Kings Canyon Scenic Byway: The Drive Is Part of the Experience
Do not think of Highway 180 as dead time between Sequoia and a trailhead. Driving deep into Kings Canyon was part of what made the park so much better than we expected.
Stop when the view tells you to stop
The road winds deeper into the canyon with granite walls, river views and pullouts. We used GuideAlong for stories and context, which made the drive even better because we understood more of what we were looking at.
Easy stops along the way
Grizzly Falls is about a five-minute walk from the road. Roaring River Falls is another very short paved walk to water rushing through a narrow granite chute. We stopped at both; neither needs to become a major event.
Zumwalt Meadow
We did this as a quick scenic walk after Mist Falls and could not do the former full loop. That is still the right expectation today: flooding changed the old loop, but the accessible portions still deliver beautiful meadow, Kings River and granite-wall views.