SEKI Wilderness Permit — Lodgepole — Middle Fork Kaweah

Lodgepole, Middle Fork Kaweah: what makes it different

Middle Fork Kaweah is the low-elevation foothill entry: oak and chaparral canyon above the Kaweah River, about 13 miles to the remote Redwood Meadow sequoia grove and 14 to Bearpaw Meadow. It is a spring, fall and winter trip, the road to the trailhead closes for part of the year, and a 2021 fire burned much of the area.^2,3,1

Getting to the start

Recreation.gov names the Ash Mountain Wilderness Office as the issuing station, while the Park Service place page says to pick the permit up at the Foothills Visitor Center. You reach the trailhead from the Generals Highway by turning at the Hospital Rock Picnic Area onto the Buckeye Flat Campground road, then taking a dirt road on the left, narrow and often single lane. Parking holds about eight vehicles, and Recreation.gov says not to park at Buckeye Campground.^1,3,2

The dirt road is shut in rainy weather and through the winter season, which the Park Service dates as late September to early April. Then you park at Hospital Rock and walk in, a distance the Park Service puts at under two miles. The trail conditions page said on March 27, 2026 that the Buckeye Flat road was closed, that the trail was open to foot traffic only with no stock, and that the tread was overgrown in places with brush and downed trees.^3,2,6

The fall 2021 KNP Complex fire burned much of the surrounding area. The Park Service place page, last updated July 10, 2023, adds that storm damage that winter may have closed other exits, including trailheads in Mineral King and Cedar Grove, so check the closed-area map before you plan a point-to-point route out.^3,1

The first leg

The first mile gives views of Moro Rock and Castle Rocks, and the Park Service puts Panther Creek Falls 3 miles from the parking area. Hiking Project calls the first 3 miles to Panther Creek fairly easy and says it is where the first campsites appear.^4,8

Past Panther Creek the grade changes. Hiking Project describes about 1.5 miles of climbing from roughly 4,000 to 4,800 feet to Mehrten Creek, which has a few sites in tree cover and views of Castle Rocks and the river. It then rolls for 2.25 miles over three unnamed drainages, with a fire-ring campsite at the third, and ends at an unmarked fork at its 9.4 mile mark. The Park Service counts Mehrten Creek at about 6 miles and Buck Creek at about 9, so the two sources do not line up. Trust the creek names over the mileage.^8,2

At the fork the left branch climbs to Bearpaw Meadow and the High Sierra Trail, and the right branch drops toward Redwood Meadow. The Park Service lists Redwood Meadow at about 13 miles and Bearpaw at about 14 from the trailhead.^8,2

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov describes a slight grade along the Middle Fork of the Kaweah that steepens after 13 miles. The Park Service lists buckthorn, manzanita, black oak, chemise and bear clover for the first six miles, then mixed conifer, and giant sequoias at Redwood Meadow. It adds that Panther Creek, Mehrten Creek and Buck Creek are the only places you will likely find flat ground and a break in the brush.^1,2

Poison oak is abundant below 6,000 feet, so long sleeves and pants are the Park Service advice. Rattlesnakes and ticks are listed too, and Recreation.gov repeats the tick, poison oak and rattlesnake warning. Hiking Project says wildfire and winter-storm damage may have left the trail in rough shape.^2,1,8

Granite Creek is the crossing to plan around near the far end. The Park Service page, last updated April 24, 2013, warns that the lower crossing can be dangerous in late spring and early summer snowmelt. It tells you to use the Eagle Scout Creek bridge first, and if Granite Creek cannot be forded, to follow the creek up to the next junction and turn right on an upper trail that has a bridge.²

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Lodgepole, Middle Fork Kaweah, overnight: 25 people a day. Recreation.gov division text lists 25 people a day for Middle Fork Kaweah, 20 of them reservable. The live daily calendar returned no dates when checked on October 15, 2026, so this is the division text and not a daily count. The 2027 booking window opens November 28, 2026.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov gives two first camps. One is Panther Creek, 3.5 miles from the Middle Fork Trailhead. The other is Poison Oak Flat, 2 miles from the Middle Fork Bridge. The Park Service trail list also gives 3.5 miles to Panther Creek.^1,5

