Parking
Start at Copper Creek Trailhead at Roads End. The route ends near the Cedar Grove Visitor Center on the west side; arrange a pickup or leave a second vehicle there.
Overview
About Cedar Grove North Side Trail
Why go
- Connects Roads End and Cedar Grove on foot without retracing the route.
Heads up
- Point-to-point logistics need a second vehicle or a 10.1-mile return.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kings Canyon map
Full mapElevation4,627–5,084 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Cedar Grove North Side 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 Cedar Grove North Side Trail
A one-way valley walkThis 5.
This 5.05-mile point-to-point trail follows the north side of the Cedar Grove valley from Copper Creek Trailhead at Roads End to the west-side access near Cedar Grove Visitor Center. Allow about three hours one way. The mapped route includes the short 0.17-mile approach from the eastern trailhead to the 4.87-mile North Side trail feature.
Plan for both endsIt is not a loop.
It is not a loop. Leave a second vehicle near the Cedar Grove Visitor Center or arrange a pickup there; walking back along the same line makes the trip about 10.1 miles. The route description gives little detail about the tread or the exact west-end pickup point, so confirm that access before committing.
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.
