The Middle Fork originates at Helen Lake in the high Sierra, near
Muir Pass in Kings Canyon National Park. From its headwaters at above sea level, Below Simpson Meadow the Middle Fork turns west-southwest, flowing along the bottom of the Slide Bluffs and receiving many small tributaries before reaching the dramatic glacial canyon of
Tehipite Valley, one of the most isolated parts of the park. Tehipite Dome, rising above the river, is the largest granite dome in the Sierra. Many rattlesnakes inhabit the canyon, especially from Simpson Meadow down to the junction with the South Fork. Blue Canyon Creek and Crown Creek tumble down the north wall of the valley, forming waterfalls before they merge with the Middle Fork. Downstream, the Middle Fork flows through Little Tehipite Valley and then enters a rugged, trailless deep canyon in the
Monarch Wilderness just outside the western boundary of the park. It joins with the
South Fork Kings River to form the main stem of the Kings River, about upstream of
Pine Flat Lake. ==See also==