Farewell Gap Trail is a 10.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Silver City, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until October.
backpacking
birding
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
wildlife
Directions from Lookout Point Entrance: Drive eastward on Mineral King Road to the fork at the end. Follow the right side of the fork to the Eagle/Mosquito Parking Area. (This is the trailhead for the Eagle Lake Trail.) Walk back to the bridge that crosses the river and follow it. Turn right on the dirt road that leads to the Mineral King Pack Station. Pass the corral and look for the Farewell Gap Trail sign.
Backpacked this trail in June of 2016. We were the first group that year to cross over from the Mineral King Side. There was considerable snow blocking the trail, but we managed to make it up and over (no special gear required).
Crossed the Gap and camped down @ Bullion Flat. Fantastic little area. Water running down the side of the camp site. Spectacular sunrise. Well worth the drive up to Mineral King.....which is possibly the worst road have ever been on. Overall, great weekender trip. We used it as our shakeout for the HST later that year.
are there any thru trails east to kern canyon ranger station and on past little whitney meadow to cottonwood pass?
alltrails.com is great for short localized hikes, but i can't find any trails that go through; even while the forest service maps show some such trails.
I carried my backpack of 33 pounds with water, tent, bear canister, et. al. and hiked up about four miles to a likely looking camping site. Having lived in California for less than one year and this being my first backpacking experience here I stopped and set up my tent at about five pm. The view was beautiful and I was amazed by the deer passing nearby with no fear of my presence. I also noticed a growth of trees to the West on the hillside about eight miles away. The trees grew in a patch that resembled a heart shape and I wondered why. The next morning I figured it out. As I made coffee the sun finally shown over the mountain and then I saw it. The sun was shining onto the far mountain making a light in the shape of a "Vee" that outlined the bottom of the heart. After coffee and energy bars I packed up and set my pack on a rock while I climbed up to the gap and back. I encountered snow in the shadow of the hillside as I was hiking and made it to the "GAP". There were peaks on both sides with a spectacular view to the East and the trail went on but I didn't. I turned back picked up my pack and hiked back to the car. I passed two other hikers heading up the trail but they were headed to Franklin Pass and not to the gap (I think they mentioned a lake too). Based on the information provided on the trail markers I believe I hiked twelve miles total round trip to the gap and back. I also had blisters to show for my effort too.