NO CROWDS, Hidden Gem National Park! | Kings Canyon Travel Guide

[@DanTreks]

All drone/aerial footage was obtained outside of national park boundaries/designated wilderness in Sequoia National Forest, where drone flights are legal. Drone/UAS was NOT launched, operated, or landed within Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Park boundaries.

[@swithinbarclay4797]

Airspace is restricted for ALL aircraft, above any Park Service facility or property, unless you're a Federal aircraft (Parks/USFS/Militaries) on assigned essential missions. I understand that hangliders/base jumpers/bungee jumpers have been arrested and served HARD Federal Time, for their antics. To fly directly over a Park/Monument, that aircraft can ONLY be a Commercial plane at CRUISING ALTITUDE (20K'+), flying within narrowly proscribed air lanes. If a regularly scheduled commercial plane is flying to/from San FranciscoSeattle, they MUST make a slight dodge around Muir Wood's airspace, close-in to San Francisco.

[@liannebedard5521]

@@DanTreks My visit was some time in the past and it was not on a holiday, so no hordes of city refugees. We did have a giggling small bunch of Girl Scouts and their adults …who put up all their tents while my partner struggled with ours. I went to the latrine so he could not hear me giggling…

[@rickuyeda4818]

I was there in the mid 50's. I spent Summers at my Aunt's house in Reedley.

[@popeyesailor9571]

My dad lobbied the bill to save the General keeping people from under the tree as the roots are wide and shallow. john muir Home is 3.5km down the street from me.

[@HeyChannelDani]

Seriously awesome video! Informative, pretty to watch, nice drone shots, and great narration! I hope your Big Trees film project is/has gone well!

[@KirkLangford-nf8bs]

Kings is biggest gorge in North America and the hike to mist falls is fantastic ❤

[@liannebedard5521]

@@KirkLangford-nf8bs Kings is one of the best experiences of my life…and I have seen a lot of woods

[@ralphjones6165]

No crowds! But videos like this won't help keep it that way. Fortunately I don't think Cedar Grove will become an overrun zoo like Yosemite. It just lacks the E ticket attractions of Yosemite vslley.But it is a gateway to a peerless premier backpacking region that casual drive thru visitors cannot envision. I spent summers spanning 4 decades out there in this natural work of art. Am approaching age of 80 now and am sad that I cannot continue hitting those trails

[@broinsocali]

Great park. I went here Dec. 2023 seem like I had the park all to myself.

[@StrategicChicken]

太棒了！我来自中国郑州。 我无法想象有这么大的树和这么美丽的山。 在我的家乡，我们只有平坦的农田。 很棒的视频！

[@EricUnderwood-v2x]

Hello I'm from California and I really wish you could come visit our wonderful Giants. When a person first sees them their mouth is agape ( agape means open wide) with amazement....✌️

[@thebeachtoday1127]

Dude! Your videos are awesome. Top notch. Keep up the good work!

[@theblackbear211]

Nice job. I did 6 Seasons on the Back-Country Trail Crew at Kings Canyon back in the '90's. Perhaps you might have mentioned that the park contains over 450 miles of trails - including through some of the highest terrain in the Sierra Nevada. But it's a great intro film.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

Spectacular! I just subscribed.👍👍

[@ventureswithvictoria]

Loved this video! One of the few national park themed videos that isn’t annoying and superficial but pleasant, authentic, and informative. I’m not a fan of drones, even if flown legally, but I appreciated that the spots you chose to fly it were fairly secluded and less likely to disrupt anyone.

[@DanTreks]

Thank you! And I'll be the first to admit that drones are a bane of nature--nothing like enjoying a beautiful view with the sound of a swarm of bees overhead! I definitely try to fly when others aren't around, and if they are, ask if they're okay with the noise for a bit.

[@coloradotrish7297]

The mts in CA really are amazing! Thank you for posting!

[@dorianmerrill]

Thanks for the informative video Dan!

[@charleshammer3466]

Thanks. Nice footage, editing and musical accompaniment. I can't be the only one who saw faces in the mountain at 17.12. Pretty cool, had to stop and comment.

[@morganeggebrecht732]

I’m so excited going here and sequoia national Park in June!!

