Phase 2A opening June 4

Hello SEKI Partners,

I'd like to begin by saying how much we've appreciated your patience leading up to this point. As Woody has mentioned many times before, you all are an essential piece to our visitor's experience, and we couldn't do what we do without your partnership and support, thank you.

We are happy to announce that our initial phase of increased recreational access will begin on Thursday, June 4th!  

Our website continues to be the best source for current information, and we make updates regularly.

Thank you all and have a great weekend,

Sintia Yee, Public Affairs Officer

Mineral King Update, 3/27/2020

In the May 27 update, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Superintendent Woody Smeck said there is still no official opening date; however, the Park is still on track for implementing Phase 2A next week.  This will include opening access to all roads (including the Mineral King Road), the 800 miles of trails, picnic areas, vista points, restrooms, other day use areas, and wilderness access (including overnight permits) in Sequoia & Kings Canyon Park. Park staff are monitoring indicators, conducting risk assessment, and will seek higher level approval before implementing each phase.  Each phase will be in effect for at least 2 weeks during which evaluation will be ongoing.

Regarding the SEKI water systems (including WMK / Cold Spring / Atwell), samples were sent to the state.  Some questions were asked and answered.  Superintendent Smeck anticipates that approval will be secured and all water systems open next week when Phase 1 is accomplished.

An announcement will be sent when the Park is open to the public.  I will forward that press release as soon as I receive it.

We're almost there!

Sequoia Park Update 5/20/2020

According to SEKI Superintendent Woody Smeck, there is still no opening date to announce, but they are working toward a target of the first week of June to open all roads, Mineral King gates, campgrounds, trails, back country, etc.  They should have a more specific date by next week.

The Sequoia Shuttle will not be available this summer; possibly in the fall.  The Lemon Hill launch ramp to Lake Kaweah is open.  There were quite a number of boaters lined up earlier this week to use it!

Important Note: The Mineral King Ranger Station will remain closed at least through the first phase of the Park reopening.  Overnight permits will be available ONLY by phone or email. Consequently, advanced reservations are required for ALL wilderness permits in the 2020 season. No walk-up permits will be issued.  For more information, see https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wilderness_permits.htm

As more information becomes available, I will pass it along.  Stay safe, everyone!

Sequoia & Kings Canyon Park Update

Hello, all!  Superintendent Woody Smeck, in his regular report on the status of the park and its planning for the eventual reopening of the park, told us yesterday that:

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park will NOT be open by Memorial Day weekend. There is still no date set, but hopefully more information will be available by the time of his weekly report next week.

Ash Mountain is dealing with Federal, State and County limits on what it can do, and will comply with the multiple requirements placed upon it.  When it can open, it will do so in phases, according to CDC, State, and County guidelines.  The priorities are first to open -- for day use only -- trails, roads and restrooms, and then later to open campgrounds, visitor centers, overnight facilities, etc..  Each phase will be evaluated after about two weeks, to determine when to move on to subsequent phases.

(Note that there are more moving pieces to this process than you might imagine.  They include, for example, ensuring that adequate PPE is available for those Park Service personnel who might be called upon to deal with emergencies, and printing maps and guidelines for safe use of the Park while practicing social distancing.)

When open, Campgrounds will be available by reservation only.   (Reservations may be made at https://www.recreation.gov, although the online availability has not yet been worked out for the Cold Springs or Atwell campgrounds.)

The Mineral King Road gates will not be opened to the public until the entire Park is opened.  

The Cold Springs and West Mineral King water system will not be open until water samples have been taken and approved by the State -- and the Park Service is hoping that this can be accomplished by May 22.

The Park Service will keep putting out information via social media, including:

       Twitter: @SequoiaKingsNPS

       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SequoiaKingsNPS

       Instagram: @sequoiakingsnps

Specific questions may be directed to SEKI_pubic_affairs@nps.gov.  

We will continue to keep you posted as additional information is available.

Stay safe, everyone!

