One PERFECT Day in Kings Canyon National Park (+ Where to Eat and Stay)

Kings Canyon National Park is a delightful escape from the crowds of some of California’s more crowded parks. It offers an amazing diversity of things to see, including canyon views, a scenic drive, waterfalls, and giant sequoia trees. It is one of my favorite “hidden gem” national parks and one I don’t think you should skip if you are on part of a larger California road trip.

Half a day is perfect to visit the most popular sites in Kings Canyon. This gives you time to stop at the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway with its viewpoints and short walks to waterfalls and meadows, and visit Grant Grove—home of the General Grant Tree, the third-largest tree in the world.

I’m Cheryl, and I love to explore national parks. My husband, Matt, and I live in Utah and have been writing guides and articles about national parks in the West since 2020. Kings Canyon really struck my heart as we were visiting the California parks on our recent road trip and I can’t wait to share with you the things we did so you can have a great trip too.

Understanding Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

You can’t mention Kings Canyon without bringing up Sequoia National Park. Although they are separate national parks, they are managed by one entity AND you pay one entry fee to visit both. Each park has its own entrance- The Big Stump Entrance for Kings Canyon and the Ash Mountain Entrance for Sequoia. Once you enter one of the parks, you can drive to the other park without having to drive through a separate entrance.

If you were to enter the Big Stump Entrance (Kings Canyon) by driving HWY180 from Fresno, taking the General Grant HWY to connect the parks, and then exiting at the Ash Mountain Entrance (Sequoia) heading toward Three Rivers, it will take 5-6 hours without stopping. Partly because the roads through these parks are incredibly winding, which limits the speed at which you can drive.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: The Big Stump Entrance (Kings Canyon) rarely has a line, regardless of when you enter the park. The Ash Mountain Entrance (Sequoia) is more popular and the line here can be over an hour long in the summer, holidays, and weekends if you are entering the park between the hours of 9 am and 1 pm. Either get to this gate by 8 am or wait until around 2 or 3 pm when the crowds start clearing out.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that they can visit both of these parks in a single day. We found that half a day for Kings Canyon and a full day for Sequoia was perfect. Both parks contain giant sequoia trees, mountains, and meadows. But Sequoia is much more crowded and will require extra time. Read more about it in my article One PERFECT Day in Sequoia National Park (+ Where to Eat and Stay).

FUN FACT: Many of the original national parks were set aside to protect the sequoia trees from logging, including Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon.

About This Itinerary

Kings Canyon is known for its many back-country hiking opportunities, but this itinerary is written for the regular traveler who has half to a full day to see it and wants to see the best sites without doing too much hiking.

I often travel with my retired parents AND my four children (who are now teens). This itinerary would work for any of them because it has some good variety, short, easy walks, and lots of flexibility.

We visited in August in the afternoon after spending a couple of hours in Yosemite National Park and then driving two hours to Kings Canyon.

Kings Canyon’s temperature can vary by 20 degrees within the park, depending on whether you are at the top or the bottom of the canyon (the bottom is hottest). It was in the 90s on our visit, and a bit too hot for our liking. May and September have the most pleasant temperatures, but April through October are also good times to visit.

Kings Canyon does get snow and part of the park will close down. But the Grant Grove remains open, and you can snowshoe.

Kings Canyon Itinerary

Stop #1, Kings Canyon Visitor Center

This will only take 15-30 minutes. It’s small and kind of old, but it has exhibits on how the canyon was formed, its depth, some history, and a little about local wildlife. It also has a children’s area and a film about Kings Canyon and Sequoia.

We were grateful to have the opportunity to ask the ranger questions and draw out our plan for the day. It is also a good spot to use the restroom (flushing toilets!) and refill your water bottle. There is also a very small gift shop.

FUN FACT: Kings Canyon was made a national park in the 1940s, 50 years after Sequoia was. John Muir called it a second Yosemite and spent years writing about it to convince Congress to protect the land. Its national park designation saved Kings Canyon from being dammed as a water source for Los Angeles.

Stop #2, Panoramic Point Overlook

This is your chance to get AMAZING views of Kings Canyon. This will take about 30-45 minutes and is only a 10-minute drive from the Kings Canyon Visitor Center. You’ll have to walk 0.5 miles (round trip) on a short, paved, partially shaded, accessible walk. It’s nice, and I enjoyed the smell of the ponderosa pines on my journey.

The claim is that Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the United States, over 8,000 feet from river to rim! It’s pretty impressive. You’ll notice that glaciers formed this canyon because of its U-shape. Take your time and enjoy the view.

SAD BUT TRUE: Kings Canyon is the most polluted national park in the nation due to its proximity to the central valley of California. You’ll notice your views of the canyon are partially obstructed by smog.

Stop #3, Grant Grove and General Grant Tree

Be prepared to have a feeling of reverence sweep over you as you walk through the Grant Grove because Sequoia trees are absolutely incredible. Not only are they usually over 200 feet tall (about the height of a Ferris wheel) and have tree trunks as large as a merry-go-round, but many of these trees are thousands of years old.

