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1953 Map of Marion Peak

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Marion Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Cedar Grove and the nearby Kanawyers (Site) serve as the primary human touchpoints in this high-altitude landscape where the South Fork Kings River carves through the deep Sierra canyons. The map documents a pivotal era of backcountry management within Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park, featuring a dense network of mountain pathways including the famous Muir Trail and the Don Cecil Trail.

Granite spires and high-altitude basins dominate the topography, from the Gorge of Despair to the poetic Lake of the Fallen Moon. The drainage patterns of the Middle Fork Kings River and Roaring River illustrate the sheer verticality of the terrain, marked by features like Mist Falls and the Muro Blanco cliffs. This survey preserves the exact locations of remote meadows and camps, such as Wildman Meadow and Frypan Mdw, that supported early packing and grazing operations before the full establishment of wilderness protections.