Kings Canyon - June 16-17
Going: Jamie, Mihai, Shashi, Ksenya, Valeriane, Marlene, Yining, David, piero. The Sphinx Lakes are one of the two best places in that park (and in the whole of California). Unfortunately, very difficult to reach. Click here for pictures. Click here for details. East Lake is also very pretty, especially the view of Mt Bago. Luckily, not too difficult to reach, and the trail traverses Kings Canyon horizontally, so it's an excellent introduction to it. Click here for pictures. Click here for details. Both the routes start from the same place (called Roads End), which is also where 90% of the epic Kings Canyon routes start. The idea is that
Softcore hikers so far: Marlene, Shashi, Valeriane, Yining and, if she comes, Jamie
Are you a softcore hiker or a hardcore hiker? It is mostly about psychology, not physical strength. If you have never been on one of our hikes when you think that we are completely lost, that there is no way to make it and that obviously we should turn back but instead we go on and make it and live to tell, then you should probably consider yourself a softcore hiker for the time being, no matter how physically fit and fast and strong you are, no matter how short or long the hike. ("Hardcore" here is referred to the fact that there is no trail, not to the distance - in fact the softcore hike is probably longer than the hardcore hike, assuming that the hardcore hikers walk a straight line through creeks, lakes, forests, boulders, etc). If you do a google search, you will find only one trip report to East Lake, Kings Canyon, so not many people have been there... Most people would consider East Lake as a major trip. That said, you decide if you are
People who have never been to Sequoia Park may want to consider leaving friday night, camping in Sequoia Park and spending saturday morning touring Sequoia Park. All the main attractions of Sequoia Park are near the paved road. The only warning is that Sequoia (unlike Kings Canyon) is very touristy, so traffic is slow. I am not sure how much you'll manage to see in 4-5 hours. But i guess it's always better than nothing. Weather forecast Cars:
Smelly items include: sunscreen, soap, all sorts of sprays, crumbles of food, any paper or plastic that contained food. Rangers also advise against leaving water bottles. To be on the safe side, leave NOTHING inside the car. There are bear lockers at the parking lot. Use them. Tents: piero (4), Mihai (4), Shashi (3), Ksenya (2). But we should try and squeeze in as few tents as possible. If we are eight, i'd try to squeeze eight people in just two tents. Hardcore hikers carry the tents uphill on saturday afternoon. Softcore hikers carry the tents downhill on sunday evening. ChecklistTry to pack very light backpacks with as much as possible. Let me know if i forgot anything in this list.
Walkie talkies:
I strongly doubt that cell phones will be of any use in that area. Bureaucracy. If you want to be legal, you have to get a wilderness permit. As far as i understand, permits can be obtained at Roads End before 2:45pm. After 2:45pm, there is no way to get a permit. But you are welcome to read this page carefully and find other ways to obtain a permit (i didn't read it and i don't have time to read it). Friday driversFirst and foremost do not forget about bears. Make sure all your passengers remove every smelly item from the car. There are bear lockers at Roads End.Count 4 hours of actual driving from San Jose to the Montecito Lodge. 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'). Just before Fresno (cheap gas in Fresno: Arco on Kings Canyon Ave, or the gas stations on Clinton Ave & Weber), 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 - pay attention to signs for 180 detour!) to the Big Stump park entrance (85 kms, 1h 15') to the fork with Sequoia Park (5'). If you turn right, you are taking the General's Highway towards Lodgepole. It is a long winding road. The second main road to the left is a popular place to camp for free. To make sure: when you get to the Montecito Lodge, make a U-turn and turn right into the first paved road. If it's the right road, you should soon start seeing people camping by the side of the road. There are also two official campgrounds (mainly used by RVs), but you are in the Sequoia National Forest (not the Park), where you can camp anywhere for free (no campfires though). Saturday morning go back to the Generals Highway, turn left (you can have breakfast at the lodge) and go to Lodgepole where there is a ranger station. After the ranger station, the main attractions are Sherman Tree and the Giant Forest (i think this is where you drive through the tree - never been there). When you're done, drive back on the Generals Highway all the way to the sign for Grant Grove and Cedar Grove (at least one hour) and follow it (turn right on 180). You will soon pass another visitor center. This is the last village with restaurants, water, restrooms, store. You can also check out Grant Tree nearby. Then continue on 180 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. Roads End is a parking lot. We meet at the little ranger station. (click here and print). There is potable water near this little hut. Since it takes at least one hour to go back from Giant Forest to Grant Grove, and at least one hour from Grant Grove to Roads End and i assume that you want at least a one-hour stop to eat your last meal, you should start driving from Giant Forest about 3 hours before the meeting time. Saturday driverFirst and foremost do not forget about bears. Make sure all your passengers remove every smelly item from the car. There are bear lockers at Roads End.Count 5 hours of actual driving from my house to Roads End. Including a stop for late lunch (last meal before the hiking), you should start driving about six hours before the meeting time. 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'). Just before Fresno (cheap gas in Fresno: Arco on Kings Canyon Ave, or the gas stations on Clinton Ave & Weber), 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 - pay attention to signs for 180 detour!) to the Big Stump park entrance (85 kms, 1h 15') to the fork with Sequoia Park (5') 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. Roads End is a parking lot. We meet at the little ranger station. (click here and print). There is potable water near this little hut. Timetable
Softcore hikers onlyMy time of 2005 to East Lake (click here for more details). Multiply by 1.5 if you want to be on the safe side. The junction with the East Lake trail is well marked.
