Mineral King Loop
Female Supported
I started the loop at 4:35am in the counterclockwise direction with a total time of 16hr06min06sec.
I visited Mineral King 4 years when I day-hiked Mount Kaweah. That day I met a lot of hikers doing the Mineral King Loop. Finally, I was able to check out the expansiveness of the Great Western Divide for myself.
The loop is 36.8 miles with almost 12k of gain, but I added a detour to Florence Peak ( SPS#86) from Franklin Pass. I was too close not to go 😆😂. This loop is tough, it goes through three passes. Franklin Pass 11,760', Black Rock Pass 11,600', and Timber Gap 9,511'.
I carried all my gear, fuel and filtered water at the countless lakes and streams. I carried no more than a liter of water at once. The views were amazing and my favorite sight was when we topped off on Black Rock Pass and we're able to see the full Kaweah range and some of the peaks from the Whitney
region.