NOTE: There is no quick way to access the PCT from Visalia and the west side of the Sierra Nevada, but there are a number of ways to access it, depending on whether you want to thru-hike the Tulare County segment on it, or hike it in shorter segments.  Most of the options work better with a shuttle set-up, unless you don’t mind retracing your steps (since the views all look different when you’re going the other way, as may the weather and the wildlife).

For a bottom-to-top trip or vice-versa, logical trailheads to the PCT would be, in the south, at the Walker Pass trailhead on Hwy 178 (maybe 10 miles below the Tulare County line) or from the Chimney Creek Campground area (maybe 5 miles above the TC line) up from Canebrake Flat on Hwy 178 on Canebrake Road/Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway (see our Chimney Peak Wilderness page for details); 

and in the north from the Onion Valley trailhead (west of Independence/Hwy 395) for the Kearsarge Pass Trail going west to its junction with the PCT a few miles north of the Tulare County line (see our John Muir Trail page for details [the PCT joins the JMT for many miles in this area]).  You could also consider leaving your north-end vehicle at Road’s End in Kings Canyon and hiking the Bubbs Creek Trail east to join the PCT/JMT a few miles south of the Kearsarge Pass Trail.

Directions to start from the south: From Visalia, go west on Hwy 198 and then south on Hwy 99 toward Bakersfield.

At Delano, take Hwy 155 east (left) toward Glenville and Lake Isabella. Follow Hwy 155 as it goes south along the lake to its junction with Hwy 178.

Go left (east) on Hwy 178 for about 30 miles to the Canebrake Flat area where you’ll go left (north) on rugged, graded-dirt, high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive-vehicle recommended Canebrake Road toward Chimney Creek campground.  Approximately 9 miles up from Hwy 178 is the junction of Canebrake and Long Valley/Chimney Basin Roads.  Per BLM, the best on-trail access is approximately 1.6 miles north of this junction at a small Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail trailhead.

Alternatively, continue past Canebrake on Hwy 178 to the Walker Pass PCT trailhead (with nearby campground).

To start from segments farther north, continue east past Canebrake on Hwy 178 to its junction with Hwy 395 and go north (left) to access trails such as those listed below:

NOTE: Several trails other than (and south of) Kearsarge Pass enable access to the PCT from Hwy 395 on the east side of the Sierra, e.g., Kennedy Meadows (via Nine Mile Canyon), Olancha Pass (via Olancha/Sage Flat Rd.), Mulkey Pass and Cottonwood Lakes (from Lone Pine and Lubken Canyon Road), etc.

Wilderness permits are required for overnight trips, and there are specific rules for PCT long-distance permit holders on camping and exiting the PCT corridor. Be sure to check the regulations for the specific areas you plan to hike before you go.

 From Visalia, take Hwy 198 east through Three Rivers to the Sequoia National Park entrance station (fee), where the road becomes the Generals Highway. Follow it through Sequoia National Park and into Sequoia National Forest. Soon after the sign for Montecito Sequoia Camp, watch on your right for Big Meadows Forest Service Road (14S11). Take this road for about 5 miles to the Big Meadows trailhead (hiking trail 29E03) for a moderate to strenuous hike into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness. For the Rowell Meadows Trailhead (12 miles off of the Generals Highway), follow Big Meadows Road (14S11) and turn right onto Forest Road 13S14 for 2.5 miles to the trailhead (trail 30E08) providing an easy to moderate hike into the Wilderness. For the Marvin Pass trailhead (13 miles off of Generals Hwy), follow Big Meadows Road (14S11) and turn right onto Forest Road 13S12 for 2 miles to the trailhead (trail 30E06) providing an easy to moderate hike into the Wilderness.

Alternatively, from Visalia, take Hwy 63 north to go east (right) on Hwy 180 to the Big Stump entrance station (fee) to Kings Canyon National Park. At the upcoming “Y” junction, go right onto the Generals Highway, and then left (east) onto Big Meadows Forest Service Road (14S11). Proceed per directions above to the 3 trailheads.

The fourth trailhead (Stony Creek, trail 29E06), which is significantly the steepest, is located off the Generals Highway at the far end of Upper Stony Creek campground, which is located just a bit north of the small Stony Creek development near the south end of the Generals Highway segment in Sequoia National Forest. Turn east off the Generals Highway to access Upper Stony Creek campground and the trailhead.

