47 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
47 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# Sep 25 (Fri) — Kings Canyon / LK → Los Angeles
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**Group stay:** [Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte](../bookings/stays/cabin-sequoia-miramonte.md)
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**LK stay:** Los Angeles — TBC
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## Logistics
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- LK arrives at LAX at **6:00 PM PDT**; flight details and ground transport are TBC
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- LK's Hertz reservation is not available for planning unless she confirms a change rather than cancelling it
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## Group plan
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> Menu: [`parks_sights.md`](../parks_sights.md)
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- **Morning** Grant Grove & General Grant Tree (~40 min from the cabin) — half-mile loop, ~30 min; coffee and toilets at the village, the last until Cedar Grove
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- **Late morning** Kings Canyon Scenic Byway descent — ~1 hr 15 min from Grant Grove to Road's End; drive straight through, saving the stops for the return
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- **Early afternoon** Road's End — lunch by the river; short walk toward Muir Rock
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- **Afternoon** Back up the byway with stops: Zumwalt Meadow loop → Roaring River Falls (5-min walk) → Canyon View turnout, just east of Cedar Grove village — the U-shaped glacial profile, 2-min stop → Cedar Grove village for toilets and drinks (lodge and snack bar usually close for the season around the end of September) → Grizzly Falls. Canyon walls catch the light from the west in the afternoon
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- *Optional hike:* **Big Baldy** — 4.5 mi round trip, ~2 hrs, gentle ridge walk to a granite summit looking west over Redwood Canyon. Trailhead pullout on the Generals Hwy ~6.5 mi south of the Wye, just north of Montecito Sequoia Lodge. Fits in the afternoon between the canyon and Panoramic Point without moving anything else
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- *Optional:* Boyden Cavern — marble cave ~10 mi below Grant Grove on the byway, guided tour 45–60 min plus a steep walk to the entrance, ~1.5 hrs total; concessioner-run, check season and tour times. Only if someone wants a cave
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- **~5:00 PM** Leave the canyon; ~1 hr 15 back up to Grant Grove
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- **~6:30 PM** Panoramic Point — 2.5-mile side road from Grant Grove Village, short walk to the overlook; faces east over the Sierra crest and Hume Lake, so evening light or the 6:55 PM sunset, not the morning
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- **~7:15 PM** Back to Miramonte, ~45 min, for the final night
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## LK plan
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- Collect baggage and continue to the Los Angeles accommodation
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- **Recommended overnight base:** Burbank Airport / downtown Burbank — the best balance of a reasonable drive after the LAX arrival, hotels and dinner nearby, then a ~45–50 minute baseline drive to Vasquez Rocks
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- **Pure driving-optimum alternative:** Valencia / Santa Clarita near I-5 — ~30 minutes to Vasquez Rocks the next morning, but a longer and less interesting late drive from LAX
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- Avoid Santa Monica and DTLA for this particular night: they add backtracking before the Vasquez Rocks → Point Vicente → LAX route
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- Late dinner and rest; no sightseeing scheduled after the flight
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## Addresses
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| Place | Address | Map |
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| Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte | 48753 Todd Eymann Road, Miramonte, CA 93641 · PIN 2531 · host +1 559-790-6432 · no cell service | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=48753+Todd+Eymann+Road+Miramonte+CA+93641) |
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| General Grant Tree | Grant Grove, off Hwy 180 | [36.74806, -118.97111](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.74806,-118.97111) |
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| Panoramic Point | 2.5-mile side road from Grant Grove Village, short walk from the lot | [36.75369, -118.94435](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.75369,-118.94435) |
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| Big Baldy trailhead (optional) | Generals Hwy pullout ~6.5 mi south of the Wye, north of Montecito Sequoia Lodge; summit [36.67188, -118.88248](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.67188,-118.88248) | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Big+Baldy+Trailhead+Sequoia+National+Forest) |
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| Road's End | permit station and lots, end of Hwy 180 | [36.79474, -118.58274](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.79474,-118.58274) |
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| Canyon View turnout | Hwy 180, just east of Cedar Grove | [36.78385, -118.65590](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.78385,-118.65590) |
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| Cedar Grove village | lodge, market, toilets | [36.78987, -118.66803](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.78987,-118.66803) |
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| Boyden Cavern (optional) | Hwy 180, national forest section below Grant Grove | [36.81495, -118.81764](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.81495,-118.81764) |
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| Zumwalt Meadow | Hwy 180 | [36.79161, -118.59612](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.79161,-118.59612) |
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| Roaring River Falls | Hwy 180 | [36.78147, -118.62190](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.78147,-118.62190) |
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