Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: Your Complete Hiking Guide

Explore the southern High Sierra with this comprehensive guide to 122 of the area’s best hikes.

Home to the world’s largest trees, one of North America’s deepest canyons, and the tallest mountain in the continental United States, the greater Sequoia-Kings Canyon region offers unparalleled mountain majesty. Hundreds of miles of trails provide access to boundless wildflower-covered meadows, cascading streams, alpine lakes, deep forests, and craggy peaks.

Discover the sparkling granite landscape of the Range of Light with expert author Mike White. His popular guidebook presents 122 of the best hikes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, as well as the surrounding Golden Trout, John Muir, Jennie Lakes, and Monarch wildernesses and Giant Sequoia National Monument. From a half-mile loop by pictographs and bedrock mortars to an 82-mile trek along the wild and remote Middle Fork Kings River, there are hikes for all skill levels and interests.

Inside you’ll find:

• 122 recommended hiking (and backpacking) routes
• Detailed trip descriptions and maps
• At-a-glance icons that spotlight campgrounds, spectacular views, swimming holes, wildflowers, giant sequoia groves, and more
• Park, campground, and driving information, including road logs for the Generals and Kings Canyon highways

Grab a copy of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, and enjoy the spectacular wonders of the southern High Sierra!

West Side Trips

SOUTH FORK KAWEAH RIVER TRAILHEAD

1. Putnam and Snowslide Canyons
2. Ladybug Camp and Cedar Creek
3. Garfield-Hockett Trail to Garfield Grove and Hockett Lakes
4. Introduction to Atwell Mill and Mineral King

   ATWELL MILL TRAILHEAD

5. East Fork Grove
6. Atwell-Hockett Trail to Hockett Plateau
7. Paradise Peak

8. MINERAL KING TRAILHEAD

9. Cold Springs Trail
10. Mosquito Lakes
11. Eagle Lake
12. White Chief Canyon
13. Farewell Gap
14. Franklin Lakes
15. Franklin Pass and Sawtooth Pass Loop
16. Crystal Lake
17. Monarch Lakes
18. Little Five and Big Five Lakes Loop
19. Great Western Divide Loop

20. Introduction to the Foothills

    POTWISHA TRAILHEAD

21. Potwisha Pictographs Loop
22. Marble Falls

23. HOSPITAL ROCK TRAILHEAD

24. Middle Fork Kaweah River: Hospital Rock to Potwisha
25. Paradise Creek Trail
26. Middle Fork Kaweah River: Hospital Rock to Panther Creek

27. NORTH FORK TRAILHEAD

28. North Fork Trail
29. Colony Mill Road: North Fork to Colony Mill Ranger Station

30. Introduction to the Giant Forest

    CRYSTAL CAVE ROAD TRAILHEAD

31. Colony Mill Road: Crystal Cave Road to Colony Mill Ranger Station

32. CRESCENT MEADOW TRAILHEAD

33. Huckleberry Meadow Loop
34. Bobcat Point Loop
35. Crescent and Log Meadows Loop
36. High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Panther Creek
37. Giant Forest East Loop
38. Bearpaw Meadow, Hamilton Lakes, and Nine Lakes Basin
39. High Sierra Trail: Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal

40. GIANT FOREST TRAILHEADS

41. Moro Rock: Soldiers Trail and Moro Rock Loop
42. Sunset Rock
43. Big Trees Trail
44. Hazelwood Nature Trail
45. Trail of the Sequoias
46. Circle Meadow Loop
47. Congress Trail

48. Introduction to Wolverton, Lodgepole, and Wuksachi

    WOLVERTON TRAILHEAD

49. Mehrten and Alta Meadows
50. Alta Peak
51. Panther Gap Loop
52. Lakes Trail to Heather, Aster, Emerald, and Pear Lakes

53. LODGEPOLE TRAIHEAD

54. Tokopah Falls
55. Twin Lakes
56. Kings-Kaweah Divide Loop

57. WUKSACHI TRAILHEAD

58. Wuksachi Trail

59. Introduction to Dorst Creek

    DORST CREEK TRAILHEADS

60. Little Baldy
61. Muir Grove
62. Lost Grove to Dorst Campground
63. Cabin Creek Trail

64. Introduction to Giant Sequoia National Monument and Jennie Lakes Wilderness

    STONY CREEK TRAILHEAD

65. Stony Creek Trail to Jennie Lake

66. BIG MEADOWS ROAD TRAILHEADS

67. Jennie Lakes Loop
68. Seville Lake
69. Mitchell Peak

70. KENNEDY MEADOW TRAILHEAD

71. Evans Grove

72. Introduction to Redwood Mountain

    GENERALS HIGHWAY TRAILHEADS

73. Big Baldy
74. Buena Vista Peak

75. REDWOOD MOUNTAIN TRAILHEAD

76. Redwood Mountain Grove: Hart Trail Loop
77. Redwood Mountain Grove: Sugar Bowl Loop

78. Introduction to Grant Grove

    GRANT GROVE TRAILHEADS

79. Big Stump Grove
80. Hitchcock Meadow
81. Sunset Loop Trail
82. Azalea and Manzanita Trails Loop
83. North Grove Loop
84. General Grant Tree Trail
85. Park Ridge Lookout

