Mineral King Loop Permits During quota season from May 28 – September 18, permits are required for this backpacking trip and are reserved by entry point. For completing the Mineral King Loop clockwise as it’s written here, be sure to select Timber Gap as your entry point.

Do you need a permit for Mineral King loop?

Mineral King Loop Permits During quota season from May 28 – September 18, permits are required for this backpacking trip and are reserved by entry point. For completing the Mineral King Loop clockwise as it’s written here, be sure to select Timber Gap as your entry point.

How do you get a permit for Mineral King loop?

Walk-up permits can be obtained at the Mineral King Ranger Station starting from 1:00pm the day before your trip begins. UPDATE FOR THE 2021 SEASON: Due to Covid-19, walk-up permits are being handled differently for the 2021 season.

Are there Sequoias in Mineral King?

The Mineral King Road passes through two groves of giant sequoias, the Redwood Creek Grove and the Atwell Grove.

What is there to do in Mineral King?

Mineral King Day Hikes

  • Monarch Lakes. Upper and Lower Monarch Lakes lie at the foot of Sawtooth Peak, at the end of a 4.2 mile (one-way) hike.
  • Crystal Lake.
  • Timber Gap.
  • Franklin Lakes.
  • White Chief Trail.
  • Eagle and Mosquito Lakes.

Do I need reservations for Kings Canyon?

Sequoia & Kings Canyon Reservations Lodging in Sequoia & Kings Canyon is available year-round in parts of the park, and summers only in others. In both cases, overnight accommodations are limited and advance reservations are highly recommended, particularly from spring to late summer.

Is Kearsarge Pass open?

Directions: From Highway 395, in Independence, CA, turn west on Market Street. Onion Valley is about 15 miles west of Independence. The road is usually open from May to November, depending on snow conditions.

Is Mineral King Road paved?

The road is 39.91km (24.8 miles) long and runs west-east from CA-198 (Sierra Drive) towards Mineral King. The Mineral King Road is mostly paved, but sometimes very good gravel or dirt, and eventually becomes a trail.

Is Mineral King a national forest?

The Mineral King Road was built in 1873 and the rush was on… soon to be followed by bust. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area including Mineral King was part of a forest reserve and later became a part of Sequoia National Forest.

Is Mineral King Open?

The Mineral King Road is open from Memorial Day weekend through October. RVs and trailers are not recommended. This road can be closed anytime when the access is not cleared of snow. The road into Mineral King, a subalpine glacial valley, is a beautiful drive up a windy, sometimes paved, and narrow mountain road.

Do you need a permit to visit Sequoia National Park?

Wilderness Permits During Non-Quota Season Outside the quota season wilderness permits are free, self-issued, and are not limited to daily entry quotas. Non-quota season this year will be from September 19th, 2021 through May 26, 2022. Self-issue wilderness permits are available at the nearest permit-issuing station.

How much does it cost to get into the Sequoia National Park?

$35 per vehicle
Entrance to the parks is $35 per vehicle; $20 per person for pedestrians or cyclists. The entrance fee allows access to the parks for seven days. A fee for commercial vehicles is based on vehicle capacity. A Sequoia/Kings Canyon park pass is offered for $60, good for one calendar year.

Do you need a permit to hike Kearsarge Pass?

If you choose to hike all the way to Kearsarge Pass, the mileage is 4.8 miles one way. If you plan to make this hike an overnight trip, you will need to obtain a permit at an Inyo National Forest ranger station or visitor center. Between May 1 and November 1, overnight use is limited to 60 people per day.

Where do I pick up my permit for the Mineral King hike?

The Mineral King Ranger Station is on the way to the Sawtooth Pass Trailhead, so you can pick up your permits the morning of your hike. At the ranger station, there is a community storage shed we used to store the food and scented items we were not bringing on the hike (so bears did not try to get in our car).

What is the Mineral King loop?

All of which are generally referred to as Mineral King Loop. The big difference between the loop Quin and I completed and the other popular loops is that our route includes a 10 miles stretch of the High Sierra Trail that takes you past Precipice Lake on your way up and over Kaweah Gap.

How long does it take to drive Mineral King Road?

Mineral King road is narrow, winding, and unpaved in some areas. It took us about an hour to drive the 25 miles from the Mineral King Road turnoff to the ranger station. Given its remoteness, Quin and I were shocked as we neared the end of the road to find several cabins for rent, as well as a small general store and restaurant.

Do you need a permit for Mineral King?

Logistics: The trailheads in the Mineral King area are not quite as popular as the Rae Lakes Loop or the High Sierra Trail. That said, it is still worthwhile to reserve your permit ahead of time to ensure you can enter at your desired trailhead (Sawtooth Pass for this itinerary).