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TRAVEL-202609-uswest/days/2026-09-25.md
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4.7 KiB
Raw Blame History

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

Group stay: Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte LK stay: Brand Plaza Hotel — Glendale

Logistics

  • LK arrives at LAX at 6:00 PM PDT; flight details and ground transport are TBC
  • LK collects the Budget rental at 18:45 PDT; this leaves little time after the 18:00 LAX arrival, so confirm Budget's grace period

Group plan

Menu: 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 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
  • 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

  • Collect baggage, collect the Budget rental and drive to the Brand Plaza Hotel in Glendale
  • Late dinner and rest; no sightseeing scheduled after the flight
  • Confirm off-site parking and the parking fee with the hotel before arrival

Addresses

Place Address Map
Gilmore Cabin — Miramonte 48753 Todd Eymann Road, Miramonte, CA 93641 · PIN 2531 · host +1 559-790-6432 · no cell service search
General Grant Tree Grant Grove, off Hwy 180 36.74806, -118.97111
Panoramic Point 2.5-mile side road from Grant Grove Village, short walk from the lot 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 search
Road's End permit station and lots, end of Hwy 180 36.79474, -118.58274
Canyon View turnout Hwy 180, just east of Cedar Grove 36.78385, -118.65590
Cedar Grove village lodge, market, toilets 36.78987, -118.66803
Boyden Cavern (optional) Hwy 180, national forest section below Grant Grove 36.81495, -118.81764
Zumwalt Meadow Hwy 180 36.79161, -118.59612
Roaring River Falls Hwy 180 36.78147, -118.62190
Brand Plaza Hotel — LK 339 1/2 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203 · off-site paid parking search
Budget rental — LK 5251 W 98th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045 · LAX · itinerary 73544810702403 search