Kaweah Basin is located in the center of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, within the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. No trails penetrate the basin, and given the difficulty of reaching the area very few people ever visit, explore, or photograph this beautiful basin.

After ten years of dreaming, I finally spent a week hiking to, from, in, and around this beautiful area. The photography was remarkable, but trying to photograph the magic of this basin proved difficult. The views west toward the Kaweah Peaks were simply amazing, lighting up in different colors throughout the morning, making it a photography dream. East, I could see across the Kern River Valley toward the western face of the Sierra Crest. Above Kaweah Basin along the Red Spur Lakes there were views east from Forester Pass in the north to south of Mount Langley.

As with any trip, half the fun is getting there. It took over two days of hiking. Starting along the west side of the High Sierra at Rowell Meadow the long, flat, and dusty trails took me into the heart of the High Sierra, past the Roaring River Ranger Station, up through Cloud Canyon, to Colby Lake and over Colby Pass, through the Kern-Kaweah river drainage, and through the Picket Creek drainage before finally reaching my destination.

Finally reaching Kaweah Basin, I spent several days camped near one of the lower lakes, spending my days exploring the Basin as well as the shelf just to the south along the eastern side of the Red Spur. It was a remarkable backpacking trip. Virtually no sign of another person, and many times I thought "this was how the Sierra was hundreds of years ago".

- See where these photos were taken on the Map of Kaweah Basin -

Inverse

Sunset from the shores of Colby Lake. After a long day of hiking, it was nice to settle into this beautiful High Sierra scene and watch nature's television.

Wings of Kaweah

Sunset in Kaweah Basin, Sequoia National Park. Mount Kaweah and Kaweah Pass are located in the center of this photo.

Drop

High Sierra view east across the Kern River Valley toward Mt. Williamson, Tyndall, and Bernard from the outlet creek of Kaweah Basin.

Depth

Sunrise in Kaweah Basin, Sequoia National Park.

Wish upon a star

Shooting Star flowers in a meadow in upper Kaweah Basin.

Illusion

Pre-dawn twilight in Kaweah Basin, High Sierra.

Gravity

Outlet creek of an unnamed lake in Kaweah Basin.

Glowing

Alpenglow reflection in Kaweah Basin, Sequoia National Park.

Purity

Sunrise and flowers along the shores of an un-named lake in Kaweah Basin.

Pothole

A small pothole lake along the east end of Red Spur, Sequoia National Park.

Picket

Sunrise along Picket Creek near camp at the lowest lake on Picket Creek, High Sierra.

Big Wet Meadow

Along the trail through Cloud Canyon, hikers encounter Big Wet Meadow. An expansive view wall to wall, the only drawback to this location is the amount of standing water, breading countless numbers of mosquitos.