Hiking at Roads End - KCNP

We wanted to maximize our time visiting Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and felt we saw all the stuff in Sequoia and wanted to go back to KCNP for our last day. Dave drove up the short cut route that we discovered the other day, still amazed at people who live up in the mountains, very pretty, but oh so far to go just to get groceries and your mail.

Twisty, turny country road to Kings Canyon National Park

For sale - want to buy it?

Vista view - Kings River below, Sierra Nevadas above

The flowers!  See the burned out tree to right?

Got into the park about 10:30am, stopped again at the visitors center to ask about hikes at Roads End where the road literally ends right at the base of the Sierra Nevada's.  Just want a leisurely stroll at Roads End - to experience the wilderness.  Was recommended to go to Zumwalt Meadows and do the loop.  You have to remember that you are inside the park for a short distance while at the visitors center and visiting Grants Tree and Grove, then you are outside driving along the scenic byway for many miles.  Dropping down into the canyon, driving along the Kings River, twisty turn roads.  Again, not for the faint heart. Once you are at river's edge you re-enter back into Kings Canyon NP.

Nothing left of Kings Canyon Lodge - result of last year's Rough Fire

We were here 10 days ago during a thunderstorm and the wild flowers were just beginning to bloom. And now!  WOW!!!  I fell in love with deep yellow and lilac.  Stunning.  Every hill and nook and cranny were flowers, at the base of burned out trees, inside scorched rocks.  There are 4 different seasons for the flowers in the spring.  After you see one or two colors and those fade out, then the next show of a different color.  And on and on.

Dropped down and along Kings River

A fur piece down there!!

At beginning of walk around Zumwalt Meadows

Lupine beginning to bloom

This little flower was everywhere, even at edge of road

Got to Zumwalt Meadows and took the loop.  Walking along the river, out into the meadow, back under the canopy of massive fir trees, listening to the birds chirping, the wind rustling the trees, butterflies skittering around, hearing the river roar over the rocks (was considerably higher than last time - rainstorm and snow runoff), just a glorious walk. Even was graced with a small snake sunning itself on our path.

Meadow walk with North Dome looming overhead

See man fly fishing?  

Bridge over river

After our walk continued on to Roads End parking area and went looking for the John Muir Rock which is a huge rock that sits at the rivers edge where John Muir gave his talks on the Sierras and conservation and preservation.  This took place in the late 1800's.  The man was clearly ahead of his time and knew if we didn't take care of the natural landscape, it would be gone/ruined for the future.

Zumwalt Meadows

Hello snake

Post card picture!

Very lovely day in the park.  Stopped again at a couple of view points on our way back out of the canyon to view the river and the scenery and get our last glimpse of Kings Canyon. Amazing how in 2 weeks  the increase in people visiting.  And the difference in the two weeks - the vista views, the flowers, and how much higher the river was.

John Muir Rock

Our climb back out of Roads End, see road on left?

Bye, bye Kings Canyon - it's been great!

We do our 'cleanup/laundry' today, putting things away and getting ready to move.  We have reservations in Coarsegold, California starting tomorrow which is a town on the southwest side of Yosemite National Park.  We have tried to visit that park for the last 4 years but was chased away due to fires.