Twin Peaks

Overview

Twin Peaks lays upon the Kings-Kaweah Divide and is an easily accessed from Lodgepole, in Sequioa National Park. Twin Peaks stand resolute upon the divide with views of the Great Western Divide and views of many of the local lakes. It is a little confusing regarding where the actual peak is located. Most people believe that Twin Peaks are the towering rock summit blocks that overlook the "Little" Twin Lake (This is what I thought). This is the West Twin. The East Twin lays less the a tenth of a mile East of West Twin. The Western Twin is at 10,392ft while the Eastern Twin is at 10,387ft. When viewing Twin Peaks from nearby Lost Lake (or from any of the valleys and laks east of Silliman Pass), you will be able to see how Twin Peaks obtained it's name.

Overall, with the relatively approach (for most peaks in the Sierra's that is)and with the amazing views, this makes a great day trip or overnight trip. Also, you can consider hiking nearby Mt. Silliman (South of Twin Peaks) or Kettle Peak (North of Twin Peaks).

Routes

The easiest way to hike to Twin Peaks is from Lodgepole. Take the Twin Lakes trail which is located next to the Lodgepole Campground on the north side of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. From this trail head,, its about .7 miles to the first trail junction. Head north towards Twin Lakes. From here, you will continue across Willow and Silliman Meadows. This section of the trail is around 4.5 miles long. You will then reach another junction, don't take the trail to JO Pass, instead, keep heading toward Twin Lakes. Keep hiking past Twin Lakes and head up to Silliman Pass. This part is about 3 miles. From the pass, head north about .20 miles and you will reach Twin Peaks. There is nothing technical about this route. From this route, its about 17 miles round trip from Lodgepole. This is the shortest route to Twin Peaks.

Also, the north face of Twin Peaks drops about 500 vertical feet. This would make for a nice technical climb. Also, there are other routes up from this direction which would make an interesting climb as well.

Twin peaks from above Twin Lakes

Trail signs

Twin Peaks from Ranger Lake

Google Image

Google Image

View from Silliman Pass

Getting There

From Visalia- Head East on Hwy 198 for about 62 miles. Turn right at Sequioa National Park. Continue for about a mile and the trail head will be on the left side of the road.

Red Tape

When entering the Sequioa National Park, a $20 dollar fee is required for entering with a vehicle. Other then that, day hikes do not require permits. However, overnight trips will require permits which can easily be obtained at Lodgepole or any of the other nearby ranger stations. Also, roads past Lodgepole will not be plowed in the winter months and many of the other roads in the area will be closed in the winter as well.

There are bears in the area, so use bear boxes, bear canisters, or use bear bags if you are planning an overnighter in this area.

Camping

There are plenty of lakes nearby Twin Peaks to camp. The closest lake is Twin Lakes. Also, Ranger, Little, Beville Lakes are also relatively close to Twin Peaks. These make really nice places to camp at. However, there are many other camping areas around besides these lakes. Check with the ranger station to see the details and availability of the camping in this area.

External Links

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271
(559)-565-3341
Sequioa & Kings Canyon National Park

Sequoia National Forest
Hume Lake Ranger District
35860 E. Kings Canyon Rd.
Dunlap CA 93621
(559)-338-2251

Misc

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Images

View Twin Peaks Image Gallery - 14 Images