Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Exploring | Sports and the Outdoors
Exploring
Scenic Drives
Fodor’s Choice | Kings Canyon Scenic Byway.
The 30-mile stretch of Route 180 between Grant Grove Village and Zumwalt Meadow delivers eye-popping scenery—granite cliffs, a roaring river, waterfalls, and Kings River Canyon itself—much of which you can experience at vista points or on easy walks. The canyon comes into view about 10 miles east of the village at Junction View. Five miles beyond, at Yucca Point, the canyon is thousands of feet deeper than the more famous Grand Canyon. Canyon View, a special spot 1 mile east of the Cedar Grove Village turnoff, showcases evidence of the area’s glacial history. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else, you’ll understand why John Muir compared Kings Canyon vistas with those in Yosemite. TIP Driving the byway takes about an hour each way without stops. | Rte. 180 north and east of Grant Grove village.
Historic Sites
Fallen Monarch.
This toppled sequoia’s hollow base was used in the second half of the 19th century as a home for settlers, a saloon, and even to stable U.S. Cavalry horses. As you walk through it (assuming entry is permitted, which is not always possible), notice how little the wood has decayed, and imagine yourself tucked safely inside, sheltered from a storm or protected from the searing heat. | Grant Grove Trail, 1 mile north of Kings Canyon Park Visitor Center.
Scenic Stops
Plants and Wildlife in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
The parks can be divided into three distinct zones. In the west (1,500–4,500 feet) are the rolling, lower elevation foothills, covered with shrubby chaparral vegetation or golden grasslands dotted with oaks. Chamise, red-barked manzanita, and the occasional yucca plant grow here. Fields of white popcorn flower cover the hillsides in spring, and the yellow fiddleneck flourishes. In summer, intense heat and absence of rain cause the hills to turn golden brown. Wildlife includes the California ground squirrel, noisy blue-and-gray scrub jay, black bears, coyotes, skunks, and gray foxes.
At middle elevation (5,000–9,000 feet), where the giant sequoia belt resides, rock formations mix with meadows and huge stands of evergreens—red and white fir, incense cedar, and ponderosa pines, to name a few. Wildflowers like yellow blazing star and red Indian paintbrush bloom in spring and summer. Mule deer, golden-mantled ground squirrels, Steller’s jays, mule deer, and black bears (most active in fall) inhabit the area, as does the chickaree.
The high alpine section of the parks is extremely rugged, with a string of rocky peaks reaching above 13,000 feet to Mt. Whitney’s 14,494 feet. Fierce weather and scarcity of soil make vegetation and wildlife sparse. Foxtail and whitebark pines have gnarled and twisted trunks, the result of high wind, heavy snowfall, and freezing temperatures. In summer you can see yellow-bellied marmots, pikas, weasels, mountain chickadees, and Clark’s nutcrackers.
General Grant Tree.
President Coolidge proclaimed this to be the “nation’s Christmas tree,” and 30 years later President Eisenhower designated it as a living shrine to all Americans who have died in wars. Bigger at its base than the General Sherman Tree, it tapers more quickly. It’s estimated to be the world’s third-largest sequoia by volume. TIP A spur trail winds behind the tree, where scars from a long-ago fire remain visible. | Trailhead 1 mile north of Grant Grove Visitor Center.
Redwood Mountain Sequoia Grove.
One of the world’s largest sequoia groves, Redwood contains within its 2,078 acres nearly 2,200 sequoias whose diameters exceed 10 feet. You can view the grove from afar at an overlook or hike 6 to 10 miles down into the richest regions, which include two of the world’s 25 heaviest trees. | Drive 6 miles south of Grant Grove on Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198), then turn right at Quail Flat; follow it 2 miles to the Redwood Canyon trailhead.
Sports and the Outdoors
The siren song of beauty, challenge, and relative solitude (by national parks standards) draws hard-core outdoors enthusiasts to the Kings River Canyon and the backcountry of the park’s eastern section. Backpacking, rock-climbing, and extreme-kayaking opportunities abound, but the park also has day hikes for all ability levels. Winter brings sledding, skiing, and snowshoeing fun. No off-road driving or biking is allowed in the park, and snowmobiling is also prohibited.
Cross-Country Skiing
Roads to Grant Grove are accessible even during heavy snowfall, making the trails here a good choice over Sequoia’s Giant Forest when harsh weather hits.
Hiking
You can enjoy many of Kings Canyon’s sights from your car, but the giant gorge of the Kings River Canyon and the sweeping vistas of some of the highest mountains in the United States are best seen on foot. Carry a hiking map—available at any visitor center—and plenty of water. Check with rangers for current trail conditions, and be aware of rapidly changing weather. Except for one trail to Mt. Whitney, permits are not required for day hikes.
Roads End Permit Station.