Camp only at the designated sites at Bearpaw Meadow, and stay one night at most at Hamilton Lakes. No campfires are allowed above 9,000 feet in the Kaweah River drainage, and none at Hamilton Lakes or Pinto Lakes.^1,7

Where it leads

Redwood Meadow is the usual goal. The Park Service calls its sequoia grove one of the most remote reached by trail in the park. A 2018 hiker who walked down from Bearpaw (a 4.6 mile trip) said his party had the grove to themselves, found the meadow fenced at the edge and the pit toilet falling apart, and fought off bugs while eating lunch.^2,9

Water is the catch. That hiker found no water source in the meadow. A reader comment from July 2016 on a Big Outside story says the next water is Granite Creek, no more than 30 minutes away, with three campsites more than 25 feet from the water. On September 21, 2026 the trail conditions page said the cabin water was off but a small stream north of the camping area, toward the Middle Fork junction, was still running.^9,10,6

Bearpaw Meadow is the other end. The Park Service describes a strenuous slope between Sugarbowl Dome and River Valley to reach it and says to expect more people there than on the Middle Fork Trail. From Bearpaw the High Sierra Trail leads on toward Hamilton Lakes.^2,1

What trip reports say

None of the reports I could read starts at this trailhead. A July 2018 post by a backpacker camped at Bearpaw covers the Redwood Meadow trail from above: a steep two-mile descent, a tricky ford of the Middle Fork where one hiker soaked a shoe, a level mile to Eagle Scout Creek, a bridge over Granite Creek a quarter mile on, then a mile and a half to the grove. The last two miles back to camp were mostly uphill, and rain hit during the river crossing on the return.⁹

A six-person trip published by The Big Outside reached the grove on day two, came by from the Timber Gap side, and found no other people there. Its group ate lunch at the unoccupied ranger station and camped that night just below Bearpaw Meadow.¹⁰

When to go from here

The Park Service and Recreation.gov both say spring, late fall and winter, and that summer heat is not recommended. The catch is the road: the dirt access road closes late September to early April, so the best months for the climb include a longer walk from Hospital Rock. Snowmelt makes Granite Creek the late spring risk.^2,1,3

Hiking Project check-ins show how it looks in April. A 2018 entry logged 13 miles over two days with melting snow on the trail, three large stream crossings and a camp by the bridge at the third. A 2017 entry camped down a hill at a site with firewood already cut.⁸

Compare with nearby entry points

• Paradise Ridge: Paradise Ridge also reaches Redwood Meadow, but from Atwell Mill Campground in Mineral King. Its first camp is on the ridge 3.3 miles up with no water, and its quota is 15 people with 10 reservable, against 25 and 20 here.¹
• North Fork Kaweah: North Fork Kaweah is the next canyon over, with its own trailhead at Yucca Creek. It carries 15 people a day with none reservable, its first camp is 1 mile from the trailhead with no water, and Recreation.gov says the trail is hard to follow past Burnt Point Creek.¹
• Ladybug: Ladybug is the short foothill alternative on the South Fork. It reaches Ladybug Camp in 1.7 miles and ends at the South Fork Grove in 5 miles, with 15 people a day and 10 reservable. It burned in the 2020 SQF Complex fire, where this entry burned in 2021.¹

Sources

1. Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness Permit, Middle Fork Kaweah division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Middle Fork Trail, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Middle Fork Trailhead, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Foothills Trails, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Wilderness Trail Descriptions, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Trail Conditions, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Minimum Impact Restrictions, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Middle Fork Kaweah Trail Hiking Trail, Three Rivers, California, Hiking Project. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Backpacking in Sequoia National Park - Day 4 (Bearpaw Meadow to Redwood Meadow and back), Jeremy Landers. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Heavy Lifting: Backpacking Sequoia National Park, The Big Outside. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Wilderness Permits & Reservations, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Middle Fork Kaweah permit