From http://209.221.195.13/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=44940&page=98&fpart=2
The owner went on to talk us out of going down into Tehipite. Difficult unmaintained trails, and an abundance of rattlesnakes were his main reasons. We took a vote and the boys decided to head up to Geraldine Lakes instead.
a comment from:http://209.221.195.13/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=44940&page=98&fpart=1
And finally, not to put a damper on anything, but there is a reason so few people go there. And it's not necessarily the 17 miles from the trailhead that is the issue. From the canyon rim to the bottom are switchbacks to beat all switchbacks, 3000' vertical. Very steep and covered with loose leaves and loose rocks, and in poor condition. I had done the switchbacks on Whitney two weeks prior, and they are a piece of cake in comparison. I know someone whose cousin once went in on horseback, and his horse went down three times. And that was an experienced horseman.
But in the end it is worth it. Great wilderness all to yourself.
A comment like this: http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3735&p=22431
I've encountered a lot of rattlers and I'm not sure the 'highest' elevation encounter, but for me the highest concentration I've ever seen of them is from multiple trips into Tehipite Valley. That place is infested with them, at least in early season. I've had them strike my hiking pole with venom dripping off the cup. It's not uncommon to see a half dozen in a few hours. I go back there right after snowmelt so I don't know about the rest of the hot summer and fall. They're quite docile in the early and late hours due to the cold. I remember one morning waking up, still in my sleeping bag on the open sand, and seeing a big rattler slithering along about 10 feet from me, completely uninterested in my presence. It was pretty cool. I love that place. The bear poop per sq. ft. area is the highest I've ever encountered anywhere too.
Another comment: http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/26773,-1.php
In the depths of Kings Canyon National Park lies a very remote, seldom-visited valley that rivals Yosemite Valley. Through the middle of this valley flows the wild M.F. Kings River. In early season, waterfalls cascade many hundreds of feet down vertical granite walls. The quickest trailed route in here is 18 miles one way, with an insanely steep three thousand foot drop down off the lip of the valley rim. And that could hardly be called a trail, as it is unmaintained and overgrown and difficult to follow at times. It's called Tehipite Valley. I spent an entire week on a trip down in there and didn't see one other person in the valley the entire time. With names like Gorge of Despair and Lost Canyon, combined with the physical effort required to get in this place, very few make it down there. It's infested with rattlesnakes as well. I saw half a dozen rattlesnakes a day. One rattlesnake even struck the bottom of my trekking pole, and venom dripped off the end cup.
Tehipite Dome towers above the valley and rivals Half Dome in size and appearance. Silver Spray Falls is one of the highest, wildest falls I've ever seen. It's a crazy beautiful valley, virtually untouched by humans. If this valley had a road through it like Yosemite, tens of thousands of people would be in awe of this place every day.
And one other cool thing about Tehipite Valley... there are some hidden petroglyphs that are very difficult to find. There are no trails nor signs to these ancient Indian drawings. I searched back and forth along the river for quite a while, looking everywhere. There are so many large rocks, so much brush, so many rattlesnakes, it's very difficult to find such obscure drawings when you don't know exactly where to look. I made my way through some thick bushes, like I had many times before, and then I came to a small clearing and a huge overhanging rock, I was covered in cobwebs, feeling much like Indiana Jones, when I saw them. On the under side of a huge slanted rock were numerous drawings, hidden in obscurity. I have no idea what the centipedy-looking creatures were that were drawn, or if it was made by Indian kids, or adults, or what, but it was so cool to be standing in that wild spot wondering these things about this past culture. I sat and rested under that rock for about an hour, dreaming, thinking, pondering, all that stuff, and then headed back up the river to see what was around the next bend.”
This video shows a nice rattler:
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