Explore the most popular Forest trails in Kings Canyon National Park with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
As of 2/22/20 the snow is really starting to melt. The road to the panoramic ridge is still closed. But able to hike without snowshoes. But if you want to continue to the fire outlook you will need snowshoes.
very nice, a few people, ice patch, little slippery. wasn't too cold kid friendly.
Beautiful hike!! The access road to trailhead was not something I I would try in a golf (adding 4 total miles to hike). The access road was very icy for the first 1/4 of the mile after that it is drivable. Anyways back to the hike! Enter though a stand of sequoias that follows through to the top of the mountain. The trees are amazing, but we did have to hike around some blow down trees on the trail. The hike has great Mountain View and finishes off following the creek at the bottom of the mountain. Be on the lookout for bears! We saw lots of bear poop.
The road that leads you out here is closed in winter so we were not able to make it to the trailhead during February.
Great first hike. Whole lot less icy then expected. Some small down tress and limbs on the trail. Overall not bad
This isn’t my favorite hike style. This is a loop that descends before it ascends. It was very pretty on a warming winter day. Some ice and snow on the trail but snowshoes or crampons were not necessary. And definitely not enough snow to ski. Very similar to Tuolumne Grove Trail in Yosemite. But with less people!
Oh my! No people at all mid week in February! Paved trail with some snow and ice patches. Very kid friendly. We also saw does.
My first backpacking trip.it got me hook into backpacking. Adventure!
Giant redwoods and ferns cover the trail. Very quiet and not easy to reach. Great half day trip
January 31 - this trail starts at the grant grove visitor center, the road is closed right now due to snow. We hiked up the road, then used snowshoes from panoramic point to the fire lookout. Making it a 10 mile round trip. Beautiful view from panoramic point, along the ride and fire lookout.
This is a great beginning snowshoe! But the winter miles are far different from the summer. In the winter you will need to snowshoe the road so it will be about 5.5 miles not .5 miles and a bit more elevation gain. It’s worth it. The views are great!
This was an amazing view!! Quite a different view of Sequoia and such an appreciation of Kings Canyon. This little trail up to Grizzley falls is rocky, but kid- friendly. Went in the summer and it's a perfect spot to get freshened up!!
3/5 stars just because this trail felt like the same, but less magnificent than an average hike in Sequoia Ntl Park (that we hiked in the same morning). The trail was REALLY well maintained by previous snowshoers & skiers. Kings Canyon Ntl Park’s official “winter hiking trails” map ($1.99) was 100% useless in that it didn’t accurately represent -!) of the winter trails - this was supposed to be the winter version of the “General Grant Trail”. Ask a Ranger in the Azalea campground/General Grant parking lot & they’ll give you an excellent breakdown of signage to follow to stay on the trail in the winter conditions. We needed to use our snowshoes for this hike, our crampons didn’t provide enough flotation!
The trail was nice, complete with a couple of beautiful mountain range views and tons of giant sequoia. The only major negative was the bugs. They were non-stop the entire time. With bug spray it would have been fine — come prepared and you’ll love it.
Beautiful short trail for the family. Due to wash out from the King’s River, the meadow is closed to hikers.
Great trail. The trees are amazing. Not crowded at all this time of year. The way there is easy and the way back is about moderate. Lots of loose rocks and gravel so watch your step. Listening to the creek is super relaxing. We ate lunch at the creek and chilled for a bit before heading back. Just an FYI the road to the trailhead is a dirt road. Kind of bumpy but accessible for all vehicles. It was pretty chilly in the morning but warmed up at the end. Layer up and you’ll be good. Most of the trail is shady.
Paved (wheelchair friendly) trail with an awesome view.
Everyone should see the giant sequoias!
Great views. Easy trail but this might be your first trail after driving up from the valley since it's close to Grants Grove lodge. In other words, you might not be acclimated to the elevation. My friend and I went up there and he was having some issues with breathing and I noticed I was it was harder than normal. That's when I realized the altitude sickness. In any case, just be aware. Good thing it is an easy hike. The drive up is more challenging (from the valley and from the lodge). The road from the lodge is one lane, period. Both directions share one lane, so you might have to pull to the side is someone is going the other way.
Nice and peaceful trail. Not many people this time of the year. Really enjoyed it.
Go between 7-8am to avoid the crowds.The first tourist bus pulled in as we were leaving. Peaceful and quiet. It's a paved path, but does allow for some real trail hiking. The cabin is cool and walking through the living tree was also neat for our children.
Move over General Sherman, this is the quintessential hike to see Sequoia trees in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. This trail not only has no shortage of Sequoia trees, but has enough variety with the Redwood Creek and Redwood Canyon views to keep you from getting bored. I hiked this in mid-October, where the temperature was in the high 40's-low 50's, which was absolutely perfect. I agree with the advice that you should start the trail from Redwood Creek side, it gives you an easier incline on the way back up. Note that I did see probably 8-10 different piles of bear poop, but did not have any bear encounters. If you are the first on the trail, remember to make your presence known by making some noise with your hiking stick or whatever.
Best view of the canyon from the meadow floor.
Plenty of deer on the trail.
