SEKI Wilderness Permit — Mineral King — Paradise Ridge

Mineral King, Paradise Ridge: what makes it different

Paradise Ridge is a quiet Mineral King entry point that starts at Atwell Mill, below the main valley, and climbs a hot, dry ridge to the Redwood Meadow sequoia grove. It carries a 15-person quota and passes through ground burned in 2021.^1,2

Getting to the start

You park at the Atwell Mill trailhead, which sits at the far end of Atwell Mill Campground and across from it on Mineral King Road. Recreation.gov names that lot for this permit. The Park Service puts the campground about a 15-minute, 5-mile drive from the valley, with 21 tent sites and pit toilets.^1,4,3

The permit is issued at the Mineral King Ranger Station, farther up the road, not at the trailhead. One 2018 party drove to the end of the road for the permit, sat through a wait and a ranger's talk, then drove back down to Atwell Mill by mid-afternoon.^1,5

Sources disagree about the campground. The Park Service lists it as open with 21 tent sites. A May 2023 guide says it closed in 2021 for hazardous trees. Check with the ranger station before counting on a site.^3,6

The first leg

The Park Service describes a steep climb that is hot and dry, with a sequoia grove and vistas. Recreation.gov puts the first allowed camp on the ridge, 3.3 miles from the campground, and the Park Service trail list says 3 miles. Neither place has water.^2,1

A 2018 party walked 6 miles on day one, with about 2,624 feet of climb and 1,027 feet of descent, and camped at Little Sand Meadow on a trickle of water. They saw giant sequoias soon after the start, a few day hikers low down, then burned patches and peek-a-boo views near the ridge.⁵

Terrain and difficulty

Recreation.gov calls the trail steep and dry on both sides of the ridge, and says it may be difficult to follow. The same division text warns that the entry point reaches an area burned in 2021, so falling trees and other hazards are possible.¹

The Park Service says the trail runs ten miles to Redwood Meadow. The route is mostly uphill with few long views, and the 2018 writers called the forest on the far side of the ridge plain.^2,5

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Mineral King, Paradise Ridge, overnight: 15 people a day. Recreation.gov lists 15 people a day for Paradise Ridge, 10 of them reservable. The live daily calendar is closed until the 2027 window opens on November 28, 2026, so this is the division text, not a daily count.¹

Rules specific to this entry point

This permit does not reach Paradise Valley in Kings Canyon and is not a start for the Rae Lakes Loop, despite the name. No campfires are allowed above 9,000 feet in the Kaweah River drainage or at Pinto Lake and the Hamilton Lakes.¹

Where it leads

Recreation.gov names Redwood Meadow and Cliff Creek as the places the trail opens. The Redwood Meadow Grove is bigger than the Atwell Grove, with more trees across a wider area, and the meadow itself is boggy.^1,5

A ranger station stands at Redwood Meadow, but a 2023 guide found it unstaffed and found no water at the meadow. The 2018 party used the ridge route to reach the High Sierra Trail and then Tamarack Lake and Cloud Canyon on a nine-day loop.^6,5

What trip reports say

One party that started here in early September 2018 chose Paradise Ridge because permits were still free on short notice. They called the trail dry and steep, with no views to speak of, and so an unpopular start. The Atwell Mill campground was empty before Labor Day.⁵

On day two they dropped from the ridge toward Redwood Meadow and into the larger sequoia grove, where they played a game of spotting sequoias among the mixed trees.⁵

A 2023 guide to the Mineral King loop reaches Redwood Meadow from the other side. Its writers say there is no water at the meadow. They also describe a good camp on the Kaweah River about a mile past the meadow.⁶

When to go from here

The 2018 party hiked in early September and was unsure about water that late in the season, then found only a trickle at its camp. The Park Service describes the climb as hot and dry, which argues for cooler months and early starts.^5,2

Compare with nearby entry points

• Hockett: The Atwell-Hockett entry point uses the same Atwell Mill lot, but its quota is 25 people, against 15 here. Its first camp is 6 miles out at Clover Creek, and it runs 9.8 miles to Hockett Meadow on what the Park Service calls an easy to moderate climb and a popular stock trail.^1,2
• Timber Gap: Timber Gap also leads toward Cliff Creek, but it starts at the Sawtooth lot in the main valley with a 25-person quota. Its first camp is 2.3 miles out at the gap, with no water.^1,2
• Tar Gap: Tar Gap starts at Cold Springs Campground, with a 25-person quota and a first camp 6 miles out at Deer Creek.¹

Sources

1. Sequoia and Kings Canyon Wilderness Permit, Paradise Ridge division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Wilderness Trail Descriptions, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Mineral King, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Paradise Ridge Trailhead, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Sequoia NP from Mineral King, Reason Number Seven. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Backpacking the Mineral King Loop in Sequoia National Park, Bearfoot Theory. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Wilderness Permits & Reservations, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Minimum Impact Restrictions, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, National Park Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Paradise Ridge permit