Trip Report: Backpacking Mineral King in Sequoia National Park
BY ASH CZARNOTA
Journalist Ron Erskine once wrote, “If your idea of heaven is the middle of nowhere, Mineral King is for you.” The road leading to the Mineral King region of Sequoia National Park is a 25-mile gauntlet of hairpin turns, potholes, and steep grades that rises more than 5,700 feet into the high country. It’s the kind of place only the most die-hard park-goers seek out, and I count myself among them.
Back in mid-July, a couple of close friends floated the idea of hiking a 30-mile loop through this hidden gem. I hardly needed persuading; by the end of that day, we had booked our permits and locked in an itinerary.
We set out from the Franklin Lakes Trailhead, where the path traced the East Fork of the Kaweah River before ascending into Farewell Canyon. Sierra shooting star, lupine, and Indian paintbrush lit up the hillsides. Marmots poked their noses out of burrows and darted across the trail. It’s wild to think that in the 60s Walt Disney stood here and saw not unimpeachable wilderness, but ski chalets, gift shops, and chairlifts swinging over ridgelines. Thankfully, his vision never materialized.
We paused at Franklin Lakes to refuel before climbing toward Franklin Pass. The pass was easy by Sierra standards, but pockets of deep sand dampened our pace and stretched our resolve. By the time we crested the pass, a line of dark clouds was creeping in from the south. We quickly descended below treeline, swatting away mosquitoes and salivating at the aroma of grilled chicken from a nearby trail crew camp.
Dropping our packs for the night at Forester Lake, we peeled off our dusty socks, soaked our feet, and washed away the day’s grime. Bowls of steaming ramen in hand, we gazed across the lake at nearby Bullfrog and Florence Peaks that radiated in golden hour light.
The next morning, we continued along Soda Creek Trail, threading our way under canopies of red fir and ponderosa pines before turning west into Lost Canyon. I’d heard my hiking partners rave about this place from the jump, so my expectations were high. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the sight that opened before us: a narrow basin flanked by towering, buttery smooth granite walls, a shallow creek bisecting its verdant meadows, and fluffy white clouds cresting the canyon rim and tumbling inward like crashing waves. It was the kind of place that reminded me why I love backpacking. Even the punishing scramble up Sawtooth Pass the next morning, and the subsequent ankle-twisting, scree-riddled descent back to the trailhead, couldn’t dampen my spirits.
Mineral King doesn’t give up its treasures easily, but for those willing to brave the treacherous drive and tricky terrain, it offers a slice of the Sierra Nevada that feels, quite simply, like heaven on earth.
