Wilderness Ethics and Trail Courtesy
The American wilderness evokes notions of wild and undeveloped places, where humans are simply visitors who leave no trace of their presence. The “leave only footprints, take only photographs” motto popularized during the back-to-earth movement of the 1970s embodies just such a principle. The goal of all visitors, hikers, backpackers, and equestrians should be to leave a wilderness area as they found it, if not better.
The following backcountry guidelines should keep the wild in wilderness. When camping:
Camp a minimum of 100 feet from any water source.
Choose a campsite away from trails.
Never build improvements (fireplaces, rock walls, drainage swales, etc.).
Camp on exposed dirt or rock surfaces not on vegetation.
Use only downed wood for campfires; never cut trees (dead or alive).
Use only existing fire rings.
Never leave a campfire unattended.
Fully extinguish all campfires by thoroughly soaking them with water.
To keep yourself healthy and the wilderness pristine, please:
Bury waste in soil six inches deep, a minimum of 100 feet from trails, and at least 500 feet from water sources.
Pack out toilet paper in heavily used areas.
Cook only the amount of food you can eat to avoid having to dispose of leftovers.
Wash and rinse dishes, clothes, and yourself a minimum of 100 feet from water sources; never wash in lakes or streams.
Pack out all trash—do not attempt to burn plastic or foil packaging.
Filter, boil, or treat all drinking water.
On the trail, always:
Stay on the trail; do not cut switchbacks.
Preserve the serenity of the backcountry; avoid making loud noises.
Yield the right-of-way to uphill hikers.
Yield the right-of-way to equestrians; step well off the trail on the downhill side.
Avoid traveling in large groups.
Because trail conditions can change, either from natural or human causes, hikers should check with ranger stations for updates before starting a hike.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have some park-specific regulations:
Group size is limited to 15 (8 for parties traveling off of developed trails).
Pets, weapons, wheeled vehicles, hunting, and motorized equipment are prohibited.
Campfires are prohibited above 10,400 feet in Sequoia National Park, above 9000 feet in the Kaweah River drainage, and above 10,000 feet in Kings Canyon National Park. Campfires are also prohibited at Mineral King Valley, Nine Lakes Basin, Hamilton Lakes, Upper Big Arroyo, Pinto Lake, Lower Crabtree Meadow, Granite Basin, and Redwood Canyon.
Food must be stored so that it is completely inaccessible to bears. Food must be stored in bear canisters or food lockers on the Rae Lakes Loop, in Dusy Basin and Palisade Basin, and along Rock Creek.
Do not camp within 100 feet of lakes and streams.
Camping is limited to 25 people per night at Pear and Emerald Lakes at designated sites only. Advanced reservations are not available for these sites. Permits are issued by the Lodgepole trailhead office.
Stock users should consult the park website for current grazing regulations.
Inyo National Forest has its own regulations:
Group size is limited to 15.
Bear canisters are required for the Cottonwood Lakes, Mt. Whitney, Kearsarge Pass, and Bishop Pass areas.
Campfires are prohibited in Meysan Creek, North Fork Lone Pine Creek, Anvil Camp (Shepherd Creek), Onion Valley, Taboose Creek, and South Fork and North Fork Big Pine Creek.
Stock users are responsible for following no-trace practices within the parks and surrounding wilderness areas. A downloadable PDF is available on the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks website detailing the specific regulations pertaining to stock use (www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/stockreg.htm).
The Bear Facts and Other Animal (and Insect) Concerns
Bears
The range of the grizzly bear used to include the Sierra Nevada, but the last grizzly in California was shot near Horse Corral Meadows in the early 1900s. Since then, the common American black bear has been the only ursine species in the range. Despite their name, black bears vary in color from jet black to cinnamon. Quick, agile, and oftentimes quite large, mature males can weigh around 300 pounds. Active both day and night, black bears have a highly developed sense of smell. More common on the west slope, they usually stay between 5,000 and 8,000 feet, occasionally traveling through higher elevations. As omnivores, black bears subsist mainly on vegetation and are typically not aggressive toward humans. Bears unfamiliar with human food sources tend to be quite shy and retiring, avoiding human contact at virtually any cost. However, black bears that have grown accustomed to human food and garbage through our carelessness can become destructive and potentially threatening.