86. CONVERSE BASIN TRAILHEADS

87. Chicago Stump
88. Boole Tree

89. Introduction to Cedar Grove

    DEER COVE TRAILHEAD

90. Deer Cove Trail

91. CEDAR GROVE TRAILHEADS

92. East Kennedy Lake
93. Don Cecil Trail to Lookout Peak
94. Cedar Grove Overlook
95. Hotel and Lewis Creeks Loop

96. ROADS END TRAILHEADS

97. Zumwalt Meadow Nature Trail
98. River Trail
99. Kanawyer Loop Trail
100. Sphinx Creek
101. Circle of Solitude: Great Western and Kings-Kern Divides Loop
102. East Lake and Lake Reflection
103. Charlotte Lake
104. Mist Falls
105. Rae Lakes Loop
106. Copper Creek Trail to Granite Basin
107. State and Horseshoe Lakes

108. Introduction to John Muir Wilderness: West Side

     CROWN VALLEY TRAILHEAD

109. Middle Fork Kings River

110. COURTRIGHT RESERVOIR TRAILHEAD

111. Red Mountain Basin

112. FLORENCE LAKE TRAILHEAD

113. Blayney Hot Springs, Goddard Canyon, and Martha Lake

114. East Side Trips

     Introduction to the Mount Whitney Ranger District

     HORSESHOE MEADOW TRAILHEAD

115. Chicken Spring Lake
116. Cottonwood Pass and New Army Pass Loop

117. COTTONWOOD LAKES TRAILHEAD

118. New Army Pass Trail
119. Cottonwood Lakes
120. Soldier Lakes and Rock Creek
121. Cottonwood Lakes to Whitney Portal

122. WHITNEY PORTAL TRAILHEAD

123. Mount Whitney
124. Meysan Trail
125. John Muir Trail: Whitney Portal to Onion Valley

126. SYMMES CREEK TRAILHEAD

127. Shepherd Pass Trail

128. ONION VALLEY TRAILHEAD

129. Robinson Lake
130. Kearsarge and Bullfrog Lakes
131. Charlotte Lake and Rae Lakes Basin
132. Trans-Sierra Trek: Onion Valley to Cedar Grove
133. John Muir Trail: Onion Valley to South Lake
134. Golden Trout Lakes

135. OAK CREEK TRAILHEAD

136. Baxter Pass Trail

137. SAWMILL CREEK TRAILHEAD

138. Sawmill Pass Trail

139. Introduction to the White Mountain Ranger District

     TABOOSE CREEK TRAILHEAD

140. Taboose Pass Trail

141. RED CREEK TRAILHEAD

142. Red Lake

143. BIRCH CREEK TRAILHEAD

144. Birch Lake

145. BIG PINE CREEK TRAILHEAD

146. Brainerd and Finger Lakes
147. Big Pine Lakes

148. SOUTH LAKE TRAILHEAD

149. Long, Saddlerock, and Bishop Lakes
150. Dusy Basin and Le Conte Canyon
151. John Muir Trail: South Lake to North Lake
152. Chocolate Lakes Loop
153. Treasure Lakes
154. Tyee Lakes

155. LAKE SABRINA TRAILHEAD

156. Sabrina Basin
157. George Lake

158. NORTH LAKE TRAILHEAD

159. Lamarck Lakes
160. Evolution Basin via Lamarck Col
161. Piute Pass Trail to Humphreys Basin and Piute Canyon

Appendices

Mike White learned to hike in the Cascade Mountains and honed his outdoor skills while obtaining a B.A. from Seattle Pacific University. After college, Mike and his wife, Robin, relocated to the high desert of Reno, Nevada, where he was drawn to the majesty of the Sierra Nevada. In the early 1990s, Mike began writing about the outdoors, expanding the third edition of The Trinity Alps. His first solo publication for Wilderness Press was Nevada Wilderness Areas and Great Basin National Park. Fifteen more titles followed, including the Snowshoe Trails series, national park books for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic, Backpacking Nevada, and Afoot & Afield Reno-Tahoe. Two of his books have won national awards, Top Trails Lake Tahoe and 50 Classic Hikes in Nevada (University of Nevada Press). Mike has also contributed to Sierra South, Sierra North, and Backpacking California. In addition to his book projects, Mike has written articles for Sunset, Backpacker, and the Reno Gazette Journal. He is also a contributor to the Pneuma Project blog. A former community college instructor, Mike is a featured speaker for outdoor groups.