Roads End Ranger Station
| The
eastern end of Kings Canyon is a beautiful place to visit. The trail
begins at Roads
End which is located about 5 or 6 miles east of Cedar Grove and is
literally
the “end of the road” of Highway 180. Carved by
glaciers and the
Kings River it rivals (in my opinion) Yosemite Valley and is visited by
far fewer people. Mist Falls is a popular destionation for many
dayhikers and is the largest waterfall in Kings Canyon National Park.
The first 2 miles of the trail are relatively flat and sandy. At Bailey
Bridge and the confluence of Bubb's Creek, the trail and Kings River
turn northward and begin a gradul acsent for another 2.5 miles to Mist
Falls. North of the falls and further up the canyon, lies the
appropriately named Paradise Valley. About half of the Mist Falls Trail
overlaps with the Woods Creek Trail. Location: Near Cedar Grove & Roads End in Kings Canyon National Park Google Maps - Roads End & Paradise Valley Related Pages: Paradise Valley 360 Panoramic Photos My June 2010 Paradise Valley Backpacking Trip |
Go to Mist Falls Page
Roads End Ranger Station
Muir Rock seen from the south side of the Kings River
Kings Canyon, looking west not far from Roads End.
| The Sphinx is a majestic granite monolith named by John Muir which can been seen while hiking on most of the Mist Falls Trail. |
Bailey Bridge at the confluence of the Kings River and Bubbs Creek.
The trail passes through several cedar groves which fill the air with their thick scent.
In mid summer and later, the Kings River has many deep emerald pools where the water flows slowly.
Here the trail runs along the Kings River which was at a 20 year peak in June, 2010.
It was a raging torent of white water -- a powerful thing to behold . . . and respect.
I especially like sections of trail that are lined with ferns.
This is a spectauclar place to stop and look around.
The view down the canyon toward The Sphinx
The Sphinx Crest mountains.
The specatular view down canyon from the switchbacks above Mist Falls.
The trail passes through a cedar grove at the top of Mist Falls.
The Sphinx and Kings Canyon.
Go to Mist Falls Page