Best Backpacking in Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Sequoia and Kings Canyon do not sell permits by trail. They sell them by the trailhead you walk in from, with a separate daily quota on each one, so the trip you want and the permit you book are two different decisions. Below are nine trips worth the drive, and for each one the entry point you actually reserve. Two of them are not sold by the parks at all.
How Sequoia and Kings Canyon sell wilderness permits
Both parks run one wilderness permit system on Recreation.gov, under permit 445857. You pick an entry trailhead and a start date, and the quota on that trailhead is what you are competing for. The quota season runs May 22 to September 26. Inside it the National Park Service charges $15 for the trip plus $5 per person, and the group limit is 15 people. Your route after the first night is up to you, which is why one permit can cover very different trips.
Rae Lakes Loop, the one most people mean
A 41.4 mile loop out of Roads End in Kings Canyon, climbing from 5,035 feet to 11,978 feet at its high point, usually walked in 3 to 5 days and rated strenuous. The permit is unusual in a useful way: it covers two entry divisions, Woods Creek and Bubbs Creek, because the loop is walked in either direction from the same trailhead. If one direction is full, check the other before giving up on the date.
High Sierra Trail, the trans-Sierra traverse
72.2 miles from Crescent Meadow in the sequoias to Whitney Portal on the east side, from 6,729 feet up to the 14,505 foot summit of Mount Whitney, in 6 to 8 days. The Crescent Meadow entry carries a 30 person daily quota. This is the trip that turns a Whitney summit into a week of walking rather than one brutal day, and it is why the Crescent Meadow quota is among the hardest in the park to get.
The High Sierra Trail needs a second permit nobody expects
If your trip finishes at Whitney Portal, Inyo National Forest requires your permit to name Mt Whitney (Trail Crest Exit) as the exit point, and that exit quota is separate from the entry quota you reserved at your starting trailhead. That means two quotas on two separate systems for a single trip.
- The entry quota is Sequoia and Kings Canyon, on Recreation.gov permit 445857
- The Trail Crest Exit quota is Inyo National Forest, on Recreation.gov permit 233262
- The same applies to a John Muir Trail or Kearsarge Pass trip that walks out over Whitney
Mineral King, for a shorter trip
Mineral King sits at the end of a long, slow road in the south of Sequoia, and its trailheads hold real quota. Eagle Lake is an out and back rated moderate at 1 to 3 nights, on a 25 person daily quota, and is the friendliest introduction to the area. Franklin Lakes is rated strenuous at 2 to 5 days on a 30 person daily quota. Both sit inside the same May 22 to September 26 season as the rest of the park.
Cedar Grove, for the Kings Canyon high country
Cedar Grove is the Roads End end of Kings Canyon and the way into the Rae Lakes country. Bubbs Creek and Woods Creek each carry a 25 person daily quota and each runs 3 to 5 days. Copper Creek and Lewis Creek leave from the same area and are the quieter picks when both loop directions are gone.
Two trips filed under SEKI that Inyo actually sells
Dusy Basin and Mount Langley both reach Kings Canyon terrain, and neither is sold by the parks. Both are entry quotas on Inyo National Forest permit 233262, from the other side of the crest, with a different fee and a different season.
- Dusy Basin, reached over Bishop Pass from South Lake: 12 miles out and back, 2,900 feet of gain, 9,500 to 11,972 feet, 2 to 3 days
- Mount Langley via Cottonwood Lakes: 22 miles out and back, 4,100 feet of gain, 9,950 to 14,042 feet, 2 to 3 days, a fourteener with no lottery
- Both cost $6 per reservation plus $5 per person, not the park's $15 plus $5
- Both run the Inyo season, May 1 to November 1, rather than the park's May 22 to September 26
Mount Whitney is a lottery, and it is its own thing
The Whitney Trail out of Whitney Portal runs a lottery instead of a reservation, which makes it the one trip here you cannot simply book. Applications open February 1 and close March 1, and results are published March 15. The day hike carries a 100 person daily quota and costs $15. The overnight permit carries a 60 person daily quota and costs $6 per reservation plus $15 per person. The day hike is 21.4 miles out and back from 8,360 feet to 14,505 feet, and the data puts it at 12 to 18 hours. The overnight version buys you 2 to 4 days for the same climb, which is why people who want to sleep at altitude apply for it.
