Mineral King

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Mineral King Valley is a subalpine valley in southern Sequoia National Park, carved out by the East Fork Kaweah River. The valley lies at an elevation of about 7,500 feet and is bounded by notable landmarks such as Sawtooth Peak, Timber Gap, Empire Mountain, Farewell Gap, and Sawtooth Pass.

In the late 19th Century, rumors of precious metals in White Chief Canyon and on Empire Mountain created the short-lived boomtown of Beulah. In the end, the rumors proved to be false, but the valley nonetheless achieved its name: Mineral King.

The valley can be reached by foot or by car on the narrow 25-mile Mineral King Road. The mostly-paved road starts in Three Rivers and climbs to the end of the valley, which is 7,800 feet above sea level. The road is usually open to public travel between Memorial Day and early to mid November.

The valley is a popular destination for hikers. Many trails lead out from the valley, including one to Eagle Lake.

[edit] Walt Disney ski resort

Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort was a project developed by Walt Disney and The Walt Disney Company in the late 1950s and 1960s. Disney had become interested in skiing around this time and decided to build a ski resort in Mineral King Valley, California, USA. The site was located just Southwest of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The ski resort was never built though due to environmental concerns by the Sierra Club. The Mineral King Valley was annexed into Sequoia National Park in 1978 by an act of Congress. That legislation effectively stopped the Disney plan to ever develop the area into a ski resort.

[edit] Cabin groups

Silver City is just below the Mineral King Valley. Silver City consists of a community of aprox. 50 private summer cabins. There is a small resort with aprox. 20 cabins for rent, and a tiny general store and restaurant.

Just down the road from Silver City is an even smaller community of about 1/2 dozen cabins, called Cabin Cove.