CALIFORNIA

Me @ Grizzly Falls

This is one of the beautiful waterfalls in the Sierra that can be accessed without any hiking at all. Grizzly Falls is just several steps away from the Grizzly Falls Picnic Area, on Highway 180 going to Cedar Grove. Driving to Kings Canyon alone, even without leaving the car, you are already afforded magnificent sights. Granite and metamorphosed marble rocks dominate the scenery.

Metamorphosed Rocks @ River Gorge on the way to Grizzly Falls

With an amazing change in vegetation. At one point you are seeing an almost desert scenery,

A Lookout Point Along Hwy 180 going to Grizzly Falls and Cedar Grove

and at another point you are seeing a forest of giant trees, rushing streams and beautiful meadows.

near Road’s End of Kings Canyon National Park

Grizzly Falls is about 75 ft tall waterfall, and the water drops dramatically during spring. We went there early summer of this year, and the waterfall was still decent. However, they say in the late summer, the waterfall is but a trickle.

Grizzly Falls, Early Summer 2008

Grizzly Falls, Early Summer 2008

You can visit Grizzly Falls when you visit Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park. These two National Parks are adjacent to each other. They are found in the Southern Sierra of California. Both Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park are about 4 hours drive from Los Angeles. They are two National Parks also worth visiting, worth enjoying and worth exploring.

 More of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park to come………

Location: Kings Canyon, Giant Sequoia National Monument

Opens on: Mid-May to Mid-November

Map and Directions: please click http://www.caverntours.com/boydendir.htm

Trail to Boyden Cavern Entrance

Boyden Cavern lies beneath the massive 2,000 foot high marble walls of the famous Kings Gates. It is a pretty cavern, but is not very popular. Unlike Crystal Cavern in Sequoia National Park, there is no reservation required to visit Boyden Cavern. Our tour started with a short but steep walk to the Cavern Entrance. Once inside the cave, we followed a well-lighted and handrail equipped trail. Our guide pointed to us natural varieties of formations before we finally joined the tour group at the dark room where we experienced total darkness for a short time, I could not even see my hands and feet. Here are some pictures we took inside Boyden Cavern.

Pathway Inside Boyden Cavern

Does this Look Like a Wedding Cake?

Stalactites

Draperies (1)

Draperies (2)

Drapery Up Close

Do These Formations Look Scary?

Does This Look Like a Taco Shell?

Does This Look Like a Hanging Christmas Tree?

More Stalagmites

The route going outside the Boyden Cavern is not the same route as the entrance. We were actually given a choice to go back the same route, or take the alternate route which meant going deeper into the cavern, everyone of course chose the alternate route for more sightseeing. In the alternate exit route we had to bend low,

and walk sideways to pass some passageways.

The tour was supposed to be 45 minutes long, but since we took the alternate route, our tour took longer, maybe an hour long, which was great 

Us, the Cave People

Fore more information, please visit Boyden Cavern’s site: http://www.caverntours.com/BoydenRt.htm