Highway 180, a primary access route into the northern portion of the Sequoia National Forest, has been designated as a National Scenic Byway. The largest species of tree on earth, the giant sequoia, and one of the deepest canyons in North America, the Kings Canyon, are two outstanding attributes of the natural beauty found here. Dramatic changes in vegetation, wildlife and geology are experienced as the byway climbs 4,000 feet through the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, descends 3,700 feet into the depths of Kings Canyon and then gently climbs back another 2,000 feet to Zumwalt Meadows in the heart of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Educational values abound with stories of 3000 year old Sequoias, an ambitious turn-of-the-century logging industry that failed, and the geologic history of the Sierra Nevada as recorded in the cliffs and caves of the Kings Canyon. Portions of the Byway follow the Kings Wild and Scenic River and divide Monarch Wilderness.

Elevation Gain: 4,000 Feet

Distance: 30 Miles

Directions: From Grant Grove, The highway travels east and west through the Hume Lake Ranger District and a portion of the Kings Canyon National Park.

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