Route: Mineral King Loop (CA)

The loop starts at the end of Mineral King Rd. at the the Sawtooth Trailhead in the Mineral King Valley of Sequoia National Park. The route travels 36.3 miles over Franklin Pass, Black Rock Pass, and Timber Gap totaling 12,140ft of gain. I recently did this route and was simply blown away by the subapline valleys and high granite peaks of the Mineral King Valley. This area is not well represented through with FKTs, and there is an incredible amount of potential in this section of Sequoia National Park. This route is also an addition to the newly posted "Mini Mineral King Loop" by Josh Grant on 6/13/2020. I wanted to submit this route because I think the Mineral King Valley is an underrepresented section of the High Sierra that offers a real challenge to anyone into FKTs. This is a classic section of Sequoia National Park that has very few FKT routes and the beauty of Mineral King is showcased with this route. 

Resources:

ExploringWild.com - https://exploringwild.com/mineral-king-loop-variations/

This is a well written run down of the various Mineral Kings Loop in this area and the different routes commonly referred to as the "Mineral King Loop". The submission I am making is what she refers to as Mineral King Loop 3, Franklin Pass, Blackrock Pass, and Timber Gap. This one makes the most sense to me because it remains in the geograhic region known as the Mineral King and is an extension to the existing Mini Mineral King Loop. 

AllTrails - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mineral-king-loop

All trails has an established post about it with route descriptions and reviews. I wouldn't say this route is popular, but there a number of people on this route on a regular basis which I think makes it a good contender for an FKT. I think there would be a number of people interested in an FKT on this route. 

There are some differences in milage on Alltrails, GAIA, and Caltopo. The distance and elevation provided are from ExploringWild.com blog post which was recorded via. GAIA.