Destination Miter Basin: Hiking High and Remote in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, California

The Trip

Our trek through the Golden Trout Wilderness, the John Muir Wilderness, and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks takes us into high alpine lake basins of the Southern Sierra. Shimmering lakes ringed by 13,000- and 14,000-foot granite peaks comprise some of the most dramatic terrain in the Sierra Nevada. Moderate to strenuous backpacking distances and a full layover in Miter Basin provide time to explore glacially-sculpted lake basins and alpine meadows, or to simply relax and enjoy the great outdoors. 

On our loop journey, we trek to the remote reaches of Miter Basin, with some cross-country travel and hiking on less-used trails. We will explore dramatic Cottonwood Lakes Basin on our return. All but one of our planned camps are above 11,000 feet. Many of the visitors to this region are drawn to the summit of Mt. Whitney. By contrast, our route offers spectacular scenery and a high-country experience away from the crowds. "Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir

Our objectives are to enjoy this iconic area and complete the trip safely as a group. Participants should come prepared to meet the specific challenges of this trip, including hiking and camping at high elevation, traveling cross-country over mixed terrain, and sudden weather changes. Successful backpacking experiences require thorough planning and preparation by all. The leaders will provide pre-trip correspondence and resources to advise on physical conditioning and backpacking gear selection. Group size is limited to six participants plus two staff, a small group to create minimum impact in this remote area.

We will be hiking in the ancestral lands of the Palegewan Band of the Tubatulabal people. These high valleys to the south of Mt. Whitney were summer hunting and gathering grounds for millennia. The Tubatulabal traded with the neighboring Yokut Nation to the west and the Owens Valley Paiute and Shoshone Nations to the east. These Native American Nations were forced to cede their lands in a series of treaties dating back to the 1850s. We  acknowledge this history and reflect on its impact as we hike in these lands. 

Day 1: We will meet mid-afternoon at a campground near our starting trailhead. The trailhead is located about 23 miles up a narrow road 6400 feet above Lone Pine, CA. We will bring our own dinners and enjoy them together while we meet our backpacking companions and relax before beginning our adventure. After dinner we will do a gear check for participants and distribute group gear, (which will be 12-15 lbs per person). We will go over trip procedures, give ourselves one more night to acclimatize to the high elevation, and finish preparations for our journey.

We strongly encourage participants to arrive a day or two early to begin acclimating to the high elevations we will encounter during the trip. Giving the body an extra couple of days to adjust to the high elevation can make a big difference between enjoying the trip and merely enduring it.

Day 2: We will have breakfast, depart our campsites and drive to the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead where our trip begins and ends. At 10,100 feet, this trailhead is one of the highest in the Sierra. We will hike about 6.2 miles on a well-maintained trail and gain about 1200 cumulative feet of elevation. This will not be an easy first day due to the high elevation. Also, we will be carrying our heaviest loads of the trip—all our supplies for six days. Conscientious pre-trip conditioning will be key to enjoying this first day of hiking. 

Our route takes us along Cottonwood Creek to camp at Long Lake (at 11,185 feet elevation) below New Army Pass. There we can swim, fish, and cool our feet.

Day 3: With approximately 7.7 miles of on-trail and cross-country hiking and about 1900 feet of elevation gain and loss, this will be one of our two longest and most strenuous hike days. Heading out from our campsite at Long Lake, we pass High Lake before crossing the Sierra Crest over New Army Pass (12,300 feet). At this high elevation, the hike to the top of the pass will be challenging. Resting at the top of the pass will allow us time to take in the dramatic vistas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to the west and Cottonwood Lakes Basin to the east. We will descend with a trail jog into the valley of Rock Creek and make our way cross-country to our camp in the Miter Basin where we will spend two nights. 

Day 4: This is a planned layover day. All hiking from our camp in Miter Basin is cross-country. Depending on group interest, weather, and snow conditions, we may hike up past Sky Blue Lake to Crabtree Pass in the upper reaches of Miter Basin or visit other secluded lakes above Rock Creek. The choices are abundant. There will be time to relax by water and take in the surrounding beauty.