Once bears discover food in coolers, cars, or backpacks or garbage from unsecured trash bins, reconditioning them away from these food sources is extremely difficult. Bears frequenting developed campgrounds in search of food tend to be the boldest and potentially most dangerous culprits. Relocating such animals has not proven to be 100 percent effective, since they generally find a way back to habited areas in search of food. “Problem” bears then face death at the hands of wildlife officials.
Despite a reputation for being dumb animals, bears have figured out how to thwart previous attempts to hang food in the backcountry. Nowadays, when attempts are made to counterbalance stuff sacks full of food from a tree limb, a bear might simply climb the tree and either sever the cord or break off the branch. Mother bears often send cubs up the tree to knock the bags to the ground. The counterbalance method was never foolproof for backpackers camping at or above timberline, where trees were either too low to the ground or absent altogether.
Several years ago, park and forest service officials in the Sierra implemented a plan to help minimize bear-human conflicts in the backcountry. They outfitted popular backcountry campsites in bear-prone areas with metal bear lockers, started requiring bear canisters in high-traffic areas, and encouraged hikers to use them elsewhere. This plan has been in effect for many years and, for the most part, has successfully broken the bear’s association between backpackers and food. Requiring the full cooperation of all recreationists along the urban fringe, the plan has been less effective near developed campgrounds. When visiting the parks, everyone is responsible for storing food-related items away from the bears so that they do not become accustomed to seeking human food or garbage as a food source.
Bearproof canisters may add a few pounds to your backpack, but this burden should be offset with the knowledge that the life of a bear may be spared. Plus, having food safely secured in a canister should help hikers sleep more soundly. Despite the emphasis on protecting food from bears, recreationists should not be discouraged from hiking or backpacking in the High Sierra, as actual bear sightings are benign and fairly rare.
The following guidelines will enhance your experience while helping to protect the bears:
At campgrounds:
Leave extra or unnecessary food and scented items at home.
Store all food, food containers, and scented items in securely latched bear lockers.
Dispose of all trash in bearproof garbage cans or dumpsters.
Never leave food out at an unattended campsite.
In the backcountry:
Don’t leave backpacks unattended in plain sight while on the trail.
At camp, empty backpacks and open all flaps and pockets.
Keep all food, trash, and scented items in a bearproof locker or canister.
Pack out all trash.
Everywhere:
Don’t allow bears to approach food—make noise, wave your arms, and throw rocks. Be bold, but keep a safe distance between you and the bear. Use good judgment.
If a bear gets into your food, you are responsible for cleaning up the mess.
Never attempt to retrieve food from a bear.
Never approach a bear, especially a cub.
Report any incidents or injuries to the appropriate agency.
Within Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, hikers must use bear canisters in the following places: within the wilderness area bordered by Sawmill Pass and the Woods Creek drainage on the north, Forester Pass and the Kings-Kern Divide on the south, the Sierra Crest on the east, and Cedar Grove, South Fork of the Kings River, and Sphinx Crest on the west (including all trail corridors and cross-country routes within the area); within the Dusy Basin wilderness areas including all camp areas from Bishop Pass to the junction with the John Muir Trail in Le Conte Canyon and all cross-country areas in Dusy Basin and Palisades Basin; and within the Rock Creek Wilderness area of Sequoia National Park including all camp areas in the Rock Creek drainage, including Miter Basin, Soldier Lake, Siberian Outpost, and Rock Creek proper. (Specifically, the area is defined as areas [including cross-country routes] in the Rock Creek drainage west of Cottonwood and New Army Passes, south of Crabtree Pass, south of Guyot Pass, and north-northwest of the Sequoia National Park boundary and Siberian Pass.)
Within Inyo National Forest, hikers must use bear canisters in the following areas: Bishop Pass, Cottonwood Lakes, Cottonwood Pass, Kearsarge Pass, and the Mt. Whitney Zone.
