Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! If you recall the gorgeous photos I shared once upon a time back in the August coffee date, guess who’s finally scrounged up some time to write about the Rae Lakes Loop in Sequoia + Kings Canyon National Park?!

This was the 3rd backpacking trip I’d ever taken (the others were in Laguna Mountain and Henry Coe State Park) and definitely the most intense (thus far — I’d like to go on more,  but with more preparation next time…). Since I took 293847204 photos and we took 4 days to hike it, I’ll be splitting this into 4 different posts!

Rae Lakes Loop in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (Day 1)

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1/4) | fairyburger.com

Distance: ~39.1 miles (loop)
Elevation: 7670 ft elevation gain
Difficulty: Difficult!
Duration: 3-5+ days (We took 4 days).
Trailhead Address: 36.794390, -118.583630
Parking:
Lot available a short walk away from the trailhead. Fee required to enter the park (free if you have the annual pass).

The evening before we embarked on our journey, we drove the ~4.5 hours over to our campsite after I finished work that evening and slept overnight in the car.

Day 1: Road’s End to the Upper Paradise Valley (~8.5 miles, ~1900 ft elevation gain)

We started off at the Road’s End ranger station. The trail leads you along somewhat exposed areas and you get amazing views of the granite formations from all around.

Like most others, we took the clockwise route! Although there’s more climbing involved, the ascents are more gradual overall (especially along the way up to Glen Pass).

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1/4) | fairyburger.com

The trail becomes more shaded as you continue. When you get to a 3-way junction, take a left for the clockwise route and continue ascending alongside the Kings River.

Truth be told, we shouldn’t have stopped as many times as we  did to hang out in the water, but that beauty is hard to resist! (If we do this again, I’d really like to add a 5th day just so we can chill and play in the lakes/streams more.)

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1/4) | fairyburger.com

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1/4) | fairyburger.com

Please be aware that there are a lot of bears in the area. (We saw 4 on just the first day.) If you keep your food and any scented products securely stowed away in bear canisters farther away from your campsite, they should not bother you. If they get used to human food, they can lose their preference for natural food sources and may start going after human food, which can lead to injury and property damage. Since they can then become a public safety concern, they are often euthanized as a result. Please do not be the cause of this.

We also kept up conversations or would say “Bear, bear, bear” periodically in case there were any nearby so that we wouldn’t take them by surprise (or vice versa). One was ambling down the trail no less than 20 feet away from me (I was at the back of the group) when we forgot to do this, so we did this much more regularly after that.

You’ll encounter Mist Falls (a popular day hike!) along this trail and as you continue to ascend, you’ll come across Lower Paradise Valley. Eventually you’ll make a right onto the Woods Creek Trail.

Mist Falls

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1/4) | fairyburger.com

We camped out at Upper Paradise Valley and refilled our hydration packs + ate our dinners of Mountain House packs. (One of these days, I’m hoping to put my dehydrator to use so I can make dehydrated meals at the ready for future backpacking trips! The Mountain House packs were fine, but so expensive — I’m certain I could do it for cheaper.)

If you’re planning on doing this trip, some things to note about the Rae Lakes Loop trail…

  • Wilderness permits are required to camp from Kings Canyon National Park (jointly managed with Sequoia National Park).
  • This is not an easy trail but it is absolutely worth the trip! It’s one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever hiked thus far.
  • There are a lot of bears. There are food storage lockers placed at almost all the developed camping areas, but bear canisters are absolutely required. (Bear spray is not allowed.) You can rent these from the ranger station if needed.
  • A bug headnet will make your life better, especially around dawn/dusk.
  • Bring a water filtration device! We spoke to a couple people on the trial who hike this regularly and drink the water straight. However, I’d recommend to err on the side of caution. You don’t want Giardia, parasites, or viruses/microorganisms hanging out with you where they don’t belong.
  • Fires are not allowed above 10,000 feet.
  • Camp only at established campsites or flat ground not covered by vegetation.
  • Practice the Leave No Trace principles  (here and everywhere). Pack out what you pack in — this includes used toilet paper!

Rae Lakes Loop Trail (Day 1) | fairyburger.com


  • Have you ever been backpacking?
  • Stay tuned next week for Day 2 of the trip!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.fairyburger.com/rae-lakes-loop-trail/

25 comments

Skip to comment form

    • Lauren Elena on January 18, 2022 at 9:31 pm
    • Reply

    Wow. What an incredible hiking trip. I can’t believe how many bears you saw. Aww man I wish we could cuddle them. But I will remember my bear canisters because I would never want to be the reason something bad happens to them. We are walking among their lands! Got to respect.
    What a beautiful experience. I can’t wait to see more. It sounds epic. You’re living my Wild dreams. I have to hike with you one day but I have to get in shape first!😉
    I can’t believe you drove over 4 hours after work, slept in your car and then hiked the next day! How!? Was this car a huge camper van? You’re fierce. I want to be you in my next life.
    Thanks for sharing! Incredible!

