Many inquiries are received relative to hiking and pack trips in the Sierra within and adjacent to the Sequoia National Park. The following information about maps, trails, camps, routes, etc., will be useful to prospective visitors; but in view of the wild nature of the territory and inaccuracy of existing maps, the information must be accepted with reservations.
The country from the Sequoia National Park to Yosemite National Park is shown on the United States Geological Survey quadrangles: Kaweah, Tehipite, Mount Whitney, Olancha, Mount Morrison, Mount Goddard, Bishop, Mount Lyell, Kaiser, and Yosemite. The John Muir Trail crosses parts of these quadrangles. Maps of these areas are based on surveys made from 15 to 25 years ago, with only slight corrections since, and the trails and other artificial features have undergone many changes. These maps may be obtained from the United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C., or from the superintendent, Sequoia National Park, Calif., at 10 cents each. The parts of the maps of the Tehipite, Kaweah, Mount Whitney, and Olancha quadrangles included within the Sequoia National Park are printed on a single sheet, which may be obtained for 25 cents from the chief ranger, or at the Giant Forest naturalist's office.
Sequoia National Park and the area surrounding it includes a region of as great diversity and wild grandeur as any area of equal size in America. Here are more than 75 peaks over 11,000 feet in elevation, of which 7 are more than 14,000 feet, 35 over 13,000 feet, and 20 more than 12,000 feet high. Here are at least 200 high mountain lakes, and over 300 miles of streams containing the famous golden and Kern River rainbow trout. Good mountain trails traverse this area and lead to the outstanding points of interest.
Camping places and fenced pastures are available, so that parties may make camp in comfortable places that also provide adequate facilities for the horses.
Pack outfits start for the high mountains during the season. Packing into the High Sierra starts from Giant Forest and Hospital Rock Camps in the park, from points near the park such as at Three Rivers, the Maxon Ranch, and Mineral King, from points in the national forests both north and south, and from Owens Valley towns to the east.
Giant Forest, elevation 6,500 feet, because of its excellent accommodations and general activities of a mountain resort, is becoming more popular each year as a point of departure for the High Sierra. Automobiles left at Giant Forest will be cared for by the park operators and canvas covers furnished.
Main trails lead north from Giant Forest via J. O. Pass to the Kings Canyon, Roaring River, and Sugarloaf districts north of the park; east and south via High Sierra Trail or Redwood Meadows to the Kern Canyon and Mount Whitney in the park; by either Kaweah Gap or Black Rock Pass to the Big Arroyo or by Timber Gap to Mineral King and a choice of trails southward to the Kern River in the lower canyon.
Three Rivers, on the paved highway and a few miles below the park entrance, is the local center for packers and guides to the High Sierra. There are hotel accommodations, stores, and post office located here.
Mineral King, 7,800 feet elevation, 32 miles above Three Rivers by mountain road, is in the Sequoia National Forest, which here forms an indentation from the south into the park area. It is a center for pack outfits and guides and an excellent place from which to leave for Kern Canyon, Mount Whitney, and the High Sierra. There are limited hotel accommodations, a store, and post office.
Lone Pine and Independence, on the east side of the Sierra on the Midland Trail, are centers for pack outfits. Good hotels, stores, garages, and other conveniences are available at these and other towns in the Owens Valley.