From Visalia, go east on Hwy 198 through Three Rivers to the Sequoia National Park entrance station (fee), where Hwy 198 becomes the Generals Highway. About a mile up the road, stop at the Wilderness Office near the Foothills Visitor Center to pick up your required Wilderness Permit for the High Sierra Trail (see Links in the Site Details section below). Continue up the mountain on the Generals Highway to just before the Giant Forest Museum and turn right onto the Moro Rock/Crescent Meadow Road. Follow it to its end at the Crescent Meadow parking lot. Find the HST trailhead sign near the restroom.

HST hikers typically make this a shuttle trip. Most travel the HST from west to east, culminating in summiting Mt. Whitney, then descending the 11-mile trail to Whitney Portal on the east side to meet a vehicle that will take them home (or back to the car they left at the start of their trek).

NOTE: You must obtain a Wilderness permit for the High Sierra Trail before you hike it. If you wish to complete your trip by hiking out down the east side to Whitney Portal, the Inyo National Forest will accept your Wilderness permit issued by Sequoia National Park as long as you meet the requirements for continuous wilderness travel.

(See our Smithsonian Shelter on Mt. Whitney page for a sketch map of the trail down to Whitney Portal.)

The quickest way to get to the JMT in Tulare County is to drive to the other side of the Sierra and hike west to the JMT. A recommended route for hiking this epic section of the JMT is to access the JMT via Kearsarge Pass and to leave your hike via Whitney Portal. This requires a 2-vehicle shuttle arrangement, with one vehicle for your trip home available at Whitney Portal on your exit day and the other vehicle delivering you to Onion Valley.

Wilderness Permit required. There are quotas on this trail, so reserve it well in advance via Recreation.gov (see https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233262 Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits if you’re entering the Wilderness via Kearsarge Pass trail; specify Mt. Whitney Trail Crest exit). Try 6 days for this approximately 75 mile hike (giving yourself an overnight at one of the campgrounds coming down from Trail Crest to Whitney Portal; your knees and feet will thank you!).  

Directions:

From Visalia, go west on Hwy 198 to Hwy 99 south to Bakersfield and take Hwy 58 East over Tehachapi and down to the junction with Hwy 14. Go north on Hwy 14 to Hwy 395 north to Lone Pine, then take Whitney Portal Road about 13 miles to the parking area near the JMT trail (this road is usually open from May to early November).

To proceed to Onion Valley, return to Lone Pine and continue north on Hwy 395 about 16 miles to Independence (note that a commercial shuttle can be arranged also). In Independence, go left (west) on Market Street, which soon becomes Onion Valley Road, about 14 miles to Onion Valley and the Kearsarge Pass trailhead. Elevation at Onion Valley is about 9,200′-9,600′. Spend the night in the campground there to start getting acclimated if you can. Trailhead is at 9,200′; Kearsarge Pass is at 11,709′, where it enters Kings Canyon National Park. (Onion Valley Road is closed due to snow from approximately November to April.)

NOTE: Dillonwood is hard to get to, and two extreme wildfires have destroyed almost all the remains of the mill structures and many of the trees, so you may want to delay visiting until some restoration results can be seen. You’ll need a high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the National Park’s closed gate, beyond which you’ll have to walk a few miles to get into the Dillonwood grove. [NEED TO TALK TO PARK PEOPLE RE THIS PART.]

The shortest driving route to Dillonwood is via Yokohl Drive/M-296 to its junction with Balch Park Drive, but it’s probably faster to go the longer route through Springville:

From Visalia, go east on Hwy 198 to take Hwy 65 south near Exeter down to Porterville. There, take Hwy 190 east to Springville. Go through Springville to the really big white barn on your left, where you will go left (north) onto Balch Park Dr./Rd. J37.  At the junction with Yokohl Drive, stay right on Balch Park Dr. until you go straight onto Forest Road 19S09 (instead of taking Balch Park Dr. on a sharp right toward Mountain Home/Balch Park).  This is where you’ll need high-clearance four-wheel-drive to get to the Park’s locked gate, beyond which you’ll have to hike a few miles to get into what’s left of the Dillonwood Grove and the remaining fragments of Dillon’s mill. NEED TO ASK SNP RE THIS.

Nearby Treasures: Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest, Balch Park, SCICON, McCarthy Blue Oak Ranch Preserve, River Ridge Ranch and Institute, Springville Historical Museum, Success Lake, Bartlett Park.