Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada - California - page 1021

Kings Canyon National Park
With a dramatic cleft deeper than the Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon offers true adventure to
those who crave seemingly endless trails, rushing streams and gargantuan rock formations.
The camping, backcountry exploring and climbing here are all superb.
SCENIC DRIVE: KINGS CANYON SCENIC BYWAY (HIGHWAY 180)
The 31-mile rollercoaster road connecting Grant Grove and Cedar Grove ranks among the
most dazzling in all of California. It winds past the Converse Basin Grove ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ), which once contained the world's largest grove of mature sequoias until log-
gers turned it into a sequoia cemetery in the 1880s. A half-mile loop trail leads to the 20ft-
high Chicago Stump , the remains of the 3200-year-old tree that was cut down, sectioned
and reassembled for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. North of here, a
second side road goes to Stump Meadow , where stumps and fallen logs make good picnic
platforms, and to the Boole Tree Trail , a 2.5-mile loop to the only 'monarch' left to live.
The road then begins its jaw-dropping descent into the canyon, snaking past chiseled
rock walls, some tinged by green moss and red iron minerals, others decorated by water-
falls. Turnouts provide superb views, especially at Junction View ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ).
Eventually the road runs parallel with the gushing Kings River, its thunderous roar rico-
cheting off granite cliffs soaring as high as 8000ft, making Kings Canyon even deeper than
the Grand Canyon. Stop at Boyden Cavern ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.caverntours.com/Boy-
denRt.htm ; Hwy 180; tours adult/child from $14.50/8.50; May-mid-Nov; ) for a tour of its
whimsical formations. While beautiful, they are smaller and less impressive than those in
Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park, but no advance tickets are required. Exciting
canyoneering tours are also available by advance reservation. About 5 miles further east,
Grizzly Falls ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) can be torrential or drizzly, depending on the time of
year.
On your return trip, consider a detour via Hume Lake , created in 1908 as a dam for log-
ging operations and now offering boating, swimming and fishing. Facilities include a small
market and a gas station.
Sights & Activities