Trip Overview
Dates: July 11 – 12, 2015
Time: 7 hours
Miles: 12.4 miles
Trailhead Elevation: 9,100’
Peak Elevation: Kearsarge Pass stands at 11,760’; the lakes are at elevation 10,900’
Elevation Gain: 2,600’
Permit: Required year round for overnight trips, reserved through www.recreation.gov for Inyo National Forest
Trailhead: Onion Valley Trailhead
Parking: at trailhead at the end of Onion Valley Road
Dogs: Not allowed past Kearsarge Pass (once you’re in Kings Canyon National Park)
Getting There
The closest town to the trailhead is Independence, CA. From Highway 395 head west on Market Street in Independence which becomes Onion Valley Road. Follow this for 13 miles (about 30 minutes) to the trailhead parking lot.
Trip Details
We started our trip out to Lone Pine on Friday after work and camped out in Alabama Hills the night before our hike. Back in 2015 Alabama Hills was pretty empty and it was easy to find a spot to camp. Now if you head out to Alabama Hills on a Friday evening it’s extremely hard to find a spot.
The next morning we continued the drive north to Independence. The trailhead is 13 miles west and starts at Onion Valley Campground. The hike to Kearsarge Pass is a steady elevation gain with switchbacks starting pretty early on in the hike. The hike is very straightforward, everyone pretty much went at their own pace and we met up at the pass.
From the pass to the lakes, you hike down an elevation of 860 feet. We picked out a campsite, and that afternoon there were some thunderstorms so we played card games in our tents until it passed.
In the morning we took dips in the cold lake, packed up, and hiked back out.
Need to Know
- No campfires are allowed at the lakes
- Food, trash, and scented items must be stored in bear-resistant containers
- No camping is allowed at Bullfrog Lake
- Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of water
- Bury human waste 6”-8” deep in soil, at least 100 feet from campsites, trails, and water
When to Go
Onion Valley Road is usually open from May to November, but check the Inyo County Website for updates on road closures.
What to Pack for a Backpacking Trip
- Hydration: We usually start with 2-3 liters of water, each, and pack a water filter and some iodine tablets. If you’re hiking where there’s snowpack, you can melt snow for drinking water. Electrolyte packets are also very useful for hydration on the trail.
- Nutrition: We usually eat a bar or oatmeal and a piece of fruit before starting off on our backpacking trips. For this trip, we started later in the day so we had already eaten lunch. Then for snacks along the way, more bars, jerky, or trail mix. For dinners, we either eat dehydrated foods or even leftovers from a meal we ate on the road trip out to the hike (cold pizza makes a great dinner!).
- Shelter: We use our Marmot Tungsten 2-Person Tent (3 season, 4 lbs, 13 oz).
- Stove: We love our Jetboil to boil water for drinking and to heat up our dehydrated dinners, oatmeals, coffee, etc.
- Navigation: For hikes with more difficult trails to follow, you may want to invest in a GPS tracker. For simpler hikes, we use the GPS system on our phones and a tracker such as Gaia GPS or AllTrails.
- Headlamp: Headlamps and our inflatable solar latern by MPOWERD.
- Sun protection: Sunscreen, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothes – always a must!
- First aid: Our first aid kit consists of band-aids, gauze, medical tape, Compede Bandages (love this more than Moleskin for blisters), antibiotic ointment, alcohol wipes, ibuprofen, tweezers, pocket knife.
Leave No Trace
Always remember to practice the principles of Leave No Trace! These 7 principles include:
- Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
Check out the Leave No Trace program for more information.