    1. Right? It made me so sad when I read that this happens. :(

      That’d be so much fun! And no need to worry–I like to do all kinds of hikes and there are so many pretty places to explore. :D! (I was way out of shape for this hike, to be honest. :'( ) It was harrowing and challenging but still a great experience! :P

        • Lauren Elena on January 29, 2022 at 7:44 pm
        • Reply

        I still don’t understand how you could have done it after sleeping in your car! That’s some special kind of fierce.

        1. hehehe, I had lots of experience during my last year of med school when I went partially “homeless” to save money on housing!
          Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 2My Profile

    • Susan on January 18, 2022 at 10:26 pm
    • Reply

    Wow, the water on this trail is stunning! I’d be tempted to hang out and enjoy it too :) What an incredible hike! Great tips on bear safety… hard to avoid them out there, best to let them know you’re coming and not surprise them.

    1. There were way more than I expected to see! :O But it was seriously hard to not stop on this trail–so many pretty places. I definitely need to carve out an extra day to chill next time!
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

  1. This looks like a spectacular hike! The waterfall at the end is absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing. Your photos are lovely! :)

    1. It was such a beautiful hike! I really wish we’d added an extra day just to relax and chill. (Next time though, definitely happening!)
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

  2. It looks so beautiful! I cannot wait until travel opens again and I can finally get back out there!

  3. Wow bears everywhere! Glad you got some photos of them but they didn’t bother you. It looks beautiful and I love backpacking, and have done it hiking, canoeing, and kayaking. Keep it up!

    1. Thank goodness for the zoom feature! :P And that’s awesome! I’m definitely hoping to do more of it! :]
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

  4. I loved the last picture with you in the water! That is the perfect adventure. An epic hike followed by a refreshing swim!

    1. Thank you! :] My friend took that one — it was impossible not to stop there. I’d happily go back for a day hike just to get there! :]
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

    • Karen on January 22, 2022 at 9:57 pm
    • Reply

    This looks like a beautiful area. I’m glad you mentioned about keeping the bears safe being a clean camper and using bear canisters and lockers.
    I hope you get your dehydrator going. Dehydrated camp food is the best. Much better than the expensive prepackaged stuff

    1. For sure!

      I really hope so too. I had a dehydrator cookbook that I’d wanted to try out a bunch of recipes from but the movers lost it when I went from NJ to CA. :[ But no matter–I’ll start experimenting hopefully soon!

  5. Beautiful photos!

    1. Thank you! :]
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

    • kmf on January 23, 2022 at 11:37 am
    • Reply

    What an adventurous hike in the wilderness. I would love to hike the Rae Lakes Loop in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.

    1. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you get to check it out sometime! :]

  6. Squeeee! This looks incredible Farrah! Those views, the bear sightings and the stunning waterfall! I can see why they had to give permits for this trail. I bet everyone wants to visit!!

    p.s. For letting bears know you’re coming, do you ever just shout “hey bear” that’s what we have grown used to doing. I’ve noticed it works better when Marc shouts it though, male voices seem to carry really well.

    1. It was soooo so pretty! I was having a hard time deciding if I should split it into 4 posts or just do it in 1 ginormous post but I took too many pictures (haha), so split-by-the-day it was!

      I have not, but that’d be another one to add to our list of things to say while hiking! :P
      Farrah recently posted…Rae Lakes Loop – Day 1My Profile

      1. Yeah that is always a hard choice isn’t it. I like this way with manageable sections. That way, you get to share more photos anyway. ;)

        1. Very true! :P It was turning into an essay initially and I wasn’t sure how ambitious I’d end up being with scheduling content into the future. :P!

  7. Wow – 4 bears in one day! And what a lovely cinnamon colour they were too. I remember being less concerned about bears and more about mountain lions, though we saw neither. I think we only met 3 or 4 people that day too. We hiked to Mist Falls many years ago and wondered about where the trail went beyond – I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this trip to find out! That double-peaked summit is so distinctive, like a pair of cat’s ears!
    Andy Gibb recently posted…Dog Mountain, 15 Jan 2022My Profile

    1. Totally understandable! I’m glad the bears didn’t get too close to us and also quite glad we didn’t run into any mountain lions!

      hehe, I didn’t think about that but it does look like cat ears!! :D Thanks again for visiting — I hope you get to do this hike sometime. I think you’d really like it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

CommentLuv badge