JOHN KREBS WILDERNESS

Posted on by John Greening

Maps and Directions | Site Details | Credits

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Visiting the John Krebs Wilderness

by Laurie Schwaller

     Sequoia National Park’s 39,740 acre John Krebs Wilderness abounds with spectacular scenery, high peaks and passes, sparkling lakes and rushing streams, forests of aspen and conifers, giant sequoia groves, glorious skies both night and day, wonderfully diverse wildlife and wildflowers, challenging trails, and a roller-coaster history including the U.S. Cavalry, vagrant sheep, silver mines, cabin owners, a game refuge, recreationists, lumber and power companies, Walt Disney, environmentalists, a landmark Supreme Court case, and an arduous journey to becoming part of Sequoia National Park and a designated Wilderness. Two campgrounds and pie are nearby!

November, 2025

NOTE: The Project Team will be conducting research for a full article as volunteer time allows.  Contact us if you’d like to help research, write about, and/or illustrate this Treasure!  

John Krebs Wilderness

Maps & Directions:

From Visalia, go east on Hwy 198 through most of Three Rivers to the marked turn-off to the right onto Mineral King Road and follow that narrow, steep, winding road up to your trailhead. (Stay left on Mineral King Road at the junction with Hammond Rd. ) RVs and trailers are not recommended on Mineral King Rd. Drive cautiously and yield to oncoming traffic.

About 12-13 miles up Mineral King Rd. there is a National Park Service self-service fee station at Lookout Point.

There are trailheads at Atwell Mill, Cold Springs Campground, and road’s end in Mineral King. Wilderness Permit required for overnight visits in the Wilderness.

NOTE: Mineral King Road is closed below Lookout Point in winter. The road is open all the way to Mineral King Valley usually from about Memorial Day to mid-October, depending on weather. For road status and advisories, call 559-563-3341, then press 1, 1, 1.

NPS Advisory: Secure your vehicle from invasive, wire-chewing marmots by driving over a tarp and then wrapping it around your entire vehicle; cover the wheel wells. Don’t wrap with chicken wire, as marmots have learned to get around the wire. See https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/marmots.htm

 

Site Details & Activities:

Environment: mostly steep; Foothills, Mountains, National Park, Wilderness, historical and cultural landscape; oak-dotted foothills, dense chaparral, riparian areas along perennial streams and the South and East forks of the Kaweah River, big canyons, six giant sequoia groves, aspen groves, extensive coniferous forests, big meadows, about 20 lakes, many peaks – some over 12,000′, sensational views from all trails (and off), abundant wildlife, highly diverse plant life, marvelous night skies, wonderfully accessible wilderness
Activities: backpacking, birding, botanizing, camping, caving, hiking, history/historical sites, horseback riding and packing, fishing (license required), mountaineering, photography, rock climbing, stargazing, wildflower and wildlife viewing (no mechanized/motorized equipment and no pets allowed in Wilderness)
Open: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are always open, weather permitting , except in emergency conditions; park entrance fee; Wilderness Permit required for overnight visits; quotas apply on many trails, generally late May through late September, with Recreation fee required for entry during quota season; reservations may be made 6 months to 1 week before entry date; campfire permits may be required (NOTE that campfires are not permitted in some areas), maximum group sizes (including stock) apply.
Site Steward: National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 559-565-3341; Wilderness Office, 559-565-3766
Opportunities for Involvement: donate, volunteer, Sequoia Parks Conservancy
Links: Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks (NPS Site); Visit Sequoia.com; Plan Your Visit, Permits, Current Conditions;
Mineral King Preservation Society
Mineral King Webcam
Sequoia Kings Canyon Lodging
Books: 1) Challenge of the Big Trees -The History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, rev. edition, by William C. Tweed and Lary M. Dilsaver (University of Virginia Press, 2017)
2) Granite Pathways: A History of the Wilderness Trail System of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, by William C. Tweed (Sequoia Parks Conservancy, 2021)