The High Sierra Trail (HST) is a

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

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 ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada from west to east. According to the

Yosemite Decimal System The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs, primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southern Cal ...

, the HST is a Class 1/Class 2 trail, which means simple scrambling, with the possibility of occasional use of the hands for balance.

Route

From the plateau of the

Giant Forest The Giant Forest, famed for its giant sequoia trees, is within the United States' Sequoia National Park. This montane forest, situated at over above mean sea level in the western Sierra Nevada of California, covers an area of . The Giant Forest ...

at Crescent Meadow (elevation ) the trail travels high on the northern wall of the canyon of the Middle Fork of the

Kaweah River The Kaweah River is a river draining the southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare County, California in the United States. Fed primarily by high elevation snowmelt along the Great Western Divide, the Kaweah begins as four forks in Sequoia National Park ...

to Bearpaw Meadow. This first of the trail is a popular though strenuous two-day round trip hike. The

Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp is a full-service tent campground in Sequoia National Park. It was established in 1934. The camp was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Weather permitting, it is open mid June to mid Septem ...

(a simple tent hotel) located here dates back to 1934. Leaving the meadow, the trail climbs through the Hamilton Lakes Basin to Kaweah Gap which, at , is one of the lowest passes over the

Great Western Divide The Great Western Divide is a Sierra Nevada mountain range that forms part of the border between the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Some of the summits of the Great Western Divide reach well over . The High Sierra Trail crosses the ra ...

within the park. From this pass, the route descends into Big Arroyo and then climbs to the Chagoopa Plateau, only to drop again to in 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 Bakersfield ...

Canyon. After following along the Kern River, it turns east and climbs parallel to Wallace Creek to the junction with 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

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 ...

from Crescent Meadow. This is the end of the High Sierra Trail. Hikers may continue on the John Muir Trail to the summit of Mount Whitney. The

Mount Whitney Trail The Mount Whitney Trail is a hiking trail that climbs Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. It starts at Whitney Portal, west of the town of Lone Pine, California. The hike is about round trip, with an elevation gain ...

branches to the east from the John Muir Trail south of Mount Whitney's summit, and descends to Whitney Portal located at the end of the road from

Lone Pine, California Lone Pine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. T ...

. From Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal, the trail is long and often takes 6 days or more for the average hiker to complete. The fastest claimed time to traverse is 15 hours 46 minutes, by Leor Pantilat. Work began on the High Sierra Trail in 1928, and it was the first Sierra trail built solely for recreational use. Hikers should check with park rangers before planning a trip with riding or pack stock. At least one section of the trail is closed to stock, and grazing is limited in many areas.

References

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USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

7.5 minute maps through which the trail passes: Lodgepole, Triple Divide Peak, Mt. Kaweah, Chagoopa Falls, Mount Whitney, Mount Langley {{Sierra Nevada, state=collapsed Hiking trails in California Long-distance trails in the United States Sequoia National Park Protected areas of Tulare County, California 1928 establishments in California