We drove into Kings Canyon proper this morning in the haze of the smoke from the Tehipite fire. First we drove around the valley floor and took in all the sights.
The entrance to Kings Canyon shrouded by the Tehipite fire |
Lori above Horeshoe Bend |
Our first view of Grand Sentinel |
A picturesque crag to the east of Mount Hutchings |
Mount Hutchings |
North Dome and Mount Hutchings |
Mount Hutchings and crag |
North Dome |
The south fork of the Kings River |
We then hiked up the Hotel Creek Trail out to the Ceder Grove Overlook and then came down the Lewis Creek Trail. It was very hot and both of us blew through our three liters of water. Lori got a slight touch of heat exhaustion at the bottom, but quickly revived with some AC and agua.
I was surprised to see manzanita up here |
Glacier Monument and our trail |
We spotted some beautiful butterflies; this species actually stopped so I could take a shot |
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Careful Lori, it's a long way down! |
Lori gazes to the west from the Cedar Grove Overlook just before digging into lunch |
An overview of Kings Canyon |
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The south fork of the Kings River from above |
Our first glimpse of the Monarch Divide as we head down from our lunch spot |
Lori, sequoias, and the Monarch Divide |
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Bright flowers in contrast to the burnt-out forest |
Lori again |
The Monarch Divide |
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We took a short excursion to the Roaring River Falls.
Cliffs above the Roaring River; note the interesting yellow rock |
Rocky crags across the valley from the Roaring River |
The Roaring River Falls |
We hiked the Zumwalt Meadow Trail.
Lori on a foot bridge over the south fork of the Kings River |
Buck Peak with the (pretty dry) south fork of the Kings River in the foreground |
North Dome with Mount Hutchings peeking out behind it |
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Zumwalt Meadow with Buck Peak in the background |
Bright green ferns show contrast with black ground from recent burn |
Cliffs above Zumwalt Meadow and talus |
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Zumwalt Meadow, facing west |
Lori silhouetted by the setting sun |
My favorite shot of North Dome as the shadows grow longer |
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Flowers on the beach of the Kings River |
One last peek at the Grand Sentinel |
Ahhh, that feels great! |
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And then we headed back to Grant Grove, stopping often to enjoy the sheer cliffs. The smoke was not nearly as bad as it was in the morning.
The mouth of Kings Canyon at sunset |
The cliffs across from Horseshoe Bend |
The middle fork of the Kings River capped by the smoke of the Tehipite fire, taken at Junction View |
Entrance to Kings Canyon at sunset (contrast with sunrise) |
Obligatory shot of the Jeep |
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