88 



Sierra Club Bulletin 



of travel, and to obtain greater scenic attractions, the stipulated route 

 should be changed at certain points, which will be discussed in order. 



1. From Grouse Meadow, which lies on the Middle Fork of Kings 

 River, near the mouth of Palisade Creek, the official routing of the trail 

 is specified as : "Thence easterly, up Palisade Creek Valley and over the 

 pass between the waters of Palisade Creek and the drainage of the south 

 fork of Kings River." No old trail exists over the pass in question, al- 

 though a rough trail ascends Palisade Creek from its mouth to the 

 mouth of Cataract Creek. 



Following a conference between the State engineer. Forest Service 

 officials and representatives of the Sierra Club, when the status of the 

 trail work previously done on the route up the Middle Fork of Kings 

 River from Simpson Meadow, by funds furnished by Fresno County, 

 the Sierra Club and the Forest Service, was explained, no work was 

 planned up Palisade Creek, since it was impracticable to get an outfit 

 there from the Owens River country, and impossible to move the trail 

 crew at work lower down on the Middle Fork, up to the mouth of Pal- 

 isade Creek. Later, the situation not having apparently been understood, 

 the matter was taken up in detail by correspondence, and the State en- 

 gineer authorized the continuance of the work on the Middle Fork 

 trail, as preliminary to the work which would finally be undertaken 

 from the mouth of Palisade Creek, east. Eventually the route over the 

 pass at the head of Palisade Creek may be constructed. It has seemed 

 to the Forest officers, however, since a good trail already exists from 

 the South Fork of Kings River up Copper Creek, over Granite Pass, 

 down to Simpson Meadow and thence up the Middle Fork to within 

 1]^ miles of the mouth of Palisade Creek, that for the present at least 

 the existing trail spoken of should be improved, and the new trail from 

 Cartridge Creek to Palisade Creek should be finished. It will cost less 

 money, so far as we can ascertain with certainty, to put the trail through 

 to Palisade Creek than to put a trail up Palisade Creek and over the 

 pass at its head at an elevation of 12,500 feet. Granite Pass, on the lower 

 trail, can be crossed earlier in the year than would be possible on Pal- 

 isade Pass, and the lower trail takes the traveler from Palisade Creek 

 down the magnificent canon of the Middle Fork, across a spectacular 

 gorge near the mouth of Cartridge Creek, and into splendid camping 

 for man and beast at Simpson Meadow. The travel is varied, far more 

 than would be the case if the route over Palisade Pass was followed. 

 With available funds somewhat limited in amount, keeping in mind the 

 comparative maintenance cost, and with the desirability of making a 

 long connected piece of safe trail for the least expenditure of money, it 

 is recommended that the Palisade-South Fork unit be dropped from 

 consideration until the balance of the work has been completed on the 

 entire project. 



2. The second material change recommended is toward the northern 

 end of the trail. The present route from Agnew Meadows to Thousand 



