ProCaliberTraveler
Well-Known Member
I got Covid over Labor Day weekend, so my hike to Kearsarge Lakes and Kearsarge Pass was my first one in a while. This trail had been on my radar since I moved to the Eastern Sierra 4 years ago.
This trail is brutal because it takes you 12.5 miles round trip and gains more than 3,000 feet of elevation. Kearsarge Pass stands above 11,700 feet of elevation and serves as a boundary with Kings Canyon National Park. It was easily one of the most difficult hikes I've done in this part of California. Kearsarge Lakes was my destination because I wanted to see the reflection of the pinnacles in the water, but this took some patience because of gusty wind.
This 2-image pano was taken from the pass. Big Pothole Lake is visible, and plenty of people choose to sit down for a break after summiting.
You can see Kearsarge Lakes in the center of this image from the pass. The trail descends roughly 800 feet from the pass to these lakes in slightly more than a mile. On the way down I passed plenty of backpackers gasping for air on the ascent, and I knew the return trip back up to the pass would be a slog. This was the most difficult stretch of the day but well worth the effort.
This trail is brutal because it takes you 12.5 miles round trip and gains more than 3,000 feet of elevation. Kearsarge Pass stands above 11,700 feet of elevation and serves as a boundary with Kings Canyon National Park. It was easily one of the most difficult hikes I've done in this part of California. Kearsarge Lakes was my destination because I wanted to see the reflection of the pinnacles in the water, but this took some patience because of gusty wind.
This 2-image pano was taken from the pass. Big Pothole Lake is visible, and plenty of people choose to sit down for a break after summiting.
You can see Kearsarge Lakes in the center of this image from the pass. The trail descends roughly 800 feet from the pass to these lakes in slightly more than a mile. On the way down I passed plenty of backpackers gasping for air on the ascent, and I knew the return trip back up to the pass would be a slog. This was the most difficult stretch of the day but well worth the effort.
