• ABOUT THE SPOT

Horseback Riding in Kennedy Meadows, Sonora, California USA

Trail:
17 mi/27.4 km
Climbs:
3000 ft/914.4 m
Sonora Pass is located near Pinecrest, Tuolumne County, California, USA. It is off of Highway about 60 mi/96.5 km east of Sonora.

There are some very popular trails for horseback riding in Sonora Pass. One of the best trails is Kennedy Meadows to Snow Lake. It is a 17 mi/27.4 km ride, that climbs about 3000 ft/914.4 m to reach Snow Lake, in the heart of the Emigrant Wilderness. It is one of the most horse friendly paths in the Sierra.

You can arrange with Kennedy Meadows Resort to park the horse trailers. When you follow Kennedy Meadows trail, you climb up past Relief Reservoir and after that Summit Creek, before getting down over Mosquito Pass. You can make a loop, if you go back via Emigrant Pass and Brown Bear Pass.

The trail was cleaned up of trees by members of the Backcountry Horsemen of California – Mid Valley Unit and became suitable for horseback riding. You can visit Kennedy Meadows Pack Station, a stable located at Kennedy Meadows, at the edge of the Emigrant Wilderness.

The stable offers day trips and extended pack trips. The hour rides last about 1 hour and 15 minutes and take you through the Upper Meadow, across the river and then back again to the far side of the river in a beautiful loop. The half day ride is approximately three and a half hours long and takes you to a Relief Reservoir, where you can have a walk to the dam, eat something and take pictures.

Day rides are made to two destinations, Emigrant Wilderness and Carson Iceberg Wilderness. If you choose an all day ride, you can have a picnic and also fish or hike around the wilderness.