Day 5: We leave Miter Basin and hike cross-country to our camp at Soldier Lakes. This short travel day (approx. 2 miles with about 500 feet elevation gain and loss) will allow us to rest up for our ascent of the Sierra Crest the next day. 

Day 6: As planned, this will be the other strenuous hike day. We have a steep climb on a mix of cross-country and use trails from Soldier Lakes to the unnamed high-elevation saddle above Cottonwood Lakes Basin. Here we take in our last views of Sequoia National Park where we have hiked for the last 4 days. We descend steeply from one of the two Army Passes (lightly maintained Old Army, or New Army which we ascended on Day 3) to our last camp in Cottonwood Lakes Basin. We travel about 4.7 miles and have elevation gain of about 1200 feet and loss of about 1300 feet.

Day 7: After a restful night’s sleep by one of the Cottonwood Lakes, we have our last camp breakfast, pack up, and hike approximately 6 miles on-trail, closing the loop on the start of our trip as we descend about 1000 feet to our cars at the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. 

We plan to be back to the trailhead by mid-afternoon. It is prudent to leave ample time to get to your next destination. For long-distance travelers, we strongly recommend making flight reservations no earlier than the day after the trip ends. 

Our hiking schedule is not rigid. How far we get each day and where we camp depends on how we feel, the weather, and other factors outside of our control. Likewise, our precise route has not been rigidly set since we will be hiking cross-country for part of the trip. Some route-scouting by the leaders may be needed during the trip, and flexibility is required. The itinerary described here should be taken as a general plan, and the actual route and schedule may depart from it.

Getting There

Trip members are responsible for getting themselves to and from the trailhead rendezvous point. If you’re flying, airports in Los Angeles, Reno, Mammoth, and Las Vegas may all provide reasonable options. Car rental to the trailhead will probably be necessary, as public transportation options are very limited in the Eastern Sierra. Although Mammoth Yosemite Airport is the closest, in summer there is only one flight per day from Los Angeles and car rental is usually more expensive than at major airports.

As the time of the trip draws near, the trip leader will send out a roster of all participants to facilitate ride-sharing arrangements. (You can ask the leaders not to distribute your contact information.)

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until you are approved for the trip by the trip leader. Please contact the trip leader if you have a question about your participation status.

Accommodations and Food

Food is part of the adventure. Trip menu planning is based on the knowledge that 1) there is no refrigeration, and 2) food must be protected from animals. We provide healthy, nutritious, vegetarian-friendly meals. We have a group commissary, with everyone taking turns preparing food. Before applying for the trip, people with food allergies and/or strong food preferences must contact the leader to see if accommodations are possible.

Our meals have been field-tested for simplicity as well as good taste. As to quantity, our goal is that participants are well-fed at each meal without surplus for us to carry out. All cooking gear and stoves are provided. Trip members need to bring their own bowl, cup, and spoon. 

Trip Difficulty

The trip difficulty is rated 4 on a scale from 1 to 5, where a rating of 1 corresponds to the least difficult trips that we offer and a rating of 5 denotes the most difficult. This rating indicates moderate to strenuous difficulty. Two of the hike days rate as 5, though the trip overall is rated 4. Mileage on hiking days ranges from two to eight miles, with a total of about 26 miles for the trip (not including day-hikes on layover days. We will gain and lose over a mile of elevation (5,375 feet) over the travel days of the trip. Our backcountry camps will all be around 11,000 feet and we will not descend below 10,000 feet. 

Participants must have recent backpacking experience. With our 6 hiking days, we will be carrying a 35- to 40-lb pack on-trail and cross-country, with daily elevation changes of up to 1900 feet. This is physically challenging, particularly at the elevations at which we’ll be hiking. Participants must be in good physical condition and must be prepared for the rigorous physical demands of backpacking. The leader will provide conditioning recommendations to participants. 

