Trail Review: Heather Lake, Sequoia National Park
Parking: Free parking spaces at Wolverton Picnic Area. Sequoia National Park does have a $35 entrance fee. More about the park fees HERE.
Distance: 8.2 miles out & back.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are spectacular natural wonders and I was lucky enough to visit the two parks recently on a week-long vacation. We visited a number of hiking trails and points of interest within the parks, but I have to say that the hike to Heather Lake in Sequoia was definitely my favorite hike of the whole trip. From beautiful vistas to secluded paths and a lovely little lake at the end, it had so much going for it.
The trail to Heather Lake starts at the Wolverton Picnic Area. To get there from the Three Rivers park entrance, it's about an hour drive through the park along a winding road. Going up the road does provide some very nice views so you may be tempted to stop along the way.
The Wolverton Picnic Area had plenty of parking spaces and most were empty when we arrived around 9am. The trail you'll want to take is labeled as "Lakes Trail" on the signs and is in the north eastern part of the giant parking lot.
For the first 1.8 miles, you'll be on a singular path through the woods that pretty much parallels Wolverton Creek. The path is clearly defined and even has steps built in at certain points to help with the incline. The walk through the woods is pretty peaceful and, because it was in the morning, there was a nice lovely morning sunlight peaking in through the trees.
The elevation of the park is something to take into consideration when visiting. This and many other trails start at over 6000 feet elevation and climb from there. I sure could feel the difference. It just makes those inclines that much harder.
After almost two miles, you'll come across the first little stream crossing and then, shortly after, the first fork in the road. There is a sign pointing you to the left-hand trail for Heather Lake. Go that way. There'll be another small stream crossing (nothing too difficult to cross) and then you'll come to the big fork where you'll need to make a major decision: Take the Watchtower Trail or take the Hump Trail.
We did this trail right before Memorial Day so it was still technically considered the winter season in the park. During the winter in Sequoia, the Watchtower trail is closed down due to hazardous conditions when it snows. The alternate route is to take the Hump Trail. Because it was still considered the winter season, the sign at this fork said the Watchtower trail was closed. So we obeyed the sign and took the Hump Trail, even as another group of hikers marched on toward the Watchtower.
The Hump Trail is hard. It gains over 200 more feet of additional elevation than the Watchtower trail and it does so over a shorter distance, and then you lose it all at the end as you have to descend back down to the lake (hence the name "Hump Trail"). The trail becomes less clearly defined and you'll need to keep an eye out for the yellow trail markers to make sure you're still on the trail.
We did see some furry creatures along this trail. A number of marmots made an appearance and a couple of deer strolled past us at one point. Thankfully, no bears were seen along the route, although I was convinced as we got deeper into the forest that they were everywhere.
You'll know you're just about there when the trail starts going downhill and it's a pretty steep downhill trek. The path was still not super defined at this point but eventually it meets up with the Watchtower trail which was easy to follow the remainder of the way.
The lake itself is beautiful. Plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the fresh air. There's even a waterfall in the distance that feeds the lake, which you can hear and see from the shoreline. There were still patches of snow here and there but the rocks around the lake were perfect to hang out on and eat lunch.
When it was time to head back, we had realized that most people had in fact taken the Watchtower trail to get to the lake so we decided to go that way instead of heading back over the Hump trail. This was a great decision because the Watchtower has some amazing views of the Kaweah River and the surrounding mountains. DON'T do the Watchtower trail though if there are still hazardous winter conditions. You are walking along a cliffside with very steep drop offs that would be extremely dangerous if icy or snowy. We only did it because we realized it was safe and the sign just hadn't been changed yet to reflect the conditions.
Once back at the fork for the Watchtower/Hump trails, the rest of the way back was the same. Enjoy the wonderful seclusion of the forest until you get back to the parking lot!
Bottom Line: A beautiful trail in Sequoia National Park that features a lake as well as amazing canyon and mountain views via the Watchtower trail. Well worth the time and effort.
(A better map can be found on AllTrails.com.)
Comments