Attractions in Kings Canyon National Park
If you have only a few hours:
Entering via Hwy 198: Stop in Ash Mountain at the Foothills Visitor Center to learn about California's fascinating and diverse oak chaparral ecology. (In all of North America, only the Central American rainforest has a richer array of plants and animals than California oak chaparral.) Stop at Giant Forest Museum. From the main parking lot, walk down to the General Sherman Tree, the largest, single-trunked living tree on earth. Allow 20 minutes each way for the walk to the tree plus your time there.
Entering via Hwy 180: Stop in Grant Grove Village at the newly-redesigned Kings Canyon Visitor Center and see the orientation film. See the General Grant Tree in Grant Grove (allow 20 minutes to walk the loop) or the General Sherman Tree in Giant Forest. Stop at the Museum in Giant Forest.
If you have a day:
Entering via Hwy 198: Stop in Ash Mountain at the Foothills Visitor Center and buy your ticket for a Crystal Cave Tour. Allow at least two hours drive time on the Generals Highway loop from one entrance station to the other--plus 3 1/2 hours for the cave tour.
Entering via Hwy 180: Stop in Lodgepole Village at the Visitor Center and buy your ticket for a Crystal Cave Tour. Allow at least two hours drive time on the Generals Highway loop from one entrance station to the other--plus 3 1/2 hours for the cave tour.
Either way: If you prefer to stay outside: Go on a ranger walk. In Giant Forest, stand among the giant sequoias on the Big Trees Trail. Or in Lodgepole Village, walk up to Tokopah Falls. If you're hankering for more, in Giant Forest look for wildlife big and small around Crescent Meadow and climb Moro Rock or hike out to Eagle View.
If you have a couple of days:
Entering via Hwy 198: On your way up to see the General Sherman Tree and the Giant Forest Museum, stop at Hospital Rock to see the Native American pictographs and grinding stones.
Entering via Hwy 180: Have a picnic in Grant Grove Village at Big Stump. Hike into Redwood Canyon (just south of Grant Grove Village), home to the world's largest grove of sequoias. Visit Converse Basin (just north of Grant Grove Village) where a ghostly forest of sequoia stumps surround the massive Boole Tree. Stand in awe of gigantic Kings Canyon.
Either direction: Ask at a visitor center for a Junior Ranger Program booklet. Camp in one of park's 14 campgrounds. Attend campfire programs. Hike to the Watchtower near Wolverton, the Congress Trail in Giant Forest or Little Baldy Trail west of Wuksachi Village.
If you have a week or more:
Spend a few days exploring one of the more remote parts of these spectacular parks.
Take Hwy 180 into the Kings Canyon--a stunning mountain drive--and visit Cedar Grove Village. From Grant Grove Village to the Kings Canyon, allow 1 1/2 hours each way plus however long you stay.
Or take The Mineral King Road to Atwell Mill or Mineral King. From Ash Mountain, each way allow 1 1/4 hours to Atwell Mill and 1 1/2 hours to Mineral King--plus however long you stay.
Better yet, stop at one of the visitor centers for a wilderness trek into the splendid High Sierra.
Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave is located off the Generals Highway in Sequoia National Park, between the Ash Mountain entrance and Giant Forest. To reach the cave, drive down the scenic, winding, paved road to the cave parking lot. Hike down the half-mile trail along beautiful Cascade Creek, where you will be met by a guide at the cave entrance.
No buses, trailers, or vehicles over 22 feet long are permitted on Crystal Cave road. Vans are acceptable.
Anyone wishing to visit Crystal Cave must be part of a guided tour. Tour tickets are not sold at the cave entrance. They must be purchased in person at the Foothills or Lodgepole visitor centers in Sequoia National Park. After purchasing tickets allow at least 11⁄2 hours to arrive at the cave.
Picnic Areas
As of July 11, 2008, the parks entered a Stage 1 Fire Restriction. This means that no wood or barbecue fires are permitted below 6,000 feet, except in designated campgrounds. This includes Ash Mountain Picnic Area, Hospital Rock Picnic Area and backcountry travel below 6,000 feet. Gas or propane stoves may be used at all elevations. It also means that no smoking below 6,000 feet is permitted, except within a developed area, a campground, an enclosed vehicle, or a building which allows smoking. Increased fire danger may lead to further restrictions. Check bulletin boards and visitor centers in the parks before starting any fire.
Campgrounds
As of July 11, 2008, the parks entered a Stage 1 Fire Restriction. This means that no wood or barbecue fires are permitted below 6,000 feet, except in designated campgrounds. This includes Ash Mountain Picnic Area, Hospital Rock Picnic Area and backcountry travel below 6,000 feet. Gas or propane stoves may be used at all elevations. It also means that no smoking below 6,000 feet is permitted, except within a developed area, a campground, an enclosed vehicle, or a building which allows smoking. Increased fire danger may lead to further restrictions. Check bulletin boards and visitor centers in the parks before starting any fire.