Eight Days out of Mineral King, Sequoia NP

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lambertiana

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For several years I have been looking at the Mineral King 7.5' topo, and a specific pair of lakes at 10,900' at the east end of Mt Needham has been calling my name. The map shows them tucked into a cirque with big walls on the west, and penthouse views of the Whitney group on the east. This year I built an eight day backpacking trip around reaching those lakes. I went with someone whom I met on another backpacking forum; we started on Saturday July 27. I will break this into eight separate posts, one for each day.

As we got the permit at the Mineral King ranger station, it was raining pretty hard, but it eased a little as we started up from Mineral King




We eventually reached Timber Gap and started down toward Cliff Creek.






Cliff Creek is a pleasant little stream


Then we headed up Cliff Creek to camp at Pinto Lake. Some pics along the way









And finally stopping to camp here for the night






 
The next morning it dawned clear, and we started the long slog over Black Rock Pass


When we got to the pass, we could see Columbine, Cyclamen, and Spring lakes with Sawtooth Peak behind them


From Black Rock Pass (11,600') looking east toward our destination for the day, Lake 10,192 in the Big Five Lakes group, just right of center


Looking toward the Kaweahs


We got hit by a hailstorm on the way down from the pass, but by the time we reached the uppermost of the Little Five Lakes it was starting to clear




Then we finally reached our destination for the day, Big Five Lakes and Lake 10,192




Evening at Lake 10.192


 
Monday morning was bright and clear, which portended how most of the rest of the trip would be.




The plan for the day was to descend Big Arroyo all the way to just below the plateau that separates Big Arroyo from Rattlesnake Creek. The park service website has a warning for this section because it is not maintained and routefinding skills are necessary. On the way, we first passed by the lowest of the Little Five Lakes, with the Kaweahs in the background


The route we took down to Big Arroyo is very scenic, here is just one example:


Looking down the upper part of Big Arroyo


Big Arroyo creek is very refreshing


In upper Big Arroyo


Views looking down canyon as we descended






At around mile 12 for the day, we started running into a lot of this


At that point, we had to consider our options. The day was running out, and with no trail to follow and not knowing if this deadfall persisted for the remaining two miles, we decided to abort our plans to cross over to Rattlesnake Creek and stopped there for the night.
 
The next day we went back up Big Arroyo a little way to head up toward Soda Creek. It was a long uphill, but Soda Creek canyon was nice




We took the switchbacks (back on a decent trail) to Little Claire Lake (10,420')


The outlet of the lake has outstanding views; first, down canyon toward the Whitney group


And up the main part of the canyon, with Sawtooth Peak and Needham Mtn at the top


From there we continued over the divide, and dropped down to Forester Lake (10,354'), where we spent the night.


I went over the ridge on the SE side of Forest Lake to look down Rattlesnake Creek


My hiking pal found a nice erratic garden, and I had to go there to get some of my own pictures


Sunset at Forester Lake, from camp
 
The next morning was once again bright and clear


We then backtracked most of the way down Soda Creek, passing Little Claire Lake again


After reaching the bottom of Soda Creek canyon, we circled around to head up Lost Canyon. Along the way we could see down Big Arroyo; the low plateau in the center was what we would have crossed on the way to lower Rattlesnake Creek if things had gone according to plans


We then headed up to the lower part of Lost Canyon; we camped near this site


The Lost Canyon creek goes down a wonderful series of cascades right by where we camped; this shot is a typical example of what a hundred yard section of the creek looks like
 
The next day the fun began. My target lakes are far from any trail, so we took our time with the 7.5' topo. As we ascended we were treated with great views




Then we had close to a mile of boulder hopping with full packs, I actually like this stuff


We first came to a small lake tucked in a cirque just north of our target lakes




As we traversed around to the next basin, more views toward the east


And then, finally, the goal for the day:


The lower of the two lakes is a long thin lake, and is almost a zero pool when you go down the shore and look eastward


The upper lake






We climbed above the lakes, this is looking down on them. We camped on the knoll in the middle. We saw no trace of human presence there; given the off trail location and the difficulty to reach it, I would bet it had not been visited by humans in perhaps a generation.


Scenes from camp




Sunset on the Whitney Group
 
Sunrise the next morning


We then headed back to Lost Canyon. On the way, some good pics






After reaching Lost Canyon, we headed up to the top of the canyon to camp at Columbine Lake (10,970'). Views along the way:












Finally reaching the top, looking back down the canyon before dropping the short distance to Columbine Lake


Columbine Lake, with Sawtooth Peak behind it, has its own stark beauty, and deep blue water










At the outlet, I could see Black Rock Pass (just right of center)


Evening at Columbine Lake








 
After another starry night, we awoke to this


We then went up to Sawtooth Pass (11,660'). From there, looking at Sawtooth Peak


My hiking pal is from Tennessee, and this was his first time in the Sierra, so we decided to take the side trip to the summit of Sawtooth (12,343'). Here are some views from the top:










After that, we headed down to lower Monarch Lake (10,400')


Farther down the trail, looking back at Sawtooth from the west


Empire Mountain from the south; on the other side is Cliff Creek


And finally, Mineral King again


We had a fantastic time, and these pictures do not come close to giving a true feeling for the experience.
 
One thing that I like at the high elevations is the foxtail pine; I find them very photogenic. In addition to the one picture in post 7, here are a few more








I liked this composition with the upturned root of a fallen foxtail below a healthy specimen
 
Daytime temps ranged with elevation, from around 80 at the lowest point in Big Arroyo to mid-60s at the high points. The morning lows ranged from about 50 to the high 30s (no ice in the water bottles this year, something that I regularly see in SEKI in July/August when camping high).
 
An epic trip. Thanks so much for posting the pics and the wonderful discriptions. I used to do alot of backpacking in my younger years - this brings back a lot of memories.
 
I currently live in a state with amazing landscape and sites to be seen, but posts like this make me miss my beautiful California! One week from today I will be down there enjoying some of this, and I hope that one day I will be back there for good. Absolutely beautiful pictures, and great trip!
 
awesome views! any of those lakes have fish? i'd imagine if it does it'd be like a mini galapagos in their isolation from the rest of the world...foxtail pine reminds me of the reptile enclosure decorations they sell - easily a 2' section goes for $20+ :eek:

thanks for the pics!
 
Incredible!

I imagine an almost other-wordly experience.

What the heck did you people eat?
 
That looks like you had a great time John. Wish I could have made it with you all! Thanks for the pictures.
 
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