Parking
Pass Cedar Grove Visitor Center and Village, then take the right fork; the small Hotel Creek Trailhead parking area is behind Cedar Grove Lodge.
Overview
About Cedar Grove Overlook via Hotel Creek Trail
Why go
- The rocky outcrop opens to views both up and down Kings Canyon.
Heads up
- A sustained, mostly exposed climb with little shade and no reliable water refill.
- Burned trees along the route can create falling hazards.
Cedar Grove Overlook is a steep out-and-back from Hotel Creek Trailhead to a rocky perch above Kings Canyon. The mapped route is about 4.4 miles round trip and takes 3–4 hours; park materials list 5 miles. Expect a hard climb: the park lists about 1,200 feet of gain, while GPS estimates run closer to 1,600 feet. I’d choose it for the high view, not as an easy add-on.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kings Canyon map
Full mapElevation4,751–6,119 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 Cedar Grove Overlook via Hotel 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
Hotel Creek Trailhead and Cedar Grove Overlook0:00 / 0:28
“You're nearing Hotel Creek Trailhead, the start of the climb to Cedar Grove Overlook. Choose it for a rocky perch with views both up and down Kings Canyon, allowing three to four hours for roughly five miles round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cedar Grove Village
- Cedar Grove's Flat Green Sprays
- Lewis Creek Trailhead and Kennedy Pass
- Knapp’s Cabin
- 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 Overlook via Hotel Creek Trail
Stay on Hotel CreekThe path climbs soon after leaving the trailhead.
The path climbs soon after leaving the trailhead. At the first split, keep right on Hotel Creek rather than taking the Lewis Creek Connector. Around 1.8 miles in, turn left where the overlook path branches off; it dips briefly, then climbs the final roughly 0.4 mile to the outcrop. Return the same way. Continuing on Hotel Creek past that junction leads toward the separate, much longer Hotel Creek–Lewis Creek Loop.
The exposed climbMost of the ascent is a long series of switchbacks on the canyon’s dry, south-facing slope,…
Most of the ascent is a long series of switchbacks on the canyon’s dry, south-facing slope, through chaparral toward a forested ridge. There’s little shade on the climb, so it feels tougher than the mileage alone suggests. Start early for cooler temperatures. No water refill is listed along the route, so don’t count on one. The trail crosses the 2024 Happy Fire footprint, where dead trees can pose unexpected falling hazards. Check the park’s latest trail report and don’t linger beneath burned trees.
At the overlookThe payoff is a rocky outcrop with views both up and down Kings Canyon.
The payoff is a rocky outcrop with views both up and down Kings Canyon. The perch is roughly 1,400 feet above the canyon below. Look along the valley in both directions; the nearby rock and pines help show the scale of the ridges beyond.
Access and rulesPass Cedar Grove Visitor Center and Cedar Grove Village, then take the right fork for the Hotel…
Pass Cedar Grove Visitor Center and Cedar Grove Village, then take the right fork for the Hotel Creek trailhead. The small parking area is behind Cedar Grove Lodge. Cedar Grove is usually accessible from May into early or mid-November, with dates shifting by weather. Pets are prohibited on park trails; service animals are allowed.
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.
