Kings Canyon Park

Kings Canyon's Grant Grove is home to the General Grant Tree and was originally General Grant National Park, created in 1890 to protect sequoias from logging.  The Grant Grove Visitor Center offers exhibits in English & Spanish, a nice orientation film, wilderness permits, maps and books. In addition, Grant Grove Village offers a restaurant, market, and gift shop.

Here you’ll discover the legendary General Grant Tree and hundreds of other soaring giant sequoias.  A place of pilgrimage for nature lovers since 1890, Grant Grove at Kings Canyon is one mile beyond the Grant Grove Visitor Center on the west side of the road. From the parking area, a half-mile loop trail leads to the General Grant Tree.

The General Grant tree, the second-largest sequoia in the world, is a 3,000-year-old wonder and the centerpiece of Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. 

A massive specimen of Sequoiadendron giganteum, the General Grant giant sequoia tree measures almost 270 feet tall and 107 feet around at its base.  The tree was named in 1867 to honor Ulysses S. Grant, and was coined the “Nation's Christmas Tree” by President Calvin Coolidge.  It is one of the “biggest” attractions in America’s national park system.

Kings Canyon offers hundreds of miles of maintained wilderness trails. There are short and easy strolls, led by the meandering Big Trees Trail.  There are long and steep trails, offering dramatic High Sierra scenery.  For the intrepid, there’s Big Baldy (8,209 feet) Ridge Trail.  And Redwood Canyon is another Kings Canyon hiking experience that allows you to explore the world’s largest grove of sequoias. 

Old logging trails, river crossings, lakeshore ambles – Kings Canyon hiking trails are laced with paths to everlasting happiness.

Talk about a great view.  Kings Canyon Panoramic Point is a 7,520-foot overlook located northeast of Grant Grove. Accessible via a short drive (road open in summer only), Panoramic Point offers benches where visitors can relax and gaze upon the area's stunning mountain peaks and valleys.

From Panoramic Point, take the 2.5-mile-long trail that follows a mountain ridge to the Park Ridge Fire Lookout.  It’s an active lookout tower visitors can climb to the top of for even more impressive views – one that encompasses the whale-shaped, fishing-friendly Hume Lake.

Grant Grove Visitor Center at Kings Canyon is located in the heart of Grant Grove Village and features exhibits and a short film about the history of Kings Canyon National Park.  Books, maps, postcards, wilderness permits, and souvenirs, as well as information about the Junior Ranger Program, are available. 

The Visitor Center’s exhibits on the canyon, sequoias, and human history of the park are well worth a look.  First aid is also available at the ranger station. The Grant Grove Visitor Center is located on Highway 180 in Kings Canyon at an elevation of 6,589 feet.  Open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Horseback riding offers visitors a unique perspective on the stunning scenery of King’s Canyon that makes it a highlight of Sequoia National Park. 

Grant Grove Stables offers horseback riding trips through the Grant Grove area – providing a fun and convenient way to see the General Grant Tree and the surrounding giant sequoia groves.

For more information about Kings Canyon and Sequoia horseback riding trips – or to make your reservation at Grant Grove Stables, please call (559) 335-9292 (summer) or (559) 799-7242 (off-season).  Advance reservations are highly recommended.

The Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon lies in the eastern portion of the park and encompasses the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River, which is popular among kayakers and rafters. With terrain reminiscent to that of Yosemite Valley, Cedar Grove also boasts South Fork Canyon, which, at a depth of 8,200 feet, is the deepest canyon in the United States.  

In addition, Kings Canyon’s Cedar Grove area is where you’ll discover several other postcard-worthy points of interest, including Zumwalt Meadow, Roaring River Falls and Mist Falls.

Zumwalt Meadow provides visitors with a scenic contrast to the powerful rock formations deep in the heart of the canyon. Glorious and lush in spring, splendid in summer and fall, and carpeted with snow in winter, Zumwalt Meadow is a spectacular alpine setting for every season. 

A scenic, 1.5-mile self-guided trail circles the area and offers magnificent views of high granite walls, verdant meadows, and free-flowing Kings River. With its flat, gentle trails, the meadow is great for kids—and makes an ideal introduction to the park. Many rangers say this is the best (and most popular) day hike in the Cedar Grove area.

When you add snowmelt to some of the deepest natural canyons in the world, the result is going to be waterfalls.  Powerful waterfalls.  And Kings Canyon's wateralls are among the strongest in the West.

Roaring River Falls, located just off Highway 180 inside the Kings Canyon valley, is a prime example. Dropping 40 feet over a narrow ledge, the falls’ rushing waters foam, froth and churn with unexpected voracity.
 
Continuing up the valley, at Roads End, there is another Kings Canyon waterfall to lure visitors from their cars – Mist Falls. After following one of several trails to the falls, visitors will find the sparkling waters of the Kings River cascading 100 feet over a rocky granite incline, its watery torrents streaking like fireworks.

Just off Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, a short and easy hike offers an impressive reward: Grizzly Falls. The 75-foot Sequoia waterfall is at its best in spring, when the thunderous force is strong enough to pound your chest and (and rock your world).

Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Cedar Grove Visitor Center is located on Highway 180, 30 miles east of Grant Grove and next to Sentinel Campground.  The center provides information on the attractions in the Cedar Grove area, ranging from guidebooks and maps to educational materials and first-aid treatment. Elevation is 4,600 feet.

Effort has its rewards, but sometimes it’s also nice to hitch a ride.  Exploring Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park on a horseback riding adventure is a great way to go. Nestled in the heart of the park, Cedar Grove Stables offers trail rides through giant sequoia stands all summer long – allowing visitors to enjoy majestic views of one of the world’s most beautiful places. 

To plan your Sequoia horseback riding trip, or for information about Cedar Grove Stables’ services and rates, please call (559) 565-3464 (summer) or (559) 337-2314 (off-season). Advance reservations are highly recommended.

Caves. There’s something satisfying, maybe even a little primal, about climbing into a portal leading into the Earth. Yes, Kings Canyon visitors can get in touch with their “inner caveman” at Boyden Cave.

Located roughly halfway between the Grant Grove and Cedar Grove sections of Kings Canyon, the cave is a giant underground cavern featuring a wide range of breathtaking geological formations. With its stalactites, stalagmites, a subterranean stream and the famous Bat Grotto, Boyden Cave will make you feel a world away.

Tours are offered during the summer months, however the cave’s temperature is a constant 55°F, so sweaters or light jackets are recommended. Tickets can be purchased at Boyden Cave in Kings Canyon. For more information, call (559) 338-0959 or email boydencavern@gmail.com.