Hiking to Sequoia's Silliman Pass

At a modest 10,165 feet above sea level, Silliman Pass is the low point between Twin Peaks (elev. 10,479) and Mt. Silliman (elev. 11,188). It sits on the Kings-Kaweah Divide, which is the border between Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It also overlooks popular campsites at Twin Lakes.

From Generals Highway, the parks' main road, two trail heads lead to Twin Peaks: Wuksachi Village and Lodgepole. While starting from Lodgepole would have shortened the hike by a half-mile, it would have meant driving, so we trekked through the manicured walking path behind the lodge and crossed a vast, empty parking lot to the Wuksachi trail head instead. It was 7:30 in the morning.

The trail began innocently enough. Long, lazy switchbacks led down to a bridge crossing Clover Creek. On the other side, the trail climbed gently for a distance, then quickly leveled off and remained level until we reached the junction (1.5 miles in) where the Wuksachi and Lodgepole trails met.

A mile later, we reached Silliman Creek. Snow had been falling lightly all morning. Individual snowflakes were accumulating on my jacket. I silently asked the snow to stop so I wouldn't be forced to cut the hike short..

The trail began to climb in earnest on the other side of the creek. M, who had wanted to get a taste of the trail, turned back at this point. While she made her way safely back to the lodge, I started the ascent that would take me past Silliman Meadow...

through Cahoon Gap (elevation 8,645 feet) and across a frozen Clover Creek.

A quarter-mile from the creek, I reached a split in the trail. The left branch led to J.O. Pass, while the right branch led to Twin Lakes. The snowing had stopped by this time, so I sauntered to the lakes.

The trail wove its way up through a sparsely treed area and skirted a frozen waterfall that usually feeds the East Fork of Clover Creek during the spring and summer.

I started catching glimpses of Twin Peaks between the treetops. I was so distracted by the views from the trail that the sudden appearance of Twin Lakes caught me by surprise. It was just before noon.

South Lake, the larger of the twins, was the first one I saw. Giant rocks protruded through its frozen surface.

As I stood there, it occurred to me that this was the first fully frozen lake I had ever seen in person. I had read about how noisy the ice could be, but it was still alarming to hear the groaning, snapping, popping, and crunching. As I walked along the edge, I took extra care to watch where I stepped.

I soon ventured over to take a peek at North Lake and was greeted with another amazing view of Twin Peaks, which still seemed to tower high above.

To that point, I had hiked 7.3 miles and climbed 2,200 feet, but if I wanted to reach Silliman Pass, I still had 1.3 miles to hike and 800 feet to climb. While the peaks looked daunting, they also looked enticing.

"Don't you want to see Mt. Silliman?" asked Taller Peak.

"Don't you want to know what is on the other side?" chimed in Shorter Peak.

In response, I started up a series of short switchbacks that soon offered a spectacular view of Twin Lakes and the valleys and ridges beyond.

Halfway up, I lost the trail and found myself standing on a granite slope directly beneath Twin Peaks. I focused on the saddle between the peaks and a previously invisible path appeared before me. In a matter of minutes, I was at the saddle. The peaks seemed much less daunting up close.

The view on the other side of the divide was well worth the effort. A massive granite amphitheater opened up before and below me.

I tried to match the distant landmarks with the names on my map. Somewhere out there was Sugarloaf Valley, Sphinx Crest, North and South Guards, Mt. Brewer, and the Great Western Divide.

Of course, the most easily identifiable landmark was nearby Mt. Silliman.

I don't know how long I stood there, but at some point, I reluctantly looked away and descended to Silliman Pass. After a few minutes of trial and error, I stumbled upon the trail that would take me back to the lakes. The time was ten minutes to two.

The return trip was downhill, quick, and uneventful. I paused at the lakes and the meadow for a few minutes each, just to soak in their beauty a little longer. At each place, I expected to come across another hiker, but during my entire journey, I never came across another soul.

I also used these stops to drink water directly from my hydration pack. The water in the tube had frozen while I was gaping at the views at the pass. Temperatures at the top must have been in the low to mid twenties. I made a mental note to buy tube insulation or a winter hydration pack when I got home.

I reached the trail head around 4:30. Daylight was dwindling and my legs were ready for some rest. After a long hike, a hot shower and hot meal sounds so good. I rewarded myself with both that evening.

You can see more photos from the hike and park on Flickr.