TRAVEL-202609-uswest/days/2026-09-25.md

# Sep 25 (Fri) — Kings Canyon / LK → Los Angeles

**Group stay:** [Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte](../bookings/stays/cabin-sequoia-miramonte.md)
**LK stay:** [Brand Plaza Hotel — Glendale](../bookings/stays/brand-plaza-hotel-glendale.md)

## Logistics

- LK departs Kansas City independently for Los Angeles: [MCI 4:20 PM CDT on `E279K7`](../bookings/transport/flights-ms.md); flight number remains TBC
- LK's user-reported LAX arrival is **18:08 PDT**; she has no checked baggage
- LK collects the [Budget rental](../bookings/transport/car-rental-lk-budget-lax.md), booked for 18:45 PDT. Budget LAX is open 24 hours; from Arrivals, follow the purple **Rental Car Shuttles** sign across the pickup island and take the Budget bus to the Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility
- **Entrance pass:** re-entry at Big Stump for Kings Canyon is covered by the 2026 America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass. Keep the digital/PDF pass and MS's photo ID available; an unstaffed station may require the displayed physical/PDF pass. See [the pass record](../bookings/activities/america-the-beautiful-pass-2026.md).

## Group plan

> Menu: [`parks_sights.md`](../parks_sights.md)

- **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
- **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
- **Early afternoon** Road's End — lunch by the river; short walk toward Muir Rock
- **Afternoon** Back up the byway with stops: Zumwalt Meadow (no longer a loop: the boardwalk and a bridge washed out in 2019, so it is an out-and-back to the meadow view, ~1.5 mi) → 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 market open to mid-October) → Grizzly Falls. Canyon walls catch the light from the west in the afternoon
- *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
- *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
- **~5:00 PM** Leave the canyon; ~1 hr 15 back up to Grant Grove
- **~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
- **~7:15 PM** Back to Miramonte, ~45 min, for the final night

## LK plan

- **18:08 PDT** Arrive at LAX; with no checked baggage, go directly to the Budget shuttle
- **18:45–19:30 PDT target** Collect the Budget rental. Put any belongings out of sight in the trunk before leaving the rental facility
- If leaving Budget by **19:30 PDT**, drive directly to the Glendale Galleria garage; Friday-evening traffic makes the arrival time variable
- **~20:15–20:55 PDT target** Shop for shoes at **JD Sports, Glendale Galleria**, Level 1 near Target. The store closes at **21:00 PDT**. If she is not out of Budget by **19:40 PDT**, shopping becomes unreliable and should be skipped
- **After shopping** Drive to the [Brand Plaza Hotel](../bookings/stays/brand-plaza-hotel-glendale.md), check in, leave belongings, and confirm the off-site parking location and fee
- **~21:15 PDT dinner:** primary choice **Raffi's Place** for Persian grills, open Friday until **22:00 PDT**; order ahead if possible. **Din Tai Fung** in the Galleria is open until **22:00 PDT** but currently advertises a 60–90 minute wait, so use it only if she joins the waitlist before shopping and the timing works. **Shake Shack** on Brand is the reliable late fallback, open Friday until **03:00 PDT**

## Drive / walk

One road out and back: Hwy 180 from Grant Grove down into the canyon to Road's End, then the same road up. Every stop is on it.

1. **Drive** Cabin → Hwy 245 north → Hwy 180 east → Big Stump entrance → left at the Wye → Grant Grove Village. 25–40 min. Coffee and toilets
2. **Walk** General Grant Tree, ½-mile paved loop from the Grant Tree lot. 30 min, flat
3. **Drive** Grant Grove → Road's End, 34 mi, 1 h, no stops. Leaves the park, passes Boyden Cavern, drops 3,000 ft along the river, re-enters at Cedar Grove
4. **Walk** Road's End to Muir Rock along the river, a few hundred yards. Lunch. 20 min
5. **Drive** back up the canyon with stops, in order:
   - Zumwalt Meadow, 2 mi — **walk** 1.5 mi out and back, flat, 45 min
   - Roaring River Falls, 3 mi further — **walk** 5 min paved
   - Canyon View turnout, before Cedar Grove — pull over, 2 min
   - Cedar Grove village — toilets and drinks
   - Grizzly Falls, 6 mi past Cedar Grove — pull over, 5 min
   - then the climb out, 1 h to Grant Grove
6. **Drive** Panoramic Point side road from Grant Grove Village, 2.5 mi. **Walk** ¼ mi paved up to the overlook
7. **Drive** Grant Grove → cabin, 35 min

Walking ~3.5 mi, all flat and short. Driving ~3.5 h, 4 with the pullouts, on one winding canyon road. Big Baldy and Boyden Cavern are not on this list.

## Addresses

| Place | Address | Map |
|---|---|---|
| Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte | 48753 Todd Eymann Road, Miramonte, CA 93641 · **door code 0110 + unlock** · Booking 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Cedar Grove village | lodge, market, toilets | [36.78987, -118.66803](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.78987,-118.66803) |
| 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) |
| Zumwalt Meadow | Hwy 180 | [36.79161, -118.59612](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.79161,-118.59612) |
| Roaring River Falls | Hwy 180 | [36.78147, -118.62190](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.78147,-118.62190) |
| Brand Plaza Hotel — LK | 339 1/2 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203 · off-site paid parking | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=339+N+Brand+Blvd+Glendale+CA+91203) |
| Budget rental — LK | 5251 W 98th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045 · LAX · itinerary `73544810702403` | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Budget+5251+W+98th+St+Los+Angeles) |
| JD Sports — Glendale Galleria | 100 W Broadway B001, Glendale, CA 91210 · Level 1 near Target | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=JD+Sports+Glendale+Galleria) |
| Raffi's Place | 211 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Raffi's+Place+Glendale) |
| Din Tai Fung — Glendale Galleria | 1164 Galleria Way, Glendale, CA 91210 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Din+Tai+Fung+Glendale) |
| Shake Shack — Glendale | 252 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Shake+Shack+252+S+Brand+Blvd+Glendale) |