Visited: May 2022
Nearby city: Fresno, CA
Tara and I first visited Kings Canyon National Park several years ago, however, we only visited the General Grant Grove Unit near Sequoia National Park. There was still much more of the Park to explore. So on our second visit we drove further beyond the General Grant Grove and down into the canyon that gives the park its name. This much larger unit of the park is home to the Cedar Grove visitor center.
If you want to read about our first visit to the park, click here:
Visiting the Cedar Grove region of the park was very rewarding. The drive down through Kings Canyon is incredibly scenic and stunning.
The road to Cedar Grove is only open from about late-April to late-Oct or early November. Kings Canyon is a rugged, glacier-carved valley more than a mile deep.
This section of the park is a very remote, isolated wilderness. The Park Road is the only way in or out. The best day-hike from the park road is Mist Falls. It's about 8-10 miles round trip. This was a very rewarding hike and I highly recommend.
Park your car at the road's end. The trail starts along the south fork of the Kings River. The views of the river, the high Sierras, and the dazzingly blue sky were amazing.
As the valley narrows, the river start to rage and you enter a grove of trees.
The next big landmark is the Bailey Bridge. At the bridge, turn to the left and start to head up to Mist Falls. It's about 600-ft elevation gain to the falls.
Bailey Bridge
The hike really becomes rewarding at this part. At this time of year, the spring runoff caused the river to rage. It was exhiliarating.
the prominent and distinct peak in the background is The Sphinx (9,143 ft)
As you gain altitude, the trees start to thin out and the views of the mountains become quite spectacular.
the river was very powerful and impressive
The fresh crisp air was very refreshing. Nothing better than hiking in a beautiful landscape like this.
this spot was right above the falls.
Mist Falls is about a 100-ft drop.
We enjoyed a nice lunch at Mist Falls and then headed back to the parking lot. It was a great hike.
We saw two rattlesnakes right along the trail. Tara got a picture of one. It was kind of scary 😬😀
After the hike we headed to Zumwalt Meadow and Roaring River Falls. It's a short hike just off the park road. It's a 40-ft fall.
the road into Kings Canyon is very windy and precarious, but scenic
Roaring River Falls
Just outside the park boundaries, make sure to stop at Grizzly Falls. It's right next to the road.
Kings Canyon
We also stopped at General Grant Grove on our way back to Fresno. The General Grant Tree is the second largest sequoia tree in the world. The tree is 267-ft tall and has a circumference of 107.6-ft at its base.
General Grant Tree is a very impressive sight.
Tara's favorite place in the park is the "Fallen Monarch" an old sequoia that you can walk through
inside the Fallen Monarch
After exploring Cedar Grove, I feel that we have now truly "visited" Kings Canyon National Park. We loved our time here, and I highly recommend doing the Mist Falls hike.
For more info: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm
