Sphinx Lakes, Kings Canyon National Park

(Copyright © 2013 Piero Scaruffi | Terms of use)
If you would like to purchase the original, high-resolution pictures, contact me

Notes of this hike | Back to California hikes | Pictures of the world

Highlights

From start to end

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Roads End
Water at the trailhead of Road's End
The ranger's house at the trailhead
Trailhead

The trail
The flat part
The flat part
Paradise Valley junction

The first bridge
The first bridge

The first messy creek crossing after the first bridge
The first messy creek crossing after the first bridge
The first messy creek crossing after the first bridge (beware: the arrow for the Bubbs Creek trail points in the wrong direction)

The bridges
The bridges
The bridges

The bridges
The bridges
The bridges
The bridges

Beginning of the switchbacks
The sphinx
The sphinx
On the switchbacks

The switchbacks
The switchbacks
The switchbacks
The switchbacks

The switchbacks
Bridge over the Bubbs Creek
Junction with Avalanche Pass trail
Junction with Avalanche Pass trail

Junction with Avalanche Pass trail
Junction with Avalanche Pass trail
Junction with Avalanche Pass trail
Junction with Avalanche Pass trail

Junction with Avalanche Pass trail
Chipmunk
Deer on the trail
Sphinx

Kings Canyon at sunrise
Deer on the trail
A whole family of deer

Click here to continue to East Lake

or continue below for the Sphinx Lakes

On the Avalanche Pass/ Sphinx Creek trail


The rapids along Sphinx trail
Series of waterfalls and rapids along Sphinx Creek trail
The Sphinx rapids
The rapids from the Sphinx trail

The rapids of Sphinx creek
Kings Canyon from the switchbacks to Avalanche Pass
Rapids

Sphinx Creek cascades
The Sphinx
Sphinx rapids
The pyramid in front of it

The pyramid in front of it
Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids

Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids

Sphinx rapids
Sphinx rapids

The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest
The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest
The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest
The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest

The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest
The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest
The Avalanche Pass trail before the forest

The trail in the forest
The trail in the forest
The trail in the forest

The trail in the forest
Where to leave the trail
Where to leave the trail
After leaving the trail

Crossing the Sphinx Creek (for those who prefer the right side route)
An easy place to cross the creek (when you are coming down)

The northern tributary
Crossing the tributary
First creek crossing after leaving the trail

Up the river of boulders
Up the river of boulders
After the river of boulders back into the forest towards Lake 1

Mushroom
Wildflowers before the meadow
Wildflowers before the meadow
Wildflowers before the meadow

The forest before the meadow
The forest before the meadow
The forest before the meadow
The forest before the meadow

above the meadow
Wall of rocks above the meadow
Wall of rocks above the meadow
The meadow from above

The meadow
The meadow
Waterfall
Flowers

Above the meadow
Above the meadow
Above the meadow

Almost at Lake 1
Almost at Lake 1

Wildflowers
Wildflowers
The view behind
Lake 1

Sphinx 1
Sphinx 1
The marshy side of the lake
Still the first lake

Lake 1
Lake 1
Lake 1
Lake 1

Lake 1
Above Lake 1
Above Lake 1

The swamp of Lake 1
The swamp of Lake 1
The swamp of Lake 1
Lake 1 from above

Up the tallus
The view behind us
The wall of rock towards Lake 2
Lake 1 from above

Above Lake 1 (North Guard visible in the middle)
Lake 1
Lake 1
To Lake 2

Almost at Lake 2
Lake 2
At Lake 2
At Lake 2

At Lake 2

The wall of rocks to Lake 3
The route to Lake 3
Lake 2 from above
Lake 2 from above

Above Lake 2
Above Lake 2

The notch above Lake 2 that looks like a library
The notch above Lake 2 that looks like a library
The route from Lake 2 to Lake 3

Above lake 2
Above lake 2
Above Sphinx 2 to the southwest

Above Sphinx 2 to the southeast
Sphinx 2 from above
Lake 2 from above
Lake 2 from above

The wall above Lake 2
View from the top of the wall
Towards the twin lakes

Towards the twin lakes
Sliced granite
To Lake 3

To Lake 3
To Lake 3
Almost at Lake 3
Lake 3

Looking up (south) from Lake 3 (to Sphinx Pass stay to the right of the little black pyramid
Looking up from Lake 3 towards North Guard (the left canyon)

At Lake 3
At Lake 3

Wildflowers
Chinese graffiti
Lake 3 with North Guard in the back
Lake 4

North Guard from above the twin lakes
Marmot staring at the hikers

Above Lake 3
Lake 4
Lake 4

Lake 3 and 4 from above

Lake 3 and 4

Lake 4

above Lake 4
above Lake 3
above Lake 3

The twin lakes 3 & 4

Panorama of the twin lakes

Panorama of the twin lakes

Sphinx 2 from above
The Pyramid
At Sphinx 4

The bridge between the lakes
The bridge between the lakes
Lake 3
Crossing the twin lakes