[@cherylramsey3409]

Thank you for your video! It is a very beautiful area. Brings back a lot of memories. I was there when I was working in Clovis outside of Fresno. also over to Mariposa Grove and Olmsted point. but it was probably 2016. Long before the fires.

[@corinaalmaguer2454]

Love it there. I did day hikes and backpacking over nighters .

[@nfrost1986]

This is probably the best video of this national park at least you show how to get there

[@NormaniUs]

best video i found so far for kings canyon! thanks!

[@swithinbarclay4797]

Kings Canyon makes such a deep gash--both in elevation and length--in the mountains, that from the Eastern sheer end, the Main Sierra Crest is only less than 12 miles rifle-shot straight due East, from hence there down into the Basins & Ranges Desert.

[@ahmedhumayun8512]

It is so rare to find a video so high quality on KZbin, at times it felt like I was watching nat geo content. Well done!, Hope to see more content from your channel, 11/10.

[@lstardustk]

Thank you for opening up my photo album on your show I have pictures of all of that my friends were the ones were the ones that gave the tour in Boyden cave. Thank you.

[@stevengoossen6019]

Dan, what a beautiful video of my "backyard"! I live near Dinuba, CA, and the mountain view is fabulous. Your camera angles and editing were great. You have convinced me to, in spring, get out of my seat and take a hike up to the Sequoia National Park. BTW, the Kings River supplies our ditch water for irrigation here in the valley. What great-looking footage; keep filming, Dan.

[@DanTreks]

Hi Steve, thank you so much for the kind words! I bet you have some great views of the Sierra Nevada from Dinuba--I hope you have a great time visiting the parks this spring, I'm hoping to make a return trip myself!

[@stevengoossen6019]

@@DanTreks If I could, but I can't, attach a picture of what the view looks like I would. The snow on the mountaintops is so majestic, and as a farmer, so needed as we have had a drought for so many years. I hope you'll be able to come back. That would be great.

[@susieschleppenbach5054]

Nice tour of Kings Canyon. I'm headed up there in 2 days. I foundly refer to Cedar Grove as my hometown. Shhh, it's a secret spot.

[@tavakessler]

Such a great video! You deserve more views

[@waynesimpson4081]

One look at the park map will show this is a wilderness park. The main attraction is the mountain back-country spine along the Pacific Crest Trail. Very few visitors will ever see the stunning High Sierra only accessible via multi-day hiking or mule packing. KZbin PCT: Pinchot, Muir, Mather, Forster, Glenn or "Sierra" passes.

[@Schi8694]

We’re going in Oct, and a primary reason is to avoid the crowds. :)

[@cherylsalka4185]

Cedar Grove is our 2nd home, 2nd to Visalia. We used to be able to camp whenever we wanted. Reservations have caused all the campsites to be reserved, although is only about half full. Half the people never show up. It's sad to see empty campsites where we used to enjoy week long family camping trips. You can swim in the river at the campsite areas down to the Roads End. We've been jumping off Muir Rock for years. No rafts though! You can also ride to Mist Falls and To Paradise Valley in the summer. They used to do horse trips to up there and you could hire a camp chef to cook for you. We love our backyard Cedar Grove! We do alot of day trips now that camping reservations are not always easy to get. Before social media and many have learned about Kings Canyon, it really was perfect. 🌲😎

[@jcwandering-sharingourstory]

Great video. We made this journey last year. Absolutely incredible area to experience.

[@MajorAddiction]

It's funny I wondered about the opening drone shot and you addressed it right at the start. Anyway, beautiful imagery with great commentary. Thanks for sharing.

[@ATI_Reiki_Healing_Sounds]

Thank you for sharing! great video and info - planning my trip soon .... 😊subscribed😎

[@RiflemanLEONE]

Dealing with the tour groups around General Sherman in Sequoia NP are the worst.

[@JReyesNineFour]

Did the Zumwalt Meadow trail early in the morning and encountered a bear. It was amazing!

[@CactusAtlas]

Excellent video!

[@the305hauler]

Booyah 👊🏽 😁 👍🏽 🇺🇸

[@oulupulu]

NPS repairs are so slow. I swear they just have one old guy doing it all. Nice video my good man 🫠

[@nathanielavoures1596]

If you love giant trees visit Joyce Kimlar memoral national park in Tennessee some trees are over 12 ft across.

