Bullfrog Lake Trail via Kearsarge Pass

Bullfrog Lake Trail is a 13.9-mile out-and-back from Onion Valley over Kearsarge Pass to Bullfrog Lake in the Kearsarge Basin. It is a hard, high-altitude day, with roughly 3,700 feet of climbing and a high point at about 11,700 feet. Allow seven to nine and a half hours. The draw is a chain of alpine lakes along the climb and a lake tucked below the Videttes at the end. Save this for a day when you are acclimated and ready to spend most of it on trail.

Use the Kearsarge Pass Trailhead at the end of Onion Valley Road, about 15 miles west of Independence. The road usually opens from May to November, depending on snow, so check its status before driving up. A vault toilet, trash cans and food-storage lockers are available at the trailhead. The hike returns to the same lot over the same route.

Published round-trip totals range from about 13.1 to 15.1 miles. This entry measures the walk to Bullfrog Lake’s north shore and back, using 13.9 miles. It stops at the lake rather than continuing west on the John Muir Trail, which makes a different outing.

From the road’s end, the Kearsarge Pass Trail climbs through forest and then alpine tundra, with granite outcrops and switchbacks. Little Pothole, Gilbert and Flower Lakes mark the approach; Heart Lake and Big Pothole Lake lie higher on the route. They give you natural places to pause, but the pass is still several miles from the trailhead.

Kearsarge Pass is about five miles from Onion Valley and stands at roughly 11,700 feet. The west side drops into the Kearsarge Lakes basin and Kings Canyon National Park. The view opens onto a broad stretch of granite peaks and lakes, but you still have miles to go before the turnaround. The high elevation makes this more demanding than the distance alone suggests.

Beyond the pass, follow the named Bullfrog Lake Trail to the lake’s north shore. Bullfrog sits in a high basin below the Videttes and Mount Rixford, with forest and granite slopes around the water. This is the destination for this out-and-back; turn around at the lake instead of carrying on along the John Muir Trail. If the water is calm, frame the rocky near shore with the peaks behind it for a reflection.

Day hiking does not require a wilderness permit. Overnight trips do require one year-round, and camping and campfires are prohibited at Bullfrog Lake. Treat water from lakes, creeks and springs before drinking. Pets may use nearby Inyo National Forest trails, but the complete route enters Kings Canyon National Park, where pets are prohibited on all trails; service animals are allowed.