Kearsarge Pass (JMT) Gear Checklist
Kearsarge Pass starts at Onion Valley, climbs about five miles to a pass near 11,700 feet, and drops into Kings Canyon National Park. The official list is short and firm: a bear-resistant container, a signed permit, a stove instead of a fire, and no caching of food anywhere. The hikers we read add a filter backup, a water plan for the dry stretch past Bullfrog Lake, poles for the scree, and layers for storms and snow that can show up on the passes, even in June.
What shapes your gear on Kearsarge Pass
- Entry and distance
- Permits for the Kearsarge Pass trail come from Inyo National Forest, even if the first night is inside the park. The Forest Service lists the trail at 6.5 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, and one hiker reports about five miles from the trailhead to the pass.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Permits and Explore With Alec
- Acclimating at Onion Valley
- The Onion Valley campground sits at about 9,100 feet. One backpacker slept there the night before to adjust to the altitude. A 2005 party that left around 8:30 a.m. topped the pass shortly after noon.
From Explore With Alec and MIT personal pages
- Fire rules
- Campfires are prohibited year round in the Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley area. Portable stoves that burn gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed, but stoves burning twigs, trash or briquettes are not.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
- Camping rules
- Pick an existing site at least 100 feet from trails and water. Groups cannot exceed 15 people, and nothing may be left unattended for more than 24 hours.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
- Early season on the passes
- On a June 6 crossing, snow fell near the top of Kearsarge Pass and thunderstorms built over Glen Pass. The north face of Glen Pass held steep snow and ice that made the descent slow for the hikers who went over it.
From BikeHikeSafari
What the agency requires on Kearsarge Pass
A bear-resistant food container
The Kearsarge Pass area is one of eight Inyo areas where food and scented items must be stored in a container designed to keep bears out. Hanging food is not an option here, and the container rule also applies anywhere without trees tall enough for a hang.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A signed, printed wilderness permit
All Inyo permits are reserved on Recreation.gov and your reservation is canceled unless you print the permit before the no-show deadline. It must be signed and with your group in the wilderness. Even carrying a tent, sleeping bag, canister or stove without a valid permit is prohibited.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Permits and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A gas or liquid-fuel stove
Fires are banned in the Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley area, so cooking is on a portable stove burning gas, petroleum or pressurized fuel.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
A pack-out bag for all trash
Leaving garbage or refuse in the wilderness is prohibited. Burying or burning food and trash is not acceptable either.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
What hikers carry on Kearsarge Pass
A bear canister you have practiced carrying
A park ranger writing about a one-night trip to Kearsarge Lakes used it to remember what a canister feels like on the back before a longer trip. Families on the JMT who carried their own canisters through this section planned around a base weight near 15 pounds and about 1.5 pounds of food a day.
From Ranger Talk (Substack), Backpacking Light forum and Explore With Alec
A water filter plus a stove as backup
One overnighter's filter clogged on a stream by Charlotte Lake. The stove and fuel canister meant boiling water back at camp instead of a dehydrated hike out. He had not tested the filter after its last trip.
Enough water to bridge the dry stretch past Bullfrog Lake
A hiker who crossed in late summer advises filling at Bullfrog Lake because the next likely water is at Charlotte Lake, which needs a detour. Many places along the route were dry that late in the season.
From Explore With Alec
Trekking poles
One 2005 hiker credited poles for the climb and for staying steady on the way down, since the carbide tips bite into scree. The more recent gear list for the same route also includes them.
From MIT personal pages and Explore With Alec
A warm layer set and a sleeping bag for 10,000 feet
The first night after the pass is spent near 10,000 feet. One crossing used flannel, long underwear and a bag, and another list includes a down jacket, fleece, beanie and a warm bag for mountain camping.
From MIT personal pages and Explore With Alec
A rain jacket and a tent to wait out afternoon storms
A group heading up toward Glen Pass heard thunder as they entered the treeless stretch. They sheltered among large trees, pitched a tent and waited about 30 minutes to see where the storm went.
From BikeHikeSafari and Explore With Alec
A buff or cloth to cool your neck
The two miles of Glen Pass climb from Rae Lakes have almost no shade, and one hiker soaked a buff in a small stream to stay cool in the afternoon sun.
From Explore With Alec
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Kearsarge Pass
Leaving behind a headlamp and sleeping pad
One trip started with the pad left in the car, and the headlamp, used at the trailhead, vanished somewhere between car and pack. A short list check at the car would have saved both.
A pack that does not fit
A hiker borrowed a pack instead of one fitted to him and came away with a bruised hipbone and sore shoulders after the climb. Ibuprofen got him through the night.
From MIT personal pages
Planning to stash a resupply box in the Onion Valley bear lockers
Hikers on forums describe several ways to resupply here, including the packer station and a paid shuttle. The Forest Service says caching food or supplies in the wilderness or in food storage lockers is not allowed, so use a service that holds a box for you.
From Backpacking Light forum and Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Permits
Gear questions for Kearsarge Pass
Do you need a bear canister for Kearsarge Pass?
Yes. Inyo National Forest requires food and scented items to be stored in a bear-resistant container in the Kearsarge Pass area, and one hiker's list for the route says canisters are required on the Kings Canyon side too.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations and Explore With Alec
Can you leave a resupply box at Kearsarge Pass for the John Muir Trail?
Not in a bear locker. The Forest Service says caching food or supplies is not allowed in the wilderness or in food storage lockers. Hikers describe packer services and shuttles that hold boxes for a fee.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Permits and Backpacking Light forum
Can you have a campfire near Kearsarge Pass?
No. Campfires are prohibited year round in the Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley area. Bring a stove burning gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel.
From Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Wilderness Regulations
How cold is it on Kearsarge Pass in early June?
Cold enough for a short snow shower at the top and for ice on the far side of Glen Pass. Hikers on a June 6 crossing also saw thunderstorm clouds build, so pack layers and a rain shell.
From BikeHikeSafari
Sources
- Wilderness Regulations · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Wilderness Permits · Inyo National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Backpacking Guide to Rae Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park · Explore With Alec, Alec Sills-Trausch · Blog
- Kearsarge Pass · Ranger Talk (Substack), Morgan Kennedy · Blog
- John Muir Trail Trip, Summer 2005: Onion Valley to Upper Vidette Meadows · MIT personal pages · Trip report
- PCT Day 51 Glen Pass PCT - JMT Thunderstorms, Bears and 2 Cubs · BikeHikeSafari, Brad McCartney · Trip report
- Onion Valley - Independence re-supply · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread