I have a permit next week for 5 days on the Rae Lakes loop - counterclockwise - and planning to spend the first night at junction meadow. What is the most epic side quest(s) for days 2-3?

So far I’m looking at the following:

Taking the spur around bullfrog lake and spending the 2nd night at Kearsarge Lakes before Rae lakes the next day?

Same route to Kearsarge for camp on night 2 but for day 3 attempt 60 lakes basin and Rae lakes for camp? (Probably the biggest payoff but also the hardest mileage and elevation gain)

Charlotte Lake camp for the 2nd night then 60 lakes basin out and back detour and camp at Rae lakes night 3? (Assuming this is shorter route but arrive late at Rae Lakes)

Or from Charlotte to Rae Lakes to set camp and day hike back to 60 lakes basin? (Little longer due to backtracking to Rae Lakes but can set up camp and day hike)

Any other ideas?

I'm going clockwise. I've been looking at the loop and it looks like there is always a water source nearby EXCEPT for the section once you leave Rae Lakes, going over Glen Pass, and all the way to Bubbs Creek. Basically, once you leave Rae Lakes, Bubbs Creek will be your next reliable water source. Otherwise, water is abundant.

Is this correct?

Hello folks. My wife and I are planning a short backpacking trip based out of Kings Canyon (the actual canyon, not Grant Grove) in September. I've never backpacked before and she has only done it a few times. We are young enough (early-mid 30s) and in-shape enough that we want to challenge ourselves, but we are also beginners, so we want to keep it manageable. We are thinking just one night in the back country, sandwiched between a night in either Sheep Creek or Moraine campground on either end.

With this in mind, can anybody recommend a trail that's suitable for a one-day backpacking trip from the Canyon?

Also, what kind of weather can we typically expect in the high country in September? I've done a little looking but haven't been able to find any weather stations in that area, so figure it might be more effective to crowdsource some anecdotal data from this sub instead. Thanks in advance!

I’ll preface this by saying I personally think it’s likely a bad idea/too much, but could be wrong as I have not done Rae yet myself.

Howdy everyone! I’ve got a group heading up to Rae Lakes next Thursday, going clockwise over 5 days (approximate plan is 9 mile day, 9 mile day, 7 into Rae, 7 out of Rae, and another 9 to the lot).

Just had not one but two folks bail. I have one friend that has expressed interest in joining. but she has never backpacked. Her fitness is above average, she’s a hiker and a runner and does not have any lingering or chronic injuries I know about. We’d be able to share a good amount of gear and I also have doubles of nearly everything, so immediate $$ investment would be low.

But I’m worried about the total number of days (five seems a lot to just dive into), food planning (and other things that can be unique to backpacking), as well as all the other little things like bathrooms, and the full commitment required to do this hike (for example, we did High Sierra camps a few years ago and were able to bail at day 3 and hitchhike to the car; Rae feels pretty committed once you’re two days in).

Anyway, I think it might be too much, but she’d be with four or five seasoned backpackers. I haven’t done it though, so curious to hear from folks who have.

Edit: Thanks, everyone. I think we'll let it ride and bring her along. The rest of the group is a bunch of 40+ backpackers who aren't pushing for extreme times and aren't afraid to bail. We'll have 2-3 cars in the parking lot so if anyone needs to bail day 1 or 2, they'll be able to go back to Fresno and hang out with some friends I have there while the rest of the party finishes the hike. I'll discuss other logistics with the newer backpacker tonight, primarily the whole pooping in a hole thing; but I think she'll be fine with it all and we'll just take our time each day, doubly so the first day or three. The elevation profile of Rae looks pretty mellow (save for Glen, of course), so I was really just hoping to get a vibe check on how strenuous the 5-day plan is from people who've actually done it.

I have a permit that I probably won't be able to pick up until 1pm the day of. I've read somewhere that if it's not picked up by 10am the day of then the permit is released. However, I did email SEKI np and they said by 3:30pm

I just want to make sure that's true. There could have been miscommunication in the email and it's a BIG deal of my permit is given away. I would have flown across the country without a trip.