Circle of Solitude
The Circle of Solitude is a ~68-mile loop through the heart of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, named and described by guidebook author Mike White in his Wilderness Press guide Kings Canyon National Park. The route starts and ends at Road's End (Cedar Grove, elevation ~5,035 ft) and circumnavigates the Great Western Divide and Kings-Kern Divide, passing through some of the most remote and spectacular terrain in the Sierra Nevada.
Standard Route (counter-clockwise, as described by Mike White):
Road's End → Sphinx Creek Trail → Avalanche Pass (10,063 ft) → Roaring River → Cloud Canyon → Cement Meadow → Colby Lake → Colby Pass (12,080 ft) → Junction Meadow (Kern River) → Forester Pass (13,153 ft, highest point on the JMT/PCT) → Bubbs Creek Trail → Road's End (~68 miles, ~17,000 ft gain).
The route is entirely on maintained trail in the standard variation. Terrain ranges from brushy canyon trail low in the Bubbs Creek and Roaring River drainages to remote high-country travel through Cloud Canyon and the upper Kern basin — areas that see a fraction of the traffic of the JMT corridor.
Route Variations:
Harrison Pass (cross-country): Replace the Forester Pass section by departing the JMT south of Junction Meadow and navigating cross-country via Lake Reflection to Harrison Pass (~13,200 ft) on the Kings-Kern Divide, then descending to East Lake and rejoining the Bubbs Creek Trail. Class 2+, with steep talus. Shorter and more direct than Forester, but route-finding required.
Little Joe's Pass (cross-country): An alternate Kings-Kern Divide crossing between Harrison Pass and Milly's Foot Pass. Approaches from the Lake Reflection area and crosses at approximately 13,000+ ft. Class 2, but involves a long, steep talus slog on the south aspect. Less commonly traveled than Harrison; route-finding experience required.
Permits: A wilderness permit is required for overnight travel. Road's End quota trailheads are managed by Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks; permits are competitive in summer.
Season: Typically mid-July through early October, dependent on snowpack. Avalanche Pass and Colby Pass typically hold snow into July.
