Visit the Kings Canyon Sequoias This Spring
If a trip to the giant sequoias is on your spring travel agenda, then look no further than Kings Canyon National Park . Often overshadowed by the Giant Forest in nearby Sequoia National Park, the Kings Canyon section of the park offers an equally impressive stand of Giant Sequoias. And like its Sequoia National Park counterpart, the Kings Canyon grove boasts an accessible trail for wheelchair-users and slow walkers. So pack a picnic lunch, hit the road, and enjoy a visit to the Kings Canyon sequoias this spring.
Get Your Bearings
Known as the gateway to Kings Canyon National Park, Grant Grove is home to Giant Sequoia groves that were logged back in the 1800s, as well as stands of timber that were preserved for future generations. From Fresno, it’s just an hour drive on Highway 180 to the Big Stump Entrance of the park. From there it’s just a short drive to the Kings Canyon Visitor Center.
Accessible parking is located next to the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, with curb-cut access up to the sidewalk and level access over to the building. Inside, there’s plenty of room to maneuver a wheelchair around the ranger information desk, small book store and interpretive exhibits. There’s also level access to a small theater where a film about the park runs throughout the day.
From the visitor center, head over to Grant Grove Drive, which is located off Highway 180, across the street from the road to Crystal Springs Campground. This short but scenic route leads through a Giant Sequoia grove and terminates in the General Grant Tree parking lot. Even if you are unable to navigate any of the trails in the grove, this drive is a must-do, as it boasts several pullouts and offers some excellent windshield views of the grove. It’s a good way to get an up-close-and-personal look at the Giant Sequoias, even if you are unable to get out of your vehicle. The view from the General Grant Tree parking lot isn’t bad either.
Hike Around the Kings Canyon Sequoias
One of the main attractions in this grove is the impressive General Grant Tree. This 1,700 year-old stately giant is 40 feet wide and towers 268 feet above the grove. And for a closer look, there’s a half-mile loop trail that leads out to the iconic tree.
The paved trail first passes a grove of young sequoias, then circles the gigantic Fallen Monarch sequoia, before it reaches the General Grant Tree midway along the route. Although the trail isn’t entirely level, it’s generally doable for most folks, with plenty of benches to sit and take a rest along the way. That said, the trail that leads around the back of the General Grant Tree is steep and not accessible, but you can still get a nice view from in front of the tree.
After the trail passes the General Grant Tree, it winds around the Gamlin Cabin, which was built in 1872 by a pair of brothers who grazed sheep in the area. The trail then edges by the Centennial Stump (a 16-foot section of this tree was displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia), and passes by the other end of the Fallen Monarch, before it returns to the parking area. As an added bonus, the grove is shaded, so it makes for a nice stroll even in the midday sun. And it’s the perfect way to top off a springtime visit to the Kings Canyon sequoias.
