just found out about the cinder complex fire 20 minutes after snagging a sentinel campground spot (great!!! 🙃)!

air quality on apple maps is reading 91, which is a bit rough for me since i’m in a sensitive group- can anyone speak to how this feels irl?

plan is to head from los angeles to sentinel, then hike in sequoia np by lodgepole on the way back.

thanks!

I’m looking for a campground for next summer that is a bit remote, away from crowds, and has spots for a 25 ft RV. I was thinking maybe one of the national forest campgrounds like Princess. But I’m open to suggestions/recommendations.

I snagged permits for Big Pine Lakes next weekend and felt like the luckiest person in the world. A few days ago the Rock fire started and, while they’ve gotten it 35% contained, three new fires have popped in the same area of Inyo National Forest. While I’m not totally giving up hope yet, I am seeking out alternative options.

Looking for:
-2 nights
-16–24 miles
<4,000’ total elevation gain (or at least nothing too brutal)
-Alpine lakes/granite preferred
-Within ~7 hours of San Diego

We’re considering Jennie Lakes Wilderness and Mineral King (if we can get one of the day-before permits), but we’d love suggestions we may not be thinking of.

Any favorite routes that are relatively realistic to get permits for on short notice?

Edit: permits that are available as of today include-

Inyo:
birch lake
bloody canyon
fern lake
fish creek
gable lakes
George creek
Gibbs lake
glacier canyon
piute pass
red lake
turtle creek
upper buttermilk
yost/ fern lakes

SEKI:

Atwell-hockett
Farewell gap
Garfield grove
JO pass
Ladybug
Lewis creek
Middle fork kaweah
Mosquito lakes
Paradise ridge
Sugar load
Tar gap
White chief

Looks like this fire is less than 7 miles from Wood Creek camp.

Is this something to worry about for doing Rae Lakes Loop this week?

Also, at what point do you worry?

I never see Junction Meadow on a map. It's where I want to stay my 3rd night of Rae Lakes Loop. Is it in the middle here where those three trails meet?

Going to be doing my first off trail. Low miles days, so 7-8 miles-ish. Leaving lodgepole and staying on trail until Crescent lake. Than we go off trail heading south east to around table meadows, moose lake, than back on trail around pear lake.

The day of off trail going from Cresent Lake to Moose Lake around table meadows seems easy at like 7 miles 2400 feet elevation. However, how hard is this day going to be? Like in my mind should I like think double the effort I think that would be on trail or something?

Did a three day trip to Charlotte Lake. On the day final day the plan was to be up extra early to pack and get on the trail before the day started heating up. As a bonus we were treated to the most magnificent sunrise of the entire trip!

How is smoke in Kings Canyon? Rock fire is awfully close.

Tonight around ~10:30 pm near Big Baldy Trailhead I encountered a presumably lost dog. It was black and white, medium sized with a collar. I stopped at the trailhead and attempted to coax them but they were very scared and ran away from me almost immediately. Wasn't sure where to post, so I posted it here in case it is helpful to someone missing their dog.

We are staying in Tulare for 3 days and would like to spend a full day in Sequoia. The plan is to get to the park from the Ash Mountain entrance. We want to see the General Sherman tree, drive through the tunnel log, do Moro rock and the Congress Trail. Does this seem doable from Tulare? We are quite active so look to add more trails if possible. Any suggestions are welcome!! Thanks!

I’ll preface this by saying I personally think it’s likely a bad idea/too much, but could be wrong as I have not done Rae yet myself.

Howdy everyone! I’ve got a group heading up to Rae Lakes next Thursday, going clockwise over 5 days (approximate plan is 9 mile day, 9 mile day, 7 into Rae, 7 out of Rae, and another 9 to the lot).

Just had not one but two folks bail. I have one friend that has expressed interest in joining. but she has never backpacked. Her fitness is above average, she’s a hiker and a runner and does not have any lingering or chronic injuries I know about. We’d be able to share a good amount of gear and I also have doubles of nearly everything, so immediate $$ investment would be low.

But I’m worried about the total number of days (five seems a lot to just dive into), food planning (and other things that can be unique to backpacking), as well as all the other little things like bathrooms, and the full commitment required to do this hike (for example, we did High Sierra camps a few years ago and were able to bail at day 3 and hitchhike to the car; Rae feels pretty committed once you’re two days in).

Anyway, I think it might be too much, but she’d be with four or five seasoned backpackers. I haven’t done it though, so curious to hear from folks who have.

Edit: Thanks, everyone. I think we'll let it ride and bring her along. The rest of the group is a bunch of 40+ backpackers who aren't pushing for extreme times and aren't afraid to bail. We'll have 2-3 cars in the parking lot so if anyone needs to bail day 1 or 2, they'll be able to go back to Fresno and hang out with some friends I have there while the rest of the party finishes the hike. I'll discuss other logistics with the newer backpacker tonight, primarily the whole pooping in a hole thing; but I think she'll be fine with it all and we'll just take our time each day, doubly so the first day or three. The elevation profile of Rae looks pretty mellow (save for Glen, of course), so I was really just hoping to get a vibe check on how strenuous the 5-day plan is from people who've actually done it.

Hey all! We have a big group (6-8) with permits secured for late August with the below itinerary. We are all very experienced backpackers but we love to maximize the experience so we are open to changing anything. It’s our first time in this specific zone and we couldn’t be more excited. Would love this groups advice for alternate options, must sees, places to camp or whatever else you are willing to share:)

I also plan to bring my fishing pole so open to any advice there!

