Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
36.87650°N / 118.71158°W |
County:
|
Fresno |
Activities:
|
Hiking, Mountaineering |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall |
|
Elevation:
|
11080 ft / 3377 m |
|
Overview
Looking northeast from the summit.Hogback Peak is one of the peaks on crest of the Monarch Divide, which separates the South and Middle forks of the Kings River in Kings Canyon National Park. This area is much less visited than other parts of Kings Canyon and Hogback Peak sees only a couple of ascents per year, if any. From the trailhead near river level in Kings Canyon, to the summit, is over 6700 vertcal feet of elevation gain and about 18 miles roundtrip. Views from the summit are unobstructed from the Palisades to the the Great Western Divide.
Getting There
The approach starts from either the Deer Cove or the Lewis Creek trailheads located about 80 miles east of Fresno on highway 180, about 1 to 1-2 miles west of Cedar Grove. The trailheads are about a mile apart on hwy. 180, and both lead to Frypan Meadow, which is a good base camp. From Frypan Meadow, head up towards Grizzly Lakes. Just before Grizzly Lakes (about 9500'), leave the trail and head across Grizzly Creek and up the south east face of Hogback Peak, requiring steep hiking and easy scrambling.Red Tape
Admission to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park requires a $20.00 per vehicle entrance fee, this fee will allow access for a period of 7 days. Other options available are the annual SEKI pass for $30.00 or the America the Beautiful Pass. These passes are available for purchase at Park entrance stations or online. For information click hereWilderness permits and bearproof food canisters are required for backcountry camping in Kings Canyon National Park and can be obtained at Cedar Grove or Roads End.
Backcountry camping in the Monarch Wildernss of Sequoia National Forest does not require a permit. You will need a campfire permit though, if you are planning on having a fire.
Camping
Frypan Meadows is popular as a base camp. There is a NPS bear box for food storage and water nearby. Grizzly Lakes has good camping and excellent views and is close to the mountain. There are also plenty campites above and below frypan meadow. Wildman Meadow along the Lewis Creek trail has a fairly developed horse packers camp, with hitching posts and tables, although water may be scarce there late in the summer.External Links
Snow FlowersMonarch Wilderness ~Wilderness information from Wilderness.net.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon ~NPS website.
Gorge of Despair ~Summitpost mountain page with excellent information on the Monarch Divide.
Climbing season
Spring, summer and fall. Highway 180 is closed from late November through mid April, so getting here in the winter is very difficult. In the early spring the Creek crossing can be difficult due to high water.Weather forecast...
mtbaxter - May 30, 2016 9:59 am - Hasn't voted
Temporary Closure & HighpointHogback Peak is the highpoint of the Monarch Wilderness Area. It ranks 16th in elevation of the (current) 147 wilderness areas in California. It also borders (but is not the highest point) of the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness Area. As of now (May 2016) there is a temporary closure of the entire Monarch Wilderness Area because of the 2015 Rough Fire (the 18th largest wildfire in California history). Hence the easiest approaches from the south (Kings Canyon) are currently unavailable. The mountain can be of course legally summited from the north, but this is a much longer approach. Campfire permits BTW can now be easily obtained online at: http://www.preventwildfireca.org/Campfire-Permit/ Dan Baxter