Kings Canyon National Park

 

We spent three nights at the Azalea Campground in Kings Canyon, typical of most national park campgrounds. I called ahead to be sure we would fit into the sites and was assured that it would not be a problem with our 30’ length. Because it is first come first serve we were told to arrive before noon to be safe, so we got there on Sunday around 11:45. There were only a few people left in the campground and we tried several sites before finding one long and level enough, and with some sun for the solar panels. We saw a few bigger rigs but the campground roads are narrow and there are lots of low hanging tree limbs so we were glad we weren’t longer or taller. There are restrooms with flush toilets, an occasional water spigot, and no dump station. The big surprise came when Jim turned on our Verizon mifi device and we were getting 2-3 bars of 4G service. In adjacent Sequoia NP we had no signal at all.

On our first day we weren’t in the mood to do any more driving so it was nice to be staying inside the park. We were able to walk a half mile on a trail from the campground to Grant Grove Village, where there is a visitor center, store, restaurant, gift shop, post office, and cabins. After getting a map and some hiking info from the visitor center we continued on to Grant Grove for a look at the 1,700 year old, 266 foot high General Grant tree.

 

We continued along the pleasant trail and came across the Fallen Monarch, a 124 foot long trunk of a tree that fell centuries ago and is now hollow due to a combination of fire damage and natural decay. You can walk under the entire length so we did.

 

 

The root system on these giant sequoias is amazing.

On our second day it was overcast with a chance of showers so we didn’t drive the canyon road, hoping it would be clear the next day. We did drive up to Panoramic Point for a short hike to a viewpoint.

 

Then we continued on the Generals Highway east towards Sequoia and hiked a fairly steep mile up to Buena Vista Point. Not the best day for long views but still worth it.

 

 

 

 

Then it was down to the Redwood Mountain grove for our last hike through the giant trees.

We were pleased to see partly cloudy skies for our final day in the park, so we headed off along Hwy 180, or Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, 30 miles of wonderful canyon and river views. We stopped at many pullouts to take photos and just gawk.

 

 

We stopped to look at Knapp’s cabin.

Took short hikes to Grizzly and Roaring River Falls.

                    

Hiked the trail around Zumwalt Meadow.

 

 

 

 

Had our lunch with a view.

And our last stop was a three mile detour to Hume Lake, where we walked the easy trail around the lake.

We really enjoyed our visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Encompassing over 1,300 square miles with hundreds of miles of hiking trails, these parks really deserve more time than we gave them. With 97% designated as wilderness, though, a backpack and tent are the way to really explore, something we don’t have any desire to do. But there is plenty to see and do just a short distance off the main roads through the parks, and the roads that traverse them are worth the drive alone. We’re glad we came.

I forgot to mention that there were very few people in Kings Canyon. In fact it was rather eerie driving through a national park and rarely seeing another car. We saw more people in Sequoia but then we were there over the weekend. Early May seems to be a good time to be here before the summer crowds, but the weather can be iffy at this time. We left Kings Canyon yesterday with clear skies and upper 50s for the highs. Today’s high is projected to be 41 with snow so it looks like we timed it just right.

Surprised By Sequoia

 

With a much nicer back roads drive through citrus groves on Friday, we arrived at Sequoia RV Ranch in Three Rivers, CA by early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to spend the rest of the day in Sequoia National Park. Our original plan was to stay at the nearby COE Horse Creek Campground on Lake Kaweaha with no hook-ups, but with unusual highs in the mid-90s, air conditioning was a necessity.

 

I have always loved visiting our national parks, even with their rules and crowds, probably because of my fond memories of our family vacations. One summer we visited the Great Smoky Mountains NP, arriving late in the day when the only campsites left in the park were miles away. I’m sure my parents were having second thoughts about the whole trip at that time, but we finally got to the campground, set up camp, and my mother started preparing dinner. To this day I can still picture her banging pans together trying to chase away the huge black bear ambling down the hill towards our site.

Another summer we took a camping trip from Pennsylvania to Florida, all the way down to Everglades National Park. When we got to the campground it was empty, not surprising since who would even consider camping in the Everglades in July, but my dad got out to set up our pop-up camper and came back few minutes later covered in mosquito bites. He said there was no way we could camp there and headed to the office for some advice. He came back with a key to a room in the lodge, the first time my brother and I ever stayed in a motel room. It was great fun, and I’ll always remember watching my brother and dad swim in the pool along with hundreds of little frogs.

