Parking
There is no roadside trailhead. Join from the Big Arroyo Trail junction by a longer wilderness approach and finish at the Franklin Pass Trail junction; plan the return route before setting out.
Overview
About Soda Creek Trail
Why go
- Links the Big Arroyo, Lost Canyon and Franklin Pass trails.
- Moves from a broad creek canyon to Little Claire and Forester lakes.
Heads up
- No direct road access; both ends require a longer wilderness itinerary.
- High-altitude climbing, creek crossings and faint turns near the lakes.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapElevation8,081–10,728 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 Soda Creek 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 tour- 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 Soda Creek Trail
A long backcountry connectorSoda Creek Trail is a 6.
Soda Creek Trail is a 6.7-mile point-to-point backcountry route between the Big Arroyo Trail junction and Franklin Pass Trail, passing the Lost Canyon Trail junction along the way. It is one leg of a longer wilderness itinerary, not the Mineral King loop itself. The mapped line measures 6.74 miles while another route estimate is 7.11, so plan for about seven miles one way.
Creek country, then the lakesThe trail rolls along the edge of a broad canyon, with side streams, ferns and Humboldt lilies,…
The trail rolls along the edge of a broad canyon, with side streams, ferns and Humboldt lilies, before crossing Soda Creek and climbing switchbacks toward Little Claire Lake. A short rise leads over the divide to Forester Lake and the Franklin Pass trail junction. Little Claire’s granite-and-pine shore is the best place to stop and take in the high-country setting.
Plan the whole itineraryThis is a remote connector, not a drive-up trailhead or a simple out-and-back.
This is a remote connector, not a drive-up trailhead or a simple out-and-back. Both ends are reached by other wilderness trails, so plan your approach and return before starting. Allow about seven hours for this segment; the climb reaches above 10,700 feet, and a pack or long stops can stretch the day. The upper route has easy-to-miss turns: after Little Claire, stay on the uphill tread rather than lower tracks beside the water, and watch for an unmarked hard right near Forester Lake. Overnight trips require a wilderness permit. Mineral King access is seasonal and the road closes for winter snow. Dogs are prohibited on park trails.
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.
