Parking
The small Hanging Rock trailhead is along the road to Moro Rock. NPS says parking is limited there; additional parking is available at the Moro Rock trailhead or in roadside turnouts.
Overview
About Hanging Rock Trail
Why go
- Distinctive balanced boulder and wide valley view
- Very short walk from the Moro Rock road
Heads up
- Limited roadside parking
- Unrailed granite outlook near a drop
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sequoia map
Full mapElevation6,585–6,667 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Sequoia alerts
- CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are in effect due to high fire danger and catastrophic-wildfire risk; the restrictions reduce the possibility of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors…Official details
- ClosureGrant Grove trails and areas closed for prescribed burnSome trails and areas around Grant Grove and the General Grant Tree are closed for safety during a prescribed burn and until they are cleared of hazards.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sequoia Tour Guide
Your drive to Hanging Rock Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sequoia 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 Sequoia audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Hanging Rock0:00 / 0:25
“The Hanging Rock trailhead is coming up, with a short walk to a huge boulder perched above the Kaweah River Valley. Allow about half an hour for the three-tenths-of-a-mile round trip and a look around.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Moro Rock
- Parker Group and Buttress Tree
- Auto Log and the Washington and Young Trees
- Tunnel Log
- 71 audio storiesacross Sequoia’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 99 trails, 68 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 Hanging Rock Trail
A quick stop for a strange boulderHanging Rock Trail is a 0.3-mile out-and-back along the road to Moro Rock in Giant Forest.
Hanging Rock Trail is a 0.3-mile out-and-back along the road to Moro Rock in Giant Forest. A short path descends from the roadside start to a broad granite shelf, where a long boulder seems balanced on the rock above the Kaweah River Valley. It’s a worthwhile quick stop for the unusual feature and a different view of Moro Rock; allow about 30 minutes to walk out, look around, and return. NPS describes the route as 0.1 mile without saying whether that is one way or total. The mapped path runs about 0.15 mile to the rock, so this listing counts the return along the same path.
The view at the endThe granite opens toward the south, over forested ridges dropping into the Kaweah River Valley.
The granite opens toward the south, over forested ridges dropping into the Kaweah River Valley. Moro Rock rises behind the perched block, so turn around after looking out over the valley. For a photo, keep the boulder in the foreground with the valley beyond it, then use Moro Rock as the backdrop from the other side.
The outlook is on sloping, exposed granite near a drop and has no railing. Keep back from the edge; visitors also report that the rock can be slick. Exact steps and trail surface on the approach are not documented, so don’t assume this is a paved viewpoint.
Parking and park rulesParking at the Hanging Rock trailhead is limited.
Parking at the Hanging Rock trailhead is limited. NPS identifies the Moro Rock trailhead and roadside turnouts as additional parking options, so don’t count on a space beside the path. Dogs aren’t allowed on any trail in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, including paved trails, so this isn’t a dog walk.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Sequoia
691 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
18 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
20 sightingsSpotted OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
