Knapp's Cabin

Knapp’s Cabin is a small, one-room historic cabin on a glacial moraine in Cedar Grove, reached by a short walk from a Highway 180 turnout about 2 miles east of Cedar Grove Village Road. Built in 1925, it makes a quick leg-stretch stop for park history and a view across the canyon. The cabin is modest; the surrounding outlook is the stronger reason to pause. Cedar Grove is seasonal, so check Highway 180 access before making the drive.

Santa Barbara businessman George O. Knapp had the cabin built to store gear for fishing and camping trips with guests. He stopped using it in 1928, though the structure saw occasional use until Kings Canyon National Park was established in 1940. The Park Service took over its maintenance in the 1950s, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The cabin stands on a moraine, a ridge of rock and sediment left by a glacier, above the canyon floor. Look across the granite walls for horizontal scratches: rocks frozen into moving ice scored the granite as the glacier slid downhill thousands of years ago. Those marks connect this small roadside stop to the much larger forces that shaped the canyon.

The park lists auto parking, interpretive information and a scenic view here. The access is a short walk from the turnout; an exact walking distance and time aren’t established. For a photo, step back far enough to include the cabin against the granite walls so the frame shows both the old building and its canyon setting.