Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [374]
This trail meanders through what was once a grove of giant sequoias. All that's left today are the old stumps and piles of 100-year-old sawdust. A brochure available at visitor centers (and at the trailhead during the summer) describes the logging that occurred here in the 1880s. To continue, take the Hitchcock Meadow Trail (described below), which leads to Viola Fall.
Dead Giant Loop
2.25 miles RT. Easy. Access: Lower end of General Grant Tree parking area, at a locked gate with a sign that reads NORTH GROVE LOOP.
The Dead Giant Loop and the North Grove Loop (described below) share the first .75 mile. The trail descends a fire road and after a quarter mile hits a junction. Take the lower trail. After another half mile you'll break off from the North Grove Loop and head south around a lush meadow. It's another quarter mile to a sign that reads "Dead Giant." Turn west to see what's left of this tree. The trail climbs slightly as it circles a knoll and comes to Sequoia Lake Overlook. The lake was formed in 1899 when the Kings River Lumber Company built a dam on Mill Flat Creek. The water was diverted down a flume to the town of Sanger. During logging, millions of board feet of giant sequoias were floated down that flume to be finished at a mill in Sanger. The lumber company went bankrupt in a few years and sold the operation to new owners, who moved it over to Converse Basin. The company then clear-cut Converse Basin, once the world's largest stand of sequoias. Continue around the loop back to the Dead Giant sign, then return to the parking area.
General Grant Tree Trail
.5 mile RT. Easy. Access: Grant Tree parking area, 1 mile northwest of the visitor center.
The accessible trail leads to the huge General Grant Tree, which is also the nation's only living national shrine. Signs help visitors interpret forest features.
Hitchcock Meadow Trail
3.5 miles RT. Easy. Access: Big Stump picnic area near the entrance to Grant Grove from Kings Canyon.
This trail takes you to pretty Viola Falls. The first half-mile mirrors the Big Stump Trail described above. From there, hike another quarter mile to Hitchcock Meadow, a large clearing in Sequoia National Forest that is surrounded by sequoia stumps. Notice the small sequoias in this area—these are the descendants of the giant sequoias logged in the last century. From here the trail climbs slightly to a ridge, where it re-enters Kings Canyon National Park before descending a short series of steep switchbacks to Sequoia Creek. Cross the creek and look for a sign directing you to Viola Falls, a series of short steps that join into one fall when the water level is high. It is very dangerous to venture down the canyon, but above it are several flat places that make great picnic spots.
North Grove Loop
1.2 miles RT. Easy. Access: Lower end of General Grant Tree parking area.
The trail follows an abandoned mill road from long ago. It cuts through stands of dogwood, sugar pine, sequoia, and white fir. A large dead sequoia shows evidence of a fire.
Park Ridge Trail
4.7 miles RT. Easy. Access: Panoramic Point parking area, a 2½-mile drive down a steep road from Grant Grove Village.
Begin this hike by walking south along the ridge, where views of the valley and peaks dominate. On a clear day, you can see Hume Lake in Sequoia National Forest, the San Joaquin Valley and, occasionally, the coast range 100 miles away. Return the same way.
Sunset Trail
6 miles RT. Moderate to strenuous. Access: Across the road from Kings Canyon Visitor Center.
The hike climbs 1,400 feet past two waterfalls and a lake. After crossing the highway, the trail heads left around a campground. After 1.25 miles, follow the South Boundary Trail toward Viola Falls. You'll reach a paved road where you can head to the right to see the park's original entrance. Return the way you came, or follow the road to the General Grant Tree parking area and walk to the visitor center.
NEAR CEDAR GROVE