Sierra Nevada backpacking: Lower Palisade Lake, Mother Pass, Bench Lake – Kings Canyon National Park

Sierra Nevada backpacking: Lower Palisade Lake, Mother Pass, Bench Lake – Kings Canyon National Park

Eastern Sierra backpacking, Sierra Nevada: JMT/PCT Trail from Lower Palisade Lake to Upper Palisade Lake and Mother Pass. Descent of Mother Pass into the Upper Basin and up to the junction with the Bench Lake Trail. Bench Lake Trail to Bench Lake. Camp at Bench Lake. Exit route from Bench Lake to the Taboose Pass Trail up to Taboose Pass and down to the Taboose Pass Trailhead.

Kings Canyon National Park
John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest
Big Pine, California.
Eastern Sierra, Sierra Nevada.

Trailhead: Tabosee Pass Trailhead, Big Pine

September 2024

Itinerary:
This video covers the Sixth and Seven days of a seven day backpacking trip from the Taboose Pass Trailhead which included the Taboose Pass, Cardinal Mountain, the Muro Blanco Trail, Cartridge Pass, Cartridge Creek, Marion Lake, Dumbbell Pass, Dumbbell Lakes, Cataract Creek Pass, Amphitheater Lake, Cataract Creek, JMT/PCT trail, Palisade Lakes, Mother Pass, Upper Basin, Bench Lake, Taboose Pass and exit to the Tabosee Pass Trailhead.

Day 6: From the Lower Palisade Lake camp, JMT/PCT Trail to Upper Palisade Lake and Mother Pass. Descent from Mother Pass into the Upper Basin and to the South Fork of the Kings River crossing. JMT/PCT Trail up to the junction with the Bench Lake Trail. Bench Lake Trail to Bench Lake. Camp at Bench Lake. Evening cross country hike around the Eastern shore of Bench Lake.

Day 7: From the Bench Lake Camp, Bench Lake Trail to junction with the JMTPCT Trail, short section NOBO to the junction with the Taboose Pass Trail. Taboose Pass Trail to Tabosee Pass and descent to the Taboose Pass Trailhead in the Owen Valley.

Trip Section Stats:
25.4 mi, Approx. 3300 ft elevation gain.

AllTrails Map:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-backpack-trip-at-taboose-pass-to-cardinal-mountain-aa0d2a8

Notes about the map: the map is indicative of the trip itinerary although mileage and moving time cannot be considered as reference as I often deviated from the route for filming and photography; also the moving time on the map includes all stops and breaks during the day as I stopped recording only once camp was setup for each day.

Hike Notes:
The final two days of the trip were all on trail, but they certainly were no less spectacular than the previous days, to complete this Sierra Backpacking trip for the memories. The section from the Lower Palisade Lake to Mother Pass and the descent across the Upper Basin is among the best backpacking the JMT offers, but to me the highlight of this section was the very enchanting evening I spent at Bench Lake, spectacular site and incredible evening light. Peaceful and amazingly enjoyable as well. The perfect last night of the year for me in the beloved High Sierras. The trail to and the walk around Bench Lake offered the best of what easy and peaceful mountain hiking can be. The video footage speaks for itself. All I could think was “I must return to the Eastern Sierra””.

Music:
In Pursuit of Happiness by Gavin Luke
Licensed by Epidemic Sound.

#motherpass #benchlake #hiking #backpacking #sierranevada #lowerpalisadelake #jmt #pct #upperbasin #kingscanyonnationalpark

CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
01:59 – Trip Highlights
05:03 – Lower Palisade Lake to Bench Lake via Mother Pass
14:32 – Bench Lake to Taboose Pass Trailhead via Taboose Pass