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Mineral King is an alpine glacial basin encompassing an area of more than 400 acres and is the headwaters for the East Fork of the Kaweah River. Located within Sequoia National Park the Mineral King valley is located in the Mineral King subdistrict of the park. The narrow valley is approximately two miles in length and rises from an elevation of 7,400 feet at Faculty Flat to more than 7,800 feet at the end of the road. The valley is surrounded by steep inclines rising to elevations greater than 12,000 feet. The Mineral King webcam picture (top) is taken from Potato Patch Ridge at an elevation of 7,830 feet.

The webcam at Mineral King has a zoom lens to allow greater detail in the center of the image as may be desired. In the MK webcam image, cabins of the old historic Mineral King community can be seen in the distant foreground and Timber Gap in the far distance just below the ridge on the upper right horizon.

The Faculty Flat webcam picture (second from top) is taken from about one mile to the west at an elevation of 7,440 feet with its view of a gentle, wooded slope that rises to 7,531 feet at a local peak commonly known as Monument Hill. The colored pole in both webcam pictures is 10 feet tall with alternating black and orange paint and is used to gauge snow depth during winter. The Faculty Flat webcam field-of-view is fixed at about 33 degrees and the sloping terrain in the image is roughly along a line connecting the Kennedy and Bissiri cabins in the west Mineral King tract.

Mineral King has a rich history with mining activities in the valley dating back to the 1870's when a community of several thousand people worked in the area. Because of the mining interests the valley was excluded when Sequoia National Park was created in 1890. In the decades that followed, mining and prospecting declined and other commercial interests began to take aim at developing this pristine area of the Western Sierra. In order to preserve the valley it was annexed into Sequoia National Park in 1978.

Access to the Mineral King valley is by a single, winding road that climbs more than 6,400 feet during its traverse of 25 miles starting from California Highway 198 near the town of Three Rivers. The road has no outlet, is not plowed of snow in winter, and the area is generally inaccessible from around November through April of each year. The National Park Service has road barricades preventing vehicular access from late Fall through mid-Spring although access is permitted by foot or cross-country skis. Greater detail about the road corridor and its environs can be found on the web. Additional information about Mineral King and its history can be found at the websites of Mineral King Preservation Society and the Mineral King District Association.

Visitors to the Mineral King area must bring virtually all their food and camping supplies with them since there are no commercial services available. The National Park Service operates campgrounds at Cold Springs (centrally located in the Valley) and at Atwell Mill (about 6 miles down the road from the historic Mineral King community). Midway between these two campgrounds is the Silver City Resort with lodging, a restaurant and small store selling basic camping supplies and souvenier items. There is no gas available anywhere at Mineral King or along the access road. The nearest gas station is at Three Rivers on California Highway 198, about 25 miles down the winding MK road.

These are not "live" webcams since there is no electrical power anywhere in the Mineral King Valley to support such operation. Both webcams and the meteorological station obtain power from solar panels that store energy in batteries. Webcam pictures are obtained several times each day throughout the year depending on solar power availability (see "Picture Schedule" in the Special Features Menu). Estimated air temperature and snow depth are also provided on this web page. On occasion there may be the serendipitous view of wildlife such as deer or bear that inhabit the area.

The town of Three Rivers is the gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. Located on California Highway 198, locally named Sierra Drive, Three Rivers offers lodging, restaurants, grocery markets, a pharmacy, internet cafe, auto repair service, and many souvenier-antique-curio shops. The road to Mineral King branches off from Highway 198 about 4 miles past Three Rivers at Hammond junction. The Kaweah Commonwealth is a weekly newpaper published in Three Rivers and provides information about local activities, current events in the national parks, road conditions and closures, and human interest articles about the history and culture of the surrounding area. Copies are available at most merchants in Three Rivers for 50 cents each and mail subscriptions are available for out-of-town distribution. Be sure to pick up a copy on your way to Sequoia/Kings Canyon.

This webcam project follows a similar prototype demonstration during the winter of 2005-2006. Now that it is Fall/Winter of 2008 both webcams are ready for cold-weather operation after enjoying an early Fall in the MK Valley. During the past winter there were two solar panel failures that have now been repaired.  Although these are private webcams and operate at no expense to the government, the National Park Service has been very helpful in supporting this project in the interest of providing public outreach and education as well as the reporting of meteorological data throughout the winter.  Special thanks go to the Sequoia Park administration without whose support these webcams would not have been possible.

If you have a technical interest in this webcam project please see the web article that provides a technical description of its design and operation. Comments and suggestions are welcome and can be directed to the webmaster: glenn.e.cunningham@usa.net .

The Mineral King webcam costs about $75 each month to operate. If you'd like to help support the webcam all donations are greatly appreciated ~ just click on the "Donate" button below. Credit cards are accepted and you don't need to be a member of PayPal.

Current time: Thursday, May 17, 2012 22:41:57 MST
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