When we entered the grove, an instant feeling of respect came over me, and I felt like I should take off my hat and speak quietly because it was so special.

You’ll want to plan one hour for this stop so that you have time to really enjoy the trees and the experience.

There are a few trails in the area, but the #1 thing to do is the General Grant Giant Tree Trail. It’s only a 0.5-mile loop and is easy and shaded. You’ll see several sequoia trees on this trail, as well as other large trees, including sugar pines, ponderosa pines, and incense cedars, but the star of the show is the General Grant Tree.

The General Grant Tree is the third-largest tree in the world! It’s truly majestic. Its stump is so big that it would take 20 people surrounding the tree, holding hands, to reach all the way around it.

It’s been given a few names over the years, including “The Nation’s Christmas Tree,” and was given National Shrine status by President Eisenhower in 1956. It was dedicated “in memory of the men and women of the Armed Forces who have served and fought and died to keep this Nation free…” It is the only example of a living shrine in the United States.

FUN FACT: Sequoia trees are very fire-resistant. Not only is their thick bark made of material that doesn’t burn well and contains little sap, but sequoia trees can receive extensive fire damage and still live! You’ll notice many black fire scars near the base of the trees, yet the trees continue to thrive.

There are a few benches here to sit and enjoy being in this special place. It’s also a great spot to take a photo.

Make sure to continue the trail to the Fallen Monarch. This is a fallen sequoia tree that is hollowed out. It’s so tall that you can walk through the tree for several feet.

PHOTO TIP: It’s really hard to capture the size of a sequoia with your camera. Try putting your settings on pano and film from bottom to top. This will enable you to capture the entire height of a tree in a photo.

Stop #4, Drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

This is a real treat! You will be entering the Cedar Grove area of the park. You will start at the top of Kings Canyon and work your way down to the Kings River at the bottom of the canyon. It is a 50-mile, winding road that often has a steep drop, but you’ll have views on both sides of the canyon and it is incredible no matter which direction you look. There are some great stops along the way, and you should plan on this taking 4-5 hours total.

GOOD TO KNOW: The Kings Canyon Byway is NOT a through canyon. You get to the bottom, turn around, and have to drive back the same way you came. It’s between 1 1/2 to 2 hours to drive each way without stopping.

There are some wonderful stops along the way. Here are my favorites.

Ice cream. There is a little ice cream stand on the side of the road. It’s $6 a scoop, but it was worth it to us on a hot August day!

Grizzly Falls Picnic Area. This is a great waterfall that requires hardly any effort. It’s only about 100 feet to get to it. There are also pit toilets and picnic tables.

Roaring Falls. This is also easy to get to. It’s a short, paved, accessible trail to a 40-foot waterfall that ends with a turquoise pool. It’s tempting to want to jump in, but there are signs everywhere saying not to because it is dangerous.

There is also a trail here that will allow you to hike, instead of drive, to the final sites at the end of the canyon, Zumwalt Meadow and Muir Rock. It’s about a 3-mile hike, one way. We chose to drive to these sites instead.

Zumwalt Meadow. This flat, easy, shaded trail is around 0.8 miles round trip. I say this because it used to be a loop, but a portion of it was damaged by a flood, so right now it is an out-and-back hike. I’m not sure when or if it will be repaired, but it is delightful. You get to walk over a couple of bridges, see the river, and look at a pretty meadow. If you continue on to Muir Rock from here, you also get to walk through a cool stone tunnel. My husband did this and it was only 0.5 miles. I walked back and drove to Muir Rock and picked him up.

Muir Rock. It’s a short and easy walk. Muir Rock is a large flat rock and has great views of the river below. It’s a popular spot to swim.

Where to Stay

John Muir Lodge and Cabins and the Cedar Grove Lodge are lodging options within the park. The John Muir Lodge offers rooms and cabins. During peak season, rooms start around $300 a night, which was too steep for us. The Cedar Grove Lodge only has rooms and they start around $220.

We stayed in the town of Badger, CA, at an Airbnb, and it took us about 40 minutes to get to the entrance due to the slow, winding roads we had to drive.

Fresno, CA, is also a popular place to stay and is a little over an hour from the entrance.

If you are also visiting Sequoia (and I hope you are!), many people stay in the town of Three Rivers outside of the park. There are also the Wuksachi Lodge inside the park.

There are also several campgrounds within both national parks.

If you are on a longer California road trip, it’s a good idea to stay one night in or near Kings Canyon and another night in or near Sequoia to reduce driving time.

Where to Eat

We had a great meal on the deck of the Grant Grove Restaurant. We had a nice view of the meadow and even saw a deer. Their General Grant Burger with pasta salad was good and I loved my fresh strawberry salad. After many days on the road, it was great to have a healthy option. Plus, the prices were a few bucks less than typical national park food, with our burger costing ~$16 and the salad ~$18.

Kings Canyon is definitely worth half a day. The break from the crowds, awesome canyon views, waterfalls, and the Grant Grove of Sequoia trees make it a wonderful, off-the-beaten-path stop that you’ll be glad you made the time for.