[@elveestef]

Wow, excellent video! Trying to plan a trip to CA this May and check out both parks. My dream is to see the Giant Sequoias, so I cannot wait. We plan to stay in Fresno at the end of our trip to visit the parks. I'm wondering if it would be in our best interest to plan on 2 days (a full day at each park) so we aren't rushed. 🤔

[@DanTreks]

Thank you! I would recommend at LEAST a full day in each park, if not two! If you're strapped for time though, a day in each will still let you see some of the best sights. Have a great trip!

[@elveestef]

@@DanTreks Thank you!

[@theblackbear211]

@@DanTreks I would second that, especially in summer.

[@halpetersteiner4037]

In the 60s I was part of a commission by California to measure and map every redwood in kings canyon national park. Every redwood from 2 inches tall, to 200 feet tall was put on a map. Each tree was numbered and that number was references with a detailed description of that tree. It took our crew of 12 men, 5 years to complete. From 1965 through 69. Over 3 million redwoods. My step-dad owned the survey company that won the contract. Western Timber Services out of Arcata, California. All of my high-school years were spent there. Our ragtag crew of misfits were hard-core foresters. Most of our crew was made up of forestry majors from Humbolt State College. Which is now Humbolt State University. But our crew also consisted of one crusty coal miner named papa Jerr. One Vietnam Corman.l, Brian. And me, a teenage HIPPIE from Arcata High. Hal. We measured and mapped every redwood in Kings Canyon Park. In the same antics of a mash unit, we were animals, we were kicked out of every cabin that we rented for the duration of our contract. But our work was impeccable. The State of California tried to kick us out of the contract. But every time they hired a rival company to prove us deficient. The arbitration showed no errors in our work. So they couldn't show breach. If there was ever a question, a third party always found our mapping to prevail. It was the best 5 years of my life. The main rival company trying to show fault in our work was Hill and Hill out of Redding CA. In classic Mash style antics, we painted Hill and Hill on the side of one of our Forrest rigs and drove down through a girls summer camp pretending to survey it for demolition. That got rid of Hill and Hill.

[@DanTreks]

That sounds like an incredible way to spend 5 years with a lot of good memories--and maybe some hijinks to match! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@runrunrun6517]

Great video!! OMG this is a small Yosemite.

[@dilippatel3268]

excellent video

[@katiek6741]

Cedar Grove closed 2023 summer season. Road washout. Grant is open. Call NPS for road status before you drive

[@DanTreks]

Yes, very unfortunate! Cedar Grove is a beautiful part of Kings Canyon and it will be missed this season.

[@1958zed]

Great video. I went to Sequoia King's Canyon in May 2021 and stayed at the John Muir Lodge. It was centrally located to see both parks, but I was so enthralled by KC, I spent most of my time there. I'm spending a few nights in Cedar Grove next month and can't wait. One tip you could share is that there are NO gas stations in either park, so make sure you arrive with a full tank.

[@richardlinzmeier3697]

There’s gas/diesel at Hume lake

[@skysurfer5cva]

Every year since about 2014 (not including the pandemic years 2020-2022), the Sequoia Conservancy has hosted the Sequoia Dark Sky Festival during the new-Moon weekend in September. During the event, the Kern Astronomical Society (Bakersfield) conducts a public star party at Wuksachi Lodge and my club (Central Valley Astronomers, Fresno) conducts a public star party at the Big Stump parking lot. In addition, during other new-Moon weekends during the year, you will often find CVA members with their telescopes at Big Stump for observing and astrophotography. Even so, we welcome visitors. Please note that all observing sessions are weather permitting. One correction to the video: Paradise Valley is well past Mist Falls, not before it.

[@liannebedard5521]

@@skysurfer5cva oh, wow. I believe we (Seattle);have a bunch of volunteers who offer something similar.

