Kearsarge Pass
Onion Valley, Independence · near Independence · Eastern Sierra
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 9.6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 2,620 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- July–October · Snow lingers on the pass into early summer
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit for day hikes. Overnight needs an Inyo NF permit via recreation.gov; Kearsarge is a heavily used JMT/PCT resupply exit, so summer quota fills — reserve early. Trailhead at 9,200 ft.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Five alpine lakes en route · 11,823-ft crest pass · Gateway to the Kearsarge Lakes / JMT · Sweeping views into Kings Canyon
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The trailhead sits at 9,200 ft and the pass tops 11,800 ft — altitude is the real difficulty. Sleep at Onion Valley or in the valley first, start early, and be off the pass before afternoon thunderstorms.
The guide
The signature day hike of the southern Eastern Sierra crest. From Onion Valley the trail climbs relentlessly but scenically pas…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Kearsarge Pass — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.7727, -118.3413