Mt Ericsson via Lucy's Pass, Kings Canyon Park

Notes by piero scaruffi | Other California destinations | California hikes

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Roads End to Lucy's Pass or Milly's Pass

Lucy's Foot Pass (3780m, 36.69676/-118.42334) is located southeast of Lake Reflection (36.6997 -118.4457), which is located south of East Lake. Lucy's Foot Pass allows one to cross the Kings-Kern Divide just west of Mount Ericsson (4140m, 36.6972/-118.4143). It is virtually impassable from the north side. There is snow and ice for most of the year. When the snow is gone, the slope is easily class 3 and the scree is deadly. From Roads End to Reflection Lake it's about 23kms. The trail is well-maintained to East Lake and marked with cairns beyond that. However, best is to leave the trail before the tributary that comes down from the eastern peaks. This tributary causes a number of small crossings on the trail between East Lake and Reflection Lake. Shortly before this watery part, the trail requires 50 meters of bouldering. You are best off leaving the trail exactly before the bouldering part. Leaving the trail just before this bouldering/watery part (about 2 kms before Reflection Lake), one climbs up a steep slope to the left. If you are lucky, you will hit a use trail that makes your life easier. (Just be careful that the use trail goes continues east towards Harrison Pass). If not, just coast the creek to the north and you'll get to the oblong lake from which it flows, Lake Jimi Hendrix. Coast Lake Jimi Hendrix to the left/north (you may find a sort of natural "road", a wide flat path) heading southeast. There is a lake above to the left. Ideally you want to head for the land between the two lakes. If you picked the right route, you'll enter the moraine above the oblong lake at a vantage point. Now cross the creek that comes down from the east and turn right (south) into the moraine to the south and Lucy's Pass is the steep wall right in front of you. A series of hilly formations lead gradually to the wall, but the wall is really what it appears to be: a hellish class-3 climb on extremely slippery and loose rocks. The grip is almost never firm. On the way down this "pass" can be fatal, especially if you have a huge backpack.

When you reach Lucy's Pass you finally see Mt Ericsson on your left (east). It is still quite far from the pass. It has several summits. The register is on the flat massive one.
Mt Ericsson, which separates Harrison Pass from Lucy's Pass, has fabulous views of the sierras but is so remote from any trail that few people even know of it.

Milly's Foot Pass (3730m), just north of Mount Genevra, is just slightly lover (36.6858/-118.43) and is the lowest point in the Kings-Kern Divide. Milly's Pass is visible from East Lake to the left of Mt Genevra, but hard to see once you get closer to Reflection Lake. The route is intuitive though: get to Reflection Lake and head up the slopes to the left of Mt Genevra in the general southeastern direction. When you get to the top of the pass, you see Lucy's Pass about one kilometer to your left and Mt Ericsson further to the left.

The Kings-Kern Divide is a 10 km horizontal ridge (from Thunder Mt in the west to Junction Peak in the east) that separates the Kings River basin on the north from the Kern River basin to the south, and that connects the Great Western Divide (Thunder Mt and mountains to the south) with the Sierra Nevada (Junction Peak being in between the Palisades and Mt Williamson).

The KK Divide can be reached from Shepherd Pass via a trail that ends at Lake South America, very near both Lucy's Pass and Milly's Pass. While there is no official trail, one can therefore hike in a few hours from East Lake (the southeastern terminus of the trail coming from Roads End) to Lake South America (the northwestern terminus of the trail coming from Shepherd Pass).

Harrison Pass might however be an easier (if longer) option to achieve this trans-sierra route. After leaving the trail south of East Lake, stay left (north) of Lake Jimi Hendrix and keep following the creek east. After passing one lake to the right, one lake to the left and another lake to the right, Harrison Pass appears. There is a use trail that should resurface as you coast the three lakes and take you to the best place to cross the divide. Expect lots of bouldering and perennial snow patches. Once on the other side of the pass, you are exactly north of Lake South America.

