2018 Map of Mineral King

About this map

Mineral King serves as the focal point for this high-altitude survey of the southern Sierra Nevada, where the legacy of early prospecting is etched into landmarks like Miners Nose and Miners Ridge. The landscape is defined by the Great Western Divide, a formidable granite crest that separates the drainage of Cliff Creek and Mineral Creek from the eastern alpine basins. The area is dense with glacial tarns, from the Monarch Lakes and Mosquito Lakes near the settlement to the remote Big Five Lakes and Little Five Lakes tucked behind Black Rock Pass. High mountain passes such as Sawtooth Pass, Franklin Pass, and Farewell Gap provide the primary routes through this section of Sequoia National Park. The concentration of naming conventions—from White Chief Peak to Empire Mountain—reflects the 19th-century mining ambitions that once drew settlers to these high basins.