Tip: pick the country, then take whichever gate opens
Because the parks sell entry points rather than routes, a full trailhead is rarely a dead trip. Rae Lakes has two directions on one permit. The Kings Canyon high country is reachable from Bubbs Creek, Woods Creek, Copper Creek or Lewis Creek. Mineral King has seven separate entries. Decide where you want to be, list every trailhead that reaches it, and watch all of them rather than refreshing one.
Conclusion
The hard part of a Sequoia or Kings Canyon trip is the booking. The trailhead is the unit of competition, the season runs May 22 to September 26, and two of the best trips in the parks are sold by a different forest on a different calendar. Work out which entry points reach where you want to go, then watch the whole set rather than the one date you first wanted.
Common questions
Do you need a permit to backpack in Sequoia and Kings Canyon?
Yes. Overnight trips in the wilderness of both parks need a wilderness permit, reserved by entry trailhead on Recreation.gov permit 445857. During the quota season the National Park Service charges $15 for the trip plus $5 per person, and the group limit is 15 people.
When does the Sequoia and Kings Canyon permit quota season run?
The quota season runs May 22 to September 26. Inside those dates each entry trailhead has its own daily quota, so the trailhead you enter from is what you compete for rather than the route you intend to walk.
What is the best backpacking trip in Kings Canyon?
The Rae Lakes Loop is the trip most people are after: 41.4 miles from Roads End, climbing from 5,035 feet to 11,978 feet, usually walked in 3 to 5 days. Its permit covers both the Woods Creek and Bubbs Creek entry divisions, because the loop can be walked in either direction from the same trailhead.
How long does the High Sierra Trail take?
The High Sierra Trail is 72.2 miles from Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal and is usually walked in 6 to 8 days, finishing on the 14,505 foot summit of Mount Whitney. The Crescent Meadow entry carries a 30 person daily quota.
Do you need a separate permit to finish at Whitney Portal?
Yes. Inyo National Forest requires a permit that names Mt Whitney (Trail Crest Exit) as the exit point, and that exit quota is separate from the entry quota reserved at your starting trailhead. It is issued on Recreation.gov permit 233262 rather than on the Sequoia and Kings Canyon permit.
Is a Mount Whitney permit a lottery?
Yes. The Whitney Trail runs a lottery rather than a first come reservation. Applications open February 1 and close March 1, with results published March 15. The day hike carries a 100 person daily quota and the overnight permit carries a 60 person daily quota.
Track these permits
Live availability, current lottery dates, and cancellation alerts.
Track the Rae Lakes Loop permit
41.4 mile loop from Roads End. One permit covers both the Woods Creek and Bubbs Creek directions.
Track the High Sierra Trail permit
72.2 miles from Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal, on a 30 person daily quota.
Track the Mount Whitney day hike permit
Lottery, February 1 to March 1, results March 15. 100 people a day.
Track the Mount Whitney overnight permit
60 people a day, and 2 to 4 days on the mountain instead of one.
Track the Mineral King Eagle Lake permit
Moderate, 1 to 3 nights, 25 person daily quota. The gentlest way into Mineral King.
Track the Mineral King Franklin Lakes permit
Strenuous, 2 to 5 days, on a 30 person daily quota.
Track the Cedar Grove Bubbs Creek permit
25 person daily quota, 3 to 5 days into the Kings Canyon high country.
Track the Dusy Basin permit
12 miles and 2,900 feet over Bishop Pass. Sold by Inyo National Forest, not the parks.
Track the Mount Langley permit
A 14,042 foot summit via Cottonwood Lakes, 22 miles and 4,100 feet of gain.