Kearsarge Pass

The Hike: From the trailhead, the trail immediately begins climbing up through the sagebrush before switchbacking to the north. At ~0.3 miles an inconspicuous side-trail comes in from the north (right). This is a connector trail to the Golden Trout Lake Trail which begins near the large parking area. Stay left and reach another switchback before approaching the John Muir Wilderness boundary (~0.7 miles). Before reaching the wilderness boundary, enjoy the views of Independence Peak to the southeast. The trail then nears the creek before switchbacking and continuing to the west. This section can be pretty moist and muddy during the summer. Shortly after this section, another small group of switchbacks is met before yet another set just below Little Pothole Lake. A decent viewpoint exists a little off-trail to the northeast of the lake at ~1.5 miles. Two cascades can be seen tumbling down toward the west and south shores of the lake. From here, the trail heads north before switchbacking to the west. Great views of University Peak begin to open up. A talus section with large boulders is passed through before the trail slightly descends into some trees at the eastern end of Gilbert Lake. University Peak's reflection in the lake makes this a nice place to rest and enjoy the scenery. The trail works its way around the northern shore of the lake with several use-trails down to the shore. One in particular on the northern shore was our favorite and gave us a nice place to watch the trout cruising through the lake. The trail then climbs north of the lake before turning to the southwest to enter the trees. The junction with the signed Matlock Lake Trail is reached at ~2.4 miles just below Flower Lake.

The Matlock Lake Trail does not show up on many maps, but it must be maintained and was in great shape when we were here. We decided to take this side-trip first, so we turned left onto this trail, crossed Flower Lake's outlet, and headed south then southeast. The trees become more sparse as the trail climbs up to the ridge. You can find many Foxtail Pines while descending the southern side of the ridge toward Matlock Lake. The northeastern end of Matlock Lake is reached at ~2.95 miles. The views of University Peak to the south-southwest and the unnamed peaks to the west over the lake are superb. Matlock Lake is truly beautiful and sees much less of the crowds that exist on the Kearsarge Pass Trail. The maintained trail ends here, but, if you continue to the south-southeast, Slim Lake's northern outlet is reached at ~3.15 miles. Although we did not attempt it, it seemed reasonable to continue following and climbing the ridge line to the southwest to reach Bench Lake instead of descending to Matlock Lake. Following our steps back, we took a quick look at Flower Lake from the eastern shore before stepping back onto the Kearsarge Pass Trail (~3.9 miles total). The trail immediately switchbacks its way up to the northwest under thinning trees before traversing and turning to the south above Heart Lake. Here (~4.8 miles) is a tight set of several switchbacks with a few nice views of the lake below. The trail continues climbing to the northwest and leaves almost all of but the hardiest of trees behind. A small pair of switchbacks is passed through before the last large pair above Big Pothole Lake (~5.6 miles).

The last traverse to the pass begins at ~5.75 miles, where the trees are left for good, and the pass is reached at ~6.1 miles at the eastern boundary of Kings Canyon National Park and below Mt Gould. The views from the pass are spectacular. Some peaks visible include Gregorys Monument, Mt Ericsson, East and West Spurs, Kearsarge Pinnacles, South and North Guards, Mt Brewer, Mt Farquhar, and Mt Bago. The Kearsarge Lakes are visible below the Pinnacles and Bullfrog Lake is visible below Mt Bago. Find a nice boulder to sit on, take in the scenery, and refuel. The trail continues down toward Bullfrog Lake and some trail junctions for those interested in longer treks. For everyone else, retrace your steps back toward the trailhead. If you haven't already checked out Matlock and Slim Lakes, do it on the way back down. Enjoy the views of the White Mountains and Owens Valley from below Gilbert Lake too.