Most of Sequoia is managed as Wilderness (essentially everything more than
1 mile from a road -- wilderness is best defined by what the
Wilderness Act of 1964 says, and by various designations,
not by anything else). Overall, in these 2 parks
93.43% is officially designated and 3.5% more is managed
as wilderness.
The
Sequoia park site has added an extended description of
the wilderness with trip planning information and rules.
Important information includes camping/grazing/fire restrictions, guides
on food storage (use the approved portable container or camp near a
storage locker), and rules on invasive plants and animals (snails primarily).
Wilderness is
accessible by foot (either your feet or an animal's feet).
It is also where you see fewer people. We have spent
several consecutive days on major trails (i.e. the Muir Trail), and
encountered less than 5 people.
You have to walk to see it. Horses are allowed on most of the trails -- like
everything this is both good and bad (it means trails need to be well
constructed with limits on their steepness, but also that trails can be worn
and dusty). In many areas, the routes taken by horse (mule) groups are obvious,
just from the condition of the trail.
Much of the backcountry is dominated by the
North-South Kern Trench with
plateaus (and peaks, including Mt. Whitney) on either side.
Access is either from the park roads (Mineral King (7830ft),
Crescent Meadow (6700ft), or
from the road in Kings Canyon).
The Inyo National Forest access via the Mt. Whitney trail (14494ft,
trail crest 13777ft) with difficult quotas due to the Whitney traffic,
or Shepard Pass (12050ft) -- neither of these trails are easy -- leads to
the Kern Trench area. There is also a trail
from the south along the Kern River, which is best in the early season.
The pictures from
Kern River, Moraine Lake, Kern Hot Springs,
Lake South America, Tyndall Creek,
Bighorn Plateau, Tyndall Creek, Mount Whitney, have been separated out
to reduce page lengths.
Also, The Kings Canyon Backcountry is covered
separately.
Secor's book covers the Sierra generally and
includes many areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon.
The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails
This is the best overall summary of trails, off-trail, and climbing for the
Sierra.
For hiking, you never fail with
Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region,
though it may depend on which version of this out of print book you have.
Trails are moved, roads are built, some roads are closed, rules on camping
change.
The descriptions are brief, but it is an invaluable aid in planning.
Sierra South -- the most recent edition is from 2006.
These 100
hikes describe most of the obvious trails and give some indication of how
long it usually takes for the hike. Many of the routes cover Sequoia and
Kings Canyon, plus the adjacent Muir Wilderness.
Sierra South: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada
Earlier versions are probably just as good if you have other sources for
confirming rules and don't worry about changes in roads and trails.
For hiking generally, you may want to start with the book by
Colin Fletcher that started many of us.
The Complete Walker IV
Backcountry visitation depends on the weather. Few people visit
through the winter. Visitation declined a bit through the 1980's, but
much less than in Kings Canyon, even with essentially the same quota system
in both parks.
Why is October 2003 so high? It is also high for Kings Canyon.
Many people who hike the Sequoia backcountry enter from another
wilderness area (especially the John Muir Wilderness) rather than
directly from the Sequoia road. This may account
for a large drop in 2004-2006 (not charted) if these people are not included
in the totals (except for the Whitney region access,
you did not have any special
indication that you were going into the park). Also, Mt. Whitney (on the
Sierra crest, thus the peak is on the park boundary) contributes to the
numbers for Sequoia (and the continuing popularity of that hike keeps
the Sequoia totals more stable). The Whitney trail has one of the highest daily
quotas.
Coyote Pass (10160ft) is located at the far southern end of the park. It is a
route from the Kern Trench to the Little Kern Drainage.
You can, at the right time of the year (not the June in this picture),
use this trail
for an easy loop through the southern end of the park.
Sawtooth Peak (as viewed from Sawtooth Pass (11700ft))
is a distinctive feature above Mineral King.
The trail over the pass
eventually leads down to the lower Kern River. You can look for the Sawtooth
on the Alta Peak (11204ft) hike from the Lodgepole area.
From the pass you also have view to Columbine Lake.
Franklin Creek in the Mineral King valley. This is another
route up and out of Mineral King (all routes are UP in Mineral King).
The standard trip is the loop back to Sawtooth Pass.
From Alta Peak (11204ft) looking to the East, the Sierra Crest is mostly
behind the Kaweah-Kern divide. Alta is a standard, if long, day hike from
the Wolverton parking area. You meet a few people and see some animals.
The bear tracks followed the
trail until the cutoff to Bearpaw Meadow (7800ft).
Where else would a bear be headed?
Early on the High Sierra Trail (Crescent Meadow to Mt. Whitney, via Bearpaw
Meadow)
you start with the views
of the Hamilton Lakes area and the Kaweah headwaters. If you are headed to
the end of the trail (i.e. Whitney), this is just a hint of what is to come
and is a view of your next full day of hiking.
At Bearpaw Meadow (7800ft)you can pay (and it is not cheap)
for
tent cabins, clean sheets, cooked meals, showers,
or keep hiking. If you want to pay, reserve early.
This is the somewhat more expensive Sequoia version of the
Yosemite High Sierra Camps.
Remember the name of the location and the bear tracks on the Alta Peak trail
when you decide on how you protect your food.
Hamilton Lakes (8235ft) are a popular (and often over used)
location on the High Sierra Trail and a destination
for easy hikes into the backcountry. After Hamilton Lake (the larger
one), you
have Kaweah Gap (10700ft), the long descent into the Kern,
then the seemingly longer climb out with Whitney at the end.
The cliffs are appropriately named Vahallah.
Kaweah Gap (10700ft) leads to the
Nine Lakes Basin. Kaweah Gap is a pass
that looks like a pass should -- a route through a narrow cut.
Once you are over the pass, you see many fewer people. Indeed above
Hamilton Lake you see fewer people. Going through the pass begins your descent
into the Kern River Trench (6700ft).