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MINERAL KING TRAILHEAD

TRIP 12

Franklin Lakes

DH or BP

DISTANCE: 11 miles, out-and-back

ELEVATION: 7,815′/10,335′, +2,910′/-465′/±6,750′

SEASON: Early July to mid-October

USE: Heavy

MAPS: USGS’s Mineral King or SNHA’s Mineral King or Tom Harrison Maps’ Mineral King

TRAIL LOG

3.25 Franklin Lakes Trail junction

5.5 Lower Franklin Lake

INTRODUCTION: Scores of hikers and backpackers travel the popular Franklin Lakes Trail to access the picturesque lakes, cradled in a dramatic cirque beneath the Great Western Divide. As with most trails in the Mineral King area, this one climbs steadily out of the valley. Rainbow-colored metamorphic rock in Farewell and Franklin Canyons provides optical delights during the stiff ascent to the lakes.

DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: From the east end of Three Rivers, leave Highway 198 and turn onto Mineral King Road. Follow the road past Atwell Mill Campground, Silver City, Cold Springs Campground, and Mineral King Ranger Station (which issues wilderness permits and has food storage areas) to the Eagle-Mosquito Trailhead parking area at the end of the road, 23.5 miles from Highway 198. If space is available in the small parking area near the bridge over East Fork Kaweah River, you could park there and shorten your hike a bit.

DESCRIPTION: From the Eagle-Mosquito parking area, walk back down the road to the bridge over the river, and then follow single-track trail on a short climb to the Mineral King Pack Station access road. Follow the gently graded road through the open terrain of Mineral King Valley, passing the pack station’s corrals along the way. Sagebrush, currant, and gooseberry grow alongside the road, while grasses and willows line the riverbanks. Farther upslope, a widely scattered forest gives the area an alpine character.

At 1.1 miles, you ford Crystal Creek and then veer left away from the road onto single-track trail at an unsigned junction; the road continues through Aspen Flat before ending at Soda Spring. A mild to moderate 0.75-mile climb from the junction leads to Franklin Creek and the start of a steep, switchbacking climb, interrupted near the midpoint by an ascending traverse. Fine views of the multihued peaks and valleys of the Mineral King area may distract you from the upward grind. Above the switchbacks, 3.25 miles from the parking area, reach a junction with the Franklin Lakes Trail.

Turn left at the junction and proceed up the Franklin Lakes Trail on a long ascending traverse across the slope below Tulare Peak, where views down to Mineral King Valley and up to red-and-orange-hued Franklin Canyon are quite striking. Sharp eyes may detect the tailings and shaft of the Lady Franklin Mine upslope above a pair of switchbacks. Reach a crossing of willow-lined Franklin Creek at 4.4 miles.

Franklin Lakes from trail

Continue the switchbacking climb above the creek. Soon the rock-and-mortar dam on the outlet of Franklin Lake springs into view, backdropped dramatically by the soaring peaks of the Great Western Divide, including aptly named Rainbow Mountain. Below the dam, a use trail heads shortly downhill to campsites along the creek. Continue climbing, as the trail leads high above the lower lake to a pair of side trails leading to hillside campsites.

Lower Franklin Lake is nestled in a picturesque basin below the multicolored peaks along the Great Western Divide. Campsites meeting the 100-foot regulation are in short supply, leaving only some semi-level sites above the north shore for the substantial number or backpackers who visit the area each summer day. Unfortunately, the lake’s popularity coupled with a paucity of marginal campsites creates an ambiance more consistent with a trailer park than a backcountry haven.

Both designated camp areas (with bear boxes) on the north side of Lower Franklin Lake are partially shaded by a smattering of foxtail pines. A pit toilet is located down the southernmost access trail. Brook trout inhabit both lakes, but the crowd at the lower lake will probably prevent anglers from pulling out any trophy-size fish.

Backpackers who haven’t expended all their energy getting to Lower Franklin Lake may be able to escape the crowds by continuing another half mile or so to campsites on the bench between the upper and lower lakes. The bench is treeless and exposed but sees far fewer visitors. A short romp over boulders from the bench leads to Upper Franklin Lake, directly below the steep cirque wall between Florence and Tulare Peaks.

From Franklin Pass, mountaineers can ascend Class 2 routes to the summits of either Rainbow Mountain or Florence Peak.

Wilderness permits are required for overnight stays. Campfires are prohibited.