Tag Archives: chimney peak

Back Roads

22S05 – Sequoia NF

Sherman’s Pass Road: J41 Mojave to Kern River, Sequoia Forest Rd# 22S05

NFSlogo

Sequoia National Forest

sherman snows
Snow closes Sherman’s Pass Road annually

This paved Southern Sierra highway (aka J41, off US 395) is a paved route through the eastern portion of the Sequoia National Forest. A curvy mountain corridor which crosses over the forested plateau and also the South Fork of the Kern River. This road skirts the Domeland Wilderness & the South Sierra Wilderness. The PCT (Pacific Crest Trail runs across it as well, near Kennedy Meadows.

East side of Sequoia National Forest, the Kern Plateau meets the Mojave desert w/ BLM Camping & Inyo National Forest.

22s05 snowy
The Sherman route connects the Kern River, near Fairview to Kennedy Meadows & closes for snow in winter months. There are plenty seasonal creeks, meadows & forests in this region. Elevations range from 4000′ near the Kern River to 8000′ at Black Rock Station.

camp

BIG MEADOW
Horse Meadow Campground
Long Valley Campground
Chimney Creek Campground
Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway

Bald Mountain Fire Lookout is an excellent stop for sightseeing over Domeland Wilderness. Access it via dirt road# 22S77, access to tower is a rough and rocky, steep road which may require 4WD.

hiker

Steep Grades

ranger

USFS Ranger Stations:

  • Black Rock Station
    760-376-1666
  • Kernville Station
    760-376-3781

Snowy Springs

Campgrounds along Sherman’s Pass Road include –

  • Rincon Camp (primitive campsite) – just up from Brush Creek & Kern River; Rincon Trail #33E23 runs North/South near here.
  • Big Meadow / Horse Meadow Campground
  • Troy Meadows Campground
  • Fish Creek Campground
  • Kennedy Meadows Campground

westbound

mountains

nearby towns:

CALIFORNIA HOT SPRINGS
FAIRVIEW
KENNEDY MEADOWS
KERNVILLE
PONDEROSA
RIVERKERN

Back Roads, Backpacking, California Deserts, Campspots, Hiking, Off-Road Trail, Rock Climbing, Trailheads, Wilderness

Chimney Peak Backcountry Byway

chimney peak Wilderness

East of Lake Isabella and west of Walker Pass, there is a small community called Canebrake along Highway 178 Canebrake Road, a graded dirt road climbs up into pinyon pine forests. Lamont Peak (aka Lamont Pinnacles) is a decent hike & rock climbers dig it too.

Lamont Peak

Chimney Creek Campground is along the main road and has RV access (28′ max), for the motorhomes who do not mind a little dirt road driving. Easy trail access to numerous area hikes. The PCT is routed close by.

Long Valley Campground is tucked way back in the boonies with trailhead leading into the granite Dome Lands; Fishing and river access to the South Fork of the Kern.

Long Valley Loop
Long Valley Loop Road (2001)

Long Valley Loop Road circles the Chimney Peak Wilderness, which skirts the Domeland Wilderness. THE LOOP is washed out and ROAD is NOW CLOSED in one portion. See BLM web site for up to date info.

[ see the photos from 2001 ]

nearby towns –

ALTA SIERRA
LAKE ISABELLA
KENNEDY MEADOWS
KERNVILLE
WOFFORD HEIGHTS

maps of the region –

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST MAP
DOMELAND WILDERNESS MAP
HIKING MAP PCT #3 (PACIFIC CREST TRAIL)

4x4 Camps OHV, Backpacking, California Rivers, Campgrounds, Equestrian, Fishing, Hiking, Trailheads, Wilderness, Wildflowers

Long Valley Campground

Secluded Camp Sites

Long Valley Campground BLM

Southern Sierra Nevada
secluded camp, fishing & hiking trails
(free campground, open all year long)

South Fork of Kern River & DomeLand Wilderness

20+ miles from the nearest paved road; a remote camp on Long Valley Loop Road, off Canebrake Road. Both are dirt roads: high clearance vehicle recommended!

High Desert meets the Sierra Mountains

Back in the dry pinyon hills east of Kernville, beyond Sherman’s Pass; high above the Mojave desert and north of Canebrake & Highway 178. Long dirt roads, remote campground w/ fishing & hiking trails. Wilderness access.

hiking fishing trails horse trails back roads back roads sierra mountains

Chimney Peak Back Country Byway
Canebrake, California

These dirt back roads listed above skirt the edge of Dome Land Wilderness & Sequoia National Forest winding through BLM Land bordering the Mojave. The byway networks recreation areas between Kennedy Meadows and Canebrake, east of Lake Isabella. Eastern Kern County, California.

backpacking
camping
fishing
hiking
horseback trails
mountain biking
rock climbing
stargazing
wildflowers

Trailheads Domeland

People come way out here for the seclusion – the peace & the quiet. Mid-week you can have the whole place to yourself. Abundant hiking trails & fishing access. Into the Dome Land Wilderness you will find incredible scenery and diverse terrain – giant granite domes, waterfall canyons, and the South Fork of the Kern River (3 mi hike to river). PCTThe infamous Pacific Crest Trail passes close to Long Valley Campground, but Chimney Creek Campground is much closer to the PCT.

