Sunset Rock Trail (1.4 mi, Easy) – Sequoia National Park

Overview

About Sunset Rock Trail

Why go

A broad granite viewpoint over the Kaweah canyon
Short enough to pair with a Giant Forest visit

Heads up

Uneven dirt tread and no parking at the trailhead

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation6,346–6,425 ft

TrailheadSunset Rock Trailhead, across from Giant Forest Museum36.56577, -118.77241

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

There is no parking at the trailhead. Use the Giant Forest Museum parking across Generals Highway; summer parking is extremely limited, so check the park’s shuttle options. Paved paths from parking can include rock steps. Restrooms are at the museum.

Best time to go

Cross Generals Highway from the museum. There is no parking at the trailhead; summer parking at the museum is very limited, so check the park’s shuttle options. Paths from parking can include rock steps. Restrooms are at the museum, before you start. The route can be hiked year-round, though the park recommends summer and fall; winter and early spring can bring deep snow and ice. If you stay for sunset, bring a flashlight or headlamp—the path can be hard to find after dark. Pets are not allowed on park trails.

Safety

The unpaved tread is uneven. Winter and early spring can bring deep snow and ice; carry a light for the sunset return, when the trail can be hard to find after dark.

8 active Sequoia alerts

InfoGenerals Highway weekday hazard-tree removal delaysMentions Generals Highway, referenced in this guideExpect weekday delays of up to 30 minutes total on Generals Highway between Highway 180 and Giant Forest, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., while crews remove hazard trees; the highway remains open.Official details
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

See all 8 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Sequoia Tour Guide

Your drive to Sunset 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 tour

Recorded for this trailhead

Giant Forest Museum and Round Meadow

0:00 / 0:37

“You're approaching Giant Forest Museum, a small museum in the grove's former market building. Start with the hands-on sequoia exhibits, then step outside to Sentinel Tree.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sequoia Tour Guide.

Hiking Sunset Rock Trail

The short walk outThis is an easy out-and-back from Sunset Rock Trailhead, across Generals Highway from Giant…

This is an easy out-and-back from Sunset Rock Trailhead, across Generals Highway from Giant Forest Museum. The park lists 1.4 miles round trip and 1–2 hours. Follow the same trail to the rock and back. The tread is unpaved and uneven, so expect a real dirt path rather than a smooth stroll.

At an early junction, follow the signed way for Sunset Rock. A branch connects toward Big Trees; stay on the Sunset Rock route for the direct out-and-back.

Through the mixed-conifer forestThe path winds among red fir, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine and incense cedar.

The path winds among red fir, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine and incense cedar. The final stretch opens onto a broad granite dome. Trees affected by the 2021 KNP Complex Fire are visible near the viewpoint.

At the rockSunset Rock is a pale granite slab above a deep canyon carved by the Kaweah River, with…

Sunset Rock is a pale granite slab above a deep canyon carved by the Kaweah River, with forested ridges and foothills beyond. This is the payoff, and the park promotes the spot for sunset. For a photo, keep some of the slab in the foreground and the layered hills behind it so the frame shows both the rock and the view.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Sequoia

All Sequoia wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sequoia. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Sunset Rock Trail