You can obtain wilderness permits, maps, and information about the backcountry at this station, where bear canisters, a must for campers, can be rented or purchased. When the station is closed, complete a self-service permit form. | Eastern end of Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, 6 miles east of Cedar Grove Visitor Center | Mid-May–Sept., daily 7–4.
Mt. Whitney
At 14,494 feet, Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States and the crown jewel of Sequoia National Park’s wild eastern side. The peak looms high above the tiny, high-mountain desert community of Lone Pine, where numerous Hollywood Westerns have been filmed. The high mountain ranges, arid landscape, and scrubby brush of the eastern Sierra are beautiful in their vastness and austerity.
Despite the mountain’s scale, you can’t see it from the more traveled west side of the park because it is hidden behind the Great Western Divide. The only way to access Mt. Whitney from the main part of the park is to circumnavigate the Sierra Nevada via a 10-hour, nearly 400-mile drive outside the park. No road ascends the peak; the best vantage point from which to catch a glimpse of the mountain is at the end of Whitney Portal Road. The 13 miles of winding road lead from U.S. 395 at Lone Pine to the trailhead for the hiking route to the top of the mountain. Whitney Portal Road is closed in winter.
Easy
Fodor’s Choice | Zumwalt Meadow Trail.
Rangers say this is the best (and most popular) day hike in the Cedar Grove area. Just 1.5 miles long, it offers three visual treats: the South Fork of the Kings River, the lush meadow, and the high granite walls above, including those of Grand Sentinel and North Dome. Easy. | Trailhead 4½ miles east of Cedar Grove Village turnoff from Kings Canyon Scenic Byway.
Moderate
Big Baldy.
This hike climbs 600 feet and 2 miles up to the 8,209-feet summit of Big Baldy. Your reward is the view of Redwood Canyon. Round-trip the hike is 4 miles. Moderate. | Trailhead 8 miles south of Grant Grove on Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198).
Redwood Canyon Trails.
Two main trails lead into Redwood Canyon Grove, the world’s largest sequoia grove. The 6.5-mile Hart Tree and Fallen Goliath Loop passes by a 19th-century logging site, pristine Hart Meadow, and the hollowed-out Tunnel Tree before accessing a side trail to the grove’s largest sequoia, the 277.9-foot-tall Hart Tree. The 6.4-mile Sugar Bowl Loop provides views of Redwood Mountain and Big Baldy before winding down into its namesake, a thick grove of mature and young sequoias. Moderate. | Trail begins off Quail Flat | Drive 5 miles south of Grant Grove on Generals Hwy. (Rte. 198), turn right at Quail Flat and proceed 1½ miles to trailhead.
Difficult
Hotel Creek Trail.
For gorgeous canyon views, take this trail from Cedar Grove up a series of switchbacks until it splits. Follow the route left through chaparral to the forested ridge and rocky outcrop known as Cedar Grove Overlook, where you can see the Kings River Canyon stretching below. This strenuous 5-mile round-trip hike gains 1,200 feet and takes three to four hours to complete. Difficult. | Trailhead at Cedar Grove Pack Station, 1 mile east of Cedar Grove Village.
Horseback Riding
One-day destinations by horseback out of Cedar Grove include Mist Falls and Upper Bubb’s Creek. In the backcountry, many equestrians head for Volcanic Lakes or Granite Basin, ascending trails that reach elevations of 10,000 feet. Costs per person range from $35 for a one-hour guided ride to around $250 per day for fully guided trips for which the packers do all the cooking and camp chores.
Tours and Outfitters
Cedar Grove Pack Station.
Take a day ride or plan a multiday adventure along the Kings River Canyon with Cedar Grove Pack Station. Popular routes include the Rae Lakes Loop and Monarch Divide. | Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, 1 mile east of Cedar Grove Village | 559/565–3464 | www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/horseride.htm | From $40 per hour or $100 per day | Late May–early Sept.
Grant Grove Stables.
A one- or two-hour trip through Grant Grove leaving from the stables provides a taste of horseback riding in Kings Canyon. | Rte. 180, ½ mile north of Grant Grove Visitor Center | 559/335–9292 mid-June–Sept. | www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/horseride.htm | From $45 | June–Labor Day, daily 8–6.
Sledding and Snowshoeing
In winter Kings Canyon has a few great places to play in the snow. Sleds, inner tubes, and platters are allowed at both the Azalea Campground area on Grant Tree Road, ¼ mile north of Grant Grove Visitor Center, and at the Big Stump picnic area, 2 miles north of the lower Route 180 entrance to the park.
Snowshoeing is good around Grant Grove, where you can take naturalist-guided snowshoe walks on Saturdays and holidays from mid-December through mid-March as conditions permit. For a small donation, you can rent snowshoes at the Grant Grove Visitor Center for the guided walks. Grant Grove Market rents sleds and snowshoes.