North Grove Loop in Kings Canyon is beautiful trail running 1.7 miles through a grove of majestic sequoias. The trail is a bit steep, but runs past sequoias in all phases of life. You can enjoy seeing young trees, towering giants, and even stark skeletons standing against the skyline. This hike starts just down the hill from the General Grant Tree in the overflow parking area.
North Grove Loop Trail is a lollipop trail. The trail begins at the overflow parking area. After about a tenth of a mile it splits into the loop. We hiked it counter-clockwise, because it is a bit less of a steep climb from that direction, but we rate this trail as moderate. The trail does drop steeply down to the right. As it does, it passes dozens of sequoias. Many of these are the massive giants that you see in other parts of the park. Their canopy seems to stretch into the heavens, and their bark is smoothed out from the hundreds, if not thousands, of years that they’ve stretched skyward.
The trail is well marked and easy to follow as it continues to drop toward the west. The vegetation is pretty thick, and we saw a lot animals include squirrels, chipmunks, and even a lizard. There were birds, too, and we spotted a white-headed woodpecker. We stopped in our tracks as we heard him knocking against the bole of a tree. After a few moments we spotted his pure white head, and then he flew directly over us.
The trail dropped long enough that we got worried it would ever loop around to the left, but it finally did. When the trail arrives in a burn scar down in the bottom, it starts to head back toward the parking area. It is more open on the west side, and the trees are farther apart, but there is still plenty to see. Eventually, it looped all the way back to the top.
If you enjoy seeing the sequoias, and you’d like to spend some time away from the crowds, try North Grove Loop in Kings Canyon. We didn’t see a single soul on this trail when we hiked in June. It was beautiful!
