Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon… marks our first national park ventured during our year-long travels!
Let’s first explain briefly how we got to this point…
Our Adventure on the Road Has Begun!
Since hitting the road on Wednesday, July 4th, our journey has been nothing short of an adventure. Originally, we planned to leave on June 9th, then the 21st, but had to postpone our departure multiple times. Anyone who has embarked on an RV trip knows that campsites fill up quickly during the summer, so instead of rescheduling three months' worth of stops, we decided to cut the first part of our loop (which we plan to visit in November or December instead- including San Diego, LA, Death Valley, Channel Islands NP and Joshua Tree).
With our Bronco not towable yet, Drew and I had to travel separately. Despite a mix-up with parts at our local Camping World, the Bakersfield branch came to the rescue, and we managed 28 hours of driving in just three days—wow!
First Stop: High Desert RV Park, Albuquerque, NM
Our first stop was at High Desert RV Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico (https://www.highdesertrvpark.net/), which took us 14 hours to reach—our longest stretch yet. It was exhausting, but we achieved our goal of catching up. The RV site was phenomenal, and if we ever return to Albuquerque, we will definitely stay there again. The facilities were clean, and the staff was very accommodating, even allowing us to extend our stay beyond checkout time while Drew worked. We also had the pleasure of meeting up with family (Fred and Karen with their pups) who took us to The Range Café (https://rangecafe.com/), a must-visit for delicious food!
Second Night: Canyon Motel and RV Park, Williams, AZ
For our second night, we made a quick stop at Canyon Motel and RV Park in Williams, AZ, where we got some much-needed rest. Though it was a brief 8-hour stay, it was a great spot to stop along our route.
Challenges and Discoveries
We’re quickly learning that RV driving takes much longer than expected. On the third day, we hit the mountains around Sequoia National Park at dark, which was quite the adventure in the Bronco. I arrived at Sequoia RV Ranch at 11 pm and realized Drew couldn’t maneuver our 38-foot RV into the site in the dark. We found a boondock spot nearby for the night, our first boondock experience, thankfully in only 80-degree weather.
We also made a brief stop in Barstow, CA, at Peggy Sue’s Diner, experiencing a scorching 125 degrees—the hottest temperature I've ever felt!
GASSSSSS! We thought gas prices this summer in Texas were bad, but in California, it's even worse! I'm eagerly searching for gas under $4.50 per gallon, but in many parts of Cali, it's been over $5 per gallon!
Sequoia RV Ranch and Kings Canyon National Park
The next morning, Drew moved the RV to our beautiful riverfront site at Sequoia RV Ranch (https://www.sequoiarvranch.com/) to work, while I took the kids to Kings Canyon National Park, our first national park of the year-long adventure. Hearing the river rush at night was calming and we got our first smell of fresh air and nature.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress established Kings Canyon National Park in 1940, which included General Grant National Park (now Grant Grove). We visited the Grant Grove Visitor Center to get our passport stamps and stickers and continued our tradition of collecting postcards and park stickers. We’re also collecting park ornaments for a special travel Christmas tree.
With limited cell service in the park, I felt nervous being out of touch, especially without Drew. Alltrails+ was helpful for offline trail maps. The glacially carved Kings Canyon, over a mile deep, is surrounded by 12,000+ foot peaks and the mighty Kings River. The drive along Highway 180 from Grant Grove into the canyon offered stunning mountain views with many pullouts to savor the scenery. Must-stop viewpoints included Junction View and Zumwalt Meadow.
Fascinating Sequoias and Scenic Hikes
The bases of the Sequoias fascinated me the most, resembling massive claws digging into the ground, some up to 35 feet in diameter. Kings Canyon National Park features terrain similar to Yosemite Valley, and is home to the largest remaining grove of sequoia trees in the world! The park has deep valleys, tall trees, and distinctive rock outcroppings, similar to Yosemite Valley. Kings Canyon is about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) long, with canyon walls that can reach heights of 330 to 490 feet (100 to 150 meters) above Kings Creek. The canyon's granite walls can tower 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the canyon floor in some places. We hiked the Roaring River Falls trail, a short 0.3-mile round trip with a small elevation gain. Though the visible part of the falls is about 15 feet tall, it flows into a beautiful plunge pool before joining the Kings River. From there, we could connect to the Zumwalt Meadow trail or drive to the Zumwalt Meadow parking lot.
The General Grant Tree Trail (0.7 miles) was another highlight, featuring the Nation’s Christmas Tree and other notable trees and features like the Gamlin Cabin and the Fallen Monarch. General Grant Tree is the second-largest tree in the world by volume.
Fresh Fruit and Family Fun
We were amazed by the acres of fruit trees along our journey. The state of California is one of the biggest fruit and nut producers in the country. The central portion of the state has a large number of orchards that produce oranges, apples, cherries, plums, grapes, almonds, pecans, and a wide variety of other fruits and nuts. We stopped at a roadside stand for fresh oranges and even picked some lemons from the ground, which the kids used to make fresh lemonade—a perfect end to a fun and hot day exploring.
Stay tuned for our next post, which will cover our adventures in Sequoia National Park!