Bear lockers are installed in many backcountry locations. In Sequoia National Park, there are bear lockers at Hockett Plateau, including Hockett Meadow, South Fork Meadow/Rock Camp, and Upper Camp/South Fork Pasture; Mineral King, including Franklin Lake and Lower Monarch Lake; Kern Canyon, including Lower Funston Meadow, Upper Funston Meadow, Kern Hot Springs, and Junction Meadow; Little Five Lakes, Cliff Creek, and Chagoopa Plateau, including Moraine Lake, Big Arroyo Crossing, Lost Canyon, Big Five Lakes, Little Five Lakes, Pinto Lake, and Cliff Creek and Timber Gap Junction; Rock Creek, including Lower Soldier Lake, Lower Rock Creek Lake, and Lower Rock Creek crossing (PCT); Lodgepole, including Mehrten Creek Crossing (on the High Sierra Trail, or HST), 9 Mile Creek Crossing (HST), Buck Creek Crossing (HST), Bearpaw, Upper Hamilton Lake, Emerald Lake, Pear Lake, Clover Creek South Crossing (Twin Lakes Trail), J O Pass Trail and Twin Lakes Trail Junction, and Twin Lakes; Tyndall and Crabtree, including Lower Crabtree Meadow, Crabtree Ranger Station, Wallace Creek (on the JMT), Tyndall Creek Frog Ponds, and Tyndall Creek (JMT).
In Kings Canyon National Park, there are bear lockers at Sugarloaf Valley and Roaring River, including Ranger Lake, Lost Lake, Seville Lake, Comanche Meadow, Sugarloaf Meadow, and Roaring River Ranger Station; Kings Canyon, including Lower Tent Meadow (Copper Creek Trail) and Frypan Meadow (Lewis Creek Trail); Bubbs Creek (canisters required, lockers are reserved for JMT and PCT thru-hikers), including Sphinx Creek, Charlotte Creek, Lower Junction Meadow, Junction Meadow and East Creek, East Lake, at 9,900 feet in elevation (JMT), Vidette Meadows, and at the junction of the Center Basin Trail and JMT; Woods Creek (canisters required, lockers reserved for JMT and PCT thru-hikers), including Lower Paradise Valley, Middle Paradise Valley, Upper Paradise Valley, Woods Creek crossing (JMT), Arrowhead Lake, and Middle Rae Lake; Kearsarge area, including Kearsarge Lakes and Charlotte Lake.
Cougars (Mountain Lions)
The chances of seeing a big cat in the backcountry are extremely small since they are typically shy, avoiding human contact at nearly all costs. They are much more likely to see you, especially while you are hiking in the western foothills area. Unlike omnivorous black bears, cougars are strictly carnivorous, with mule deer as the main staple of their diet. When hunting for deer is poor, they supplement with smaller animals. A typical mountain lion is estimated to kill 36 deer per year, and the overall health of the deer herd is directly linked to the predatory nature of the cats, since the cats cull the weaker members. Experts recommend you do the following to avoid running into a cougar or react to an encounter with one:
Don’t hike alone, especially in the foothills zone.
Don’t leave small children unattended; pick them up if a cat approaches.
Don’t run since flight indicates you are prey.
Make yourself appear as large as possible—don’t crouch or try to hide.
Hold your ground, or back away slowly while facing the cat.
If the cat is aggressive, make noise, wave your arms, and throw rocks.
If the animal attacks, fight back.
Report any encounters or injuries to the appropriate agency.
Marmots
The largest member of the squirrel family, chirping marmots hardly seem threatening to humans. However, these herbivores have been known to wreak havoc on radiator hoses and wiring in cars parked at Mineral King trailheads, especially in spring (this hankering seems to taper off by midsummer). Many a vehicle has been disabled by their rare proclivity for dining on automobile parts, leaving drivers stranded until they can arrange for repair services. Unsuspecting drivers have transported these furry creatures to other parts of the park and as far away as Southern California! Check with the rangers at the Mineral King Ranger Station for the current conditions. Some backpackers surround their vehicles with wire to keep them safe.
