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The entire gaping tract of land between Kings Canyon and Yosemite is taken up by the less-visited Sierra National Forest . If you want to hike and camp in complete solitude, this is the place to do it. But don't try lone exploration without thorough planning - public transportation is nonexistent, and roads and trails are often closed due to bad weather. The best-placed source of information is the Pineridge Ranger Station (daily 8am-4.30pm; tel 559/855-5360), located along Hwy-168 at Prather, five miles west of the forest entrance. Of the forest's two main regions, the Pineridge district, forty miles east from Fresno using Hwy-168, is the best to explore. The popular Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake, rich in campgrounds (reserve in summer on 1-800/280-2267), soon give way to the isolated alpine landscapes beyond the 9200ft Kaiser Pass. The sheer challenge posed by the rugged, unspoiled terrain of the adjoining John Muir Wilderness can make the national parks look like holiday camps. You can bathe outdoors at the nearby Mono Hot Springs, although the Mono Hot Springs Resort here (mid-May to mid-Oct; tel 559/325-1710, ; $35-50/$50-75) has indoor mineral baths along with its self-catering cabins. The road narrows and twists on to Edison Lake and the Vermillion Valley Resort (tel 559/855-6558, ; $50-75/$75-100), from where you can catch a small ferry across the lake to the trailheads. Ranger stations (daily 8am-4.30pm) at Huntington Lake on Hwy-168, and another twenty miles east at Shaver Lake issue free backcountry permits and have camping and wilderness information.
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