Known for its temperate summer weather, the High Sierra can likewise deliver sudden, unexpected spells of rain, hail, snow, heat, and cold. Daytime temperatures can soar into the upper 80s, while nighttime temperatures can dip into the 20s or lower. It is essential that participants be prepared for extremes in weather conditions and be flexible regarding trip route and schedule to accommodate unexpected conditions or events.

Equipment and Clothing

The Sierra Club will provide all group cooking equipment, a group first aid kit, a group water filter system for camp use, and bear-resistant food storage canisters. At the start of the trip, you will be given a full bear canister and/or a portion of the group gear with a combined weight of up to 15 pounds. It is very important that you limit your personal gear and pack weight to no more than 20 pounds so that, together with 1-2 liters of water, your total pack weight will be in the range of 35 to 40 lbs.. Packs should have a capacity of 60-70 liters with adequate room to carry a bear canister and other group gear.

We require that you come equipped with 1) a tent (highly recommended) or lightweight tarp (at a minimum); 2) sturdy and comfortable broken-in boots that provide good ankle support; 3) a sleeping bag that will keep you warm in freezing temperatures; 4) a small personal first-aid kit; and 5) waterproof rain jacket and rain pants.

The leader will send detailed equipment recommendations to participants well in advance of the trip. More information regarding personal gear may be found at http://www.knapsack.org/basic_equipment.html

References

Books:

• Muir, John, The Mountains of California. Doubleday.
• Jackson, Louise A., The Sierra Nevada before History, Ancient Landscapes, Early Peoples, Mountain Press. A respectful history of the people who lived in the Sierra Nevada prior to European settlement.
• King, Clarence, Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. University of Nebraska Press. A personal account of the first geological survey in the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s by the first director of the United States Geological Survey.
• Farquhar, Francis, History of the Sierra Nevada. University of California Press. An account of the human history of the area by a renowned mountaineer and early member of the Sierra Club.
• Storer and Usinger, Sierra Nevada Natural History. University of California Press.
• Secor, RJ, The High Sierra Peaks Passes and Trails. The Mountaineers.

Map:

• The heart of this route is nicely covered on the Tom Harrison map, "Mt. Whitney High Country." For a larger-scaled, more detailed map, we suggest the following 7.5-minute USGS topographic quadrangles: Mt. Whitney, Mt. Langley, and Cirque Peak.

Conservation

The Sierra Club’s history is steeped in efforts to preserve endangered habitat and wilderness. Indeed, the Club was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Act of 1964 that established the National Wilderness Preservation System and which afforded the High Sierra the highest level of protection possible. Earlier in the 20th century, development plans to dam numerous streams in the high-country of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park for hydro-electric power for Los Angeles led to community resistance and the initial efforts and success in creating the National Park. As Club members, we have reason to be proud of these accomplishments when we hike through the region.

Current issues near our route abound. Across the Owens Valley is Conglomerate Mesa, a 6000-to-7000-foot plateau with Joshua Trees and other sensitive flora and fauna. Death Valley NP is to the east of Conglomerate Mesa, and the Inyo Mountains and Malpais Mesa Wilderness Areas are to the north and south. A Canadian gold mining company, Mojave Precious Metals / K2 Gold, has been test drilling, planning to establish an open-pit cyanide mine. The Ridgecrest Bureau of Land Management, which has jurisdiction over the area, has required them to perform a full environmental review before proceeding with drilling an additional 120 holes spread over 30 sites. We will discuss the status of this mine and proposals for other Eastern Sierra-based gold-mining operations.

Rural development in the Sierra Nevada foothills and forests encroaches on animal habitat zones. Cattle grazing at the edge of wilderness areas poses a direct threat to water quality and fish habitat. Recent efforts by local groups to "retire" grazing permits (which enable watersheds to recover and rejuvenate), are being fought in the state legislature.

Likewise, we will talk about issues and places that inspire our concern and activism. We welcome you to share a conservation story from your community.

We will follow the Leave-No-Trace principles and reflect on their application in this remote area. 

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.