New Army Pass Trail

From the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead, follow the Cottonwood Lakes Trail through forest and into the open basin between Mount Langley and Cirque Peak. Long Lake and High Lake are on the way to the pass. Other paths branch toward Muir, Hidden, South Fork, and Cirque Lakes, and Old Army Pass is a separate crossing; keep to the New Army Pass route rather than treating these as one trail. If you want a shorter day, Long Lake is a 10-mile round trip from the same start, but it stops before the pass climb.

The climb continues above the lakes over a rocky upper slope. By the time the pass comes into view, you have several miles of high-altitude walking behind you and the hardest part still ahead. There is no quick way back from the saddle, so set a turnaround time that leaves enough daylight for the return. Snow can remain on the upper trail after the lower basin is clear.

New Army Pass sits at about 12,300 feet. From the rocky saddle, Mount Langley rises to the north and the Cottonwood Lakes basin spreads out to the south. A wide panorama shows the pass itself and the ridgelines around it; for a phone photo, include some of the rocky foreground so the broad, bare crossing reads as a real place rather than a strip of distant peaks. The lakes below are habitat for California’s state fish, the golden trout, though seeing one is never guaranteed.

This approach starts in Inyo National Forest and reaches the Sequoia boundary at New Army Pass. The route here turns around at the saddle and retraces the same trail; the path beyond it drops west into Sequoia and connects with the park’s backcountry trail network. That continuation is a different, longer trip. Dogs may use the Forest Service side on a leash under six feet, but cannot continue onto trails inside Sequoia.

Day use does not require a wilderness permit; overnight trips do. Keep groups to 15 or fewer. The high trail is generally most passable from about June through October, but snow can linger into early summer and conditions change, so check current road and trail access before driving up. Treat water collected from lakes and creeks. From Memorial Day weekend through October 31, put food, trash, and scented items in the bear-proof lockers at the trailhead.

The Cottonwood Lakes trailhead is at the end of Horseshoe Meadow Road, beside the walk-in campground. Parking is shared with the campground; vault toilets and seasonal potable water are there, not along the route. No food stop was found at the trailhead or on the trail, so bring what you need for the day.