Kings Canyon National Park: The Canyon Most Visitors Never Drive Into

October 1, 1890. Congress set aside four square miles of giant sequoias and called it General Grant National Park. That was the entire park. Fifty years later it was rebuilt around something far bigger and renamed Kings Canyon. And the canyon floor that gave it the name was not added until 1965.

The park is still a little like that. Most people pull in at Big Stump, walk to the General Grant Tree, take the photo, and turn around. The canyon is another hour east on Highway 180, past the point where the road stops climbing and starts falling. That drive is where the park earns its name, and almost nobody does it.

Know before you go

Entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days as of 2026, and that same pass covers Sequoia National Park next door. No reservation, no timed entry, no lottery. The park runs as two districts: Grant Grove at 6,589 feet, open year-round, and Cedar Grove down in the canyon at 4,635 feet, typically open May through early or mid-November. Dogs are prohibited on every trail here, including the paved ones, so sort that out before you load the car.

Quick facts

How do you actually get in?

Come in on Highway 180 from Fresno through Big Stump. That puts you at Grant Grove in minutes. The other option, Ash Mountain on Highway 198 out of Visalia, drops you into Sequoia and leaves you 54 miles and about two hours from Grant Grove over the hairpins of the Generals Highway. The Park Service specifically does not recommend that route in an RV or oversized vehicle. Take Big Stump.

Pay at the gate. Both entrance stations are cashless, so bring a card or a phone. If you need to pay cash, the Sequoia Parks Conservancy store at the Kings Canyon Visitor Center sells the $35 seven-day pass.

Sleeping in the backcountry is the one thing that takes planning. During the 2026 quota season, May 22 through September 26, wilderness permits go through Recreation.gov up to six months out, released daily at 7 a.m. Pacific, at $15 per permit plus $5 per person. Walk-ups open at 1 p.m. the day before, and a reserved permit not picked up by 10 a.m. goes back into the walk-up pile. Outside quota season they are free and self-issued at 24-hour kiosks. Bear canisters are required in most of the park and rentals are not guaranteed, so get one before you arrive.

What is the drive into the canyon like?

Highway 180 east of Grant Grove is the whole argument for this park. It leaves the sequoia belt, runs a shelf above the South Fork of the Kings River, and loses almost 2,000 feet on the way down to Cedar Grove. Granite stacks up on both sides. The river below is designated Wild for 24 miles of its South Fork, and in June you hear it from the car. About an hour of driving. Do not rush it.

This is also the stretch that shuts for winter, closing in early to mid-November and reopening in late April or early May. Cedar Grove simply does not exist for half the year.

Down there, the good stuff is spaced along a few miles of road. Roaring River Falls is a short paved walk to a waterfall firing through a granite chute. Knapp's Cabin is the shed where a Santa Barbara businessman stashed gear for lavish fishing trips in the 1920s. Zumwalt Meadow is the classic: 0.8 miles across an expansion bridge over the Kings, then along talus with the meadow and the cliffs laid out in front of you. It used to be a loop. Flooding in 2019 took out the sections through the meadow, and it has been an out-and-back ever since.

For a real day, Mist Falls. Eight miles round trip from Road's End, flat and sandy most of the way, then 600 feet of climbing in the last mile. Four to five hours. Road's End is a small lot at the end of a dead-end road, so early matters. Want the view instead? Cedar Grove Overlook is five miles and 1,200 feet up the Hotel Creek Trail. Go in the morning, because that slope faces south and bakes. It also runs through the footprint of the 2024 Happy Fire, so expect down trees and do not linger under burned snags.

Back at Grant Grove, the General Grant Tree is 268 feet tall and the second-largest tree in the world. Coolidge named it the Nation's Christmas Tree in 1926, and in 1956 Congress made it a national living shrine honoring armed forces members who died serving the country. Ten minutes on pavement, worth it even after General Sherman.

Can I do this with a dog?

Not really, and this is what people get wrong at the gate. Pets are prohibited on all trails in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, paved ones like the General Grant Tree Trail included. Leashed dogs are allowed in parking lots, on paved roads, and in campgrounds and picnic areas. That is the complete list, and strollers and pet backpacks do not change it. Bears work these campgrounds and lots regularly, so pet food goes in the storage lockers with yours. The workaround: the Sequoia National Forest land wrapped around the park does allow leashed dogs on trails. Hike there, park here.

Bringing kids?

Grant Grove is one of the easiest big-payoff stops in the park system. Flat pavement, enormous trees, done in half an hour. Roaring River Falls is a few paved minutes to an actual waterfall. The first stretch of Zumwalt Meadow out to the bridge is level, though the surface is sandy and loose rather than firm.

Mist Falls is a different animal. Eight miles with a steep finish is a full day for adults, and the bailout is just turning around, which works because those first flat miles along the river are lovely on their own. Skip Cedar Grove Overlook with young kids. Twelve hundred feet of chaparral switchbacks in afternoon heat is a bad trade.

Stay safe

The Kings River is the real hazard here, not the wildlife. Cold, fast, pushing snowmelt over smooth granite well into summer, and people drown in it. Look at it, photograph it, stay out of it.

Summer ozone in these parks regularly exceeds federal health standards, which the park says plainly on its own conditions page, so check the air quality index before a big hike day if anyone has asthma. Store all food in the lockers. And in the shoulder seasons carry chains sized for your vehicle. Requirements can go into effect at any time, and they apply to all-wheel drive too.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a reservation to visit Kings Canyon National Park?

No. Kings Canyon does not use timed entry or reservations. You pay at the entrance station and drive in, and the $35 vehicle pass is good for seven days and covers Sequoia too. The only reservations you need are for campgrounds, lodging, and overnight wilderness permits.

How long does it take to drive from Grant Grove to Cedar Grove?

About an hour each way on Highway 180, dropping from 6,589 feet to 4,635 feet. It is a winding mountain road with long drop-offs, so give yourself more time than the mileage suggests. The stretch closes for winter from roughly November to late April or early May.

Can you visit Sequoia and Kings Canyon in one day?

You can see the headline trees in both, since one pass covers both parks and the Generals Highway connects them. What you cannot add is Cedar Grove. The canyon is two more hours of driving round trip from Grant Grove, so give it its own day.

Are dogs allowed on trails in Kings Canyon National Park?

No. Dogs are banned from every trail, including paved trails like the General Grant Tree Trail. They are allowed on a six-foot leash only in parking lots, on paved roads, and in campgrounds and picnic areas. Leashed dogs are permitted on trails in the surrounding Sequoia National Forest, which is the usual workaround.

When is Cedar Grove open?

Typically May through early or mid-November, set by when Highway 180 beyond Hume Lake Road can be kept clear. Some facilities down there open later and close earlier than the road itself, so check the park's road conditions page before a spring or fall trip.

Put it on the map

Kings Canyon is park #26 of 63 on the McSenderson US National Parks scratch-off map, and one of the more satisfying ones to scratch off because so few people finish the drive. For all 63 and how to plan around them, start with our guide to all 63 US national parks, and read the Sequoia National Park guide before you go, since you will almost certainly pair them.

Ryan Laboy — Co-founder, McSenderson. Single-digit handicap golfer and ten-year skier based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Researches and designs every McSenderson map. hello@mcsenderson.com