Hiking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

by Laurel Scheidt

Overview

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, situated in California's rugged Sierra Nevada, boast some of the most spectacular landscapes on the continent: towering groves of giant sequoia trees, crystalline trout rivers, jagged peaks and alpine meadows, and Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48.

Discover over 80 of the best hikes in the parks, from easy day hikes to challenging backpacking trips, accompanied by colorful photos and trail maps. Fully updated and revised, this book is a personal guide to the wonders of the California Sierra.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493062812
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2022
Series:	Regional Hiking Series
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Laurel Scheidt, born and raised in the central San Joaquin Valley, considers the Sierra Nevada her home away from home. She has traveled many of the trails on both sides of the mountain range, from Lake Tahoe to Lake Isabella, and is a member of the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. After living most of her life in Fresno, she now resides in Modesto, California, with her husband, Scott.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Park History 1

The Giant Sequoia 3

Topographic Features 4

Planning Your Trip 5

Emergency Medical Services (Personal Responsibility) 6

Using This Guidebook 7

How This Guide Is Organized 7

Types of Hike 7

Ratings 7

Distances 7

Maps 8

Sharing 8

Backcountry Regulations 9

Campfires 9

Specific Camping Restrictions 10

Food Storage and Bears 11

Leave No Trace 12

Make It a Safe Trip 14

Being Prepared 14

Seasons and Weather 15

Hypothermia: The Silent Killer 15

Altitude Sickness 16

Drinking Water and Giardiasis 18

High Water 18

Poison Oak 18

Ticks 18

Mosquitoes and Biting Flies 19

Rattlesnakes 19

Be Bear Aware 19

Mountain Lions 21

Trail Finder 23

Author's Favorite Hikes 27

Map Legend 29

The Hikes

Hikes in the Foothills 31

1 Lower Colony Mill Trail 32

2 North Fork Trail 35

3 Marble Falls 38

4 Paradise Creek 41

5 Middle Fork Trail 45

Hikes in the Giant Forest 48

6 Upper Colony Mill Trail 49

7 Sunset Rock 52

8 Moro Rock and Hanging Rock 54

9 Sugar Pine Trail 57

10 Crescent and Log Meadows 60

11 Big Trees Trail 63

12 Huckleberry Trail 66

13 Congress Trail 71

14 Trail of the Sequoias 75

15 Circle Meaduw 79

Hikes in the Central High Sierra 83

16 High Sierra Trail to Bearpaw Meadow 84

17 Hamilton Lakes 87

18 Nine Lake Basin 91

19 Big Arroyo 94

20 Redwood Meadow 96

21 Pinto Lake 99

22 Little Five Lakes 101

Hikes in the Lodgepole and Dorst Areas 104

23 Lakes Trail 105

24 Alta Peak 109

25 Alta Meadow 113

26 Long Meadow Trail 115

27 Tokopah Falls 118

28 Twin Lakes Trail 121

29 Little Baldy 125

30 Muir Grove 128

Hikes in the Grant Grove Area 131

31 Big Stump Loop 132

32 Hitchcock Meadow Trail 135

33 South Boundary Trail 138

34 Manzanita and Azalea Trails 142

35 General Grant Loop 146

36 Sunset Trail 150

37 North Grove and Dead Giant Loops 154

38 North Boundary and Lone Pine Trails 157

39 Park Ridge Trail 162

Hikes in the Redwood Canyon Area 166

40 Hart Tree Trail 167

41 Sugarbowl Trail 171

42 Redwood Canyon Trail 174

43 Buena Vista Peak 178

44 Big Baldy Ridge 181

Hikes in the Cedar Grove and Monarch Divide Areas 185

45 Deer Cove Trail to Grizzly Lakes 186

46 Lewis Creek Trail 190

47 Don Cecil Trail 194

48 Hotel Creek Trail 197

49 Roaring River Falls to Zumwalt Meadow 200

50 Road's End to the Bailey Bridge 204

51 Junction Meadow 207

52 Vidette Meadow 211

53 Upper Bubbs Creek 213

54 Copper Creek Trail 216

55 Paradise Valley 219

56 Rae Lakes Loop 222

Hikes in the Mineral King and South Fork Areas 228

57 Paradise Peak 229

58 Atwell-Hockett Trail to Hockett Meadows 232

59 Evelyn Lake and Cahoon Rock 236

60 Cold Springs Nature Trail 239

61 Timber Gap 242

62 Crystal Lakes 245

63 Monarch Lakes 249

64 Black Wolf Falls 252

65 Franklin Lakes 255

66 Farewell Gap 259

67 White Chief Bowl 261

68 Eagle Lake 265

69 Mosquito Lakes 268

70 Ladybug Camp and Whisky Log Camp 271

71 Garfield Grove 275

Hikes in and near the Jennie Lakes Wilderness 277

72 Weaver Lake 278

73 Jennie Lake 281

74 Deer Meadow 284

75 Mitchell Peak 287

76 Lookout Peak 291

Hikes in the Sugarloaf Valley and Mount Silliman Area 294

77 Roaring River 295

78 Seville Lake 301

79 Lost Lake 305

80 Ranger and Beville Lakes 309

Hikes in Northern and Eastern Kings Canyon and Eastern Sequoia 312

81 Goddard Canyon 313

82 Evolution Valley 319

83 Dusy Basin 321

84 Onion Valley to Kearsarge Lakes 325

85 Charlotte Lake 329

86 Mount Whitney 332

Appendix A For More Information 337

Appendix B Sources and Further Reading 339

Appendix C Hiker's Checklist 340

Hike Index 342

About the Author 344