Best time to go
Highway 180 through Cedar Grove usually closes for winter around mid-November and reopens in late April. Treat Roads End as a seasonal stop and check the road's status before making the drive.
Overview
About Road's End Permit Station
Why stop
- Only permit office for several high Sierra wilderness routes
Heads up
- About an hour from Kings Canyon Visitor Center on a seasonal road
Map
Where it is
Loading the Kings Canyon map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
The permit stop at Roads End
8 active Kings Canyon alerts
- CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are active because high fire danger raises the risk of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors and employees.Official details
- ClosureGrant Grove trails and areas closed for prescribed fireSome trails and areas around Grant Grove and the General Grant Tree are closed during an active prescribed burn; stay out until crews clear hazards and reopen them.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kings Canyon Tour Guide
Your drive to Road's End Permit Station, narrated.
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 place
Road's End and Muir Rock0:00 / 0:29
“You're nearing Road's End, where Highway one eighty finishes and a short dirt path leads to Muir Rock beside the Kings River.”
Plays as you drive up to Road's End Permit Station in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Zumwalt Meadow
- Roaring River Falls
- Knapp’s Cabin
- Cedar Grove's Flat Green Sprays
- 55 audio storiesacross Kings Canyon’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mule Deer, Marmot, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 77 trails, 61 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…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
More about Road's End Permit Station
Set up before you make the driveA self-issue permit kiosk sits outside the building and is available around the clock outside…
A self-issue permit kiosk sits outside the building and is available around the clock outside quota season. The staffed desk follows seasonal hours, and quota-season permits use different rules, so check the current requirements before you come. From Kings Canyon Visitor Center, the drive down Highway 180 to Roads End takes about an hour.
Useful facilities nearbyThe station and trailhead area has parking, an accessible vault restroom and potable water.
The station and trailhead area has parking, an accessible vault restroom and potable water. The exact water outlet location isn't clear, so don't assume a tap is right by the office door.
Take a short river detourA nearby short path reaches Muir Rock, a large granite boulder beside the Kings River, named…
A nearby short path reaches Muir Rock, a large granite boulder beside the Kings River, named for John Muir. If you're already driving to the end of the canyon, it's an easy way to step away from permit business and into the river corridor before heading back.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Kings Canyon
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.
