Solo Hiking 8 Days in Kings Canyon National Park

I backpacked alone in Kings Canyon national park (part of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California) September 4-11 2024. The main destination of my route was Ionian Basin, no trails lead here, so much of my route was cross country.

Check out my other video about John Muir Wilderness:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/basin_and_range
(Commentary videos, GPX tracks, and more content)

🗺️ About the Route:

I designed this 53 mile figure-8 loop as the ultimate alternative to the popular North Lake – South Lake loop. After leaving the JMT at Wanda Lake, I didn’t see a single person.
If you want to do this hike, I’d recommend prior experience with cross country hiking or mountaineering. Alpine Col is made of car sized talus, a misstep could lead to falling into deep gaps. lonian basin is rugged mountaineering terrain, it’s very difficult to exit this area in adverse conditions… there’s no shelter at all, you could end up stuck here if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Another hazard here is the steep snowfields that linger all year long, and the route finding is complicated, expect to hit dead ends and have to backtrack.

❕Disclaimers:

This video is for the purpose of entertainment and inspiration only, it is not a guide or trip report. Always research cross country passes on your route and prioritize safety. Explore responsibly and at your own risk.

🏞️ Print shop: https://basinandrange.myshopify.com/

☕️ Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/basinandrange

http://instagram.com/alisha.maddy

🎶 Music:

1. The Heartlands by Dreyma
2. Relaxing Nylon Guitar Music by JASA Productions
3. Edge of Silence by Dreyma
4. Spiritual Viking Music by JASA Productions
5. Peaceful Landscape Music by JASA Productions
6. Ysmir by Dreyma
7. We Trust by Johnannes Bornlof
8. Daybreak by Dreyma
9. Light of Aetherius by Dreyma
10. The Forgotten by JASA Productions

⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 Day 1 – Piute Pass
1:50 Day 2 – Darwin Bench
4:31 Day 3 – Evolution Valley
7:45 Day 4 – Davis Lake
12:05 Day 5 – Ionian Basin
16:24 Day 6 – Sapphire Lake
19:18 Day 7 – Lamarck Col
22:12 Day 8 – North Lake Trailhead
22:56 Conclusion

📸 Shot on Sonya7rIII, Sony G F4 24-105mm, and iPhone 15 pro max

25 Comments

  1. I hiked through the Ionian many years ago. The toughest cross country I ever encountered in my Sierra days. You're VERY brave and tough, with the soul of an artist. TY for your effort in showing everyone the beauty of the backcountry.

  2. Love the shots and getting out in the less traveled terrain! You seem like a fairly experienced Sierra backpacker, any particular reason you keep your mileage down? Just love meandering in the basins?

  3. wow! in researching trails in seki, i came upon your video. its fantastic! this is what i think of when i think the sierras. hope i can do some cross country-ing like this in the future.

  4. Excellent videos! You’re helping me feel more confident about going off trail. Drawing new lines on the map for this summer in the eastern sierras is very satisfying while waiting for the melt.

  5. Loved the video. But I’ve tried doing what you do but don’t have the time to set down my camera and go back and get it… also of a few shoots. I have a job. Glad you can do this. Beautiful video, but if people know how much work goes into this??!?!!?
    I tried but would rather enjoy my time in the mountains than my camera. Glad I was able to watch this but a lot of work watching this was exhausting. Thank you. Hope you’re making money. 🥳

  6. I wish I was brave enough like you.
    I'm a new backpacker, so far I've done a solo backpacking trip in Utah, thinking of doing something in California but I'm still new. I admire you

  7. “Basin Range,” pardon my redundancy. I had meant to share this a long time ago, which relates to this, your Kings Canyon feature. I told you in a previous comment, that when I took this hike, your car was in the parking lot at North Lake. So check this out. While you were stoically forging your way through the bastion of Ionian Basin, I was slacking off on the Paiute Pass Trail, acting a fool, on Sept 8th 2024. Because of the generation gap between us, you may need to look up two bands from the classic rock era. Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Asia. Then you'll understand that my hike was a musical tribute. And the concept of “silent hiking?” Not in this town! Here's an excerpt from the u-shaped Valley…

    https://youtu.be/pJoSy6BFfP8?si=1nFhzeHmH9-Ddn-U

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