Beach · Kings Canyon National Park
A free Hume Lake beach for swimming, fishing and paddling.
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 place
Sandy Cove Day Use Area“Sandy Cove is ahead, a public beach on Hume Lake's south shore. Choose this stop for a swim or a picnic by the water; you can also launch a non-motorized boat.”
Plays as you drive up to Sandy Cove Day Use Area 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
Sandy Cove is a public day-use beach on Hume Lake’s south shore, on Sequoia National Forest land just outside Kings Canyon National Park. It’s a good add-on for swimming, fishing, picnicking, or taking a non-motorized boat out on the lake. This is an active recreation shoreline, not a remote alpine beach. For a photo that reads as Sandy Cove, keep the pale inlet in front of the lake and pine-covered ridge.
There’s parking and a vault toilet, but no potable water. Summer weekends can get busy and parking tight, so arrive early if you want an easier shot at a place by the shore. Day use is free; overnight camping isn’t allowed here.
Hume Lake began as a millpond for the Hume-Bennett Lumber Company. Its multiple-arch concrete dam was built in 1908, and the lake filled in 1909. It’s an unusual backstory for a swim stop, and a reminder that this is a reservoir rather than a natural alpine lake.
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
ModeratePark Ridge Trail to Park Ridge Fire Lookout5.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayWalk the ridge to a historic fire lookout and wide Sierra views.EasyPanoramic Point Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 3.5 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 mi awayA remote drop through three giant sequoia groves.
ModerateBoole Tree Trail2.3 mi · 2 hr · 4.1 mi awayA giant sequoia thought spared by loggers anchors this forest loop.
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.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayAspen Hollow Group CampgroundA 100-person base camp one mile from Hume Lake.
Picnic area · 0.6 mi awayPowder Can Picnic AreaTables, grills and a toilet near Hume Lake; bring drinking water
Campground · 0.6 mi awayHume Lake CampgroundA wooded base for easy walks down to Hume Lake.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayHume Lake VillageFuel, groceries and casual food make this a handy lakeside stop.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayLogger Flat Group CampgroundA reservable Sierra campground for groups of up to 50.
Campground · 2 mi awayLandslide CampgroundA small creekside base near two giant sequoia groves.
Campground · 2.4 mi awayTen Mile CampgroundA small creekside campground under sequoias and Jeffrey pines.
Campground · 2.5 mi awayPrincess CampgroundCamp beside an old sequoia grove and a wildflower meadow.Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
