Entrance station · Kings Canyon National Park
Pay here, pick up maps, and get oriented before the drive.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kings Canyon Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kings Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Kings Canyon audio tourRecorded for this area
The Reservoirs That Never Came“Cedar Grove could have become a reservoir instead of a place to walk beside the river.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Big Stump Entrance Station in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
Guide
Big Stump Entrance Station is the Highway 180 fee and information stop for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the Hume Lake District of Sequoia National Forest. Coming from Fresno, this is likely your first stop in the parks. Pay the entrance fee here, then pick up maps, the park newspaper, and orientation and safety information. Staff help at the station, and there is auto parking.
If you have a longer vehicle or would rather avoid a winding approach, this entrance is a good choice: Highway 180 and nearby roads are straighter, less steep, and wider. The station is 20 miles east of Squaw Valley and 3 miles east of the Highway 245/180 junction. Fill up before entering; there are no gas stations inside park boundaries.
The area you enter was first called General Grant National Park, created just after Sequoia National Park. It was initially managed by Sequoia’s superintendent, became autonomous in the 1930s, then was administratively merged with Sequoia again in 1943 as a wartime economy measure. The parks remain managed together.
Wildlife
227 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
385 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
188 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
118 sightingsPikaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsGolden TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
32 sightingsRainbow TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kings Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyBig Stump Loop Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short loop through logged sequoias to the Mark Twain stump.
ModerateSunset Trail and Ella Falls Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 1.6 mi awayA granite cascade and a screened lake view reward this forest loop.
ModerateViola Falls Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA forested descent from Grant Grove ends at a granite cascade.
ModerateManzanita and Azalea Trail4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA forest circuit around Wilsonia opens onto High Sierra views.
ModerateNorth Grove Loop1.8 mi · 1 hr · 2.2 mi awayA quieter sequoia loop through meadows and creek-side forest.
EasyNorth Grove and Dead Giant Loops2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayWalk two sequoia loops to a standing dead giant and lake view
ModerateHart Tree and Fallen Goliath Loop7.3 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayA 7.3-mile sequoia loop to Hart Tree and Fallen Goliath.
ModerateSugar Bowl Loop6.5 mi · 4 hr · 2.5 mi awayA sequoia loop with a ridge climb and a long descent
Sight · 0.1 mi awayMark Twain StumpAn enormous sequoia stump you can climb, with a sobering backstory.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayBig Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay AreaA practical first stop, with a trailhead and winter snowplay.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayPark Ridge LookoutA working fire lookout with roots reaching back to 1916.
Campground · 1.4 mi awaySunset CampgroundA wooded Grant Grove base, with sunset views from select sites.
Sight · 1.6 mi awaySunset AmphitheaterCatch a ranger talk in a small forest amphitheater.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayKings Canyon Visitor CenterMaps, ranger advice and sequoia exhibits make this a smart first stop.
Lodging · 1.7 mi awayGrant Grove CabinsCabin comfort varies, but the sequoias are right nearby.
Restaurant · 1.7 mi awayGrant Grove RestaurantA meal break in the sequoias, with a meadow-side courtyard.Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
