This is a continuation of Four perfect days in Kings Canyon – Roads End to Sphinx Creek.

Day 4 – Roads End to Lower Tent Meadows

After hiking on at least partially the same trails the prior two days, we decided it would be good to take a new direction from Roads End…to the north. The Copper Creek trail starts in the same parking lot that we used for Mist Falls and Sphinx Creek, and heads north from the Canyon floor toward the lesser-known/accessible parts of Kings Canyon National Park. Taken far enough, it forms a loop that meets the John Muir Trail.

Hot and dry

The first section of the trail faces south and is continually in the sun during daylight hours, making the trail dry, dusty and nearly void of shade. To enjoy the trail means passing through this part early and quickly. Once on the north-facing wall of Copper Creek Canyon, shade trees are the norm and the trail becomes less sandy and much more comfortable. This hike is in a much broader canyon than the others and the views are less of glacier-scoured rock and more of alpine meadows.

As we passed the halfway point on our hike, we walked through several large meadows that were full of flowers as though it was April instead of August. Just like the day before, we needed to keep moving to avoid the various insects that stayed away as long as we hiked but quickly found us as soon as we stopped. We even ate our lunch of sandwiches, granola bars and oranges as we walked just to avoid the insect issue. We met only three lone hikers during the course of our four-hour hike, and each seemed tired and weary of walking. The last one we met seemed delirious and we suspected was dehydrated, as his water bottles hung empty from his pack, his speech was slurred, and he repeated himself several times as he told us his story. We tried to give him water but he refused our offers. Knowing he was near the end of the trail, we wished him well and moved on.

Returning to Roads End

The return to Roads End was uneventful and significantly faster than the steady uphill climb of the morning. We passed through the hot and dry section with significantly less discomfort on the way down, and were at The Beach and jumping off Muir Rock by early afternoon. This hike was the perfect way to spend the last full day of our trip, and was thankfully shorter than the tough climb the day before.

Closing out four perfect days

Kings Canyon is an excellent place to spend four or more days. It is within five hours of Los Angeles and is a world apart from the Eastern Sierras. Uncrowded, Kings Canyon is frequented mostly by families from other parts of California and serious hikers spending days or weeks on the trail. Its eastern part touches the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, making it a great place to enter or exit these much longer hikes. Beyond the great trails, Muir Rock and The Beach at Roads End are great places to relax and enjoy the South Fork Kings River. We highly recommend you enjoy it as much as we do.

This is a continuation of Four perfect days in Kings Canyon.

Day 3 – Roads End to Sphinx Creek

An early start allowed us to park at Roads End once again and to be on the Woods Creek Trail well before the hot part of the day. This trail was the very same one that took us to Mist Falls the day before except that we would take a right turn where the trail split at the junction of Woods Creek and Bubbs Creek. We had always wanted to hike the south side of the valley toward the formation known as The Sphinx.

Bubbs Creek Trail

After passing through the essentially flat first section, we met our intersection and started up the new watershed of Bubbs Creek. The trail crossed a sturdy bridge over Woods Creek and then a series of four bridges over various large and small streams before beginning a grueling switchback section that quickly took us well beyond the first valley. The effort that was put into building the trail up a nearly vertical rock face was obvious, as the switchbacks were built almost entirely as stone staircases with metal rods as reinforcement. Once above the switchbacks, the trail became less steep and followed the fast-flowing Bubbs Creek as it tumbled its way down a narrow valley.

Sphinx Creek Trail

The next fork we encountered was the jumping off point for the Rae Lakes Loop if we had continued straight up Bubbs Creek, or for Avalanche Pass, accessed by the right turn we made at the junction. This also represented the first place where camping was allowed (with a Wilderness Permit, available at Roads End), and was a particularly beautiful, shaded, insect-free place. There were bear bins on both sides of the river and a wide variety of flat places for tents to be pitched. As we were day hiking, we pressed onward up the third watershed of the day, Sphinx Creek itself.

By this point we could see the Sphinx rock formation directly above us and could also see the last remnants of Winter snows high above. We quickly left the protective shade of tall pine trees and once again began a series of switchbacks that took us quickly up into yet another, higher valley. Once above the rocky area, the trail once again was shaded by tall pines and we encountered some of the most serious insects we’d encountered on any hiking trail. The combination of a heavy winter snowpack, unusually swampy areas along the river, and a warm day brought out the flies and mosquitos. After spraying ourselves, we kept moving, noticing that we were far less pestered when moving than when stopping to solve the problem.

