I started from the Rancheria Creek trailhead (map | Day 1 Profile) in mid-morning and soon I was moving past the prominent local landmark, Finger Rock. I lost the trail to Crown Pass at a huge deadfall and dropped into the valley below Chimney Lake. After readjusting my route with the help of GPS, I made my way toward Chimney Lake where I enjoyed dinner. I headed back toward the trail and considered spending the night at Woodchuck Lake. A flat ridge top tempted me to stop and set up camp before I was able to reach the turnoff. It was a fine site, despite the sometimes, overwhelming garlic odor wafting up from the swamp below.
I was on the trail again the next morning (Day 2 Profile) before seven and soon passed the Woodchuck Lake turnoff. Patchy snow became more common as I moved up toward Crown Pass. I reached the pass at about 8:30 and an hour or so later I was at the turnoff below Halfmoon Lake and heading to the North Fork of the Kings River. The trail to the North Fork was littered with deadfalls which made travel slow at times. Fortunately, someone had placed ducks in the worst areas. After a tedious couple of hours, I could hear the roar of the Kings as I made the final descent into the valley. After a long rest, it was back to the trail, or was it the swamp. Very little dry trail existed. Either the path was a puddle or a stream. What appeared to be perfect conditions for mosquitoes had not yet spawned many of them. By three in the afternoon, I had reached the turnoff to Crown Valley. I walked a few steps farther and sat down on the benches at a large packers camp where I shook the rocks out of my shoes and took a long break. The meadow below was flooded by spring runoff. Yearning for a more scenic camp spot, I moved up stream to Portal Lake. My original plans included visiting Midway and Cathedral Lakes, but the route into the basin looked too dangerous due to snow cover. With several hours of daylight remaining, I thought it would be a good idea to push on to Pearl Lake. By the time I got half way there, I reconsidered leaving Portal Lake. Portal was such a beautiful spot and there was no one around, so I decided to return and camp there. I spent a couple of hours before and after dinner taking photos and shooting videos.
After an excellent night's sleep, I got an early start and again headed toward Pearl Lake (Day 3 Profile). I crossed patches of snow and walked by frozen puddles and ponds. Soon, Pearl Lake appeared after scrambling up a short ridge. After contouring around the west end of the lake and walking up another small ridge, I was looking down on Division Lake which seemed to have broken winter's grip. Right next to me was Regiment Lake, still frozen and slick with ice. As I moved across snow and up the ridge on the way to Bighorn Lake, I looked back to the south and spied frozen Battalion Lake beneath an impressive peak.
The route across the divide was mostly snow covered. The snow was firm enough to support and not so frozen that it was slippery. An oasis of renewed life appeared in the middle of the huge snow field. Soon, Bighorn Lake burst into view and I saw the pass I would have to cross in a couple of hours. This side looked easy and snow-free as I knew it would. I was very nervous about the other side of the pass and knew I would have to turn around if it was choked with snow.
A few hours later, I was standing on Blackcap Pass and enjoying the view of the lakes below and the mountains in the distance. I took my time descending the steep west side of the pass which was much more difficult because of the snow cover. I picked up trail at Guest Lake and dropped into the Kings River Valley again. This time as last, the trail was littered with deadfalls and looked as if it hadn't been maintained in several years. I finally reached the river trail a little after four and headed downstream to Big Maxson Meadow. The river crossing looked much less difficult than I had imagined it would. I decided to stay near the cabins because the meadow was relatively mosquito free.
The morning of the fourth and last day (Day 4 Profile), I crossed the river at about 6:15. I spent the next 45 minutes looking for the trail which turned out to be upstream of where I thought it would be. The trail turned out to be very well maintained and had some great views across the valley. By 8:40 I had reached Halfmoon Lake and by ten I was at Crown Pass looking at Crown Lake below. I split off from the trail I came in on and headed to Crown Lake which I fully expected to be infested with mosquitoes. However, it was not and the walk by the lake was very pleasant.
The rest of the trip was a tiring slog through forest and meadow (aka swamp) with occasional interesting diversions such as mossy pools. After several days without human contact, I met a pair of couples just below Chuck Pass. The rest of the trip had been in complete solitude.
What is good about early season trips? Even if you go to popular areas, you aren't likely to see a lot of people. You can camp in places that you would never choose otherwise, because no one is around to disturb you. mosquitoes are surprisingly absent. Snow and swamp make the going slow but they give the high country a different look.
