Adventure 008, Hike 108 - Sunset Trail

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 008, Hike 108 – Sunset Trail

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  September 11, 2012

Location: Grant Grove, Kings Canyon National Park

Hike Info:

Trail: Sunset Trail

Distance: 3.6

Duration: 1:34

Elevation Rise: 537'

Description:
Team Thing One, Thing Two leaves the North Grove Trail, hoping to get to Ella Falls—a nice set of falls above Lake Sequoia. This trail is more of a jeep road, or actually an old tourist road, which feels like it will lead us down to Lake Sequoia. But along the way, we branch off to follow the DeadGiant Loop-see our previous adventure.



Once we get back on the Sunset trail, we continue down it and it starts to descend rather steeply. We are looking for the trail off to Ella Falls. We have visited these Falls, but always from the Lake Sequoia side. We see one path, but it does not look like it has been used in years. So we continue on. We get to a dirt road, with a sign pointing down to Lake Sequoia. We pass by a corral like area, which may be used by the YMCA for campfires away from the Lake. When we continue on, it looks like we are heading to the wrong end of Lake Sequoia to find Ella Falls. After checking our GPS, it confirms our suspicions.

We turn back and go to the Sunset Trail and continue down it for a ways. But we are starting to see that this is a bit farther than we anticipated. Coming from the closed Sunset campground would have been better. After hiking down the Sunset trail for another 15 minutes, we decide, it is time to return and do the North Grove trail.

On the way back, we scare up a doe and a couple fawns. After climbing up a ways further, we meet the same three deer. They run, we are always amazed to see such creatures gracefully take a hill which we are huffing and puffing on. In a little while farther, we reach the junction with the North Grove trail. So off we go down that one. After traveling two and a half or three miles on this trail, I do not see too much to recommend about it, except for being able to go to the Dead Giant Loop.



If it seems confusing what we did this afternoon, take a look at my summer hike blog for a fuller description and a complete map.