kings canyon

This past summer’s thru-hike of the John Muir Trail took me through a large swath of Kings Canyon National Park. We travelled along the western corridor of the park for eight full days, giving me a great sense of appreciation and awe for all that the Park protects.

Kings Canyon is really designed as a backpacker’s park, with most of the over 450,000 acres requiring an overnight hike to access. My first two visits to Kings Canyon National Park were through the backcountry…

The front-country zone of Kings Canyon National Park only touches on a small piece of the large park, but is certainly worth a few days (or more!) of exploring, especially when you tie it in with a visit to Sequoia National Park

Day 19: Bubbs Creek Plateau to Wallace Creek
Forester Pass is the highest pass along the JMT as well as the highest point along the entire PCT. Forester had been on my mind for a few days as we had slowly worked our way south. It was a pretty daunting prospect to climb up to a 13,180 foot pass.

Day 18: Rae Lakes to Bubbs Creek plateau
Climbing a challenging pass is best done right before picking up a resupply. Shouldering our packs that morning at Rae Lakes felt pretty great. We were pretty well empty of food and fuel, which meant we were down to our pack base weights.

Day 17: Twin Lakes to Rae Lakes
Once again the Sierras treated us to a beautiful alpine morning of crisp, fresh air and clear blue skies. We were actually excited to see some clouds that morning as we made our way down the trail from Twin Lakes.

Day 16: Split Lake to Twin Lakes
Waking up at 11,600 feet is a rather chilly affair. We were up before the sun crested the eastern ridges. We bundled up in our down jackets, toques and mitts to help keep us warm until the sun found us. After a warming breakfast of oatmeal and tea, we made our way cross-country to rejoin the main trail. ​

Day 15: Lower Palisade Lake to Split Lake
The first day of our third week began above 10,500′. From this point on we were going to be in the true “High Sierras.” We would be sleeping well above 10,000 feet every night and hiking at an average elevation of 11,200 feet. Thank goodness we were acclimatized by now!

Day 14: Little Pete Meadow to Lower Palisade Lake
The morning of our fourteenth day we woke up excited to have made it to the 2/3 mark of our trip. Still one more week ahead, but some of the best scenery yet to come. Plus, we would have company on the trail for the next few days.

Day 13: Evolution Lake to Little Pete Meadow
As far as passes along the JMT go, I believe that Muir Pass is my favourite. I have now had the chance to do the approach from both directions and Southbound is definitely the way to go!