Cedar Grove River Road Walk

Cedar Grove River Road Walk is a 6.6-mile out-and-back from Hotel Creek Trailhead: follow Cedar Trail east to River Road for about 3.3 miles, then return the same way. Allow around 2.5 hours. It is a mostly level way to spend a few hours beside the canyon without a sustained climb. The park also describes walking up to five miles one way on River Road and turning back, for as much as 10 miles round trip; the route mapped here is the shorter Hotel Creek version.

The walk follows the paved Cedar Trail past Cedar Grove Pack Station, then continues on one-lane dirt River Road alongside the Kings River. Mixed conifer forest shades much of the corridor, with views toward towering granite cliffs and the South Fork of the river. You are walking on a road rather than a separate trail; high-clearance vehicles can use it, though traffic is usually light. Birds, mule deer, and black bears may be seen along the way.

Use the small, space-limited Hotel Creek Trail parking pullout; Cedar Grove Lodge is an alternate parking area. Leashed dogs may come on River Road with a leash shorter than six feet, but must stay on roads and cannot join established park trails. The road into Cedar Grove usually opens from late April through early to mid-November, with dates varying by weather. The Market and Grill in Cedar Grove Village are a separate stop, not along the road.