Campground · Kings Canyon National Park
Camp among conifers with Grant Grove’s sequoia walks nearby.
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
General Grant Tree and Grant Grove“You're approaching Grant Grove's General Grant Tree, the world's second-largest tree by trunk volume. This is a stop I'd keep even on a short visit.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Crystal Springs Campground 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
Crystal Springs Campground is a developed 35-standard-site campground in open conifer forest at about 6,500 feet, four miles from the Kings Canyon entrance. It works well if you want to stay near Grant Grove’s main stops: General Grant Tree, Ella Falls and Panoramic Point are reachable on foot from the campground area.
Every standard site has a picnic table, fire ring and bear-resistant food locker. Keep food, drinks, scented items and cooking gear in the locker whenever they are not within arm’s reach. Potable water and flush toilets are seasonal; there are no showers or electric hookups. Grant Grove Village is nearby for a restaurant, market, visitor center and other services, and the campground has a camp store and ice.
Sugar pines, incense cedars, firs and sequoias make up the campground’s mixed-conifer setting. Wildlife in the area includes mule deer, gray and golden-mantled ground squirrels, birds and black bears, though sightings are never guaranteed. One worthwhile walk from camp is to the General Grant Tree, known as the Nation’s Christmas Tree and the only living memorial to U.S. military veterans.
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
ModerateSunset Trail and Ella Falls Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 0.4 mi awayA granite cascade and a screened lake view reward this forest loop.
ModerateViola Falls Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA forested descent from Grant Grove ends at a granite cascade.
ModerateManzanita and Azalea Trail4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA forest circuit around Wilsonia opens onto High Sierra views.
ModerateNorth Boundary–Lone Pine Loop4.5 mi · 2.3 hr · 0.7 mi awayA quieter forest loop with a brief giant sequoia highlight
ModerateNorth Grove Loop1.8 mi · 1 hr · 0.7 mi awayA quieter sequoia loop through meadows and creek-side forest.
EasyNorth Grove and Dead Giant Loops2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayWalk two sequoia loops to a standing dead giant and lake view
EasyPanoramic Point Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 1.1 mi awayA paved half-mile loop over Hume Lake and the High Sierra.ModeratePark Ridge Trail to Park Ridge Fire Lookout5.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayWalk the ridge to a historic fire lookout and wide Sierra views.
Lodging · 0.3 mi awayJohn Muir LodgeA 36-room in-park base near General Grant Tree and Grant Grove walks.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayGrant Grove StablesSee Grant Grove's giant sequoias from the saddle.
Store · 0.3 mi awayGrant Grove Market and Post OfficeA useful top-up for snacks and forgotten camp supplies.
Restaurant · 0.3 mi awayGrant Grove RestaurantA meal break in the sequoias, with a meadow-side courtyard.
Lodging · 0.3 mi awayGrant Grove CabinsCabin comfort varies, but the sequoias are right nearby.
Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayColumbine Picnic Area and Snowplay AreaPicnic tables in the forest, with a sledding slope after snowfall.
Visitor center · 0.4 mi awayKings Canyon Visitor CenterMaps, ranger advice and sequoia exhibits make this a smart first stop.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayAzalea CampgroundA wooded base for Grant Grove, with 110 sites at 6,500 feet.Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
