Trail Conditions

 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks now open.

As of November 2nd, wilderness closures in Sequoia National Park have been reduced in size. Some area closures remain in effect due to the SQF Complex fires. The Mineral King area, South Fork area, and some wilderness areas in Sequoia are closed due to wildfire concerns. Some additional facilities remain closed due to the pandemic. Mineral King road has now closed for the season and some wilderness closures will be in place (see below for a description, or check our Fire Closure Map for details).  

 

Partial Closure of Adjacent National Forest Lands Due to Extreme Fire Danger

After a temporary fire closure, Sequoia National Forest announced a partial reopening beginning October 2, 2020. Check the Sequoia National Forest website for details. Inyo and Sierra national forests extended their closure orders. 

 

Bridge washed out along the Rae Lakes Loop

The South Fork Kings River Bridge above Paradise Valley washed out during the winter of 2016-2017. Construction of a replacement bridge will not begin before 2021. Depending on conditions, crossing the South Fork of the Kings River can be extremely hazardous. Observe conditions carefully and then evaluate the risk of crossing. Be prepared to turn back. If you hike the Rae Lakes Loop beginning from Bubbs Creek, plan for the possibility that you may have to backtrack to safely reach Cedar Grove.

 

Lower Paradise Valley Temporary Camping Closure

Due to the number of dead trees in this area, camping is temporarily prohibited in the designated Lower Paradise Valley camp sites. This closure will remain in effect until sites can be inspected and hazard trees removed. 
 

 

Mather Pass

Jessie Wheeler

Here you will find the most recent trail conditions available to us. Conditions are continuously changing and wilderness hikers need to plan for inclement weather. Winter storms start early in the High Sierra and can surprise unaware wilderness travelers. Do not rely on trail updates in spring, fall, and winter when there are very few rangers in the field. Consider all possibilities before you head out on your trip and check out the Trail Safety page for more information on the potential hazards of wilderness travel. For the most up to date information on frontcountry trails, check in at the visitor center closest to your trailhead. Wilderness permits are required for overnight trips.

You can help us by sending an email to report trail conditions. For more information please call the Wilderness Office at [phone].

For snowpack data, visit the California Department of Water Resources snow survey website.

 

Cedar Grove and Roads End

Wilderness Trails

Highway 180 to Cedar Grove is closed for the season at the Hume Lake turnoff.

Avalanche Pass

11/30 - Expect winter condtions above 9,000 ft.

Lewis Creek and Kennedy Pass

7/1 - Trail mostly clear, a few downed trees, Trail kind of disappears for a short period of time just after Frypan Meadow, but then picks up again.
7/1 - Kennedy Pass: Patchy snow above 10,000 ft, mainly on north facing slopes, a tiny bit of snow on the N. side of Kennedy Pass. No snow impeded travel, was able to cut east from East Kennedy Lake through Volcanic Lakes region to Granite Pass, which was clear of snow. Lots of mosquitoes in Granite Basin.

Copper Creek and Granite Pass

6/15 - The trail was 100% snow free all the way to Grouse lake and virtually snow free all the way to the top of
Goat Mountain. There were only small patches that were easy to avoid. There were only 3 downed trees on the trail and they were easy to cross.

Woods Creek, Bubbs Creek, and Glen Pass (Rae Lakes Loop)

6/5 – Woods Creek trail is snow free to Upper Paradise Valley. Bridge is out at Upper Paradise and the crossing is wide with about 2 ft. deep and swift.

6/15 - The Kings River crossing at Upper Paradise is passable. There is a shallow section just down stream from the old bridge. There is also large logjam less than 1/4 mile downstream from the old bridge. Hikers should use caution if attempting to cross on the logjam as they can shift without warning.Glen Pass: The North side of the pass has a well-established snowfield crossing and then some navigation required down the scree field to meet back up with the trail a few hundred feet down.The scree field is a bit loose.

6/21 - Bubbs Creek crossing at East Lake Junction, water is swift ~3ft deep. Not recommended for stock. Hikers should seek an alternate crossing.

7/12 - Glenn Pass Snow-free. There is a stock-stopper boulder on the South Side; hikers won’t have a problem going around it.

7/23 - Charlotte Lakes: Multiple reports of bears obtaining food rewards from improperly stored food in Kearsarge Lakes, Charlotte Lake, Vidette Meadow, and Bubbs Creek areas. Bears appear to be unfazed by mild hazing.

Gardiner Pass

6/10 - No report at this time.

Sixty Lakes Basin

6/10 - No report at this time.

