West side Sequoia/Kings/surround National Forest trip

[kcon323]

Hello!

My boyfriend and I and our 2 friends were originally planning a 10 day trip to Tehipite Valley but sadly our friends can only do a 8/3-9/8 trip with flying into FAT 8/3 morning. Any recommendations for trip alternatives ideally only about 10 miles a day less for the 8/3 first day if we hike that day at all? We'd be west side of the sierras ideally starting from Kings/Sequoia or surrounding national forests. We are all have a decent amount of backpacking experience with some cross country as well. I prefer water features and not so much peak bagging, but that's just me. I would love to do evolution basin but no close airport on the east side for our friends to fly into and my boyfriend thinks the JMT is too bustling.

[Wandering Daisy]

Do you mean 8/30, not 8/3?

Being a group, with a set date, you should first check the permit availability. Although SEKI has some first-come (day-of) permits you cannot count on that. Courtright Reservoir (Maxon Meadow) usually has quite a few available permits. Blackcap Basin is great. Do a search of trip reports for Blackcap Basin and you will find lots of ideas.

[wildhiker]

You can also start at Rowell Meadow, just outside the park, and hike a big loop through Sugarloaf country to Roaring River, then up Deadman Canyon to just before Elizabeth Pass, where you contour cross-country over to Horn Col and then spend two or three days heading cross-country all the way across the Tablelands, ending at the trail at Ranger Lake. Then head down to Seville Lake and back to Rowell Meadow. Permits are generally available for this Rowell Meadow start - but check recreation.gov.
-Phil

[FrankPS]

our friends can only do a 8/3-9/8 trip

This is confusing. There are so many possibilities for a week-long trip out of the west side. Do you have the Sierra South guidebook or a Caltopo account? Or a Sequoia-Kings Canyon map?

[thegib]

You can still easily reach Evolution basin from the west, and if you're tricky you can avoid the JMT for most of the route. How many days do you have?

[giantbrookie]

Ditto on Wandering Daisy's note about the wilderness permit situation. That is always the first step in trip planning, especially for an entry day of Friday of Labor Day weekend which is probably THE most popular entry day of the entire year for High Sierra wilderness permits.

Fortunately west side entry from the Courtright or (even better) Wishon Res.-area trailheads tends to be way less popular than east side or JMT/PCT entry areas (say out of Lake Edison or Florence) and there are multiple ways into the heart of the Kings Canyon backcountry.

My daughter and I are planning a 9-10 day trip August (early to mid Aug takeoff) that heads out of one of the Wishon Res. area trailheads (Rancheria or "variant") and ultimately into the areas near Mt Goddard. We have a midweek takeoff planned for best wilderness permit odds, but have not reserved one yet because we haven't nailed down the exact dates.

[Wandering Daisy]

Please clarify your transportation plans and days you have to work with. What or where is "FAT"?

[giantbrookie]

Please clarify your transportation plans and days you have to work with. What or where is "FAT"?

FAT is Fresno airport.