A day hike at Cedar Grove, Kings Canyon NP

A day hike at Cedar Grove, Kings Canyon NP

The most difficult part of going out a day hike with family is getting consensus of the kids. There are different tricks and tactics to motivate them per their ages but nothing works to a teenage girl. So when we arrived at the trail head, my wife and I were already half exhausted.

The trail head of Hotel Creek is behind the Cedar Grove Lodge, past the shower facility. The entire valley has one shower facility with less than a dozen booths. Shower is operated by a token that can be purchased at the grocery store at the lodge. Each costs $3.50 and is good for a ten minute shower.

Hotel Creek trail has lots of switchbacks exposed to beating sun. The climb is strenuous and can be dangerous if you have group of rude hikers in front of you. We had a team ahead of us who yelled and shouted quite few times. I saw a honeydew sized rock rolled down and passed few yards in front of us. I suspect it was due to acts of reckless trail users.

Hotel creek leads to the Cedar Grove Overlook located on the top of the rocky ridge that puts the view of the entire valley under the feet. We didn't take the course to the overlook as we heard the shouting of the rude hikers in that direction.

Above 6,000ft is pine grove and above the pine trees is the majestic crest of high sierra. The hike through the shades of tall pine trees (ponderosa I guess) is very enjoyable.

The trail meets Lewis Creek trail. It is another sun beaten steep slope crisscrossed with switchbacks. I wished the trail to cross the cool water of the creek however it never did although the water is seen and heard from the trail.

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The trail passes pine grove after hard climb of hotel creek trail. I was overly successful in motivating the little girl and she started hopping and running.

An unobstructed view of majestic sierra crest above the pine grove.

A burnt skeleton of a pine tree on the hotel creek trail.

East of the Kings Canyon seen from the Hotel Creek trail. The U-shaped valley tells that it was formed by glacier activities.