Marmots in other parts of the High Sierra, particularly near popular campsites, have been known to chew through backpack straps, hiking boots, and rubber grips on trekking poles. Once they associate humans with food, they will often tear through backpacks in search of treats. In marmot-infested areas, store your food in canisters or bear lockers, or hang it from a tree.
Rattlesnakes
Although rattlesnakes are common to the foothills community on the west side of the Sierra and the pinyon-sagebrush zone on the east side, human encounters with them are relatively rare. Actual bites are even less frequent, and fatalities are almost nonexistent in adults. While rattlers live in a wide range of environments, pay close attention when hiking near creeks below 6,000 feet in elevation. These reptiles seek sun when temperatures are cool and retreat into the shade when temperatures are warm. During the summer months, they are often nocturnal.
Rattlesnakes are not aggressive and will seek escape unless cornered. Never provoke a rattlesnake. If you happen to encounter one, back away quickly. On the rare occasion you or someone in your party is bitten, seek medical attention immediately.
Ticks
Very uncommon in the High Sierra, ticks are most prevalent in the foothills zone, especially in spring following particularly wet winters. These blood-sucking pests would be a mere nuisance if they weren’t also carriers of debilitating diseases, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Although rare in the southern Sierra, these tick-borne conditions can be serious if left untreated. If you are bitten by a tick, especially one that may have been attached for 24 hours or more, watch for a bull’s-eye rash, flulike symptoms, headache, rash, fever, or joint pain. Consult a physician if any of these symptoms persist.
Myths, old wives tales, and urban legends abound regarding the removal of a tick from human flesh. The medically accepted method advises the use of a pair of tweezers to gain a solid hold and the application of gentle traction to back the tick out. After you have removed it, thoroughly wash the area with antibacterial soap, completely dry the skin, and then apply an antibiotic ointment. Monitor your health for the next several days. Prevention is the best medicine; observe the following guidelines when traveling in tick country:
Apply an effective repellent on skin and clothing, and reapply often.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and tuck your pant legs into the top of your socks.
Inspect your entire body regularly (at least a couple times a day). Check your clothing thoroughly.
Mosquitoes
While they are not a major health concern, nothing can ruin a backcountry trip faster than a horde of pesky mosquitoes. Fortunately, the mosquito cycle in the Sierra Nevada builds for a short time in early summer, peaks for about two weeks, and then steadily diminishes; the peak of mosquito season varies from year to year, but unfortunately climaxes during the height of wildflower season.
Mosquitoes seem to prefer some people to others. For those who are so cursed, supposed deterrents seem to be the modern era’s equivalent of snake oil, including sleeping under a pyramid, ingesting a boatload of vitamin B, bathing yourself in a vat of hand lotion, or using some high-frequency device to drive the bugs away. Although the only surefire method of avoiding these ubiquitous pests is to stay away, most outdoor recreationists find this alternative justifiably unacceptable. The following guidelines may help to minimize the aggravation of mosquito season:
Use an effective repellent containing a high concentration of DEET. Lemon-eucalyptus oil may also work, but it never hurts to bring a repellent with DEET just in case.
Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a head net when necessary.
Select wind-prone campsites, bring a tent, and avoid camping near marshy areas.
Maps
Hikers and backpackers can choose from a number of recreational maps for the popular Sequoia and Kings Canyon region, including the maps provided in this guide.
USGS Topographic Maps
The 7.5-minute quadrangles, published by the US Geological Survey, are the most accurate and detailed maps available. You can purchase the USGS maps ($8 per sheet in 2012) directly from the USGS website (www.store.usgs.gov) and at Park Service or Forest Service visitor centers. Some outdoor retailers offer customers the ability to customize and print maps using the 7.5-minute maps as a base. Long-distance backpackers may favor maps at a smaller scale since the 1:24,000 scale of the 7.5-minute quads may require them to carry numerous maps.
Hikers study the map above Palisade Basin (Trip 113).
