High Sierra Topix

IMO the section of the MF Kings from around a mile below Devil's Bathtub to the JMT is wonderfully scenic.

jenreyn wrote:I did a loop from Lamarck Col to Martha Lake, over the pass to Lake 10232, over Blue Canyon Pass down to Tehipite and out South Lake. We did that in 6-7 days but it was rushed at times. I honestly wished I had more time to explore in the valley itself and fish the river. There are some great swimming holes between Tehipite and Simpson Meadow along with great looking trout. I have wanted to go back to just fish that section. Beautiful water.....amazing trees; They were really impressive. Huge old growth, cedars and oaks. My partner is an arborist and he was in awe at the size of some of the trees. The trail is there, however you have to look very closely at times. It is overgrown in places, but I heard two years ago the Park had a trail crew go through and cut back some of the foliage. I heard they rebuilt the cabin at Simpson Meadow and rerouted the trail through the meadow. That was the crux for us in regards to following the trail as it disappeared near where the bridge used to exist. I would recommend fall as the time to go. We were there in mid September and it was still hot, approaching low 90's. There is sufficient canopy to keep you cool enough. But if I had a choice to go back I'd try early October. There may even be some fall color in the oaks by that time. The only thing I'd really caution you on are the black flies! They were horrendous. I brought a bug net because I was warned about them. However, because the trail is hard to follow at times( looking for padded duff), the mesh in front of my eyes made it hard enough to decipher the way trail went. So without the bug net we booked it until we were a few miles before Simpson Meadow. We didn't see any snakes, although I know the place has the reputation for them. Nor did we encounter poison oak once in the valley proper. We passed some on the switchbacks down into the valley. All in all its a wonderfully wild place in the Sierras. I think of it as one of those places that is somewhat unspoiled due to the nature of not many people going there. Also, as stated above, the fishing below Simpson looked terrific. I didn't catch many in Tehipite Valley proper though. Heres a few pics from my trip about four years ago.

I have decided to go in from South Lake- take the trails all the way to Simpson Meadow, 2-3 days or so going down and back to Tehipite and unless running out of time, return up Palisade Creek to Palisade Lake and follow the High Route back to Dusy Basin