From the plateau of the
Giant Forest at
Crescent Meadow (elevation ) the trail travels high on the northern wall of the canyon of the Middle Fork of the
Kaweah River to
Bearpaw Meadow. This first of the trail is a popular though strenuous two-day round trip hike. The
Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp (a simple tent hotel) located here dates back to 1934. Leaving the meadow, the trail climbs through the Hamilton Lakes Basin to
Kaweah Gap which, at , is one of the lowest passes over the
Great Western Divide within the park. From this pass, the route descends into Big Arroyo and then climbs to the Chagoopa Plateau, only to drop again to in the
Kern River Canyon. After following along the Kern River, it turns east and climbs parallel to Wallace Creek to the junction with the
John Muir Trail and
Pacific Crest Trail from Crescent Meadow. This is the end of the High Sierra Trail. Hikers may continue on the John Muir Trail to the summit of
Mount Whitney. The
Mount Whitney Trail branches to the east from the John Muir Trail south of Mount Whitney's summit, and descends to Whitney Portal located at the end of the road from
Lone Pine, California. From Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal, the trail is long and often takes 6 days or more for the average hiker to complete. The fastest claimed time to traverse is 15 hours 26 minutes, by Joseph Roldan. Work began on the High Sierra Trail in 1928, and it was the first Sierra trail built solely for recreational use. Hikers should check with park rangers before planning a trip with riding or pack stock. At least one section of the trail is closed to stock, and grazing is limited in many areas. == References ==