Quick trip to Timber Gap

L

lambertiana

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Jul 7, 2000
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I am an amateur dendrologist, and foxtail pine is one of my favorite trees. So when I found out that the largest specimen of the southern subspecies (sierra nevada) is in a grove above Timber Gap in Mineral King, Sequoia NP, I made it a goal to visit the grove. I finally got the chance today. I started at Mineral King, seen from the trail after I started:
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It didn't take long for me to feel the elevation. I live at sea level, and the trail started at 7800' (the grove was mostly right around 10,000'). Here is Timber Gap as I got close:
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But those are California Red Fir at Timber Gap. The foxtail pines are higher, you can see the start of the grove above Timber Gap here:
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Once in the grove I found some nice specimens of foxtail pine (closely related to bristlecone pine):
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I spotted these photogenic trees:
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The views from the grove were nice. First, looking south:
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Looking west, down toward Timber Gap:
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I spotted a few large ones:
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But the storm clouds that had been brewing all day started throwing around some lightning, so I beat a hasty retreat before I could find the biggest one. I got a mix of snow, sleet, and hail all the way back down.

And for those who wonder what the red fir stand at Timber Gap looks like, here is a sample:
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wow... that place looks amazing...:eek: great pics John.... i'm going to have to show these to the misses, i'm sure she'll want to go there...:)

about how far is it from the bushbash location??
 
Wow, those are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen.

It looks like an extraordinary place to do some exploring.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, they are truly amazing!!
 
That sure is pretty country. Looks like it was a great hike and the only downside I can see is that you had to come back down.
 
mtnfolk mike said:
wow... that place looks amazing...:eek: great pics John.... i'm going to have to show these to the misses, i'm sure she'll want to go there...:)

about how far is it from the bushbash location??
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If you continue on 198 instead of turning on 216 to get to Dry Creek Drive, from that turnoff it is about 40 miles to the trailhead in Mineral King. But the last 25 miles make Dry Creek Drive seem like a straight road. The Mineral King road, from where it turns off 198, has 698 curves over those 25 miles, and gains about 6000' elevation. There are a lot of great places to visit out of Mineral King - Here are just two examples:
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Excellent pictures. Those trees certainly looked worth the climb. Great commentary too!
 
Excellent pics, can hardly believe you got sleet on the way down the pics before are just clear blue skies.

Beautiful country and at least you have a reason to go back again to hunt down the tallest tree.

I'm borrowing one of these pics as my new desktop.
 
Wow - that place is awesome. Thanks for sharing the pics!

Those trees are HUGE!!!!
 
myright said:
Wow - that place is awesome. Thanks for sharing the pics!

Those trees are HUGE!!!!
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Actually, around here those are not very big. Here are some that are a bit larger. This first one shows some medium-size sequoias, with my son and his girlfriend:
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And on this one, if you look very carefully, on the lower left part of the tree you can see my knife (4" blade) in one of the crevices. It was over my head height above the ground.
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Stunning, I hope we get to meet at the next CA BushBash, your pictures are always amazing :) I must confess it is a dream of mine to accompany you and your group to visit even a fraction of the spectacular spots you've shared with us.
 
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