Forest Service Maps
The US Forest Service publishes a variety of maps covering the greater Sequoia and Kings Canyon region. National Forest maps are suitable for trip planning and driving to trailheads. USFS wilderness maps can be used on the trail. Maps can be purchased online (www.nationalforeststore.com) or from ranger stations and visitor centers.
John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness: A three-sheet set of topographic maps suitable for backcountry use, covering nearly every trip described in this guide (exceptions include Grant Grove and Redwood Mountain, 1 inch = 1 mile, $12).
A Guide to the Monarch Wilderness and Jennie Lakes Wilderness: A topographic map covering the two wilderness areas along the southwest border of Kings Canyon National Parks (2 inches = 1 mile, $8).
Golden Trout Wilderness and South Sierra Wilderness: A topographic map of the wilderness areas south of Sequoia National Park (1 inch = 1 mile, $8).
Inyo National Forest: Covers the entire Inyo National Forest (0.5 inch = 1 mile, $12).
Sequoia National Forest: Covers the entire Sequoia National Forest (0.5 inch = 1 mile, $9).
Sierra National Forest: Covers the entire Sierra National Forest (0.5 inch = 1 mile, $9).
Other Maps
The SNHA publishes a set of four, foldout maps with concise descriptions of popular dayhikes in the Cedar Grove, Giant Forest, Grant Grove, Lodgepole, and Mineral King areas of the parks. You can purchase these maps online (www.sequoiahistory.org) or at park visitor centers and stores ($3.50 each). Both Tom Harrison Maps (www.tomharrisonmaps.com) and National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com) publish additional maps for the Sequoia and Kings Canyon region.
Wilderness Permits
With the exception of entering the Whitney Zone via the Mt. Whitney Trail from Whitney Portal, dayhikers do not need a permit for the national parks or national forests. Hikers who plan on traveling into the Whitney Zone, a roughly 5-mile by 2.5-mile area of the John Muir Wilderness that borders Sequoia National Park along the Sierra Crest, will need to procure one of the 100 day-use permits that Inyo National Forest issues each day. Day-use permits can be reserved through a lottery held each year in February, subject to a $15 per person fee. The Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center at the junction of US 395 and Highway 136 south of Lone Pine issues any unused permits free. Consult the Inyo National Forest website (www.fs.usda.gov/inyo) for further information.
Overnight Trips
All overnight users entering the backcountry in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks must get a valid wilderness permit from the ranger station or visitor center closest to the trailhead. The main park wilderness office is at 47050 Generals Highway #60, Three Rivers, CA 93271, 559-565-4239 (fax).
Approximately 75 percent of the daily trailhead quota, which is in effect from late May through September, is set aside for reserved permits. Beginning March 1, permits can be reserved up to two weeks in advance of departure. Permit forms can be downloaded from the park website (www.nps.gov/seki) and either faxed or mailed when completed to the wilderness office (the NPS plans to set up an online reservation system by 2012). A $15 per person fee must accompany your application (VISA, MC, check, or money order). Reserved permits can be picked up from the issuing station after 1 p.m. the day before departure and will be held until 9 a.m. the morning of the trip. You must notify the ranger station if you are will be picking up your permit past this time since reserved permits are released to first-come, first-served backpackers at that time.
The remaining 25 percent of the daily trailhead quota and any cancelled reservations are available for free walk-in permits, beginning after 1 p.m. the day before departure. Unclaimed reservations may become available after 9 a.m. the morning of a trip.
Wilderness permits are required year-round for all overnight visits, and all trails entering wilderness areas in Inyo National Forest have quotas in effect. The quota period for overnight stays in John Muir Wilderness is between May 1 and September 15. The quota period for overnight stays in Golden Trout Wilderness is between the last Friday in June through September 15. Outside of the quota period, backpackers can self-issue permits from Forest Service ranger stations and visitor centers. Up to 60 percent of the quota can be reserved up to six months in advance for $5 per person (Inyo National Forest plans to have an online reservation system in place by 2012). The remaining 40 percent is available as free walk-in permits, available from any USFS ranger station or visitor center, one day ahead of the departure date. Contact the Wilderness Permit Office (760-873-2483) for more information.