Trip Report, May 2-3, 2020

No word yet on opening the gates and West Mineral King water system, but in the meantime, please vicariously enjoy this trip report from a week ago!  Remember, the Mineral King Road is still closed to all public access.  If you travel to your cabin, please be careful to close and lock the road gates behind you!

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Hi Sharon! Trevor Strickland here, of the Asay Cabin in Faculty Flats.

My wife and I were up at our cabin weekend of May 2.

We mostly relaxed around the cabin but we did go for a hike to the soda springs. On our way home, I saw what looked like an adult bobcat as it darted from one bush to another, about 200 yards ahead of us at the trail intersection of the soda spring trail and the Franklin/Farewall trail. As I was looking ahead of its path to try to see exactly what it was, my wife looked back to the gap between the bushes where I had first seen it and she reported seeing a very large tan animal with a long, skinny tail that was not at all fluffy. She and I can only concluded that it was an adult mountain lion. After my wife shouted out about it to me, I looked to the gap between those bushes and saw a second animal like that first I had originally seen (I believe the two I saw were adolescent mountain lions and the one my wife saw was the adult mother). They were moving very quickly down the mountainside from around the crystal lake waterfall toward the trail intersection of the franklin/farewell trail and the soda spring cut-off.

We decided to cross the valley, put the stream between us and the mountain lions, and scale the other valley wall until we merged with the White Chief trail. We carefully and watchfully made our way back to the parking lot from there along the White Chief trail.

Just wanted to send along the message to let people or park services know. I think it might be good to make people aware if they intend to spend time walking around up there.

On a more positive note, it was gorgeous up there: very quiet and the road was entirely passable with no problems. Some trees had been chainsawed to allow cars through at some spots along the road but there was plenty of room to drive past, so long as the uphill side of the trees don’t slide down onto the road.

Hope you’re healthy and safe and that all is well!

Superintendent Smeck is departing Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

In 2018, Superintendent Woody Smeck (right) with Louise Jackson (center), Mineral King Preservation Society, and Jim Wells, former NPS ranger and Three Rivers rancher, were presenters at a historical program in the Mineral King Room at the Three Rivers Historical Museum. Smeck has a passion for things historical and his forte as a superintendent is building partnerships.

As if there wasn’t enough uncertainty swirling around the national parks, Superintendent Woody Smeck announced on Wednesday, May 6, he is leaving Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and accepting a promotion and will assume the duties of a directorship for the National Park Service’s Pacific West Region in its San Francisco office. Regions 8, 9, 10, 12 (Region 11 is in Anchorage, Alaska) with offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Hawaii include more than 60 national parks in the states of California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, portions of Arizona and Montana, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, as well as the Northern Marian Islands.

“I wouldn’t feel right about leaving at this time except for the fact that we have such a strong management team in place here at Sequoia-Kings,” Smeck said in a phone interview.

That management team has worked without Smeck at the helm before. Since he came to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in April 2013, Woody has served as interim superintendent on four temporary assignments, twice each at Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks. Both those parks are part of Smeck’s portfolio of responsibilities in Region 8 at the San Francisco office.

Smeck said the search is on for a new superintendent for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. For the rest of this month until his departure, Smeck will oversee the reopening of the local national parks.

“We’re already into the process so I’m sure it will be a smooth transition, ” Smeck said.

Smeck also said he plans to continue making his home in Three Rivers with his wife, Karen.

Source: https://3riversnews.com/superintendent-smeck-is-departing-sequoia-and-kings-canyon-national-parks

1971 OpEd About Disney's Mineral King Development

After some research and digging, I was able to find an interesting editorial published in 1971 by the UC Santa Barbara student paper, the UCSB Daily Nexus.

Find it on our web site at https://www.mineralking.net/page/historical-documents. Articles are posted in published order so the article, titled "Mineral King: Disney's Wider World," is 4th from the bottom.

(Added bonus: an ad for women's bell bottom "wool blend" pants on sale for $8.95!)