New to HST, your advice on this pathing/trail?

[LordXar]

During that time frame you will want to prepare for temps down into the 20s, and be prepared for the first of the snow storms - especially in an El Nino year like this one. There's also a fire burning below Bearpaw Meadow; the Redwood Fire. It's being managed by a crew on the ground, and they're letting it burn as much as is safe, so I'd expect smoke impacts if I were you. It's been smoky looking into the Kaweah from Visalia the past week.

Darn, you really think I need to prepare for snow? Sept 27 - Oct 3rd? Hmmm...

[cgundersen]

LordX: Yes, the loop you have on AllTrails only has one semi-sketchy bit (where the trail is steep and narrow) on the final stretch (maybe 100 yards) up to Sawtooth pass. The other side of Sawtooth is a grind to get up, because it is very loose sand/gravel. Going up is exhausting. Going down can be reminiscent of skiing. You'll definitely want to stay abreast of how the fire is behaving and carefully check the weather forecast before you go. Even in early August, my water bottle was freezing overnight (in Miter basin), so if any precipitation is likely, it'll probably be snow at your elevations. Cameron

[Lenier]

I don't personally feel the weather - if it's not a heavy monsoon week - will cancel your trip. Just be prepared for the chance sort of thing.

[LMBSGV]

Yes, snow is definitely a possibility that time of year. At that altitude, temps at night will be in the 20s and may get in the teens. And if you're going up the Mineral King Road, you probably don't want to look out to the right side at certain points on the road.

[LordXar]

Yes, snow is definitely a possibility that time of year. At that altitude, temps at night will be in the 20s and may get in the teens. And if you're going up the Mineral King Road, you probably don't want to look out to the right side at certain points on the road.

Well, it says the Mineral King Road is closed. Yikes. Any other paths up there?

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm (top post in red)

[cgundersen]

LordX,
At this point, about the only option for getting into the Big Arroyo (and then the Little/Big 5 lakes) is via the High Sierra trail. But there are patches of that trail that may give you the Willys. It's a great trail, but there are areas, including the stretch up to Kaweah Gap that may not suit your fancy (and may be affected by the smoke from the Redwood fire). As before, if you are keen to get a taste of the southwestern Sierra, try something out of Lodgepole. If you're not limited to that area, then your options increase exponentially. Cameron

[MADgenius]

Alas, Mineral King Road is closed for 2023. I'd a permit for a trailhead accessed by that road but the park service cancelled it back in July. https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
https://www.mineralking.net/blog/news/p ... ss-release

[LordXar]

LordX,
At this point, about the only option for getting into the Big Arroyo (and then the Little/Big 5 lakes) is via the High Sierra trail. But there are patches of that trail that may give you the Willys. It's a great trail, but there are areas, including the stretch up to Kaweah Gap that may not suit your fancy (and may be affected by the smoke from the Redwood fire). As before, if you are keen to get a taste of the southwestern Sierra, try something out of Lodgepole. If you're not limited to that area, then your options increase exponentially. Cameron

Thank you. Yeah, we usually go up Baxter or Taboose pass and start our journey there.... so I am use to that size of the Sierras. I guess one of my partners has a hankering for the HST as he remembers it decades ago (they've been hiking for a lonnnng time. I'm a newbie, 5 years). I guess we could go up on that side of the Sierras, but I'm not in a great shape this year so looking for something is intermediate but we can camp a days hike in or so, for a few days that is not traversed by many people. Less people, the better.

[cgundersen]

LordX,
If you are not wedded to the western Sierra, then I'd recommend either doing Cottonwood pass and heading into Miter basin which entails no vertigo-inducing moments (and you could complete a loop by going over Crabtree and Guyot passes), or the Mono Pass trail (out of Mosquito Flats (though he does not specify his route, tyoungberg recently wrote up a TR for Mono pass and Pioneer basin, a splendid area). Cameron