Explore the most popular Lake trails in Kings Canyon National Park with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
Beautiful hike!! The access road to trailhead was not something I I would try in a golf (adding 4 total miles to hike). The access road was very icy for the first 1/4 of the mile after that it is drivable. Anyways back to the hike! Enter though a stand of sequoias that follows through to the top of the mountain. The trees are amazing, but we did have to hike around some blow down trees on the trail. The hike has great Mountain View and finishes off following the creek at the bottom of the mountain. Be on the lookout for bears! We saw lots of bear poop.
My first backpacking trip.it got me hook into backpacking. Adventure!
Did this in a day on 11/3/19. 13:40 total time start to finish, partner and I thought about 22 miles, 5600' gain. Fun adventure for those willing to put in a strenuous day and having a light pack made a difference for scramble sections. A good amount of class 3 once off trail, we had one granite slab traverse to 4th class downclimb to avoid a snowfield but that was fun and nothing felt overly technical. Leaving Lamarck Col begins the route finding which we didn't find to be too difficult. A faint trail hugs the northern shore of Darwin Canyon lakes. Turn north before Darwin Bench up a stream and stay hiker's right of the outflow notch. Hug east side of first lake and cut between next lake up to the next bench and lake. Scrambling west side of next lake led to impassable snowfield forcing us to boulder hop and submerge to knees for about 100 ft section in the lake skirting the wall of ice. Snow forced us to do things a low snow year wouldn't which made for slightly slower going but more adventure. Scrambling up to Alpine Col was straight forward and luckily not much snow in the way for down scramble through giant boulders. Once to Goethe Lake it's slow going scrambling for a ways along the east side. Cut between the next lake and stay west side of that one and Muriel. Once around the NW corner of Muriel you'll pick back up the trail thru Piute pass and it's smooth sailing on a mellow path out.
Very well kept trail, easy grade to the pass. No real established trail to peak, soft and shifty soil. Very windy approaching summit, didn’t finish due to high winds.
Hiked to Lamarck col. It is 6.3 miles and 3600 feet of vertical. Lots of very steep parts. Right at the col there was an ice field which I could not climb so I went up on the shoulder. Grueling hike, 7 hours. 4 hours up snow photo is the approach to the col. No way to get there except across the ice.
Did this counter clockwise in 2 days. Be prepared for lots of slow going boulder fields and talus starting at Goethe and over Alpine col and the next lake. Its not easy but u get some of the best scenery in the Sierra
October 11, great time of year for this hike. I did Sugarbowl trail down to the creek, spent the night along the water, then hiked out Hart trail. Beautiful hike among the giant trees. No bugs, few people, cold at night, but gorgeous during the day.
Did this as a solo day hike/trail run Friday 10/4. First hike in the Sierras, other than Half Dome, and wow, just breathtaking allll the way through. Started at 6:30am and went clockwise so as to spread out the 8K’ gain over 25 miles, as opposed to going clockwise and doing it in 15. Weather was perfect, ranging from 40s to 70s with some cool winds around Glen Pass, but I was OK with a t-shirt and shorts and did not unpack my windbreaker or down jacket. Bugs were nonexistent. High percentage of the trail is runnable, which would’ve been nice, had I not been dealing with some nagging aches and pains that slowed me down. Trail was easy to follow and well-marked throughout, and I never had any nav issues at any time. Lots of PCTers, JMTers, and backpackers to chat with along the way. Trail wasn’t crowded, but I did see a decent amount of people. Camp sites looked like less than 50% percent occupancy on Friday morning. Pretty much constant water availability, so I just took a 1.5L bladder and a filter and that did just fine. Saw a couple bears off in the distance and had a close shave with a mountain lion which nearly necessitated a change of shorts. Deer were present for a good chunk of the trail. I have to admit that while I enjoyed the challenge of doing this as a day hike, I feel like I short-changed myself by not giving myself the necessary time to enjoy this amazing trail over a 3 or 4 day backpacking excursion. Already looking forward to it. Start: 6:30 am Completed: 8:45 pm Moving time: 12h 50m Distance: 40.6 mi Total elevation gained: 8272’ (corrected)
Completed the loop clockwise from Road's end over 6D5N Sept 28-Oct 3. Camped upper paradise, 2 nights at rae lakes with a day trip to 60 lakes basin, added a loop out to Kearsarge pass and camped at Kearsarge lakes, then camped at Bubbs creek. Definitely recommend clockwise, we felt it gave us better views that got better as the hike progressed. Days were clear and beautiful, nights were freezing cold, waking to frozen water bottles and one time with a little snow on the ground. Went prepared and was very much enjoyed, no need for microspikes although we had them. Sleeping bag liner is a light way to add some heat to your sleeping bag. Highly recommend Kearsarge pass if you have the time, fantastic view of the mountain range to the south. Highly recommend this hike, gorgeous views the whole way, fantastic trail easy to navigate. We rented bear canisters at REI in Fresno (got the big clear ones, easier to see where your food is!) was cheaper and more variety than the Parks office. River crossing at upper paradise is still out, but there was a log that was very grippy and low water levels making for an easy traverse. No bears seen nothing tampered with out bear canisters. Saw 3 bucks and many other deer along the way. Generally did not feel crowded although there are other people around especially at campsites. Very clean seeing almost zero garbage.
