Goddard Country, John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park, California

The Trip

Goddard Country explores a striking portion of the Sierra Nevada range via a rarely travelled loop along the northwestern border of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Following the spine of the LeConte Divide, we encounter a surprising variety of topography. Our trek begins with a scenic four-mile ferry ride across Florence Lake. From the east side of Florence Lake, we hike up the South Fork of the San Joaquin River past the numerous waterfalls of Goddard Canyon to the river’s headwaters below Mount Goddard. Then we cross the Le Conte Divide via Hell-for-Sure Pass into Red Mountain Basin. We continue on- and off-trail through the seldom-visited Reddy’s Hole and Red Rock Basin, a rocky, semi-rugged highland easily traversed off-trail. Finally, we traverse Thompson Pass back to our trailhead. Our efforts will be richly rewarded. The region across the divide is spectacular, with the harsh beauty typical of the High Sierra. From our perch atop LeConte Divide, we gaze into a huge trail-free zone that reaches from the Goddard Divide to the Ionian Basin, Black Divide, and Blue Canyon. Camping below Martha Lake, we will position ourselves for a possible climb of Mount Goddard on our layover day.

This wide-open country offers ample opportunities to enjoy high cirques and pristine alpine lakes and basins, with camps most nights above 10,000 feet. This trip is suitable for those who are comfortable with high altitude trail hiking and would like to try the extra challenge of cross-country hiking.

Day 1: Our official meeting time is 5 p.m. on Sunday at the reserved campsite. Settling in, we will enjoy our provided dinner, get acquainted, acclimatize to the elevation, and, if everyone has arrived, engage in the trailhead talk.

Day 2: After breakfast (included), we'll drive to the ferry dock at Florence Lake, take the ferry across the lake, and commence hiking. Our goal is to hike 10.5 miles on-trail with an elevation gain of about 1,100 feet to our camp along the South Fork of the San Joaquin River.

Day 3: We enter Goddard Canyon, passing many waterfalls, and camp beside the South Fork of the San Joaquin River.

Day 4: We continue climbing up the canyon, reaching our camp downstream of Martha Lake early in the afternoon, leaving time to rest, swim, or explore the environs.

Day 5: We layover in the shadow of Mount Goddard. Some will rest, others may explore the high ridges and lakes in the vicinity, and perhaps some of us may make an attempt at climbing Mount Goddard, the highest peak in the region.

Day 6: Today we cross the LeConte Divide via the spectacular Hell-for-Sure Pass, which will take us to our camp in Red Mountain Basin.

Days 7-8: Our route is mostly off-trail over Fleming Pass into Reddy’s Hole and Red Rock Basin, catching glimpses of a long-abandoned cowboy route. We will establish camp at one of the many lakes and tarns in either of these basins. Then we will rejoin a trail to cross Thompson Pass en route to our final camp at either Thompson or Lost Lake.

Day 9: On the trail, we will make good time back to our cars at Florence Lake with a planned arrival by early afternoon. It is a long drive back to civilization — do not schedule a flight home until at least the next day.

Our hiking schedule must remain flexible as it depends on the vagaries of weather conditions, individual capabilities, and our whims. We could decide, for instance, to add in additional cross-country hiking or skip a layover day if so desired by the group. Nonetheless, expect to have a fabulous time independent of our final route choices.

Getting There

Please do not make travel arrangements until the leader has confirmed you as a trip member.

Accommodations and Food

We will provide meals starting with dinner at the campground; the last meal will be a quick lunch on our last day. Meals are planned to be tasty and filling. Please provide your own one-quart snack bag, which must weigh no more than one pound. Every other day we will provide an energy bar. Cooking and clean-up duties will be shared by all members of the group on a rotating basis. The menu will be geared toward vegetarians, with some meat options available. 

Trip Difficulty

This trip is rated 4 (moderate-strenuous) out of 5, where 1 denotes the least difficult trip and 5 denotes the most difficult, as we will be experiencing significant elevation gain and loss at high altitude, both on- and off-trail. The layover day can be as strenuous or leisurely as you like it. Most planned single-day elevation gains are less than 1,400 feet. We will generally hike between seven and eleven miles per day. Some days we will hike for six to seven hours (including breaks), but possibly longer, if unforeseen difficulties arise. Off-trail sections of the trip will traverse rough, rocky terrain with loose footing, which will require patience and good balance. Since our trip is at high elevations, very good aerobic conditioning is essential. You must have the ability to hike up to 11 miles per day at high elevation with a backpack weighing as much as 45 pounds. We may encounter snowfields and difficult stream crossings.