As you were heading up towards Harrison Pass, Mt Stanford was the mountain to your left/east. The route to climb Mt Stanford starts from a notch between Gregory's Monument (easily reached from Harrison Pass) and Mt Stanford. Then heard north up class-3 chutes towards the summit.

Lucy's Pass:
Kings-Kern Divide:
Topomaps
The direction of Lucy's Pass from the Reflection lake trail:
Stay between the two lakes:
Lucy's Pass from the moraine:
Lucy's Pass:
Milly's Pass from Lucy's Pass:
Mt Ericsson from Lucy's Pass:

Milestones (and 2009 times):

  • Roads End (1534m) to Sphinx Creek junction (1914m): 6.5 kms, 1.5 hours
  • Sphinx Creek junction (1914m) to Charlotte Creek camp (2200m): 5.5 kms, 2 hours
  • Charlotte Creek (2200m) to Junction Meadow (2490m): 5kms, 1h 30'
  • Wading the creek
  • Junction Meadow (2490m) to East Lake (2886m): 3kms, 1h
  • East Lake (2886m) to creek before Lake Reflection (3059 m): 2kms, 30'
  • Creek before Lake Reflection (3059 m) to Lucy's Pass (3780m): 5kms, 3h 15'
  • Lucy's Pass (3780m) to Milly's Pass (3730m): 1km, 1h
  • Milly's Pass (3730m) to Lake Reflection (3059 m): 3kms, 1h
  • Lake Reflection (3059 m) to East Lake (2886m): 3kms, 1h
  • East Lake (2886m) to Junction Meadow (2490m): 3kms, 1h
GPS coordinates:
  • Lake Reflection (36.6997 -118.4457)
  • Lucy's Foot Pass (36.69676/-118.42334)
  • Mount Ericsson (36.6972/-118.4143)
  • Milly's Foot Pass (36.6858/-118.43)
Pictures of these hikes
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Driving directions

Directions for Roads End from the Bay Area. Take 101 south, 152 east lo Los Banos (about 1 hr 30') to 99 (about 2hr), 99 south to Fresno (about 300 kms, 2h 30'). In Fresno, take 180 east and follow it (the freeway is not completed yet, it will go through town and then turn left into Kings Canyon Ave) to the Big Stump park entrance (85 kms, 1h 15') to the fork with Sequoia Park (5') to Grant Grove village (3kms, visitor center, restaurant, water, restrooms, market) to Cedar Grove (50 winding kms, 50', via Kings Canyon Lodge 20', Boyden Cavern 30', Kings Canyon border 40') and then (10 kms) Roads End. Park at Roads End, at the first parking lot, marked by the sign "Information".
  • 101 south, 152 east lo Los Banos 1 hr 30'
  • 152 east to 99 30'
  • 99 south to Fresno 30'
  • 180 east and to Big Stump park entrance 1h 15'
  • to the fork with Sequoia Park 5'
  • to Grant Grove village 5'
  • Kings Canyon Lodge 20'
  • Boyden Cavern 10'
  • Kings Canyon border 10'
  • Cedar Grove 10'
  • Roads End 10'
Cheap gas in Fresno: Arco on Kings Canyon Ave, or the gas stations on Clinton Ave & Weber. Cheap lodging: Belmont Ave exit of 99.
Links:

Camping near Roads End

Several options:
  • There are four campgrounds between Cedar Grove and Roads End: Sentinel, Sheep Creek, Moraine, Canyon View (each a hefty $18 in 2008)
  • There is a road where free camping is popular (legal as long as you can park the car safely). If you are coming from Sequoia Park, turn right after the Montecito lodge. This is a short distance before the junction with 180 in Cedar Grove.
  • You can try and sleep in your car or near your car at Roads End, but rangers are inflexible and have an unlimited amount of time, so most likely they will find you and send you away (Note that it is environmentally much better to sleep in one's car than in a campground, but rangers are not paid to care for the environment, they are paid to maximize revenues)
  • Just before Cedar Grove (before the bridge) it's national forest, therefore you can camp anywhere it is safe to park. There are a few turnouts on 180 just before Cedar Grove where you can park and camp.

Information (2007)