Other than this, the trail is a highway. After you passed the creek, look
behind you: the mountain is Mt Bago.
You will have better and better views of it as you hike up the switchbacks
to the East Lake (click here)).
Anyway, the whole hike to the East Lake is here.
And this will be your reward:
After you reach East Lake, you can continue along the left bank of the lake to the south. A use trail leads to another (bigger) lake but i have never been there. Just remember that you are now 24 km away from the car... Even if it is all downhill, it will easily take you 8 hours because you will be tired. Real epic softcore hikers can go back to the Sphinx junction and hike up towards the hardcore hikers. This is a very steep trail for about two hours. Great view of the Sphinx Creek coming down through a series of rapids and waterfalls from where the hardcore hikers should be coming down. As steep as the Mist Trail to Half Dome. Hardcore hikers onlyFirst and foremost: the number one problem in any long-distance hike is water, and that problem is compounded by high altitude (whatever little water there is it is icy), and the problem is compounded when there is no trail because you want to have a very light backpack (we'll have to wade at least two lakes and two creeks with water up to our chest, walk through little jungles, etc. So you need a water strategy. Either you drink from every creek, or you bring iodine tablets (the "Emily" strategy).Second, it is a gamble whether we will have lots of snow or lots of water. It's either one or the other. Normally in this season i would still expect snow above 3,000 meters, but this year there is a chance that we will not hit snow until 3,500 meters. Alas, that means that a lot of snow has melted and that creeks and lakes are full (and trecherous to cross). I do not expect any ice, but of course i could be completely wrong. Please read the warning about wading the creek (in the Softcore Hikers Only section). It is not a joke. Rangers discourage hikers to do it (as if there were any other way to reach East Lake...). Hiking poles are mandatory. Needless to say, i have no idea how to find the route from East Lake to the Sphinx Lakes. Trip reports that i found on the web and the Secor book are confusing at best. My guess is that we take the second creek off the lake (see the topozone below) and follow its right bank, trying to stay 50-100m from the water (not too close to the water, but not too much on the tallus rocks). At some point we have to climb out of the gorge to our right to gain the ridge that takes to the top of Brewer (see below the photo of Brewer from East Lake that shows that ridge very clearly). The key to success is to minimize bushwhacking and tallus hopping, because both are very time consuming. Once we gain the ridge, i think the main problem will be the altitude. But at that point the route should become obvious. Once at the top, we get down on the northwestern side (the left slope of this picture). That should be relatively easy. Then we have to find the Sphinx Pass, which might not be obvious (this photo shows the Sphinx Pass coming from Sphinx Lakes, but we will be coming from the other side). Once there, we know how to get down, except that it's a brutal descent through a) snow, b) swamps, c) tallus rock, d) forests; and it involves crossing at least two creeks. There are seven lakes along this route. After the seventh, we should hit the Sphinx trail. Once on the Sphinx trail, it's about 1.5 hour to get down to the Bubbs Creek trail. Once there, it's about 1.5 hour to the Roads End parking lot.
Click to enlarge:
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