Parking
Use the shared Woods Creek, Bubbs Creek, Rae Lakes Loop Trailhead at Road’s End. The access area has parking, drinking water, and vault or composting toilets; permits are issued at Road’s End.
Overview
About Bubb's Creek Trail
Why go
- Follows Bubbs Creek toward a high-country JMT/PCT junction.
- Works as an approach for a longer Rae Lakes Loop itinerary.
Heads up
- About 25 miles round trip to the full route’s upper junction.
- High water can make the Junction Meadow crossing unsafe.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kings Canyon map
Full mapElevation5,066–9,626 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Bubb's Creek Trail, 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 trailhead
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 this trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Bubb's Creek Trail
The full routeBubb's Creek Trail is a 12.
Bubb's Creek Trail is a 12.3-mile one-way wilderness route from Road's End to the John Muir and Pacific Crest trail junction. Walk back the same way for about 24.6 miles; plan on roughly 12 hours for the full out-and-back. This is the southern approach to Rae Lakes Loop, but this trail entry covers only the Bubbs Creek corridor. It suits fit hikers ready for a strenuous day or backpackers continuing into the high country.
From Road's EndThe trail starts with a steep climb, then settles into a steadier grade.
The trail starts with a steep climb, then settles into a steadier grade. Sphinx Creek Junction, four miles in, is the first allowed campsite. Overnight wilderness travel requires a permit, issued at Road's End. The shared trailhead area has parking, drinking water, and vault or composting toilets.
At Junction MeadowJunction Meadow is about 7.
Junction Meadow is about 7.5 miles from Road's End and makes a shorter turnaround, though the return is still roughly 15 miles. The route crosses Bubbs Creek there. High water can make that crossing hazardous, so check the park's current trail conditions and turn back if it isn't safe.
Into the high countryBeyond the meadow, the trail continues to the John Muir and Pacific Crest trail junction, the…
Beyond the meadow, the trail continues to the John Muir and Pacific Crest trail junction, the end of this mapped leg. The corridor rises from around 5,000 feet at Road's End to about 9,600 feet near the junction. Dogs aren't allowed on park trails; service animals are.
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.
