Franklin Pass Trail

The trail begins at the Mineral King Pack Station. Park at the White Chief or Sawtooth trailhead parking area, then walk down Mineral King Corrals Road to the pack station. Franklin Lakes and Farewell Gap share the initial climb. At their split, keep left toward Franklin Lakes; the right branch goes to Farewell Gap, a different destination. Continue beyond the lake basin to Franklin Pass. The stored route ends at the crest and does not include the onward trail into Rattlesnake Canyon. Mile markers for the split differ between published descriptions, so follow the destination signs rather than relying on one junction-mile number.

The path narrows from the pack station into single track and climbs through patches of cottonwood and red fir, open sagebrush slopes, and steep switchbacks. You cross Crystal Creek and later Franklin Creek; a multi-tiered waterfall spills into a pool just above one Franklin Creek crossing. The open slopes bring views back down Mineral King toward Timber Gap and Farewell Gap. At Farewell Junction the valley opens out before the trail climbs into the upper basin.

Trees thin as the route approaches Franklin Lakes, where a small concrete outlet dam sits below the high ridges. Florence Peak and the Great Western Divide frame the upper valley. From the lower lake the trail continues in a steep climb to Franklin Pass, gaining roughly another 1,300 feet over the final stretch. The crest sits close to 11,800 feet; the view across the pass into Rattlesnake Canyon is the payoff for the long ascent. The lakes are a satisfying destination on their own if the added climb is too much. At the pass, include a little rocky trail in a photo to show the scale of the basin.

Mineral King’s red, orange, and brown metamorphic rock stands out against the granite common elsewhere in the park. Prospectors came here in the 1870s hoping to find silver, and the old mining history is part of the landscape around the valley. Franklin Lake’s concrete outlet dam is another reminder that this high basin has a working history: it was built to regulate water flow on the East Fork Kaweah for power production.