Parking
Start at the Crescent Meadow / High Sierra Trailhead. Summer shuttle service is available; backpackers with a wilderness permit may access the trailhead 24 hours when it is closed to normal traffic. There is no water at the trailhead.
Overview
About Bearpaw Meadow via High Sierra Trail
Why go
- Far-reaching views from Eagle View across the Kaweah canyon to the Great Western Divide.
- Bearpaw Meadow makes a natural overnight destination.
Heads up
- A demanding 22.8-mile return route with long days on trail.
- A wilderness permit and a complete overnight plan are essential.
Bearpaw Meadow via the High Sierra Trail is a 22.8-mile out-and-back, 11.4 miles each way from Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow. It follows the opening leg of the longer High Sierra Trail and rewards a long approach with open views across the Kaweah canyon to the Great Western Divide. Plan it as a backpacking overnight, not a casual day hike; about 16 hours of walking spread across two long days is a sensible allowance. A wilderness permit is required for the High Sierra Trail.
Parkwolf’s verdictA two-day trip worth the commitmentMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapElevation6,781–7,799 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Sequoia alerts
- CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are in effect due to high fire danger and catastrophic-wildfire risk; the restrictions reduce the possibility of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors…Official details
- ClosureGrant Grove trails and areas closed for prescribed burnSome trails and areas around Grant Grove and the General Grant Tree are closed for safety during a prescribed burn and until they are cleared of hazards.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Your drive to Bearpaw Meadow via High Sierra Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sequoia National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Sequoia audio tourRecorded for this area
Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log0:00 / 0:33
“Crescent Meadow is coming up, an open wetland ringed by giant sequoias, with picnic tables near the trailhead. Stop here if you'd like a gentler outing with room to see the red trunks against the meadow grass.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tunnel Log
- Parker Group and Buttress Tree
- Moro Rock
- Hanging Rock
- 71 audio storiesacross Sequoia’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 68 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
Trail guide
Hiking Bearpaw Meadow via High Sierra Trail
From forest to Eagle ViewThe first half-mile stays cool beneath red and white fir, sugar pines and occasional giant…
The first half-mile stays cool beneath red and white fir, sugar pines and occasional giant sequoias. Then the trail steps onto a warm, south-facing slope at Eagle View. Look back toward Moro Rock, down into the Middle Fork Kaweah canyon and east to the glaciated Great Western Divide. For a photo, include the slope or a few trees in the foreground so the valley reads as deep rather than flat.
The long traversePast the Seven Mile Hill junction, the route skirts steep bluffs south of Alta Meadow and Alta…
Past the Seven Mile Hill junction, the route skirts steep bluffs south of Alta Meadow and Alta Peak. A nearly level stretch crosses part of the Buckeye Fire area, where spring-fed streams still cross the trail late into the season. The broad traverse can feel exposed in the sun even when the forest start was cool.
Down into Buck Canyon, then up to BearpawAfter Nine Mile Creek, the trail drops into Buck Canyon, a rugged drainage known for floods,…
After Nine Mile Creek, the trail drops into Buck Canyon, a rugged drainage known for floods, avalanches and rockslides. It crosses Buck Creek, then climbs about 500 feet in a little over a mile to Bearpaw Meadow. This is the turn-around point for this trail record; continuing east follows the longer High Sierra Trail and is outside the mapped hike here.
Make the overnight workStart at the Crescent Meadow / High Sierra Trailhead.
Start at the Crescent Meadow / High Sierra Trailhead. Summer shuttle service is available, and backpackers with a wilderness permit may reach the trailhead when the road is closed to normal traffic. There is no water at the trailhead. Creek crossings can be hazardous in early summer, so check conditions when you collect your permit. Pets are prohibited on park trails. Bearpaw has been described as a tent camp, but its current lodging and meal service were not verified; confirm arrangements before relying on them and have a complete backcountry plan.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Sequoia
691 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
18 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
20 sightingsSpotted OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
