Bearpaw High Sierra Camp

The route climbs from Crescent Meadow through fir and sugar pine forest, with occasional giant sequoias early on. Farther out, Eagle View opens a look back toward Moro Rock, down to the Middle Fork Kaweah River and ahead to the Great Western Divide. Some stretches are exposed on steep slopes; early-season creek crossings can be hazardous. This is a serious backpacking approach, and an overnight wilderness permit is required.

The camp has six canvas-sided cabins with wooden floors and two twin beds apiece, plus a central shower house with flush toilets and hot showers. Breakfast and dinner are part of the stay, and boxed lunches are available for the trail. Think of it as a small, service-supported camp in the backcountry, not a full-service hotel or a place to drop in for a meal.

The camp opened in 1934, soon after crews completed the High Sierra Trail in 1932. That route's construction was no small feat: in 1930, a trail crew spent much of the summer blasting a mile of steep slopes and bluffs with an air compressor and rock drills. The trail also crosses part of the area burned in the 1980 Buckeye Fire, where the recovering forest is part of the walk.