Sawmill Pass Trail

This is a 12.4-mile, one-way point-to-point route from Sawmill Pass Trailhead on Division Creek Road, over Sawmill Pass and down to the John Muir Trail in Kings Canyon's Woods Creek area. From a start near 4,600 feet, the climb to the 11,300-foot crest gains more than 6,700 feet. It is a very steep, strenuous high-country route. Allow about 12 to 14 hours of hiking, or plan an overnight trip if that is a better fit than an all-day push. The finish is another backcountry junction, not a road or parking area, so sort out your exit before setting out.

The lower route climbs through sandy, open country before the steep switchbacks and exposed traverse into Sawmill Canyon. There is no water or shade at the trailhead or along the first few miles, so start with enough water for the dry section and treat natural sources. The trail climbs into more tree cover, then the first broad views open from the Hogsback ridge toward Owens Valley.

Sawmill Meadow is a flatter grassy bench partway up the climb. Above it, the grade steepens again past Mule Lake and along the north side of Sawmill Lake. Small use paths branch toward lakeside camps; stay on the through-trail if you are crossing the pass. The upper trail grows rockier and more open as it approaches the crest.

Sawmill Pass is a broad, boulder-strewn saddle, not a pointed summit. From above Sawmill Lake, look east with the rocky slope in the foreground and the lake and Owens Valley below. The route continues down the western side toward Woods Lake and the John Muir Trail; reaching the pass is not the end of this point-to-point line.

From US 395 about 8 miles north of Independence, turn west on Black Rock Springs Road, then north on Tinemaha Road (Old 395). After 1.2 miles, turn west on Division Creek Powerhouse Road and continue 1.5 miles to the trailhead on the south side. Food-storage lockers are at the trailhead; other services are not listed. Day use does not require a permit, but overnight trips require a wilderness permit year-round; the trailhead quota is 10 people a day from May 1 through November 1. Ordinary pets cannot continue on the Kings Canyon trail segment.