Sphinx 3 from above
The Pyramid
Twin lakes from above
Sphinx 5

Granite slab above Lake 3
The trail on the northern (lower) side of Lake 3
Lake 3
Vestiges of a trail by Lake 3

Lake 3 and 4 (the twin lakes)

The twin lakes

Looking up (south) from Lake 3 (Sphinx Pass is roughly under the lower cloud)

The left canyon above Lake 3
Close-up of North Guard
Climbing the pyramid
The lake at the bottom of the pyramid

Wildflowers
Wildflowers
Wildflowers
Wildflowers

The natural bridge between the lakes
Lake 3 and the abyss we emerged from
The oblique pyramid
The white clouds point to Sphinx Pass (stay to the right of the oblique pyramid)

Exploring the eastern canyon (there are two lakes here, but no access to Sphinx Pass)
The eastern canyon
The eastern canyon
The eastern canyon

Sphinx 8 (lower lake of the eastern canyon)
The eastern canyon
The eastern canyon
Sphinx 9 (upper lake of the eastern canyon, with island and ducks)

Walking to the right of the oblique pyramid (leaving the eastern canyon for the western canyon, which is the one leading to the Sphinx Pass)
Up the western canyon (right of the oblique sphinx). Sphinx Pass is the bottom of the V on the left
Up the western canyon from the twin lakes
Sphinx 3

Sphinx 4
Further up
Above the twin lakes
Above the twin lakes

At Sphinx 5
Sphinx 5
Approaching Sphinx 5 up the western canyon
Submerged stones in Sphinx 5

Lake 5
Lake 5
Lake 5

Sphinx 5
Looking up (south) from Sphinx 5
Lakes 5 and 4

above Lake 5
Lakes 6,5,4

Sphinx 5
Sphinx 6
Sphinx 6
Sphinx 6

Sphinx 5
Sphinx 5
Sphinx 5
Sphinx 6

Sphinx 6
Sphinx 5 behind me
Sphinx 6

Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6

Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6
Wildflowers above Lake 6

Wildflowers above Lake 6
above Lake 6
above Lake 6
Lake 6 and 7

Wildflowers above Lake 6
Lake 5, 6 and 7
Wildflowers above Lake 7
Wildflowers above Lake 7

The wall above the pond (Sphinx Pass is not visible yet but it is up there)
False pass (you can almost see a natural route on the left hand side)
False pass (not quite there yet)

At the last pond
At the last pond
Sphinx 6
The last pond from above

False pass
False pass
The very last pond
The very last pond

View of the last little Sphinx lakes from above the last one

Sphinx Pass
Sphinx Pass
Towering on the left handside
The last lakes from further above

Sphinx 6
Sphinx 6 and 5 (and the last pond)
Almost at Sphinx Pass
Real pass

Looking down north from Sphinx Pass (Sphinx Lakes 6 and 5)
Sphinx 6 and 5
Sphinx Pass and in the distance Thunder Mt
Sphinx 6 and 5

Sphinx Pass
The last section to Sphinx Pass
The last section to Sphinx Pass

Sphinx Pass
Sphinx Pass
The very last boulders of Sphinx Pass

Mt Brewer on the other side
Mt Brewer on the other side
The south side of Sphinx Pass (the Great Western Divide)

The south side of Sphinx Pass
The south side of Sphinx Pass
The south side of Sphinx Pass
The south side of Sphinx Pass

Panorama of the other side (Mt Brewer on the left, Great Western Divide straight ahead)

From Brewer to the Great Western Divide

The lake on the south side of Sphinx Pass and distant views of Thunder Mt and Table Mt
Thunder Mt and Table Mt

Brewer from Sphinx Pass (you need to go around the ridge between the two)
Sphinx Pass
South Guard?
View southwest

Descending Sphinx Pass
Descending Sphinx Pass

Mt Brewer from Sphinx Pass
Mt Brewer
The crest going west
Mt Brewer and South Guard from Sphinx Pass

Thunder and Table mountains
The pass to the Great Western Divide
Looking back from Sphinx Pass to Lake 5
Big Brewer Lake

Brewer Lake
Sphinx Pass from the southern side
Sphinx Pass from the southern side

Sphinx Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park (video)

Sphinx Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park (video)

Mt Brewer and the Great Western Divide from Sphinx Pass, Kings Canyon (video)

Returning from Big Brewer Lake and Avalanche Pass

Continuing to Mt Brewer

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(Copyright © 2013 Piero Scaruffi | Terms of use)
If you would like to purchase the original, high-resolution pictures, contact me