Many inquiries are received relative to hiking and pack trips in the
Sierra within and adjacent to the Sequoia National Park. The following
information about maps, trails, camps, routes, etc., will be useful to
prospective visitors; but in view of the wild nature of the territory
and inaccuracy of existing maps, the information must be accepted with
reservations.
The country from the Sequoia National Park to Yosemite National Park is
shown on the United States Geological Survey quadrangles: Kaweah,
Tehipite, Mount Whitney, Olancha, Mount Morrison, Mount Goddard, Bishop,
Mount Lyell, Kaiser, and Yosemite. The John Muir Trail crosses parts of
these quadrangles. Maps of these areas are based on surveys made from 15
to 25 years ago, with only slight corrections since, and the trails and
other artificial features have undergone many changes. These maps may be
obtained from the United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C., or
from the superintendent, Sequoia National Park, Calif., at 10 cents
each. The parts of the maps of the Tehipite, Kaweah, Mount Whitney, and
Olancha quadrangles included within the Sequoia National Park are
printed on a single sheet, which may be obtained for 25 cents from the
chief ranger, or at the Giant Forest naturalist's office.
Sequoia National Park and the area surrounding it includes a region of
as great diversity and wild grandeur as any area of equal size in
America. Here are more than 75 peaks over 11,000 feet in elevation, of
which 7 are more than 14,000 feet, 35 over 13,000 feet, and 20 more than
12,000 feet high. Here are at least 200 high mountain lakes, and over
300 miles of streams containing the famous golden and Kern River rainbow
trout. Good mountain trails traverse this area and lead to the
outstanding points of interest.
Camping places and fenced pastures are available, so that parties may
make camp in comfortable places that also provide adequate facilities
for the horses.
Pack outfits start for the high mountains during the season. Packing
into the High Sierra starts from Giant Forest and Hospital Rock Camps in
the park, from points near the park such as at Three Rivers, the Maxon
Ranch, and Mineral King, from points in the national forests both north
and south, and from Owens Valley towns to the east.
Giant Forest, elevation 6,500 feet, because of its excellent
accommodations and general activities of a mountain resort, is becoming
more popular each year as a point of departure for the High Sierra.
Automobiles left at Giant Forest will be cared for by the park operators
and canvas covers furnished.
Main trails lead north from Giant Forest via J. O. Pass to the Kings
Canyon, Roaring River, and Sugarloaf districts north of the park; east
and south via High Sierra Trail or Redwood Meadows to the Kern Canyon
and Mount Whitney in the park; by either Kaweah Gap or Black Rock Pass
to the Big Arroyo or by Timber Gap to Mineral King and a choice of
trails southward to the Kern River in the lower canyon.
Three Rivers, on the paved highway and a few miles below the park
entrance, is the local center for packers and guides to the High Sierra.
There are hotel accommodations, stores, and post office located here.
Mineral King, 7,800 feet elevation, 32 miles above Three Rivers by
mountain road, is in the Sequoia National Forest, which here forms an
indentation from the south into the park area. It is a center for pack
outfits and guides and an excellent place from which to leave for Kern
Canyon, Mount Whitney, and the High Sierra. There are limited hotel
accommodations, a store, and post office.
Lone Pine and Independence, on the east side of the Sierra on the
Midland Trail, are centers for pack outfits. Good hotels, stores,
garages, and other conveniences are available at these and other towns
in the Owens Valley.