Must do!
Easily the best backcountry trip I've taken so far. We completed a clockwise loop in 5 days with a zero at Rae Lakes from 9/22 through 9/26. We camped at Upper Paradise Valley, Rae (2x), and Junction Meadow. The second day climb from Castle Dome Meadow to Dollar Lake was the most strenuous section, easily beating out Glen Pass, which really wasn't so bad. Temperatures were perfect, a bit warm at times during the day, but staying above freezing even at elevation. Wind wasn't an issue. No mosquitos, just a few manageable gnat swarms at the start and end of the loop. All water crossings can be completed without getting wet (logs or rock hopping). Fishing at Lower Rae was too easy and got boring quickly. I was catching 4-6" brook trout on every cast with a fly and bubble setup on a spinning rod. I was using pheasant tail nymphs but those hungry fish would probably go for anything. Same story in Bubb's behind the Junction Meadow camp. Saw a few deer at Upper Rae, then spotted a bear across Bubb's from our campground at Junction Meadow. He didn't seem to want anything to do with us and quickly climbed out of site. Went about halfway up the trail to Sixty Lakes basin on our zero day, enough to keep the muscles warm and enjoy spectacular views of the lakes. Really enjoyed chatting with many amazing folks on this beautiful trail. JMTers, PCTers, and Rae Lakes loopers forming one happy trail family. This is one I will remember for a long time!
One of the most rewarding trails I have been on. the varying landscapes were breathtaking. Day 1: Arrived at Cedar
My best backpacking trip so far, we did the trip in 3.5 days, Thursday morning to Sunday morning. Thursday: We did a total of 10.5 miles and camped at the upper paradise valley. The next morning we had to wade across the stream, it was about shin deep and the water was pretty slow. Friday: We did a total of 13.5 miles, camping at upper Rae lake, was very windy and difficult to sleep. Make sure you secure your tents and covers down since everything will get blown away. We had a clear sky so we could see the Milkyway galaxy. Saturday: We did a total of 15.5 miles, we got out of Rae lakes as quickly as possible because it was not comfortable there with no fire and freezing winds. After about 4 miles from Rae lakes, everything was back to normal and we were flying downhill most of the time. Two of our mates got lost because they took a shortcut and ended up doing an extra 4 miles, so make sure you check every corner on the switchbacks to make sure you don't miss a trail split. We ended up camping at Sphinx creek, there was plenty of space, cover, and firewood and everyone was happy because we only had 4 miles to the car. Sunday: We only had 4 miles of switchbacks + downhill + flat to cover. We got to the car by 10 am. I would recommend leaving as little miles as possible for the last day, that way you have time to unpack and catch up on things when you get back him. For us, we got home around 5 pm.
I did this hike years ago and it is an awesome High Sierra trail. If you go counter clockwise I would recommend leaving early so you’re not stuck on the switchbacks in the afternoon sun. There’s pretty regular access to water along the way. Glen Pass is an amazing view. We saw a few bears and a rattlesnake along the way. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants a good long weekend Sierra trail.
Beautiful loop, great for backpacking. Recommend doing this clockwise. Stayed overnight at Paradise, Rae Lakes, and Junction. There are 3 campgrounds spread out at Junction so just keep looking if you're trying to find one that isn't occupied.
What a hike! This is a strenuous hike, no doubt about it. Pack lite, this is a must! My friend and I set out for Williamson OR Tyndall but hit the trailhead with about 50 lbs which prevented us from summiting. The round trip is more like 40+ miles, AllTrails is short on the hike description, both my Garmin and InReach conformed it to be 15 miles from the TH to the bowl where most climbers camp out at. Unfortunately, we tired out at Anvil camp and tried for either summit the next morning but couldn’t get past the bowl with enough time to safely summit and return to camp. Prepare for lots of elevation. There are several areas where you lose up to 1k ft of elevation whether ascending or descending back to the TH. It’s a grid for sure and will test your conditioning. Weather was beautiful. I will be back!
Well maintained trail. 7 miles to Middle Paradise Camp area. 1,600 foot elevation gain. Lots of stairs. Could have used an escalator.
Words can’t describe this trail! Every landscape was massive and beautiful! Highly recommend this trail 3 nights 4 days at least. Also only recommend the clockwise trek.
Hiked this trail 8/6/19, spent 3 nights above the pass, summited Mt Williamson and Mt Tyndall, then hiked back down. Quite manageable though a heavy snow year. Used microspikes to exit the pass at the top, but others didn't. Got lost on Williamson for a bit. Stay left after the black water mark. Tyndall was straight forward.