BLM Camping

Long Valley Campground

• Elevation: 5200′
• Number of Sites: 13
• Vehicle Accessibility: High Clearance Vehicle
• Facilities: picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilet
• Campsites Reservation: No
• Camp Fee: None
• Length of Stay: 14 Days
• Season: Open all year
• Operated by: BLM
• Trailheads: S. Fork Kern River & Domeland Wilderness

Bureau of Land Management
BLM Bakersfield Field Office
661-391-6000
Find a BLM page w/ map & info

Recent Domeland Wild Fires:
Manter Fire (2000)
McNally Fire (2002)

Long Valley Loop
Long Valley Loop Road (2001)

2016 NOTE: The part of the LOOP of Long Valley Loop Road that connects this campground to Kennedy Meadows (to the north) is CLOSED due to a huge washout. The Long Valley campground is accessible from the south side, from Hwy 178 @ Canebrake – and requires many miles of dirt road driving. High clearance vehicles are recommended; 4×4 needed in wet weather or snow.

towns nearby:

CANEBRAKE
KENNEDY MEADOWS
KERNVILLE
LAKE ISABELLA
MOJAVE

High Desert Sagebrush
High Desert Sagebrush & Dirt Roads
Wildfire Burn
Manter Wildfire Burn Area (2001)
Back Roads, Backpacking, Campgrounds, Creeks, Hiking, Trailheads

Chimney Creek Campground

campmap

Chimney Creek Campground
BLM Kern / Mojave

High mountain desert camp is mislabeled on some maps as “Chimney Peak Campground” or “Chimney Rock Campground”. Pinyon pine forest on Chimney Creek, near hiking trailheads, wildflowers and Chimney Peak Wilderness. Southern Sierra ridge near Mojave Desert and California SR 178.

peakpinyons

Canebrake Road is a graded dirt road that makes up part of Chimney Peak Back Country Byway. This rural route is a major graded dirt road located north of Highway 178 – which connects Canebrake to Long Valley up near Kennedy Meadows. Pacific Crest Trail passes next to this campground in the Southern Sierra mountains. The campground turn off is way east of Lake Isabella Hwy 178 is (near Walker Pass & PCT) and follow dirt road north to Kennedy Meadows in the far eastern reaches of Sequoia National Forest

Chimney Peak BLM
• Elevation: 5,700′
• Number of Sites: 32
• Camping Reservations: No
• Sites Available: First come, First serve
• Vehicle Accessibility: RV limit 28′ max
• Length of Stay: 14 Days
• Water: Piped (April – Sept)
• Toilet: Vault
• Season: Open all year
• Fee: No
• Operated By: BLM
• Closest Town: Lake Isabella, CA

Bureau of Land Management
BLM Bakersfield Ranger Station
661-391-6000

Lamont Peak
Lamont Peak – elev 7510′

nearby destinations –
Camp Kern Backroads

Chimney Peak Wilderness
Lamont Peak
Long Valley Campground
Dome Land Wilderness
Owens Peak Wilderness
Jawbone Canyon
Sequoia National Forest
Sacatar Trail Wilderness
Kiavah Wilderness
Kennedy Meadows
Lake Isabella
Kern River
Monache Meadows


View Chimney Creek Campground in a larger map

Hiking

Hiking Sequoia National Forest

Kern River Trails & Kernville Hiking

Sequoia National Forest Trails

Hiking Trails
Hundreds of trails meandering throughout this forest. Granite domes to huge Sequoia trees. Most secluded areas are found in the Eastern Section in the Dome Land Wilderness.

Dome Land Wilderness

Golden Trout Wilderness

South Sierra Wilderness

Sequoia Hiking Maps, Wilderness Maps, OHV Maps

Sequoia National Forest Hiking

lower kern river
the lush Lower Kern River on a misty Spring day

Upper Kern Hiking

Lower Kern River Hikes

Sequoia National Forest & the Lower Sierra Nevada Mountains extend from the Tehachapi ranges to the Kings River Canyon; from the Great Central Valley to the Mojave desert.

Sequoia National Forest MAP

Dome Land Wilderness MAP

Golden Trout Wilderness MAPS

Kern River Valley communities include:

Sequoia Mountain communities include:

Lower Kern Camp

Wilderness

Jennie Lakes Wilderness

horse meadow trails

Sequoia / Kings Canyon / Mitchell Peak

outta print

USDA MAP may be out of print 2017

Jennie Lakes Wilderness is located in between two popular National Parks, via the paved back roads off Sequoia Generals Highway 198. Monarch Wilderness is north of Jennie Lakes, bordering Kings Canyon.

10,500 acres
26 miles of trail

Two lakes, Jennie Ellis Lake and Weaver Lake, set among granite outcroppings. Majority of the wWilderness is above 7,000 feet w/ red fir, lodgepole pine, and western white pine forest near treeline; abundance of spring wildflowers fill meadows. The two main lakes and Rowell Meadow are primary destinations for most backpackers wanting to camp overnight.

 

Sequoia National Park

Kings Canyon National Park

Monarch Wilderness

Impressive granite canyons, super steep. LOts of rugged rocky terrain, lower elevation to peaks of 11,000′. KINGS RIVER – Longest raging river in the Sierra, headwaters originating near Mount Whitney.

Road#14S11 – Big Meadows Road

National Forest & Wilderness Permits –

USDA Sequoia NF

More Wilderness Info & Links –

sierrawild.gov/wilderness/jennie-lakes
summitpost.org/jennie-lakes
Jennie Lakes Wilderness Wiki

Marvin Pass trailhead
Marvin Pass trailhead, 12 miles down Rd#14S11

Another Big Meadows?
Indeed, southern SEQ NF, on the East Kern Plateau.