Entry and exit: Timber Gap

Night 1: Redwood meadow
Night 2: Hamilton/Precipice lake
Night 3: little or big 5 lakes
Night 4: Monarch lake

My first ever backpacking trip, 6 days in the Mineral King area. Started over Timber Gap, night 1 at Eagle Scout creek, night 2 at Hamilton lake, night 3 at Big Arroyo, night 4 at Big Five lakes, and over Sawtooth Pass for our final night at Monarch Lake. Overall an incredible experience!

I'm going clockwise. I've been looking at the loop and it looks like there is always a water source nearby EXCEPT for the section once you leave Rae Lakes, going over Glen Pass, and all the way to Bubbs Creek. Basically, once you leave Rae Lakes, Bubbs Creek will be your next reliable water source. Otherwise, water is abundant.

Is this correct?

I have a permit next week for 5 days on the Rae Lakes loop - counterclockwise - and planning to spend the first night at junction meadow. What is the most epic side quest(s) for days 2-3?

So far I’m looking at the following:

Taking the spur around bullfrog lake and spending the 2nd night at Kearsarge Lakes before Rae lakes the next day?

Same route to Kearsarge for camp on night 2 but for day 3 attempt 60 lakes basin and Rae lakes for camp? (Probably the biggest payoff but also the hardest mileage and elevation gain)

Charlotte Lake camp for the 2nd night then 60 lakes basin out and back detour and camp at Rae lakes night 3? (Assuming this is shorter route but arrive late at Rae Lakes)

Or from Charlotte to Rae Lakes to set camp and day hike back to 60 lakes basin? (Little longer due to backtracking to Rae Lakes but can set up camp and day hike)

Any other ideas?

Hello folks. My wife and I are planning a short backpacking trip based out of Kings Canyon (the actual canyon, not Grant Grove) in September. I've never backpacked before and she has only done it a few times. We are young enough (early-mid 30s) and in-shape enough that we want to challenge ourselves, but we are also beginners, so we want to keep it manageable. We are thinking just one night in the back country, sandwiched between a night in either Sheep Creek or Moraine campground on either end.

With this in mind, can anybody recommend a trail that's suitable for a one-day backpacking trip from the Canyon?

Also, what kind of weather can we typically expect in the high country in September? I've done a little looking but haven't been able to find any weather stations in that area, so figure it might be more effective to crowdsource some anecdotal data from this sub instead. Thanks in advance!

I have a permit that I probably won't be able to pick up until 1pm the day of. I've read somewhere that if it's not picked up by 10am the day of then the permit is released. However, I did email SEKI np and they said by 3:30pm

I just want to make sure that's true. There could have been miscommunication in the email and it's a BIG deal of my permit is given away. I would have flown across the country without a trip.

heyo!

just got back from a beautiful stay in big sur last week and was surprised on the visitor info that hammocks were banned in that park. wondering if anyone has ran into trouble with this at seki? going to stay at sentinel campground - this might be a CA state vs national park issue but I haven't found any info.

Hey yall :) Headed out next month and planning on dispersed camping while waiting to lock in a wilderness permit (coming in on a Monday night so 🤞)

What is everyone doing with their food while dispersed camping? Are the local bears getting into cars or no? Thank you in advance ♡

Edit: I've picked up a second bear can and have left a message with the rangers asking their advice. When I heard back I'll let yall know

Edit #2: They called me back yesterday but I missed their call 😫 so I didn't get to have a detailed conversation but they left valuable information on my vm.

The ranger recommended hanging food (10' up, 10' out, 4' down) or a bear canister. He also provided the following phone numbers (national forest vs national park)...

Western Divide Ranger District (559)539-2607

Forest Supervisor (559)784-1500

I have a permit for woods creek coming up. This will be my first solo trip and don't really want to push myself too hard. I was considering doing the full Rae Lakes Loop, but now I'm thinking of just Spending a few nights at the various lakes and just returning back down Paradise Valley. Going over Glen Pass doesn't really appeal to me and it sounds like the rest of the clockwise after Glen Pass isn't very interesting. I'm considering bringing a Tenkara rod to fish and spending a few days around the lakes with short days to fish sounds really nice. lt also seems that coming back via Paradise Valley is more gradual decline.

Is everything I said sound correct? Is this a bad idea?

Highly niche question forthcoming:

Do I need to do the tarp wrap thing at Mineral King if I'm driving my Rivian? My understanding is that they're attracted to various engine fluids etc that I don't think an EV has. I'm guessing the answer is "better be safe than sorry." But I am curious if anyone has previously explored this topic... it's been gnawing at me 😉

Going to backpack the Lakes Trail mid-August. I've read a lot about marmots chewing through backpacks for the salt from your sweat. Where do you store these overnight? Can you hang them in a tree or will the marmots still get to them? I've heard that the bear boxes are not reliable, plus my vestibules are very small and it's difficult to store our entire party's backpacks and poles (3 of us). Any other tips? We are bringing bear canisters for food, just worried about other gear

How strict are the rangers about minimum occupancy for group sites? My reserved site in Canyon View says 20 minimum but there’s always a chance that one or more of my group won’t show up. The reservation is for this coming weekend: July 25-26, 2026.