Don Cecil

6/5 - Based on parkwide snow levels, trail likely free of snow to Lookout Peak. Expect many downed trees across the trail.

Frontcountry Trails

Hotel Creek

6/10 - No report at this time.

Kings Canyon- West of Sierra Crest

Wilderness Trails

East Lake

7/23 - Creek on the north end of East Lake is knee deep and swift; trekking poles recommended.

Goddard Canyon

6/10 - No report at this time.

Tehipite Valley

6/10 - No report at this time.

Middle Fork Kings

10/3 - Palisade Creek Crossing at Middle Fork/PCT junction- 2 feet deep and swift for about 5 feet. Crossable with caution- trekking poles and water shoes advised.

Grant Grove and Jennie Lakes Wilderness Area

Wilderness Trails

Big Meadows Road

6/10 – Road is open (Hume Lake Ranger District).

JO Pass

7/16 - JO Pass to JO Pass/Twin Lakes jtn: 7 downed trees- one may be stock impassable. Otherwise trail is in good condition.

Seville, Ranger, and Lost Lakes and Belle Canyon

7/16 - via Rowell Meadow: Trails are in good condition. Many downed trees, all are stock passable.

7/16 - Ranger Lake to Belle Canyon Pass Trail (including spur trails to Lost Lake and Seville Lake) is in good condition.

Redwood Canyon

11/16 - Road to the trailhead is not plowed in winter.

Sugarloaf Valley and Roaring River

6/10 - Roaring River to Kern Ranger Station: All stream crossings 2 feet or less, not swift but slippery.

7/2 - No downed trees from Marvin Pass to Roaring River via Sugarloaf Valley.

7/6 - Marvin Pass to Comanche Meadow: Trail obscured by white thorn bushes in several spots. Trail is navigable despite thorns.

Weaver Lake: camp at least 100 feet away from lake

6/10 - No report at this time.

Jennie Lake: camp at least 100 feet away from lake

6/10 - No report at this time.

Frontcountry Trails

Panoramic Point

6/10 - No report at this time.

Lodgepole, Wolverton, and Crescent Meadow

Wilderness Trails

Twin Lakes Trail

12/7 - Trail is in good condition but icy in parts. Traction devices (micro spikes) recommended.

Alta Peak Trail

11/25 - About 40% of the trail is snow/ice covered. Trail is easy to follow. Traction devices (micro spikes) strongly recommended.

Lakes Trail (Pear Lake)

12/10 - Watchtower Trail closed for the winter.

12/3 - TH to top of the 'hump' is 25% snow/ice-covered, 'hump' to Pear Lake is 65% snow/ice-covered. Good boot pack through snow/ice, entire trail is easy to follow. Traction devices (micro-spikes) strongly recommended. Heather Lake is 50% ice-covered. Aster, Emerald, Pear Lakes have no ice.

Tablelands

11/30 – Expect winter condtions above 9,000 ft.

High Sierra Trail

7/10- Creek crossing between Kern Hot Spring and Kaweah Gap easy fording and no snow.

7/10- Chagoopa Plateau: Several down trees, not good for equestrians. Moraine Lake passable.

10/1 - Due to the Rattlesnake Fire, the following area is temporarily closed to all individuals: Beginning at the south boundary of the Sequoia National Park with the intersection of the Great Western Divide, north along the Great Western Divide to Kaweah Gap, southeast to Chagoopa Plateau along the base of the Kaweah Peaks to the Kern Canyon, north to Junction Meadow and the Colby Pass Trail (not included), east along the High Sierra Trail (not included) to the John Muir Trail/PCT (not included), south along the PCT (not included) to the park boundary, and west along the park boundary back to the point of origin. For the most recent updates and a map of the closures, check the Inciweb page for the Rattlesnake Fire.

Copper Mine Pass

7/10 - Small snow patch, easily avoidable, rest is clear.

Colby Pass

6/26 - North side small patches of snow no special equipment necessary.

7/7 - 4 downed trees between Roaring River and Big Wet Meadow. One of those is 1/2 -mile before Big Wet Meadow- It is a 'stock stopper.' Trail crew hopes to remove these trees next week.

Elizabeth Pass

7/2 - Roaring River to Elizabeth Pass clear of downed trees. North side of pass has a few small patches of snow.

Foothills

Wilderness Trails

Middle Fork Trail

12/8 - Middle Fork Trail to 1-mile past Panther Creek, Trail in good condition. The gnats are 'bad'- a mosquito net is recommended. Panther Creek is easily passable on the rocks.

