Near: Fresno
Trip type: Hike
Distance: ~10 miles
Elevation: 7,200 - 10,300 feet
Vegetation: Thick pine forest to moonscape
Last Visit: 7/22/17
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| Huntington Lake from College Rock |
**Note: the Huntington Lake area was heavily impacted by the Creek Fire of 2020. Check the Sierra National Forest website for up to date information on trail closures.**
Sitting about half-way between Yosemite and Kings Canyon national parks, Kaiser Peak towers 3,000 feet over its immediate surroundings. It's a bit south of our usual range, but we were camping at Huntington Lake right at the mountain's base for a Nav-X challenge race the day before and despite our sore legs we couldn't resist hitting this summit. Boy were we glad we did. The summit panorama of the High Sierra to the east was truly one the best views we've had in California. Had there not been a serious wildfire off to the northwest, we would have had a great view of the central valley, as well. College Rock, halfway up, provides a natural snack spot with fantastic view of Huntington lake too and would make a satisfying enough destination in and of it's self. Make sure to bring plenty of water on this hike and watch your dog for heat stress. It's partially shaded most of the way and we benefitted from still running meltwater streams in late July, but that was an unusual benefit of our extra-snowy winter in 2016-2017. Often this route will be quite dry and the southern exposure means you'll get plenty of warm rays.