Day hiking and backpacking permits for entry into the Mt. Whitney Zone are issued through a lottery system (see Trip 95).
Westward view from Mt. Whitney (Trip 95)
Winter in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Area
While most recreationists visit the Sequoia and Kings Canyon area in the summer and some during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, winter can be a magical time to enjoy a wide range of activities.
Hiking and Backpacking
Although the greater Sequoia and Kings Canyon region doesn’t provide an abundance of off-season hiking and backpacking opportunities, a few possibilities do exist. A handful of trails in the foothills region of Sequoia National Park offer some year-round, snow-free hiking (see Trips 1, 18–22, and the initial segments of 23–24). At least one of the nearby campgrounds remains open all year, and lodging is available both inside the park and in the nearby town of Three Rivers.
Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing
During winters of average snowfall, recreationists can enjoy snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in both parks. Marked trails in the Giant Forest and Lodgepole areas of Sequoia National Park lure snow lovers each winter, as do similar winter trails in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. More adventurous winter enthusiasts with the requisite winter skills will have a huge area of backcountry mostly to themselves, where an unlimited number of multiday excursions are possible. Late winter and early spring, with increasing daylight and more stable weather, can make the snow-covered High Sierra a fine place for backcountry pursuits. Anyone desiring to stay overnight in the parks backcountry or surrounding wilderness areas must secure a self-issue wilderness permit from a visitor center or ranger station. Be sure to check with rangers about restrictions and current conditions before embarking into the backcountry.
On the west side of Sequoia National Park, the Generals Highway is kept open during the winter months from Three Rivers to Wuksachi Village. The foothills area offers year-round hiking, information, and exhibits at the Ash Mountain Visitor Center, camping at Potwisha Campground, and picnicking at Hospital Rock. Farther up the road in the Giant Forest, the museum is open all year, and marked trails lead past giant sequoias, including the largest of all, General Sherman. Wolverton has a snowplay area, snack bar, and rentals. The Lodgepole Campground is open all year for those not adverse to snow camping. Wuksachi Village provides lodging throughout the year, with a restaurant, small gift shop, and cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals; ranger-led snowshoe walks are held on some weekends and holidays.
Lake 3 in Cottonwood Lakes Basin (Trip 92)
Wolverton is also the trailhead for the strenuous 6-mile route to Pear Lake Ski Hut. Equipped with a pellet stove, lanterns, propane stove, cooking utensils, and indoor toilet, the lodge sleeps ten cross-country skiers or snowshoers. Private individuals may rent the hut from the middle of December through the end of April. Reservations made through a lottery process are required. Downloadable registration forms are available through the Sequoia Natural History Association website (www.sequoiahistory.org). Using the Pear Lake Ski Hut as a base camp, winter recreationists can make forays into the dramatic scenery of the nearby Tableland area.
Access to the west side of Kings Canyon National Park is via Highway 180. The road is kept open in winter from the park entrance through Grant Grove Village to the junction with the Hume Lake Road near Princess Meadow. From there, the road is plowed to Hume Lake, where Hume Lake Christian Camps operates a general store (that sells gasoline), gift shop, post office, and snack bar during limited hours. Snow play areas near Grant Grove include Big Stump and Columbine. Facilities in Grant Grove that remain open all year include the visitor center, market (cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals), restaurant, gift shop, and post office. Lodging is available during winter at John Muir Lodge and Grant Grove Cabins. Marked trails through Grant Grove lead past giant sequoias; ranger-led snowshoe walks are held on some weekends and holidays.
Motorists entering the parks from the west are required to carry chains at all times, even if their vehicles are equipped with four-wheel-drive. The road from the Y-junction between the Kings Canyon Highway (Highway 180) and Wuksachi Village is usually closed during winter storms (sometimes for days), reopening after snowplows have safely cleared the snow. During snowy periods, the road may be open only to guests staying at Montecito Sequoia Lodge, who are allowed to travel the road only in caravans at three scheduled times during the day.