Garfield Grove Trail (South Fork)

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Ladybug Trail (South Fork)

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Lower Colony Mill Trail (North Fork)

6/10 - No report at this time.

Frontcountry Trails

Marble Falls

6/10 - No report at this time.

Paradise Creek

11/13- Be cautious of potential hazard trees that may drop branches or fall.

Mineral King and Kern Canyon

Mineral King road is closed for the season.

Wilderness Trails

10/3 - Due to the Rattlesnake Fire and SQF Complex, the following area is temporarily closed to all individuals: All lands within the exterior boundary of Sequoia National Park in the Kern River drainage, Tule River drainage, East Fork Kaweah River drainage, and the portion of the Middle Fork Kaweah River drainage south of a line defined by the river and the ridge between the Hamilton Lakes basin and Eagle Scout Creek drainage For the most recent updates and a map of the closures, check the Inciweb page for the Rattlesnake Fire.

10/3 - Due to the SQF Fire Complex, formed when the Castle Fire and Shotgun Fire merged south of Sequoia National Park, trail closures are in effect in Sequoia National Forest's Golden Trout Wilderness. If you're planning a trip in the park that crosses into the national forest, check SQF Complex fire conditions before you hike, and expect smoke impacts.

Paradise Ridge Trail

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Timber Gap

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Tar Gap

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Black Rock Pass

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Glacier Pass

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Sawtooth Pass

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Farewell Gap

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Franklin Lakes and Franklin Pass

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

White Chief, Eagle Lake, and Mosquito Lakes

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Atwell/Hockett Trail

10/3 - Trail closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Sierra Crest and East Side (Inyo National Forest)

Sierra, and Inyo national forests are under a temporary closure order as of Monday, September 7, 2020. According to the closure, all trails, roads, and developed areas within these forests and others in California are closed to the public. This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change. The closure does not impact Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. For more information, check the web pages for Sequoia, Inyo, and Sierra national forests.

For more information on trails starting on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, contact the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office at [phone] or check their trail conditions page for more information.

Bishop Pass/Dusy Basin

6/19 - Bishop Pass- E. side, lower down 10 to 20 foot, long patches covering trail, avoidable. Last of switchbacks has 30 foot-long patch avoidable by crawling over boulders. Not recommended for stock. 100 foot patch of snow on top of Pass. On the park side some snow- no special equipment required.

7/4 - Bishop Pass mostly snow free; east side switches shoveled out, 150ft flat snow on top. 2 large rocks (2ftx3) on lower switches, partially blocking the trail.

Evolution Basin

6/28 - Evolution Creek crossing 20 inches deep trekking poles recommended. Downed tree below Evolution Lake at 10,300' blocks stock access to Evolution Basin.

7/12 - There is one remaining snow patch along Evolution Lake; it is not stock-passable. Hiking poles recommended.

Mather Pass

7/2 - North Side: half-dozen patches of snow, only partially cover the switches, easily avoidable by hikers. South side: small rockfall that would make stock travel difficult.

7/12 - Snow-free on the South Side. The North Side had a few small patches of snow that could be avoided by going on the edge of the trail or on rock. There is a stock-stopper boulder on the North Side; hikers won’t have a problem going around it.

7/21 - Snow free, large boulder on bottom switchback on the south side of the pass. May make stock passage difficult.

Upper Basin

6/10 - No report at this time.

Dawin/Bench

7/12- Snow free, South Fork of the Kings: At the trail crossing the water is about a foot deep. There are logs and rocks to cross on, but this isn’t recommended as the logs move.

Piute Pass

6/29 - About 25 yards of snow on the east side. Melting quickly.

Muir Pass

6/22 - South side of Muir Pass:Trail is snow-free to lake below Helen Lake. Between that lower lake and Helen Lake there are two steep snow patches 20 feet long. Helen Lake to Muir Pass: 50% snow-covered. Snow is rotten, route-finding is necessary and trekking poles are necessary. Trail follows the best route through this area.

7/12 - There are ten 10-20ft long snowfields on the North Side. Most can be avoided by going around on rock. Hiking poles recommended. The South Side has one small remaining snow patch.

7/23 - Snow free, except for one 50ft section of snow below Helen Lake. It may be stock passable if stock groups are able to do a bit of shoveling.

Lamarck Col

6/29 - South side - snow free. North Side - about 120 yards of snow field. Many foot prints to follow. Crossed without needing special equipment. First mile north of Col - three smaller snow fields covering trail at various locations. Straightforward crossings.

