Forester Pass is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migr ...

in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

. Located on the Kings-Kern Divide and on the boundary between

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief ...

and Kings Canyon National Park, Forester Pass connects the drainages of Bubbs Creek (a tributary of the South Fork Kings River) and the

Kern River The Kern River, previously Rio de San Felipe, later La Porciuncula, is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfie ...

. The pass is traversed by the

John Muir Trail The John Muir Trail (JMT) ( Paiute: Nüümü Poyo, ''N-ue-mue Poh-yo'') is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. From the northern terminus a ...

and the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

, which are coincident between Crabtree Meadows and

Tuolumne Meadows Tuolumne Meadows () is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is . The term ''Tuolumne Me ...

. At , Forester Pass is the highest point along the Pacific Crest Trail. It is also the last of the six high mountain passes above 11,000 feet on the John Muir Trail, along with

Donohue Pass Donohue Pass is a high mountain pass on the boundary between Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Its elevation is . It is situated between Mount Lyell and Donohue Peak. The John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail both t ...

Muir Pass Muir Pass is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada of California, United States, in Kings Canyon National Park. It is named for John Muir. The pass is near the midway point of the John Muir Trail and around mile 841 of the Pacific Crest Trail. It ...

Mather Pass Mather Pass is a high mountain pass in the U.S. state of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. It lies within far eastern Fresno County, inside Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness. The pass lies at an ele ...

Pinchot Pass Pinchot Pass is a high mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, in the United States. It lies within far eastern Fresno County, inside Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness. Pinchot Pass ...

, and

Glen Pass Glen Pass (also known as Blue Flower Pass) is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada, located in Kings Canyon National Park, eastern Fresno County, California, United States. This pass, on the John Muir Trail The John Muir Trail (JMT) (Paiute: ...

. The PCT/JMT ascends the pass slowly from the north and switchbacks precipitously down its sheer southern side.

History

Originally documented by a group of

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Nationa ...

workers, it was subsequently named in their honor. On August 26, 1930, four men—including 18-year-old Donald Downs—were injured during construction of the trail over the pass. A boulder let loose during blasting of the trail crushed Downs' arm. The men were evacuated by stretcher, Downs to Baxter Cabin and the others to

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

. Mr. Down's arm was amputated. He died on September 2, 1930, from complications of surgery. A plane crashed at Tyndall Creek after dropping medicine for Downs. A plaque commemorating his death is found on the southern side of the pass, most easily seen while walking in a northerly direction.

References

External links

* Kings Canyon National Park Mountain passes on the John Muir Trail Sequoia National Park Landforms of Tulare County, California {{US-trail-stub