Sierra Nevada backpacking: Lake South America, upper Kern River, Harrison Pass – Sequoia NP

Sierra Nevada backpacking: Lake South America, upper Kern River, Harrison Pass – Sequoia NP

Sierra backpacking: Lake South America loop, headwaters of the Kern River, Harrison Pass.

Sequoia National Park
Independence, California.
Eastern Sierra, Sierra Nevada.

Trailhead: Onion Valley, Kearsarge Pass Trailhead

August 2024

Itinerary:
This video covers the third, fourth and the morning of the fifth day of a seven day backpacking trip from the Kearsarge Pass Onion Valley Trailhead which included Kearsarge Pass, Forester Pass, the Bighorn Plateau, the Kern River headwaters and the Lake South America Loop, Center Basin, Charlotte lake and the Kearsarge Lakes.

Day 3: Upper Kern – Tyndall Cutoff Trail to the lower Kern River lakes; cross country route to Casper Lake and multiple unnamed lakes and tarns in the upper Kern River Basin.

Day 4: Lake South America trail to Lake South America. Harrison Pass trail (cross-country) to Harrison Pass and back to Lake South America.

Day 5 (morning): Lake South America trail to John Muir / Pacific Crest Trail.

Trip Section Stats:
20.5 mi, approx 4,300 ft elevation gain.

AllTrails Map:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-backpack-trip-fdad3b5-6

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 when camp was setup for each day.

Hike Notes:
Backpacking the Lake South America Trail loop and reaching Harrison Pass and the headwaters of the Kern river was on my Sierra’s bucket list for a long time. Indeed, this was the key part of this seven day backpacking trip out of the Kearsarge Pass Onion Valley Trailhead. I spent two magnificent days of hiking on the Lake South America Trail loop, with beautiful camping to both Lake South America and one of the Kern river basin lower lakes. The first day cross-country section to Casper Lake and the many unnamed lakes of the Kern Basin was very beautiful; the terrain was not difficult to hike and orientation was easy. The hike to Harrison Pass on the second day was also amazing. I did it with my full backpack as I was not sure if I was going to continue the Harrison Pass Trail to reach Lake Reflection. Eventually, I decided to return to Lake South America for a camp night there, which also gave me the opportunity to visit the beautiful Center Basin on my way out to the trailhead the day after. I am sure the route to Lake Reflection would have been equally amazing. It will be for another time. The Harrison Pass Trail is really a cross-country route; it was not difficult and the landscape was top high Sierra’s landscape. The Lake South America Trail was also easy overall, despite being an unmaintained trail. There was stormy weather the morning I left Lake South America to reach the JMT/PCT again to Forester Pass. Strong winds and some snow and sleet for the first part of the morning, but nothing too severe. Amazing route and Amazing Sierra scenery.

Music:
Sonar by David Celeste
Licensed by Epidemic Sound.

#sierranevada #lakesouthamerica #backpacking #sequoianatiionalpark #kernriver #harrisonpass #hiking

CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
01:36 – Trip Highlights
05:39 – Day 1 (3): Upper Kern River Basin From Tyndall Creek
11:53 – Day 2 (4): Lake South America, Harrison Pass out and back
21:30 – Day 3 (5): Lake South America to John Muir / Pacific Crest Trail