Trivia – what do Chris and I like to do when they get a weekend off? Correct answer is – go on a hike, of course! And right you are! On the last weekend of May, we drove up to the mountains and did the Buena Vista Trail to the Buena Vista Peak at Kings Canyon National Park. The hike itself was rated easy, and was only 2 mile in length (out and back). The views at the end were beyond amazing and the fact that we went on a cool and foggy day made everything so much better.
We had planned to leave at six in the morning but I overslept and turned off the alarm, we ended up leaving home at 7:30AM. A little bit of a late start, but the weather forecast was in the 30s that day, so it wasn’t too bad. The roads to Kings Canyon was the through the backcountry so we didn’t encounter too much traffic.
The trailhead was literally on the side of the road with a little parking spot, so it made life so much easier since we found it right away! We were the only ones at the trail so it felt like we had the trail all to ourselves – and that’s always such a great feeling. The fog was consistently dropping throughout our hike and it was amazing. That being said, we kept cool and were shaded the entire time.
We made it to the top in 40 minutes – could’ve done it in less time but we were in so much awe of the fog and the view that we kept stopping to take more photos. The fog lifted for a few minutes when we got to the top but came right back down. The panoramic views we got of the entire park and the summits of Sierra Crest, even with the fog, was beyond amazing. A little bit nerve-wrecking when climbing on the rocks (I mean, if either of us slipped and fell, we wouldn’t even know what we’d be falling into) but still a great view!
How amazing are these views?! Easily one of my favorite hikes of the year. Can’t wait until the weather cools down so we can visit this view again. We left the park right after and stopped for lunch at a&w then called it a day.
Buena Vista Trail to Buena Vista Peak
Length: 2 miles, out and back
Elevation: 420 ft
To the trailhead: Enter Kings Canyon National Park via Big Stump Entrance Station, off the 180 East. Proceed 1.7 miles to a three-way intersection. and turn right on Route 198, which heads south toward Sequoia National Park. The Buena Vista Trailhead will be on the right after 4.7 miles.
