Kings Canyon - Hike to Weaver Lake

With no opportunity to hike up into Kings Canyon itself from Zumwalt Meadows, we looked for a backcountry hike that would give us insight into this Sierra environment.  We visited the Sequoia National Forest Ranger Office across from our campground this morning and got information on a beautiful hike to Weaver Lake.  It was supposed to be 2.5 miles one way -- 5 miles total.  Sounded good.

The hike to Weaver Lake starts at the Big Meadows Trailhead in Sequoia National Forest, midway between Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.   Weaver Lake itself is in the Jenny Lakes Wilderness.  The Jennie Lakes Wilderness is a classic high Sierra landscape. A 10,500 acre area with a mixture of lakes, mountain peaks, forests, meadows and streams, most of which is above 7,000 feet in elevation. The wilderness boasts Lodgepole Pines, Red and White Firs and White (Mountain) Pine, Jeffrey Pines and Juniper.  Weaver Lake sits at 8,713 feet elevation.

We started at about 7,500 feet elevation, so our hike was to include a 1,200 foot climb.  As it turned out, the hike was about 7.6 miles -- about 2.5 miles longer than we expected.  However, at the start of our hike, we had no clue about the adventure we would have:

About a quarter mile along the trail, we passed the Big Meadows Campground and crossed Big Meadows Creek on a brand new bridge!

From there, our trail started uphill and didn't stop for 3.5 miles:

About a mile in, we got a glimpse of Kings Canyon, over the next ridge:

The entire area of Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest is comprised of granite that was broken down during the glacial ages.  Huge trees found a foothold in the glacial till:

It is November, so all of the fir cones have fallen to the forest floor.  These two cone leafs boast fir seeds and look like butterflies perched on granite rocks in the forest:

The glaciers carried large boulders and eventually dropped them as they receded, leaving them on top of the gritty granite glacial grist that lay soft under our hiking boots as we walked along the trail:

As we left the trailhead, we saw three other vehicles, and calculated that we would be likely to see 2 or 3 groups of hikers.  It wasn't long before we encountered four backpackers who had spent two nights at Weaver Lake and were returning to the trailhead.  They are employed by an environmental conservation group and were excited to have some time to get out into the nature they love.

Soon after, we encountered a family of four from Toronto.  They have recently immigrated from Spain and are taking a year to travel North America.  We chatted about the parks in the Western States, and discussed some of the parks in Canada as well.  We moved on and exchanged well-wishes with them for safe travels.

After this, it wasn't long before we got our first look at Weaver Lake.  It was a longer hike than we had expected -- 3.75 miles!  Once we added in a stroll along the lakeshore, this meant we would have a 7.5 to 8 miles hike overall, on the longer side for us.

But, for now, the lake was so beautiful!

We stood on the lakeshore, admiring the green clarity of the water, the colors of the grasses on the shore, and Shell Mountain in the background:

The water was like a mirror in the still air, and the trees and grasses framed the lake:

Rocks littered the western shoreline of the lake --

-- and Kathy stood among them, admiring the scenery:

We saw numerous trout rising on the lake, chasing mayflies.  The water was still and reflective until just after noon, when breezes rose up and started rippling the surface:

Still, we caught one or two last photos before the winds destroyed the mirror-like surface of the lake:

We found a good lunch spot and sat to eat our lunch, admiring the lake and Shell Mountain:

Before long, it was time to return down to the trailhead.  Our hike back was uneventful.  The sun had moved, and it lit our way as we descended and worked our way across drainages and around the hills:

When we got back to our Jeep, the Forest Service officers had placed a flyer under our windshield wipers, advising us that the area would be closed tomorrow due to an expected snowstorm.  The flyer urged us to leave the area and explained how we could pass through the gates that have been closed across access to the Jenny Lakes Wilderness.

Luckily, we're a day ahead of the weather, and, other than being slowed by having to follow a road grader for a mile or so, we were able to return home from the Big Meadows area with no problems.  It looks like a snowstorm will be hitting the western Sierras in this area above 6,000 feet elevation, but where we are camped at about 2,000 feet elevation, we expect there will only be rain showers.

Time will tell.  We'll keep you posted!