[@igorcorti6364]

Amazing!!! We are heading there in May and I would love to fly my drone on those spots like you did. Thank you for this video ❤️

[@kenho2720]

Was gonna go in march but since the road down to the valley is closed..nevermind 😭😭

[@allanstaple9785]

I live next to the park literally all you need to do is get a fire road map and drive down anyone and you will find Solitude anywhere in that Park it's massive and amazing just get off the pavement a little bit and your opinion will change

[@liannebedard5521]

…and if you go nearby to the national FOREST…you will know you’ve found a quieter, less crowded place. Spent an idyllic weekend there in peace and quiet…

[@swithinbarclay4797]

Now if we go over the meadow [& bridge] and through the woods, will we find Grandma's house??

[@harrydemetro1935]

Hi how can I get in the camping area you and your wife was at it seemed perfect I plan on going one day

[@DanTreks]

Hi there, So any of the campgrounds in Cedar Grove will get you similar views--we stayed in the Moraine Campground. That being said, this part of the park is unfortunately closed until at least next summer due to extensive road damage. I'll post an update in this video's description once it's back open!

[@dipthongthathongthongthong9691]

Very informative, thank you! I'll be in Dunlap in early Aug. for three days. Would you say it is worth spending a bulk of the time in Kings or, is it worth heading down the General Hwy to explore Sequoia from the north? Biting off more than one can chew? Thanks!

[@DanTreks]

I would dedicate more time to Sequoia! The Cedar Grove area of Kings is closed indefinitely due to major storm damage from this past winter, and in my opinion, that’s the best part of Kings Canyon.

[@rmac1042]

I was disappointed that the gigantic peaks of the Kings-Kern Divide, the Mt Brewer area of the Great Western and most importantly, the Palisades with six Fourteener like the 4th highest peak in California-North Palisade, 14,249 ft, or Mt Sill, 14,159 ft. These are a part of Kings Canyon National Park too. By the way... North Palisade can be viewed from Panorama Point near Grant Grove! That’s looking clear across the Sierra to the Sierra Crest!

[@BM-cj7hr]

This park doesnt have the majestic mountains like YNP, thats why its less traffic

[@manimegalaiabinesh4183]

Have visited general Sherman tree?

[@DanTreks]

Yes! It is absolutely amazing--you can learn more about it too in my video guide to Sequoia National Park on my channel!

[@DarkClassicGamer]

where we dropping boys?

[@DARKSEID76]

Man I miss Kings Canyon, I'd take that over Olympus any day.

[@AnitraKAcuna]

I love there's hardly any people. 🤫

[@derbywinner6316]

Drones interrupted the wildlife., please, if you’re can consider drones freely environments. Thank you for sharing

[@tony6925]

Don’t expose kings canyon. Love it there.

[@jellyfish425]

Not open in 2023.

[@dipthongthathongthongthong9691]

You mean no access at all to the areas mentioned in this video???

[@JustReckles5]

Don't say that. I was planning on going tomorrow

[@noel3422]

Not at all true, both kings canyon n.p. and sequoia n.p. are fully full all summer long, zero solitude, you can drive through and drive out unless you want to share a small spot with several families in a non camping day use area. Campgrounds are large and full all summer and look more like a city than a campground. California has dropped the ball at the one yard line I.M.H.O, summer of 2022 was my last trip to any california National Park, there are more private homes, shops, markets, lodges, rental cabins, trinket shops gas stations, than any form of solitude, really sad. I am not sure how the idea of national parks and the reason to create them became so twisted into a commerce boondoggle, but, I do know what the B.L.M. is, and who the director of this government entity was for many years, so, there is the smoking gun.

[@jarrettnicely7723]

What are you talking about? I've been to state parks with less crowds than Kings.

[@cojaxart8986]

Duly noted. However, these are still earthly treasures for any and all who appreciate them. Like anything else in life, you must choose what you do carefully. Perhaps going at a different time would be better than mid summer. Oops, I almost forgot, you aren’t coming to these parks anymore! Thank goodness for that! Keep it that way then!

[@EricUnderwood-v2x]

Kings Canyon National Park... should have visited In the 60s 70s and 80s like we did! Awesome!

[@rickyskateshard]

You sound like you had a bad summer you should hit up Cabo 🤭😎

[@MTNMAX88]

Compared to the nearby Yosemite, crowds are way smaller.

[@mikelopez5865]

Well now we’re getting crowds