Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Mike White
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of the Deer Cove Trail, an infrequently used, dead-end trail that climbs into the Monarch Wilderness (see Trip 70).
Turnout: This unmarked turnout offers another chance to stop and view the South Fork.
Kings Canyon National Park boundary: After the long, winding descent across Forest Service lands, you once again enter the national park, at the geological gate of the more famous section of Kings Canyon. Below here, the canyon has a V-shaped aspect, formed by the erosional forces of the South Fork Kings River. Above, the canyon adopts more of a U-shape, with a broader valley floor and steeper canyon walls composed of the characteristic Sierra granite, which has led geologists to the conclusion that glaciers were primarily responsible for the formation of the upper part of Kings Canyon.
Lewis Creek Trailhead: Shortly past the park boundary, the highway spans Lewis Creek and continues 0.2 mile to the trailhead on the left shoulder (see Trips 73 and 74). The creek is one of the many watercourses born high up in the mountains that tumble down the steep wall of the canyon toward a union with the South Fork. Similarly, since the only way out of the canyon is up, most of the trails starting in the bottom of the canyon climb steeply.
South Fork Bridge: Thinking back to the first bridged crossing of the South Fork, the river was a boulder-strewn torrent racing toward the San Joaquin Valley below. Here, the broad and shallow river has adopted a more placid course because it’s flowing through the flatter and wider valley created by the glaciers.
Just prior to the bridge, a paved road branches off to the left, which is the back way into the Cedar Grove complex and the most direct route from here to the pack station and Hotel Creek Trailhead (see Trips 73 and 74).
Sheep Creek Campground: Kings Canyon is blessed with many fine campgrounds, Sheep Creek being the first you’ll encounter on your way upstream. Open from May to mid-November, the 111-site campground is run on a first-come, first-served basis. Ranger programs run during July and August.
Cedar Grove: The broad, forested flat of Cedar Grove has long been the center of human activity in Kings Canyon. Bedrock mortars on the opposite side of the river testify to the presence of Native Americans before the arrival of European settlers. In 1897 the area’s first hotel was constructed on this site, and the park service eventually established their headquarters here in the 1930s. Today, Cedar Grove Village offers motel-style lodging at Cedar Grove Lodge, which also has a snack bar and small store, with public showers and a laundromat nearby. A small visitor center provides exhibits, books, and maps and rents bear canisters. Cedar Grove also has a picnic area with restrooms. The stables offer horseback rides and pack trips.
Although hard to imagine today, a dam at the lower end of the valley was once slated to inundate this area with a reservoir. Thanks to rigorous conservation efforts, a dam was eventually built farther downstream at Pine Flat instead, sparing Kings Canyon from a fate similar to the one that befell Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite.
Don Cecil Trailhead: Barely noticeable on the right-hand shoulder is the trailhead for the 5-mile trail to a viewpoint atop Lookout Peak (see Trip 72). A fair number of hikers use this trail, but most of them go no farther than a mile to a refreshing grotto at a crossing of Sheep Creek.
Canyon View Campground: Canyon View is the next campground you pass in Kings Canyon, with 23 sites and 5 group sites open on a first-come, first-served basis, from May to October as needed.
Moraine Campground: Moraine is the next campground you pass in Kings Canyon, with 120 sites open on a first-come, first-served basis, from May to October as needed.
Canyon View Vista Point: On the left-hand shoulder, just past the entrance to Moraine Campground, the vegetation parts enough to allow one of the few unimpeded views of U-shaped Kings Canyon along the highway.
Knapps Cabin: During the Roaring Twenties, a wealthy Santa Barbara businessman named George Knapp organized lavish fishing trips to Kings Canyon. A small cabin at this site was used to store his extravagant fishing gear.
Roaring River Falls: The highway once again crosses the South Fork on a bridge and soon comes to the parking area for Roaring River Falls. A short, paved path climbs to the base of the falls, where water that flows from below the divide separating Kings Canyon and Sequoia parks spills dramatically into a deep green pool. A gently graded footpath follows the South Fork upstream from the parking area to Zumwalt Meadow and Roads End.
Pullout: On the left-hand side of the highway is an informal picnic area.
Upper Kings River Bridge: Keen eyes will notice the diminished flow of the river above the confluence with Roaring River, which carries nearly as much water as the main South Fork.
Zumwalt Meadow: After crossing Granite Creek, the highway comes to a parking area near Zumwalt Meadow, where a 1.5-mile long nature trail (see Trip 75) crosses a bridge over the South Fork and then circles the fringe of Zumwalt Meadow. For a small fee, you can pick up a brochure at the start of the trail containing information pertaining to the natural history of the area and corresponding to the numbered posts positioned along the way. From the meadow are fine views of two of the upper canyon’s most imposing features, the granite hulks of North Dome and Grand Sentinel.
Roads End Loop: Less than a mile from Zumwalt Meadow, where Copper Creek meets the South Fork, the highway reaches a conclusion at aptly named Roads End, where a 0.3-mile loop provides access to day-use and overnight parking lots. Other than the wilderness permit cabin near the Roads End Trailhead, restrooms and a couple