I made the tough decision that I no longer wanted to constantly monitor wildfires and deal with smoke-filled skies and poor air quality. This was the only time on my trip that I made a change to the itinerary. I was going to stick to the central valley of California and arrive into Las Vegas two weeks ahead of schedule. Sticking to the valley meant that I was trading fires for extreme heat, another one of my least favorite things. As a consolation for having to miss a couple of places that I was looking forward to, I stopped for a few days in Visalia, CA, in order to spend my days hiking in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. During the day I would drive up into the mountains to walk amongst the trees, enjoying the cooler temps at the higher elevation. However, I would return to a camper that was generally around 110 degrees after a long day of hiking. And I don’t want to hear the phrase, “at least it is a dry heat”. Most of my electronics did not survive and I learned that even deodorant can melt.
If you are headed to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks be ready for some adrenaline inducing roads. Steep grades, switchbacks, hairpin turns, passing vehicles on one-way sized roads, and falling rocks are the norm. So give yourself plenty of time to get from one place to the other. On my first day I started with the crown jewel, a walk amongst the giant sequoias and marveled at the General Sherman tree. I included a couple of photos with people in them to provide a sense of how massive these trees are. The General Sherman tree is the largest living tree in the world based on volume. It is estimated to be around 2,300 years old. I enjoyed thinking about how many of these trees were alive back in the 3rd century BC, at the beginning of the Roman era, while Hannibal is crossing the Alps to invade Italy. So it an awe-inducing and humbling experience to walk amongst them.
A storm began to roll in so I did exactly what you are not supposed to do, climb up metal stairs onto the highest point in the area, which is an exposed lookout on a rock. One of the dumber things that I did but it was definitely worth the view. Moro Rock is a peak that views out onto the Great Western Divide (the highest point in the lower 48 states was hiding just beyond those mountains). The trail is a metal staircase that twists around and through the rock to quickly climb 300 feet (equivalent of walking up a 28 story building). With the lightning and rain getting closer and despite the high altitude, I was motivated to climb those stairs quickly and get back to my truck (which I did accomplish).
I knew that I was going to see some big trees but did not know how beautiful the valleys and mountain scenery would be. I drove to Road’s End in the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon for a long 8.7 mile hike through Paradise Valley to Mist Falls. The views were spectacular and the water was so clear. It was such an enjoyable hike that it helped me get over the heat and the change in itinerary. Look for the people in the Mist Falls pictures to get a sense of how large the falls were.
There were still plenty more giant trees to see. Spent a day exploring the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon, home of the General Grant tree, the second largest living tree in the world.
I survived the drive out to Panoramic Point to enjoy the view as well as get a five mile hike in to the Park Ridge Fire Lookout. It was a beautiful day and I was escaping the heat so I enjoyed the hike, but if you are short on time, I would suggest skipping this hike or just enjoying the shorter walk to Panoramic Point. However, I did very much enjoy visiting the fire tower and as I was one of the few hikers on the trail the crew at the fire tower were happy to chat with me. It was interesting to learn about what they were doing. They were investigating a few minor fires caused by lightning. In 2020, the Castle Fire killed 10% of the giant sequoias and unfortunately following my visit the KNP Complex fire closed most the parks. Firefighters wrapped fire-resistant material around the bases of the notable trees to protect them.
