Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Mike White

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      White Chief Meadow from the White Chief Canyon Trail

      Eventually the grade moderates, as you head across sagebrush-covered slopes dotted with junipers and pass outcroppings of dark metamorphic rock. The grade eases even more on the approach to White Chief Meadow, 2 miles from the trailhead.

      The ruins of Crabtree Cabin, on a low rise just west of the lower end of the meadow, is all that remains of a structure built by John Crabtree and used as a bunkhouse for miners working the nearby White Chief Mine. The trail soon crosses the creek and proceeds along the fringe of the flat. Over the years, numerous avalanches have swept the slopes above clean and littered the meadow with snags. The trail soon climbs a rib to a bench overlooking the meadow, where campsites nestle beneath red firs and lodgepole and foxtail pines. A resident deer herd can often be seen here around dusk.

      Quickly leaving the trees behind, head across open, view-filled slopes, carpeted with wildflowers in season, including gentian, yarrow, and bluebell. The creek plays a game of cat and mouse in the canyon below, frequently disappearing and then reappearing; the seemingly erratic behavior is common for streams in areas of marble and limestone. At 2.75 miles, the trail crosses the main branch of the creek.

      Ascend the far hillside beyond the creek and pass through tailings directly below the White Chief Mine, which was blasted out of a huge vein of marble. Do not explore the privately owned mine without permission from the owners.

      Past the mine, ascend rocky slopes across the west wall of the canyon. The tread may be hard to follow here, but cairns should help to keep you on track. Continue up the canyon, passing numerous mine shafts, sinkholes, and caves to another creek crossing. Moving away from the creek on the east side of the drainage, you climb a grassy slope before returning to the creek and following it to a meadow-rimmed tarn at the head of the canyon. The upper canyon has ruins from old mining cabins and natural marble caverns.

      WHITE CHIEF MINE

      John Crabtree and two companions claimed that a giant Indian spirit led them on an all-night vision quest to a natural marble cave with veins of pure gold. As ridiculous as the tale may seem now, their relation of their experience in San Joaquin Valley sparked the first wave of gold rush fever in Mineral King. Despite all the hoopla and the millions of dollars in investment capital, the mines never produced a single bar of either gold or silver.

       To reach lovely White Chief Lake from the upper meadow, strike out on a straightforward cross-country route northwest 0.75 mile across the talus-filled slope beneath White Chief Peak. The remote lake has a few windswept campsites. Confident hikers can easily ascend White Chief Peak from the saddle directly northwest of it. A challenging off-trail route from the same saddle provides access to the broad pass (approximately 10,650 feet) 0.3 mile south of Eagle Lake, from where you could descend to the lake and then follow the Eagle Lake Trail back to the trailhead.

      Beautiful, isolated Ansel Lake can be reached from either White Chief Lake or the upper meadow. Although many conclude the lake was named for famed photographer Ansel Adams, the name refers to Ansel Franklin Hall, a Sequoia Park ranger from 1916 to 1917.

       Wilderness permits are required for overnight stays. Campfires are prohibited.

      MINERAL KING TRAILHEAD

      TRIP 11

      Farewell Gap

       DH

      DISTANCE: 11 miles, out-and-back

      ELEVATION: 7,815′/10,680′, +3,320′/-455′/±7,550′

      SEASON: Mid-July to mid-October

      USE: Light

      MAPS: USGS’s Mineral King or SNHA’s Mineral King or Tom Harrison Maps’ Mineral King

      TRAIL LOG

      3.25 Franklin Lakes Trail junction

      5.5 Farewell Gap

      INTRODUCTION: The Farewell Gap Trail was a popular route into the Kern River backcountry, at least until another trail was built over Franklin Pass. Nowadays, only the initial stretch of trail to the Franklin Lakes Trail junction is well traveled. However, hikers in good physical condition searching for excellent vistas will find the 5.5-mile climb to Farewell Gap quite rewarding, where the panorama of Mineral King and Little Kern River’s upper basin create picture-postcard scenes.

      DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: From the east end of Three Rivers, leave Highway 198 and turn onto Mineral King Road. Follow the road past the Atwell Mill Campground, Silver City, Cold Springs Campground, and Mineral King Ranger Station (which issues wilderness permits and has food storage areas) to the Eagle-Mosquito Trailhead parking area at the end of the road, 23.5 miles from Highway 198. If space is available in the small parking area near the bridge over East Fork Kaweah River, you could park there and shorten your hike a bit.

      DESCRIPTION: From the Eagle-Mosquito parking area, walk back down the road to the bridge over the river, and then follow single-track trail on a short climb to the Mineral King Pack Station access road. Follow the gently graded road through the open terrain of Mineral King Valley, passing the pack station’s corrals along the way. Sagebrush, currant, and gooseberry grow alongside the road, while grasses and willows line the riverbanks. Farther upslope, a widely scattered forest gives the area an alpine character.

      At 1.1 miles, you ford Crystal Creek and then veer left away from the road onto single-track trail at an unsigned junction; the road continues through Aspen Flat before ending at Soda Spring. A mild to moderate 0.75-mile climb from the junction leads to Franklin Creek and the start of a steep, switchbacking climb, interrupted near the midpoint by an ascending traverse. Fine views of the multihued peaks and valleys of the Mineral King area may distract you from the upward grind. Above the switchbacks, 3.25 miles from the parking area, reach a junction with the Franklin Lakes Trail.

      Continue ahead on the Farewell Gap Trail, climbing high above the dwindling East Fork, soon reaching the first of twenty switchbacks that lead farther up into the canyon. The final leg of the climb is accomplished by a quarter-mile traverse culminating at the V-shaped notch of Farewell Gap, 2.25 miles from the Franklin Lakes junction.

      The view from Farewell Gap is certainly awe-inspiring, with the entire Mineral King Valley spreading out before you, rimmed СКАЧАТЬ