There were several great campsites with well developed fire pits complete with tree benches, but areas like Hamilton Lake (8,234 ft) still have area-specific fire restrictions due to the high traffic these spots receive. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada from west to east. Anchored for a day at Puerto Rico’s nature reserve of Isla Caja de Muertos. The High Sierra Trail is a moderate to strenuous 61.5-mile trail through Sequoia National Park.  The trail starts at Crescent Meadow, near Visalia, California, crosses over the Great Western Divide, goes up Kern Canyon, then joins up with the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail at Wallace Creek.  The trail then continues east to Guitar Lake and officially ends at the summit of 14,494′ Mount Whitney.  Continuing to Whitney Portal makes the hike 72.2 miles total. Includes links to the resources I used to learn about this trail. If I were to do it again, I'd probably prefer an 8 day, more relaxed itinerary to allow for more time to relax at each spot or for optional side trips. Difficult. During our 3 day trip, we also hiked up to the summit of Mt. Your choice – freeze-dried food, peanut butter and crackers, beef jerky, instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated food, whatever you’re comfortable with for the six to eight days you’re on the trail.  My two biggest pieces of advice: get the highest calorie count per ounce of food, and make sure you’ll still find it tasty after a week. I was hoping for some ice chunks to still be floating in the lake, but they all must have melted by this late in the season. Buy Tickets Here Jan 18th, 2019, Tustin, CA In Store Screening of The High Sierra Trail at REI ��� Being <100 miles, it would only take us a week to finish. Favorite LakePrecipice Lake - the one lake I was most excited to see! To my surprise I found some completely secluded beaches – small, beautiful, and seemingly untouched by anyone! Some sites at the lower elevations even allow fires, which is always a rare and welcome treat when backpacking in the Sierra. Making sure we had enough food and calories for a strenuous 8 day trip took a lot of planning as well. It was hard wrapping my head around the fact that everything I would need for an entire week should fit in a single backpack on my back, but once I gathered everything together, it was easy to eliminate and add items based on the room I had. The Sierra High Route is one of the most spectacular and challenging treks in North America. We knew we would be dealing with colder and more variable weather, but we took what we got. Reviewing the maps, planning your itinerary, plotting your campsites and filling out your gear helps build the anticipation. Read More. You’re never too far from water, especially through mid-summer.  You shouldn’t need more than two liters of water storage. Tips to Improve Your Photography: The Scavenger Hunt, Fujifilm Tethering Workarounds for Lightroom Classic and Capture One, Kneecapped by the Mythical Fear of High ISO Noise. Our journey began in Sequoia National Park and took us through the High Sierras, on a portion of the John Muir Trail, and to the top of Mt. Peanut butter2. Backpacking the High Sierra Trail Most people complete their High Sierra Trail itinerary in 6-8 days. The High Sierra Trail is best completed between early July, when most of the snow should be melted, and late September, when cold temperatures and storms begin to move in. I really didn’t change anything since my 2015 John Muir Trail trip.  I’ve been backpacking with pretty much the same setup since then, meaning fairly spartan and lightweight.  Check out the previous link for details. Normally I lean towards the gourmet foodie kind of person when it comes to eating on the trail, so this time I actually calculated the calories per gram of each food and focused on calorie dense meals. More details on obtaining Sequoia National Park permits can be found here. The High Sierra Trail leads from Crescent Meadow up the canyon of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River, crossing the Great Western Divide by the 10,700' (3261 meters) pass known as Kaweah Gap. High Sierra Trail Summary. High Sierra Trail Weather Weather on the High Sierra Trail can be difficult to predict. Those 6 days in some of the most remote parts of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park blew me away with everything the Sierra has to offer - snow capped mountain ranges, sheer exposed drop offs and peaks, crystal clear alpine lakes, and lush grassy meadows. The High Sierra Trail has two great ascents – the first one over Kaweah Gap and the Great Western Divide, and the second over the Eastern Sierra and Trail Crest at Mt. This trail is typically done West to East from Crescent Meadows in Sequoina National Park to Whitney Portal. It descends into Big Arroyo, then climbs up to the Chagoopa Plateau, and drops down again into the Kern River Canyon. Whitney just like the JMT. The High Sierra Trail is a hiking trail in Sequoia National Park, California. Join Chris as he drives his friend John to insanity over 6 days in the Sierra Nevada. Within a mile of starting from Crescent Meadows, the hike takes its own character. Tom Harrison Mt. Polarizing filter for the sky and foliage. The first 11 miles of the trail are fairly wooded as it leaves Crescent Meadow and contours the high side of the valley above the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.  There are numerous stream crossings and colorful wildflowers in June and July.  Occasional breaks in the tree cover provide spectacular views of Castle Rocks, Sugarbowl Dome, and Little Blue Dome.  Bearpaw Meadow is a popular glamping spot for hikers. Due to the vast wilderness, present throughout much of the Sierra-Nevada Mountain Range, hiking the High Sierra Trail is one of the only ways to experience a crossing of the Western Divide. The official trail length is 61.5 miles from Crescent Meadow to Mt. Favorite CampsiteHamilton Lake - even though it was the spot where we saw the most people the entire trip, I can see why this lake nestled by a granite dome is a favorite. The shorter, 72-mile High Sierra Trail runs west to east across the Sierras and can be done in six to ten days. 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