The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border, just south of Campo, California, and its northern terminus is on the Canada–US border, upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia; it passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It is named after John Muir, a naturalist.
Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for 90 miles (140 km), in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it encompasses 652,793 acres (2,641.76 km2). The wilderness lies along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra from near Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument in the north, to Cottonwood Pass near Mount Whitney in the south. The wilderness area also spans the Sierra crest north of Kings Canyon National Park, and extends on the west side of the park down to the Monarch Wilderness.
Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of central Sierra Nevada in Central California and bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for its mountain scenery and beautiful lakes. Forest headquarters are located in Clovis, California. There are local ranger district offices in North Fork and Prather.
The High Sierra Trail (HST) is a hiking trail in Sequoia National Park, California. The trail crosses the Sierra Nevada from west to east. According to the Yosemite Decimal System, the HST is a Class 1/Class 2 trail, which means simple scrambling, with the possibility of occasional use of the hands for balance.
Mount Le Conte is a mountain located in the Sierra Nevada of California. The boundary between Inyo and Tulare counties runs along the crest of the Sierra, across Mount Le Conte. The mountain was named in 1895 for Joseph Le Conte (1823–1901), the first professor of geology and natural history at the University of California.
The South Fork Kern River is a tributary of the Kern River in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the southernmost rivers on the western slope of the mountains, and drains a high, relatively dry plateau country of 982 square miles (2,540 km2) along the Sierra Crest. The upper South Fork flows through a series of rugged canyons, but it also drains a flat, marshy valley before joining the Kern River at Lake Isabella.
The Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County and Inyo County, California. It is located 40 miles (64 km) east of Porterville within Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Forest.
The South Fork Kings River is a 44.1-mile (71.0 km) tributary of the Kings River in the Sierra Nevada of Fresno County, California. The river forms part of Kings Canyon, the namesake of Kings Canyon National Park and one of the deepest canyons in North America with a maximum relief of 8,200 feet (2,500 m) from rim to river.
Lake Thomas A Edison is a reservoir in the Sierra National Forest and in Fresno County, California. It is in the Sierra Nevada, and near the Pacific Crest Trail.
Bishop Pass, 11,972 ft (3,649 m), is a high mountain pass in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, on the border of the Inyo National Forest on the north and Kings Canyon National Park on the south. The Bishop Pass Trail goes over the pass, connecting the Bishop Creek valley in the north with the John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail in the south. The pass is located just to the west of Mount Agassiz, south of Picture Puzzle Peak, and east-southeast of Mount Goode, and is surrounded by many alpine lakes in the Dusy Basin and the Bishop Lake basin.
Kearsarge Pinnacles is a linear series of 12 pillars and crags on a northwest–southeast trending ridge located one mile west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the southeast corner of Fresno County, in northern California. It is situated in Kings Canyon National Park, 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of the community of Independence, immediately southwest of the Kearsarge Lakes and Kearsarge Pass, and northwest of parent University Peak. The highest, number 4, rises to 12,008 feet in elevation, whereas number 8 is the most prominent. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,500 feet above Vidette Meadow in one-half mile. The John Muir Trail traverses below the west aspect of this remote geographical feature. The Kearsarge pinnacles, lakes, peak, and pass were named after the Kearsarge mine to the east, which was named by its owners after the USS Kearsarge. In turn, the ship was named after Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.
Mount Bago is an 11,870-foot-elevation (3,620-meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the southeast corner of Fresno County, in northern California. It is situated in Kings Canyon National Park, 14 miles (23 km) west of the community of Independence, 2.3 miles west of the Kearsarge Pinnacles, and 2.4 miles southwest of Mount Rixford. Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 3,675 feet above Junction Meadow in one mile. The John Muir Trail passes to the northeast of this remote geographical feature. The first ascent of the summit was made July 11, 1896, by Joseph Nisbet LeConte and Wilson S. Gould.
Disappointment Peak is a 13,917-foot-elevation summit located on the shared boundary of Fresno County and Inyo County in California, United States.
Mount Prater is a 13,471-foot-elevation (4,106 meter) mountain summit located on the shared border of Fresno County and Inyo County in California, United States.
Mount Jepson is a 13,390-foot-elevation (4,081 meter) summit located on the shared boundary of Fresno County and Inyo County in California, United States.
Mather Pass is a high mountain pass in the U.S. state of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. It lies within far eastern Fresno County, inside Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness. The pass lies at an elevation of 12,068 feet, separating Palisade Basin to the north and Upper Basin to the south.
Pinchot Pass is a high mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, in the United States. It lies within far eastern Fresno County, inside Kings Canyon National Park and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness.