You must maintain a regular fitness program, supplemented by weekend practice hikes wearing the boots and pack (loaded with at least 40 pounds) that you plan to bring on the trip. Also, taking at least one "warm-up" backpacking trip prior to this outing (at high elevation, if possible) is recommended. If you are not in good shape, you simply won't have a good time. Be honest with yourself about your high elevation capabilities. Altitude sickness is an unpleasant and potentially serious condition. Trip participants are encouraged to arrive in the area one or two days before the trip in order to begin high elevation acclimatization.

Recent backpacking experience is recommended and good physical conditioning is essential. Experience in cross-country backpacking is not required, but hiking on rough, rocky terrain can prove challenging if you are not physically and mentally prepared. For cross-country hiking practice, find a dry streambed or other rocky terrain in your area to negotiate while wearing a loaded backpack.

The High Sierra is renowned for its excellent summer weather. However, extended storms can occur at any time of the year. Afternoon thunderstorms, with sudden cloudbursts of wind, rain, hail, and even snow are not uncommon. Be prepared for any extremes on this trip -- daily temperatures can exceed 80 degrees and can fall into the 30s at night.

Equipment and Clothing

We provide food (not including snack bags), pots, utensils, stoves, fuel, first-aid kit, repair kit, trowel, ropes, and tarp. Bears are in the vicinity so we will be carrying our food in bear-proof canisters (provided). A one-quart water bottle is required as a minimum, but a capacity of two or more quarts is recommended. We will filter water for group use in camp, but plan to bring your own individual water treatment (e.g., tablets, water filter, SteriPEN, etc.). Limit your personal gear to 25 pounds -- each participant's share of the commissary load could be up to 14 pounds at the start of the trip, occupying at least as much space as a full grocery sack.

Sturdy, fully broken-in boots providing good support with rubber lug soles are optimal. For shelter, tents with a rainfly are strongly encouraged, and lightweight waterproof tarps are the required minimum. For raingear, we recommend a waterproof jacket and rain pants rather than a poncho.

Refer to the recommended the equipment list at: http://www.knapsack.org/basic_equipment.html

References

• The Kings Canyon High Country and Mono Divide High Country maps published by Tom Harrison Maps (www.tomharrisonmaps.com) are the most readily available choices.
• The USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle maps Ward Mountain, Mount Henry, and Mount Goddard together cover almost the entire trip.

• Winnett, Tom, et al, Sierra South: 100 Backcountry Trips in California’s Sierra.
• Secor, R.J., The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails.
• Laws, John Muir, The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada.
• Storer, Tracy I., et al, Sierra Nevada Natural History.

Conservation

The Sierra Club is an environmentally focused entity. We are concerned about the conservation and sustainability of resources, both locally and globally. Our work is accomplished by volunteers and aided by a salaried staff, encouraging grassroots involvement. Our outings seek to empower participants toward greater understanding, advocacy, and participation in the goals of the Club.

Our route for this trip lies almost entirely within designated wilderness areas. The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines “wilderness” as “an area where the earth and its community are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor.” This important Act established the National Wilderness Preservation System, originally protecting nine million acres of national forest lands. Today over 100 million acres are encompassed by the system, including the John Muir Wilderness and the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness, where we will be “visitors” for all nine days of our hike.

While the area we're visiting has been protected, it continues to be threatened by outside forces such as climate change and pollution. Many of the surrounding areas are unprotected and face additional threats such as logging and poorly planned development. We'll have an opportunity on our outing to discuss such threats, the importance of large protected areas for habitat resilience, and what we can do to support work on these issues. Participants are also encouraged to share information about other environmental issues such as those in their local communities.

Visitors like us have an effect on the wilderness. Our trip will provide an opportunity to consider why it’s important to minimize this effect and how we can do so. As a group we will diligently observe Leave No Trace principles.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under permits from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, and Inyo National Forest. Sierra Club Outings operates this activity under a U.S. Forest Service special use permit in the Sierra National Forest.