The Long Way
Fresno County
A winding asphalt road curves through a landscape with trees and a stone wall.
Plate I. Kings Canyon Scenic Byway. From nps.gov
People looking out over a mountain canyon from an overlook.
Plate II. Canyon overlook along Kings Canyon Scenic Byway. From sierranevadageotourism.org
A winding mountain road passes next to rocky cliffs and a stone wall.
Plate III. Kings Canyon Scenic Byway along steep cliffs. From nps.gov
A landscape photograph showing rugged mountains under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Plate IV. Kings Canyon Scenic Byway view. Photograph by Guywelch2000, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 180)

Dunlap, Fresno County, California. Scenic Byways or Routes; mid-May to mid-October.

Details

Map. Dunlap, Fresno County, California. Larger map
Where
35860 East Kings Canyon Road, Dunlap, CA 35860. Directions
When
A portion of this road, Hume Lake turn off to Roads End is closed during the winter. Typically November - April.
Getting there
From Fresno, travel east on Highway 180. The byway officially begins at the Hume Lake Ranger Station, Sequoia National Forest boundary, east of the intersection with Highway 63 North of Orange Cove. The road ends at Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park.
Fees
there is an entrance fee for the Park and the Forest.
Access
Hume Lake Road to Roads End (Cedar Grove Area) is open in season; the section closes for the winter.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservations are not accepted or required.
Phone
559-338-2251
Website
nps.gov
Managed by
Hume Lake Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest.

Beginning in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Dunlap, the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway traverses 50 spectacular miles leading to Roads End, all along Highway 180. The byway begins in the foothills outside of Fresno and then enters the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. It then descends through Sequoia National Forest, then ends at the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park.

Notable Events

  1. 1929The State of California began constructing a road from Grant Grove to Cedar Grove using prison labor. npshistory.com
  2. 1938The Grant Grove-to-Cedar Grove road was completed and forms the present road. npshistory.com
  3. 1940After sharp debate, the bill passed in early 1940 and Kings Canyon became a national park. npshistory.com

Sources

  1. sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/kings-canyon-scenic-byway/2b26f8d8-2708-4690-8a56-c0a346d37f81
  2. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-conditions.htm
  3. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/byways.htm
  4. fs.usda.gov/r05/sequoia/recreation/kings-canyon-scenic-byway
  5. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/hours.htm
  6. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/fees.htm
  7. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
  8. fs.usda.gov/r05/sequoia/recreation/opportunities/scenic-drives
  9. roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php?roadnumber=180
  10. nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/byways.htm
  11. nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/geology_overview.htm
  12. npshistory.com/publications/seki/sequoia_history.pdf