High Sierra Topix

Mineral King trailhead it pretty great. I've hiked every trail out of there.

I'm partial to any west side trailhead in SEKI and have hiked every branch out of every one, but have yet to mark off every piece of backcountry trail that they access.

Cross Country wrote:My favorite was Kings Canyon Roads end. ...

I would have to agree, although I prefer TH's that start high and stay high. Unfortunately, most of those TH's don't have a lot of destinations associated with them.
I do have a few additional TH favorites like Rowell, Glacier Point, Gianelli, Shingle Springs, Granite Creek, VVR, Bear Creek, Jerkey Meadows, and more...

People still use trailheads???

Favorite might be Agnew Meadows, for where it can get you in short order.

But the one I've probably done the most is Wrights Lake into Desolation Wilderness. It is not really among my favorite trailheads if thinking about the whole Sierra, but Wrights (and nearby Horsetail Falls) are among the best when one seeks a weekender trip that can get you into good granite in fewer than 3.5 hours from the Bay Area.

- Elizabeth

oleander wrote:Favorite might be Agnew Meadows, for where it can get you in short order.

But the one I've probably done the most is Wrights Lake into Desolation Wilderness. It is not really among my favorite trailheads if thinking about the whole Sierra, but Wrights (and nearby Horsetail Falls) are among the best when one seeks a weekender trip that can get you into good granite in fewer than 3.5 hours from the Bay Area.

- Elizabeth

This is how I feel about the Cottonwood Pass trailhead. It's one of my favorites because of the number of trips I've done there and how much I enjoyed those trips. That trailhead was also one of the quickest to get to from Ventura County when I lived there.

Rodriguez Flat TH.

Most used has been Tuolumne meadows and that has been my favorite the past few years for a really wimpy reason: can sleep in a bed at Tuolumne meadows lodge and have pack already to go except for food in storage box. So simply add Bearicade and we are ready to go in the am. I also like Agnew meadows because I can hit the TH in the Afternoon via shuttle after driving down from Oregon then hike up the river trail a couple of miles and make camp and then be ready the next AM for the up hill slog to my next destination.

Mike

Mineral King for the many places you can get to and high elevation start.

NIRA Campground (San Rafael Wilderness) - only 1.5 hours from my house.

But since this is a High Sierra topic, Mineral King - really high, lots of options, and no problems getting a permit.

Another vote for Road's End here. There's just such a wealth of destinations from there, and if you go up Copper Creek or Sphinx Creek you can get solitude quickly (but not easily).

My other favorite trailhead area (not one specific trailhead, but several) is the Edison/Florence complex. Again, lots of great destinations from there. Tons of people go up the John Muir Freeway from Florence, but it's not hard to get off there and find a place away from the crowds--say, Mount Shinn Lake & Red Rock Basin, for example.

I've never gone out of Tuolumne Meadows, and it wouldn't be among my favorite trailheads in any case because it's too popular. More of a hassle to get a permit, and much harder to find solitude.