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Walker Pass: Lake Isabella and Onyx Access

Walker Pass: Lake Isabella and Onyx Access reference article on thruhikingwiki.com.

Overview

Near mile 652, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Highway 178 at or near Walker Pass, offering optional access to communities such as Lake Isabella, Kernville, Onyx, or Ridgecrest for an additional resupply before Kennedy Meadows South.

Key points

  • Trail crossing at or near Walker Pass occurs around mile ~652.
  • Hikers can hitch east toward Lake Isabella and Kernville or west toward Ridgecrest and other communities.
  • Used by some hikers to break up the long Southern California to Sierra transition with an extra resupply.
  • Service levels and preferred access direction vary by hiker preference and transport availability.
  • Participation in this stop is optional; some itineraries bypass Walker Pass resupply entirely.

Details

Walker Pass provides a highway connection between the PCT and several communities on both sides of the Sierra foothills. At this point, some hikers choose to leave the trail temporarily to restock food, adjust gear, or rest in towns such as Lake Isabella, Kernville, or Ridgecrest.

Because Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows South also serve as resupply anchors in this general region, use of Walker Pass as an intermediate stop is largely determined by individual pacing, pack weight preferences, and available rides. For those who do stop, it can make the approach to Kennedy Meadows South less logistically demanding.

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Illustrative hiking footage

The following external videos offer general visual context for typical hiking environments. They are not official route recommendations, safety instructions, or planning tools.