Backpacking Rae Lakes Loop - Kings Canyon National Park
Today we’re backpacking the Rae Lakes Loop Trail starting at Road’s End in Kings Canyon National Park. An awesome and challenging backpacking route - great for experienced backpackers looking for a 4-day backpacking trip in California.
You may know that Sequoia and Kings Canyon are neighboring national parks, I feel like Sequoia gets more of the attention with its massive sequoia trees, but don’t sleep on Kings Canyon National Park either. It boasts some of the most beautiful backpacking trails in the Sierra. Rae Lakes Loop Trail is perhaps one of the most coveted. And for good reason. But I’m happy to report that it does indeed live up to the hype, and is worth every mile!
The Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPS website says Rae Lakes Loop Trail is 41.4 miles long, but my GPS tracking app reads 46.9 miles. Either way it’s a long one and a great stretch of time to spend enjoying some scenic mountain views & beautiful lakes in Kings Canyon National Park.
Keep reading on for details about what to expect - like trailhead info, where to get permits, what to bring, wildlife info, summer trail conditions, and (of course) all the backcountry views to help you decide if you want to head out there too.
HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
QUICK FACTS
Trail Difficulty: Challenging to Difficult
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 11,452 feet (starts at 5035’ to 12000’ then back down again, expect many ups & downs)
Trail Length: 41+ miles depending on entry trailhead
Water: Plenty of spots to fill up and get water along the trail, pack a filtration system
River crossing: low water and easy river crossing in early August, bridge is currently out
Bears: very active bear area (I saw four on my trip and I’m a loud hiker), NPS requires you to bring a bear canister for safe food storage, there are several camping sites along the way that do have bear boxes
Campfires: not permitted above 10,000 feet, generally best practice in California to avoid building fires in the backcountry. I just pack a small stove for cooking, especially during peak wildfire season
Keep reading for more FAQ’s and trail views
HOW MANY DAYS DO I NEED FOR RAE LAKES LOOP TRAIL?
Short answer is...it depends!
I spent 3 nights / 4 days doing the loop, which meant it was divided up into about four 10+ mile stretches (7 to 16 miles if you want to get really specific). Which for me felt like a good pace, kept things fun yet challenging, and let me spend enough time photographing the different lakes & peaks. I don’t like to feel like I spent the whole day hiking with no time left to enjoy that evening or the next morning at camp. So it was a nice length trip for how I like to backpack.
So keeping in mind however many miles (and how much elevation) you feel comfortable hiking in a day, how heavy your pack is, and how much time you want to spend in the backcountry - I’d recommend planning your trip for 3-4 nights.
WHERE CAN I GET A TRAIL PERMIT FOR RAE LAKES LOOP?
Usually the permit process looks a bit different in our national parks than it has this year. But during covid - there’s no waiting in line or getting a permit in person.
All permit requests are done online and can be submitted through the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park website if you plan to go via Bubbs Creek or Woods Creek. If you plan to go via Kearsarge Pass then you’ll have to go through Inyo National Forest for your permit process.
For Kings Canyon trailheads - there’s a step by step process outlined on the NPS website that makes it easy to apply. First, make sure you check the Trailhead Availability page to see if the route you want to take is even available. Then submit your Wilderness Permit Reservation for the route and dates you want.
The reservation application doesn’t ask you to list where you plan to make camp during your trip, but have that info ready for when the ranger gives you a call - they will ask you over the phone before issuing your official permit via email. Print and pack this with you before you go.
WHAT TRAILHEAD DO I TAKE FOR RAE LAKES LOOP?
There’s three main entry trails you can choose from for hiking the Rae Lakes Loop Trail - Bubbs Creek Trail, Woods Creek Trail, and Kearsarge Pass. You’ll find the first two located at Road’s End in Kings Canyon National Park. Those were the two I was deciding between - note that going via Kearsarge will extend your mileage considerably.
Bubbs Creek is often referred to as the counterclockwise route and Woods Creek as the clockwise route. After a little bit of research, I decided to go clockwise via Paradise. I chose this route since it’s elevation increase is much more gradual and spread out over (in my case) 4 days. So by the time I was ready to summit Glen Pass, I’d theoretically have a lighter pack (after eating 2 days worth of the food I packed).
After Glen Pass, it’s virtually all downhill switchbacks that feel seemingly endless while you’re doing them. So once I had eyes on that stretch of the path, I was relieved to not be going up it. Going counterclockwise is totally doable, but imagine it can be pretty grueling. Whichever way you decide to go consider yourself lucky, because getting a permit to this beautiful part of the Sierra is tough!
WHERE CAN BACKPACKERS PARK?
There’s plenty of parking at Road’s End but definitely try to get there early on the morning you head out - keeping in mind that this is also a popular day hiking location. There’s a large main parking lot closer to the trailhead - if it’s full when you get there try the other two smaller lots following the road back out.
WHERE CAN I CAMP ALONG RAE LAKES TRAIL?
The main things to know when choosing your campsites (beyond Leave No Trace of course) are that you can’t camp within 100 feet of lakes, rivers, and creeks. And there’s a temporary camping closure right now for Lower Paradise Valley. The NPS site usually has the most up-to-date listing on any other specific closures.
So keeping those rules and closures in mind, here’s where I chose to camp each night:
NIGHT 1: Upper Paradise Valley (11 miles)
NIGHT 2: Middle Rae Lake (15 miles)
NIGHT 3: Charlotte Creek (13 miles)
WHAT SHOULD I PACK?
Besides the usual backpacking gear & essentials (which I’ll have to round up in a separate post!) here’s the big things that I think you’d be bummed to be without:
Sunscreen: once you pass Upper Paradise Valley, there isn’t a whole lot of shade. So sunscreen, a hat, or even lightweight long sleeve shirt will be good for sun protection. Especially in summer. I use this non-toxic mineral sunscreen (bonus points for it being reef safe). I always forget to bring a chapstick with SPF. You’ll want it on this trail.
Bug Spray: always a must when backpacking in the warmer months in California. In August we saw the mosquitoes tapering off but they were especially heavy and relentless at Charlotte Creek. Here’s the bug spray I recommend - works better for me than Deet.
Bear Canister: these are required when backpacking in the Sierra, they come in two sizes but I bring this large bear canister even when going solo. You’ll want to store your food in here as well as anything else that has a smell (so toothpaste, toothbrush, chapstick, deodorant, etc).
Calorically Dense Food: this may seem like a no brainer but you’d be surprised how scant some backpacking meals are on calories. Make sure you check the back of your backpacking meals for nutrition info to make sure you have enough to fuel you up out there. I like to bring nut butter packs and calorically dense dried backpacking meals
Electrolytes: You can get these as packable electrolyte powders, they come in handy when you’re sweating a lot and can help you stave off any headaches or cramps. I like to take these ones with me
MORE VIEWS FROM RAE LAKES LOOP IN KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Here’s some more shots from that trip to help you decide if you wanna try backpacking the Rae Lakes Loop Trail. Be sure to pin and save this post to your travel board as a resource for later.
If you follow me on instagram @billydekom then you know I like sharing videos of hiking and backpacking trips too. Click this link to see the videos from this trip, it’s like getting to watch a small trail guide. You can catch them anytime in my highlights over there.
Btw, if you’ve got any questions about this trip or trail specifics - leave them in the comments below & I’ll get back to you. I’m an open book when it comes to sharing info with fellow hikers, backpackers, and photographers.
