King's Canyon in July

[Taotao]

I am going to King's Canyon and Sequoia Np for the first week of July. I will be camping in the camp ground and do day hiking, because I can't carry my LF gears and backcountry gear together at the same time( too heavy for me ).

So, can any one suggest some good day hikes and a good camp ground?

Thanks

[Dan V]

For hiking info, Trails.com is a comprehensive site worth checking.
Also visit: http://www.sequoia.national-park.com/hike.htm which includes camping information.

Considering that California is not getting any less crowded, you may have problems finding camping facilities at this late date.

Unless conditions there have changed drastically in recent years, In July, you can expect toasty hot weather, swarming crowds, an abundance of biting insects, hyperactive rattlesnakes and lush growth of poison oak to name a few distractions in what is a very scenic area nevertheless.

But if you must go in July, enjoy!

[Robert Oliver]

Mineral King is a nice place in July. It's less crowded, higher elevation and some awesome day hikes into some really beautiful places. Last July, most of the trails were still snowed in though. shouldn't be as bad this summer.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

I would not recommend camping in the developed campgrounds during summer holiday weekends. It may be possible to camp in national forest land just adjacent to the park. I was in a developed campsite at King's Canyon last Labor Day weekend, and I've never experienced such noise and mahem at a campground before. There were boom boxes, fireworks, car alarms, and all sorts of drunken revelry going on around campfires throughout the campground, well into the night and next morning. Of course, you have to get there early just to get a campground. Due to the distractions, I did not have a productive photography trip, and ended up coming home early without a single decent photograph.

Of course, I will be headed back during a less crowded time- it's an awesome place to photograph. Keep in mind when planning your itineraries that it's a huge double park and larger than Yosemite, and to drive from one end to the other will take around 4 hours.

[Mike Lopez]

Mineral King is a nice place in July. It's less crowded, higher elevation and some awesome day hikes into some really beautiful places. Last July, most of the trails were still snowed in though. shouldn't be as bad this summer.


It's way off the beaten path, but I second this opinion. And be sure to grab a meal or two at the restaurant in Silver City (the only one there, I believe), if you go. Great location, great food, great people.

[John Kasaian]

Definately head for the high country! Down in Kings Canyon it'll be hotter than a $2 pistol. There is a Pack Outfit in Cedar Grove you may want to contact if a "spot trip" sounds interesting. They'll pack your LF kit in to a scenic area for you and then pick it up a few days later. They'll take you too---on the back of a mule.

Not far from the permit station at the end of the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway theres Mist Falls on the Woods Creek Trail and Paradise Valley just past the falls.

Also from the end of the road you can following Bubbs Creek that will get you to Kearsarge Lakes (a much longer hike)

From Cedar Grove Village you can reach Lookout Peak.

If you turn right at the Wye, just past the Big Stump entrance you can get to Big Meadows campground and that will get you within striking distance of the Jennie Lakes Wilderness

I hope this helps.

[Ron Marshall]

I was in Yosemite at the end of April and it already was quite crowded. Try to find a high country campground you can drive to. Should be much quieter at night.

[Chris Strobel]

I second Mineral King, beautiful place


Mineral King is a nice place in July. It's less crowded, higher elevation and some awesome day hikes into some really beautiful places. Last July, most of the trails were still snowed in though. shouldn't be as bad this summer.

[Bob Phipps]

Be aware of the higher elevation and your bodies response. Give yourself a day or two of short tours in Sequoia N. P. to acclimate. Dizzyness, headache, nasuia, disorentation, and dehydration are symptoms of alpine sickness. I was there 1st week in May and helped out 3 separated groups. Drink lots of water and one Gatoraid per day [ put back electrolites]. Being dry, you evaporate more than you think.

Enjoy the beauty. Take all the side trails possible to avoid crowds. Bob - BioImage Photography

[John Kasaian]

Midol sure does help with alpine sickness. Really! A pharmacist in the Rockies told me that and it works! Of course I get a bit irritable every 28 days now ;-)

[DavidFisk]

Friends of Arizona Highways had a workshop set for late May with Marc Muench. It had to be cancelled because of a road washout or blockage. They didn't say where, but you might want to check with them. There aren't too many roads in the park.

[Taotao]

Ok, just back from Sequoia and King's Canyon. I camped in Sequoia's main section and the Mineral King. Thanks for all the advice.

1. Except at foothill area, the weather was perfect( 50 to mid 70, colder in Mineral King).

2. Except for the 7/4 week end, no problem with camp ground. Plenty of camp sites at Mineral King.

3. Great day hikings around Mineral King, beautiful high mountain and glacial lakes. I am sure backcountry hikes are even better. Almost all interesting area in King's Canyon are only accessible by backcountry hiking. The parks are not crowded by any standard except around the parking lot of largest tree.

[John Kasaian]

Thanks for the report! I'll be taking my Tiger Cubs up for our Pack Hike in Sequoia NP the week after next. What condition were the trails in? Can you recommend any areas needing de-littering? Or old ladies requiring assistance to cross the streeet? (that last ones a joke since we won't be there until the week after next!)

[roteague]

Everytime I see this thread, I keep thinking it is about one of my favorite places - Kings Canyon at Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia. Then I realize it is about the one in California. Sorry, can't help on that one.