Canyon View Overlook at Kings Canyon

Summary: Canyon View Overlook is a turn-out on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 180), which offers some views of and information on a glacial canyon

How to get there: Turnout on Highway 180
Walking distance to Lookout: 0.1km (return)
Duration: <1 hour
Grade: Easy
Height of Lookout: 1470m
Topographic map/s: National Geographic SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS (1:80K) Buy

Located near the end of Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 180), Canyon View Overlook provides a view towards over the east of the U-shaped, glacial canyon.

The vantage point provides interpretative signage that explains the creation of the canyon walls by glacial action, with scars from boulders trapped in the ice being dragged across the granite. John Muir, a proponent of protecting this area, was one of the first to support the idea that glaciers cut canyons such as this one.

Getting to Canyon View Overlook

The lookout is along Highway 180 near the end of the road, just after General Grant Village.

Note: Part of the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (from the Hume Lake turn off to Roads End) is closed during the winter, generally from November to April. The actual dates vary due depending on weather conditons and are determined by the State Highway Department, CalTrans.