As well as lodging and dining, Montecito Sequoia Lodge offers 30 to 50 kilometers of groomed trails for cross-country and skate skiing. Other winter activities at the lodge include snowshoeing, snowboarding, tubing, sledding, sleigh rides, snow biking, ice skating, and snow play. Rentals and lessons are also available. Check out their website, www.montecitosequoia.com, for rates and more information.
Long and sometimes difficult access, combined with reduced commercial activity, ensures that the east side of the High Sierra sees few winter visitors. Away from the hubs of Mammoth Village and June Lake ski areas, the range can seem totally deserted from December to April. Consequently, winter recreationists have the opportunity to enjoy the dramatic scenery of high peaks, steep-walled canyons, and frozen lakes in solitude. Getting to snow that is deep enough for skiing or snowshoeing is oftentimes the most challenging aspect of an eastside trip. Few roads other than the major north-south thoroughfare of US 395 are plowed during the winter. The only SnoPark on this side of the range is Rock Creek, located west of Toms Place, well north of the Sequoia-Kings Canyon region. For those willing to endure such obstacles, the High Sierra backcountry abounds with possibilities during the winter. Within the greater Sequoia-Kings Canyon region, the town of Bishop offers the widest range of services for winter travelers on the east side of the Sierra.
About This Guide
This guide is designed primarily for hikers in search of dayhiking opportunities in and around Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and for backpackers looking to explore the area’s majesty on anything from short weekend trips to multi-week excursions. Some aspects of the evaluations of the trails in this guide are subjective, but every effort has been made to ensure that the descriptions are meaningful to the average trail user.
The 122 trips described in this guide are divided into two main sections: west side trips include 88 hikes or backpacks in 11 subregions. East side trips cover 34 excursions in 2 subregions. A brief introduction to each subregion precedes the trip descriptions, which will familiarize hikers with the area. Information regarding access, services, campground locations and facilities, and nearest ranger stations follows, along with helpful tips specific to the area.
Symbols
Each description begins with a display of symbols, denoting the following characteristics of each trip.
Trip Difficulty
= Easy
= Moderate
= Moderately strenuous
= Strenuous
Type of Trip
= Out-and-back
= Point-to-point (shuttle required)
= Loop
= Semiloop
Duration
DH = Dayhike (single-day outing)
BP = Backpack
BPx = Extended backpack (overnight trip with three or more nights in the backcountry)
X = Cross-country route (backpack requiring some cross-country travel)
Trip Information
Each trip description includes the following information:
Distance
Distances are listed in miles. The mileage value for each trip is the total round-trip mileage.
Elevation
Elevation figures listed are in feet. The first set of numbers represents the starting elevation, followed by all the significant high and low points. The second set of numbers represents the elevation gain, elevation loss, and the total combined elevation gain and loss. (To convert feet to meters, multiply by 0.3048).
Season
This entry lists the general period for when the trail should be open and mostly free of snow. However, these conditions vary considerably from year to year, depending on a particular winter’s snowpack and severity.
Use
This entry gives you a general idea of the trail’s popularity (light, moderate, heavy, and extremely heavy) and an idea of how many other people to expect along the way. Packed trails are tourist destinations, which may have hundreds of people during the most popular season. On heavy and packed backpack trails, campsites may be in short supply on weekends though probably not on weekdays. Some of this book’s hikes have sections that vary significantly in usage.
Map
USGS 7.5-minute topographical maps covering the area are listed in this category. Occasionally, supplemental maps are also recommended.
Trail Log
Many of the longer trips have a trail log that lists the trail’s highlights, such as trail junctions, stream crossings, lakes, summits, and campsites, along with their corresponding mileage. Shorter trips with only a single destination as a point of interest do not have a trail log.
Options and Regulatory Information
Options, indicated by , allow you to extend your trip with side trips, alternate routes, additional cross-country routes, and peaks that you may want to climb in the vicinity.
Regulatory information, indicated by , lists details about permits, quotas, and any specific restrictions for a given trip.
