Hotel Creek to Cedar Grove Overlook

The Hotel Creek to Cedar Grove Overlook loop climbs out of the Kings Canyon floor to one of the Sierra Nevada's most dramatic panoramic viewpoints, overlooking a canyon that geologist Francois Matthes described as deeper than the Grand Canyon — Kings Canyon reaches 8,200 feet from rim to river at its deepest point, exceeding even Hells Canyon in vertical relief. The trail switchbacks steeply from the Canyon floor through chaparral of mountain mahogany and manzanita before reaching open granite slabs with increasing views down to the Kings River glittering far below. The Cedar Grove Overlook at roughly 5,900 feet elevation provides a 360-degree panorama encompassing the canyon's sheer granite walls, the Cedar Grove valley floor with its ponderosa pines and meadows, and distant Sierra crest peaks including Mount Clarence King and Junction Peak. Golden eagles soar the thermal updrafts above the canyon walls, and mule deer graze the open chaparral slopes. The descent via the Lewis Creek Trail passes through a mixed conifer forest of ponderosa pine, white fir, and incense cedar. Begin early to avoid afternoon heat on the exposed south-facing switchbacks.