The turnaround

We made the decision to eat lunch where the trail crossed Sphinx Creek at 2772 m (8,595 ft.).  We had covered 11.8 km (7.1 miles) and climbed 2,440 m (7,564 ft.) over the course of four hours and felt we had achieved more than enough for one day. It was great to have a first-time experience on this set of trails and the views of the three different waterways and valleys were remarkable.

We weren’t able to reach the Sphinx formation itself, but we could see that we had reached the same elevation. Getting to the formation would have been an additional three hours and it was too late in the day for us to attempt it. We cooled our feet in the stream, ate our lunch, and then made our way back down. We ended the day, of course, by going to Muir Rock and The Beach, the perfect place to relax after a demanding hike.

Up next, Day 4 and the Copper Creek Trail to Tent Meadows.

Everyone knows Yosemite, at least by reputation, but far fewer people know the national park just to its south, Kings Canyon. It forms the northern part of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, and even within this two-park system, Sequoia overshadows the other due to its world-famous, enormous trees. Adding to the obscurity, there is essentially one road into and out of Kings Canyon, California State Road 180, and it is a dead end. Most of Kings Canyon is wilderness and it attracts a more nature-loving and back country crowd than Yosemite.

For a great map of the two parks, go here.

Preparing

Many of the best camping sites in Kings Canyon are first-come-first-served and aren’t reservable. That makes this park less interesting to tourists who plan their vacations down to the hour…not the kind of people we want to hang with, anyway. We like Sheep Creek, near the Cedar Grove Ranger Station, for its great sites, tall pines that provide wonderful shade on a hot day, and proximity to the South Fork Kings River, the main waterway of the park. If this one fills up, the rangers open more sites in nearby campsites, so don’t worry too much. Our method is to arrive when the sites become available at 11am, and try to avoid Friday and Saturday arrivals, as you’ll be competing with more of the public. The sites are $18 per night, with a maximum of six people per site (though no one is counting too closely). There is a small convenience store in Cedar Grove only a half mile away that makes any last-minute shopping expensive but easy. One thing to remember…there is no reliable gas supply in Kings Canyon, so fill your tank in Squaw Valley on the way up from Fresno. Last piece of advice…no matter how much the map makes other routes into the Canyon look shorter, stay on Route 99 until the exit for Yosemite, then take the 180 exit shortly after. You’ll be very glad you did and won’t have sick passengers.

Day 1 – Easy access fun

The biggest single attraction for people camping in Kings Canyon (or staying at the Cedar Grove Lodge) is Muir Rock and “The Beach”. These two sites are adjacent to each other and are a very short trail (100 m) from the parking lot at Road’s End, which is, simply put, the end of the road that passes through the canyon. Generations of people have been jumping from the rock into the Kings River, and generations have urged the more timid to make the leap into the fast, cold current. Just below the rock, the water is crystal clear and deep enough for diving or the more typical feet-first leap. The Beach, just up river, is the perfect vantage point to watch the action.

Day 2 – Mist Falls

The hike that is required of anyone spending time in Kings Canyon is Mist Falls. It is a 8.1 km (4.9 miles) hike that starts in the same parking lot as The Beach and Muir Rock. While the distance many seem large to some, a great portion of the hike is on relatively flat ground and isn’t too challenging. The views approaching the Falls are well worth the hike and there is a large, flat area that provides a remarkable view of a rock formation to the west known as The Sphinx. Even without the Falls just a little further ahead, this view is one of the best in the Sierras. From this spot, the hike to Mist Falls is less than thirty minutes. The most important things to remember about this trip are that the first three miles can be hot later in the day so leave early and bring plenty of water and mosquito repellent. There is just one section on the trail where the annoying insects are laying in wait for unprotected hikers. Save your lunch for the Falls, and find a great spot that isn’t too close, as mist falls continually and you’ll want to keep your sandwiches dry.

Refreshing 

One of the best aspects of each hike we took from Roads End (up next, Days 3 and 4), is that Muir Rock and The Beach await the end of each adventure. Rather than getting into your car, take the short walk and wade or jump into the river to clean up and cool off. We were fortunate and had friends waiting with snacks and drinks to make the perfect end to our hikes.

Up next, Day 3 of  Four perfect days in Kings Canyon – Roads End to Sphinx Creek.