At About 11 miles from the trailhead, the trail nears the North Fork of the Kings River and its domes where the river turns west towards valley destinations and its work behind dams.
Glacial polish betray the rivers icy origon.
Unfortunately, this means these horse trails are too often too steep, dusty, rocky, cobbled, sandy, faint, cut too deep, or stepped too high for human walkers, and usually are any combination of the proceeding over a given stretch of trail. Also, if one is looking for expansive views, patience is in order. Fortunately, there are many pleasant campsites you may find along the way after your first day of walking, and by the second day you will undoubtedly be impressed, if not awe-struck, by the high and beautiful area you reached after so much uphill toil over poor trails. The famed explorer John C. Fremont, looking for a crossing of the Sierra, became lost and snowbound somewhere in the upper reaches of this watershed, and was forced to eat his saddle stock. Theodore Solomon, pioneering backpacker, photographer and originator of the John Muir Trail concept, also became snowbound in this watershed.