Just five hours north of Los Angeles sits a national park that should be on your outdoor bucket list.
It features a valley carved millions of years ago by glaciers, hulking mountains made of granite and other rock, countless waterfalls, massive ancient trees and a cool, clear river.
I know what you’re thinking: “That sounds like Yosemite.” Even better. It’s like Yosemite, but way more chill.
As I was heading out to report this story, I steeled myself for the typical national park experience. As someone who once accidentally got into a spat with another grown adult at Yellowstone National Park while attempting to help my 5-year-old niece steal a peek at Old Faithful, I know all too well the way chaotic tourist crowds can get under my skin.
You might be wondering: Is Kings Canyon’s landscape as spellbindingly majestic? The short answer is yes, if a tad more rugged. Both parks feature massive granite mountains, gorgeous rivers and alpine meadows. But Yosemite’s natural wonders have the manicured sheen of a famous name. Kings Canyon is its untamed, serene cousin. When I asked a ranger the name of a nearby cliff, they quipped: “We don’t name everything like Yosemite.” During my three-day stay, I heard multiple guests say: “This is like a chill Yosemite.”
Getting There
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are two parks managed as one. Kings Canyon is the northern half of the parks. They have several entrances. The most direct way to reach the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park from L.A. is to take Highway 180 near Fresno to the Big Stump entrance.From here, you‘ll follow this scenic seasonal roadway into Kings Canyon. It’s a beautiful drive, especially the beginning that passes through Sequoia National Forest. There you’ll be met with incredible vistas and waterfalls, including one you can take a short walk to visit. (More on that below.)
Where to Stay
Sentinel CampgroundSteller’s jays and robins may appear when you start cooking your dinner, optimistic for a treat. Hopefully, you aren’t greeted by one of the park’s larger hungrier residents, the black bear. Throughout the campground, there are flush toilets, sinks to wash dishes and spigots with drinking water. Each site has a campfire ring, picnic table and bear-proof food storage box.
During the day, when you aren’t out adventuring, you can find a shady spot beneath a towering ponderosa pine or cedar tree. Some might even be small enough to hang a hammock.
The Cedar Grove Lodge
Location, location, location! The Cedar Grove Lodge is a rustic but charming throwback to simpler times. The Wi-Fi is iffy at best, and there aren’t televisions in the rooms. But you aren’t coming here to hang out in your room. The lodge is close to all the area’s main attractions. It’s situated next to the Kings River, where guests pull up a lawn chair and enjoy the serenity of the space. It offers standard and suite rooms with queen and king beds and a complimentary breakfast.
It also has a gift shop (with fairly priced souvenirs), a market and the Cedar Grove Diner, a counter-service snack bar, on its first floor. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the diner serves burgers, sandwiches and wraps. The menu includes beef, chicken and fish offerings as well as a plant-based veggie burger and hummus wrap. But sorry, no fries.
Meanwhile, its market is a good resource in case you forgot to pack something. It sells tent stakes and chairs, as well as food and ice.
The most luxurious part of the Cedar Grove Village area is the showers, available to anyone in the park. The lodge’s market sells shower tokens for $1.50 for three minutes. (You can use multiple tokens to extend your hygienic routine, but make sure to allow each token’s time to run out before inserting the next. Otherwise, it’s a wasted token.)
Other Options
- Convict Flat Campground, a first-come first-served spot with five campsites in Sequoia National Forest. It’s free to use with the entry fee you pay to get into the park. Light on amenities, it has a vault toilet and no potable water. It’s about 11 miles from the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon.
- Princess Campground, an 88-site reservation-only site in Sequoia National Forest featuring giant Sequoia stumps, a Sequoia grove and a meadow with wildflowers. Amenities include drinking water, vault toilets and an amphitheater. It’s about 23 miles from the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon.
- Sunset Campground, a 158-site reservation-only campground in Sequoia National Forest, three miles from the Kings Canyon entrance. It boasts beautiful trees, cellphone reception, flush toilets and a camp store that sells ice, firewood and other necessities. It’s about 30 miles from the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon.
What to Pack
If camping, you'll want to pack the usuals, including: a tent, sleeping bags, an air mattress or other cushioning, extra blankets and pillows. Remember to pack a few light sources. I always like to have both a headlamp and a few solar-powered lanterns. And, just because I’ve forgotten each of these items on various trips, I will remind you: Don’t forget to bring a mallet for your tent stakes, your camping chairs and a shovel to dig out the campfire pit.Bear Safety
Kings Canyon is home to American black bears. Throughout the park, you'll find signs reminding you to be “bear aware.” That includes ensuring that all food, beverages and scented items (like shampoo, toothpaste and lip balm) are stowed in a bear box when you aren’t using them. This applies to not only campgrounds but also trails. At trailheads, you will find bear-proof brown vaults where you should stow any snacks and scented items you aren’t taking on the hike. (I left half a bar of chocolate in one, and no one stole it. The honor system is alive and well in this park!)Where to Day Hike
The Kings Canyon Cedar Grove area has plenty of day hikes to choose from, all of which you can hike without a permit. Wilderness permits are required only for overnight trips. Here’s a three-day itinerary of the best spots to go to if you’re visiting for a quick weekend.Day 1: After setting up your tent, hit the trails for an introductory stroll at the Roaring River Falls parking area. This short paved path leads you to a nice-sized waterfall noisy enough you'll know how it earned its name. This is a nice spot to unwind and have a picnic. (Though swimming is not advised. Drowning is the most common way people die in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.)
Once you’re done at the waterfall, you can take the nearby dirt path about two miles to the backside of Zumwalt Meadows. Flooding in 2019 washed out its boardwalk, so this is no longer a loop trail. That said, it’s a pleasant walk between the canyon walls where you can appreciate your first taste of beauty before embarking on bigger adventures tomorrow. Plus, there are a few sandy spots where the current is manageable. Life jackets are advisable for younger kiddos or anyone who cannot swim.
Day 3: Do you have one more hike in you? Great! This last one is a treat, especially as the sun rises. Head to the Hotel Creek trailhead, located about a half mile north of the Cedar Grove Lodge. You have two main options here. You can hike 4.4 miles out and back to the Cedar Grove overlook, where you will find panoramic views of the whole park. Or, you can do a 7.3-mile loop of Hotel and Lewis Creek. From the overlook, I watched the early morning light over the canyon, feeling like a little speck of stardust in our vast universe.
Other Activities
- Fishing is allowed in most areas of Kings Canyon. Those 16 and older must have a valid California fishing license. The park advises you should buy one before arriving, as they aren’t always available in its markets. You are allowed to keep some of what you catch, including rainbow trout. You must follow daily limits, and must take note of the areas of the park that are catch and release only.
- Horseback ridesare sold through the Cedar Grove Pack Station. They offer one- and two-hour rides for $70 and $110 respectively, and half ($180) and full-day ($230) trips. They also sell pack trips where mules and horses, led by a packer, carry your group and gear to a backcountry site.
- Head undergroundto the Boyden Cavern, a marble cavern that features stalactites, stalagmites and other geological delights. A walking tour, which takes about an hour, will cost between $8 and $23 depending on age, date and time. Staff also offers a flashlight tour at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. if at least four people buy tickets. That tour takes up to 75 minutes and is $35. The cavern is about 10 miles west of Cedar Grove off Highway 180.
- Picnic near Grizzly Falls, an 80-foot waterfall in Sequoia National Forest, just under five miles from Cedar Grove. It’s a short walk from your car to the picnic area where you can view the falls.
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