Campground · Kings Canyon National Park
A wooded base for easy walks down to Hume Lake.
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 Owl's Quiet Wings“If you see an owl cross a forest opening, listen as well as look. Many owls fly with remarkably little noise, thanks partly to the structure of their feathers.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Hume Lake 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
Hume Lake Campground is a U.S. Forest Service campground at the north end of Hume Lake, among incense cedar and ponderosa pine at 5,250 feet. Its 74 reservable family sites are in Sequoia National Forest, just outside Kings Canyon National Park proper. Come for a wooded base with footpaths down to the lake.
Some campsites have lake views, and foot trails lead to shore. Hume Lake is used for fishing and swimming, and only non-motorized boats are allowed. Most sites are within a half-mile walk of village concessions such as groceries, boat rentals and fuel.
Hume Lake began as a reservoir for commercial logging and supplied water to a lumber flume that carried logs toward the Central Valley. That history is easy to miss beside the forested shoreline, but it explains why this mountain lake is here.
Sites have picnic tables and fire rings; the campground has flush toilets and drinking water. Food-storage rules apply in black-bear country. Campfire permits are required for fires, barbecues and camp stoves, and check current fire restrictions before using them. Reserve ahead for busy dates. Visitors like the wooded setting, though some report uneven or close-set sites where privacy varies.
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
ModerateBoole Tree Trail2.3 mi · 2 hr · 3.5 mi awayA giant sequoia thought spared by loggers anchors this forest loop.
ModeratePark Ridge Trail to Park Ridge Fire Lookout5.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.6 mi awayWalk the ridge to a historic fire lookout and wide Sierra views.EasyPanoramic Point Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 3.6 mi awayA paved half-mile loop over Hume Lake and the High Sierra.
ModerateNorth Boundary–Lone Pine Loop4.5 mi · 2.3 hr · 4 mi awayA quieter forest loop with a brief giant sequoia highlight
ChallengingKanawyer Trail (Monarch Wilderness)11.1 mi · 8 hr · 4.6 mi awayA remote drop through three giant sequoia groves.
ModerateSunset Trail and Ella Falls Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 4.9 mi awayA granite cascade and a screened lake view reward this forest loop.
ModerateViola Falls Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.9 mi awayA forested descent from Grant Grove ends at a granite cascade.
ModerateManzanita and Azalea Trail4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.9 mi awayA forest circuit around Wilsonia opens onto High Sierra views.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayPowder Can Picnic AreaTables, grills and a toilet near Hume Lake; bring drinking water
Beach · 0.6 mi awaySandy Cove Day Use AreaA free Hume Lake beach for swimming, fishing and paddling.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayHume Lake VillageFuel, groceries and casual food make this a handy lakeside stop.
Campground · 1 mi awayAspen Hollow Group CampgroundA 100-person base camp one mile from Hume Lake.
Campground · 1.6 mi awayLogger Flat Group CampgroundA reservable Sierra campground for groups of up to 50.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayPrincess CampgroundCamp beside an old sequoia grove and a wildflower meadow.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayLandslide CampgroundA small creekside base near two giant sequoia groves.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayJunction ViewGet a bird's-eye look at the Kings River forks meeting below.Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
