Parking
Park at the Cedar Grove Visitor Center or in Cedar Grove Village. Follow the signed access across Highway 180 to the Don Cecil Trailhead; there is no parking at the trailhead itself.
Overview
About Sheep Creek Cascade Trail
Why go
- A shady cascade and creek ravine make a worthwhile short hike.
- The forested climb opens to Monarch Divide views.
Heads up
- Uneven dirt and about 600 feet of climbing in a mile each way.
- Cedar Grove access is seasonal, and summer heat can be intense.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kings Canyon map
Full mapElevation4,656–5,230 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 Sheep Creek Cascade 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
Cedar Grove Village0:00 / 0:35
“You're approaching Cedar Grove Village, a useful stop for a meal, supplies, or help planning a canyon walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hotel Creek Trailhead and Cedar Grove Overlook
- 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 Sheep Creek Cascade Trail
What you are signing up forSheep Creek Cascade is an out-and-back on the lower Don Cecil Trail from the Cedar Grove…
Sheep Creek Cascade is an out-and-back on the lower Don Cecil Trail from the Cedar Grove Visitor Center, crossing Highway 180 by the signed access to the trailhead. The usual park figure is about 2 miles round trip, with roughly 600 feet of climbing and about 1½ hours on the trail. Other route measurements come in closer to 1.6–1.7 miles, so treat the total as approximate and turn around at the falls. The payoff is a shady ravine of small cascades, with views of the Monarch Divide along the climb.
The walk to Sheep CreekThe first stretch climbs gently through a forested ravine.
The first stretch climbs gently through a forested ravine. The tread is uneven dirt, and the grade keeps building as you go; this is a short uphill hike, not a flat walk to a roadside waterfall. A gap in the trees gives you a look across Kings Canyon toward the Monarch Divide. The trail dips into the cooler, shaded glen at Sheep Creek, where a footbridge crosses beside a series of small falls. Follow the marked trail to the bridge, then turn back the way you came.
A smaller waterfall, in a tucked-away spotSheep Creek Cascade is a string of little drops and pools in the forest, rather than one tall…
Sheep Creek Cascade is a string of little drops and pools in the forest, rather than one tall plunge. The creek is usually at its liveliest in spring and early summer; later in the season the falls can be modest. On the return, look back through breaks in the trees for a higher view down Kings Canyon.
The old way into Cedar GroveThe Don Cecil Trail once served as the main access into Cedar Grove, before Highway 180 was…
The Don Cecil Trail once served as the main access into Cedar Grove, before Highway 180 was completed in 1939. This short walk follows the lower part of that historic route, which climbs the canyon slope above the valley floor.
Make the cascade your turnaroundBeyond Sheep Creek, Don Cecil becomes a much steeper climb toward Lookout Peak.
Beyond Sheep Creek, Don Cecil becomes a much steeper climb toward Lookout Peak. That is a separate, strenuous 13-mile round trip with about 4,000 feet of ascent; do not continue unless you have planned for a long mountain hike. For this outing, the falls are the destination.
Access and what to bringPark at the Cedar Grove Visitor Center or in Cedar Grove Village, then use the signed access…
Park at the Cedar Grove Visitor Center or in Cedar Grove Village, then use the signed access across Highway 180 to reach the Don Cecil kiosk. There is no parking at the trailhead itself. The Cedar Grove road is typically open from late spring to early or mid-November, with dates shifting by conditions. Summer can be hot in the canyon, so bring water and sun protection. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
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.