7/12 - The West side is snow-free. The East Side holds a 100ft long, steep, rotten patch of snow. Traction devices are a good idea if crossing early in the morning or late in the day. Hiking poles recommended. Below the tarn there is a much bigger snowfield; it can be avoided by going around on loose sand and rock.

Pinchot Pass

7/12 - Snow free and stock passable.

Sawmill Pass

6/10 - No report at this time.

Taboose Pass

6/10 - Taboose Pass Trail on the Inyo National Forest is closed. For more information please see the Inyo National Forest website and closure order.

Baxter Pass

6/10 - No report at this time.

Kearsarge Pass

6/19 - Kearsarge Pass: snow-free/stock-passable

7/2- 1 tree down on the West side of Kearsarge Pass, maybe stock passable. Tree is 1/2 mile down from the Kearsarge Lakes juction on the High Trail.

7/12 - Snow-free. There is one tree down about ½ mile down from the Kearsarge Lakes junction that could be a stock-stopper. There is no way around it for stock, maybe they could go over it.

7/23 - Kearsarge Lakes: The food storage locker at Kearsarge Lake was moved last season and will not be replaced/moved back until a trail crew is able to make it out there (later in the season). Visitors should not expect to be able to store their food in a food storage at Kearsarge Lakes.

Forester Pass

10/3 - Trail south of the pass is closed due to SQF Complex and Rattlesanke Fires.

Shepherd Pass

6/23 - Park side of pass is snow free. Inyo side above 11,500 ft patchy snow. 1 snow field on the last switchback trekking poles and traction aids recommended. All creeks crossings in the Tyndal area are manageable. May require shallow wading to get across some.

7/28 - Pass is snow-free. Stock travel is discouraged due to trail washouts on the east side.

Mount Whitney Trail

6/29 - JMT from Crabtree to Mt.Whitney summit: Crabtree to Guitar Lake: snow-free. Guitar Lake to Mt. Whitney switchbacks to one-mile from Whitney summit: a few small snow patches. Last mile before Whitney summit: several large snowfields, some route-finding necessary. Trekking poles helpful. Traction devices may be useful depending on time of day. East side of Mt. Whitney: Ranger viewed small patches of snow at the top of the switchbacks

7/25 - Snow free from Crabtree to Whitney Summit and from Trail Crest to Whitney Summit.

Mt Langley

6/22 - Mostly snow-free. There are a few small patches that can be avoided by going around on loose sand and rock.

6/29- Cairned route mostly snow free

John Muir Trail (JMT)

7/2 - South Fork of the Kings Crossing (JMT) River is low, approximately 1 ft. deep.

Army Pass

7/4 - Still significant snow on steep, high-consequence. New Army Pass is the recommended route.

7/21 - Some snow patches with high consequences; Stock passable for experienced packers

New Army Pass

6/8 - New Army Pass had large patches of snow and one patch of ice on 6/8, majority of it was up at the pass descending into Cottonwood Lakes basin, used microspikes and poles for a short section up there to get down

6/16 - Not stock passable.

6/22 - There is a 20 foot section of steep snow on the East Side of the pass. Hiking poles are recommended ; traction devices are recommended if attempting early in the day.

7/2 - New Army Pass :There is a persistent 10-foot high patch of steep snow covering the very last switchback on the east side of New Army Pass.Hikers can bypass the snow by scrambling up blocky rocks to the right side of the snow (a couple of Class 3 steps, little exposure).

7/21 - Snow free and Stock passable.

Cottonwood Pass

6/6 - Was clear of snow, good trail conditions. The PCT from the junction from Cottonwood Pass to Upper Rock Creek Lake was also clear of snow, good trail conditions.

6/19 - Horseshoe meadows to the Siberian Outpost/PCT Junction is completely snow-free and stock-passable.

Miter Basin

6/20 - 90% snow-free. Small patches of snow above 11,000ft, bigger patches of snow above 11,800ft.

Kern Canyon

6/10 - No report at this time.

Guyot Pass

6/10 - No report at this time.

Rock Creek

6/10 - No report at this time.

Siberian Pass

6/10 - No report at this time.

 

New Army Pass

Photo by N. Ver

 

Drift Fences

You may encounter "drift fences", in the wilderness. These fences are utilized to keep stock animals (horses, mules, and/or llamas) from roaming freely and impacting ecologically sensitive areas. Each fence has either a sliding pole or swinging gate across the trail for visitors to pass through. Please close all gates behind you to protect wilderness resources.   

 

Trail Maintenance Delays

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there may be a delay in clearing trees and other debris from trails this summer.