So maybe that’s why I love our national parks and why we make it a point to go out of our way to visit them. And to visit Sequoia National Park you definitely have to go out of your way. The RV park in Three Rivers was eight miles from the park entrance, but most of the places we wanted to see were another 20-25 miles up the steep, winding, motion sickness inducing road, which took well over an hour to drive. I got wise and took a Dramamine the second day. What surprised me about Sequoia was the diversity and that it wasn’t all just about the trees.

The drive starts in the Sierra Nevada foothills and climbs beside the Kaweah River.   

 

There are frequent pull-offs and short trails to admire the canyon views. We found the name intriguing and stopped to check out Hospital Rock, where we saw rock art but no explanation of the name. Jim wondered if many people get hurt in this area, although it didn’t appear to be a dangerous place, so I looked it up and found this short Wikipedia article.

Finally we entered the Giant Grove and hiked a few miles of the numerous trails. We saw some other people but not as many as we expected.

General Sherman tree. We don’t know these girls but they just kept posing for more photos and we got tired of waiting.

General Lee got his own tree, too.

The giant sequoias are very impressive, and the forest seemed much more open than the redwood groves we saw last summer near the coast. Even Jim, who tires of trees long before I do, seemed to enjoy our walk in the woods, especially the interesting burned trunks.

            

 

Playing tourist. We just had to do it since we were there.

But the best part of our Evelyn Wood speed visit (Jim’s words, of course) to Sequoia was the two high elevation hikes we did, one to Little Baldy and the other to Moro Rock. I just don’t have the words to describe the feeling of the Sierra Nevada’s Great Western Divide staring us in the face so I won’t even try.

From the top of Little Baldy at 8,044’

  

 

 

 

Two marmot sightings on the way up.

 

 

Our favorite hike was up the steep quarter mile up the 300 stairs to the summit of Moro Rock.

 

 

 

 

Next up Kings Canyon.

Tahquitz Peak Hike and Time to Move On

 

We had a busy last few days at Jojoba Hills, with one more hike, happy hour, shopping, laundry, washing both vehicles and trip planning.  

Our last hike was one I would highly recommend if you’re in the area. We did have to drive about 40 miles to get to the trail but we wanted to check out the cute little mountain town of Idyllwild anyway, and the drive from Jojoba Hills to there turned out to be very scenic.

We started at Humber Park just north of Idyllwild, where hiking requires a free permit which can be picked up at the ranger station in town. It’s also $5 to park if you don’t have a national parks pass. Our plan was to hike up the Devil’s Slide trail for 2.5 miles to the saddle which intersects with the Pacific Crest Trail. Suzanne had never been on any portion of the PCT so we were going to hike along it and turn back whenever we got tired.

Starting out at 6500’ and climbing 1700’ to the saddle was quite a slow go for those of us who have been hanging around at sea level for the past few months, but we finally made it and had a chance to talk with several PCT through-hikers. Seeing a sign for the Tahquitz Peak trail, Suzanne and I had an urge to go that direction but she really wanted to walk on the PCT. After a rather boring quarter mile on the PCT we decided to go back and see what the peak trail looked like. A guy we met said it was “only” about a mile and a half, and after eating and resting we were ready to tackle another 700’ of climbing. Jim considered turning back at that point but ended up plodding on with us.

We were rewarded with fantastic views, hiking through a little snow, and a historic fire tower at the nearly 9000’ peak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly our little group of friends have all moved on for now, although we’re looking forward to another meet-up later this summer in Colorado. Yesterday we drove a stressful 200 miles to Tehachapi, where we spent the night at Mountain Valley RV Park. 

Sites are rather unlevel but it’s quiet here, although the airport is adjacent. It appears to be a popular place for glider flights but it was so windy when we arrived we didn’t get to see any. We walked around downtown Tehachapi and stopped at Honey Wagon Brewing Co, the only one in town. The owner/brewer used to be in the septic business, hence the name. It was just okay but we are jaded by the excellent San Diego beers we’ve been enjoying.

 

 

Today we’re heading to Three Rivers, near the entrance to Sequoia National Park.