Living the #VanLife at Kings Canyon National Park

For years, my dad has been fantasizing about purchasing a van in which he would commence a DIY project to equip it with living features, including a bed, kitchen, toilet, and shower. Last year, he finally made his dream a reality by purchasing one from Ford. Due to the pandemic and other unforeseen challenges, he ended up waiting almost a year for the van to arrive. Finally, earlier this year, it was delivered to our driveway. His evenings & weekends for the past few months have been dedicated to working on its features.

Back in early June, my dad had progressed far enough on his multitude of projects that the van was in good enough condition to take on a camping trip. So my dad and I set off on the van's maiden voyage and drove 4 hours to Kings Canyon National Park.

Aside from my dad’s Garmin GPS taking us on a detour up a narrow winding road up the side of the mountain, we arrived late Wednesday night and crashed in the van until late the next morning. Our day got off to a slow start, but once we did get going, we were amazed at all the park had to offer.

Day 1 - Meadows, Rivers, Waterfalls, and Caverns

Our first stop was at a small waterfall which, in comparison with those at neighboring Yosemite, was not particularly impressive. That said, it was still a beautiful scene and a great place to start our day of exploration.

Our next stop was Zumwalt Meadow, a peaceful spot to take in the sounds of nature while enjoying stunning views of the mountains. Our initial goal was to take the loop around the meadow, but we were disappointed to discover that part of the trail was blocked. We quickly ended our short hike and drove to the end of the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, only to discover hoards of vehicles parked which convinced us not to stop. As we headed back towards Cedar Lodge to get some refreshment and get some guidance from National Park workers, we were disappointed to discover the lodge was shuttered - surprising given it was June, one of the most popular travel months.

Above: Zumwalt Meadow with some massive rock formations in the background

But rather than spend the rest of the afternoon at camp we decided to backtrack on our drive from late the previous night and found a nice spot to dip our feet in the roaring Kings River and enjoy lunch next to Grizzly Falls. While there, we were approached by a woman who noticed us pull up in our van with a San Jose Ford license plate frame. Turns out she and her husband (June & Dave) are both originally from my hometown of Fremont and she graduated from my high school! She then started asking my dad about his van which instantly activated his verbal diarrhea which went on for about 30 minutes before we parted ways with the couple.

Above: Grizzly Falls

Next, we drove a bit further back down the scenic byway to Boyden Cavern. As we walked towards the ticketing stand, guess who we saw once again - June & Dave. We ended up having another long chat with both, sharing about our lives. They even invited us to go jet skiing up at a cabin they own on Lake Shasta!

Above: Me posing in front of a "wedding cake" formation in Boyden Cavern

The cave itself was not particularly impressive compared to others I have visited, but it was still a nice place to check out and cool off as temperatures reached the mid-90s outside. The cavern is named after JP Boyden, a Hume Lake logger who discovered the cave and lived inside it and gave private tours for several years before it was acquired by the federal government in 1883. Admission to the cave was $16 on a Thursday. A bit steep for what little the cavern had to offer, but a good memory to blog about :)

The rest of our afternoon/evening was fairly uneventful. My dad and I put up window shades on the van so we weren't awakened by the sun at 5:30 in the morning like we were that same day and worked on finding a way to rig a screen on the back door so we wouldn't suffocate and get eaten alive by mosquitos while we slept.

Day 2 - Lots of Really Big, Tall Trees

The next morning, we set out from camp a tad earlier than the prior day and drove back towards the park entrance. On our way, we saw stunning views of Kings Canyon which we missed two days prior since it was pitch black. We made several stops along the way to take photos of the massive landscape.

Above: View of Kings Canyon from the scenic byway, taken as we drove back towards the park entrance

We then took a turn on a dirt road towards the infamous Chicago Stump. The story behind the stump dates back to 1893 when a sequoia tree was chopped down and shipped in pieces for the Chicago world’s fair and reassembled to showcase the sheer size of these plants. Unfortunately, midwesterners and east coasters at the time didn’t believe the tree was real but rather assembled from fake pieces. It was therefore deemed the “California Hoax”.

Above: Me in front of the infamous Chicago stump, chopped down for the 1893 World's Fair

The van’s offroading was truly tested on this narrow one-lane drive which required drivers to occasionally back up in order to let our massive vehicle past. We finally made it to the trailhead of the stump and were quite impressed by how large it was.

Our final stop was the sequoia basin, where we saw massive redwoods and ran into a couple of ladies named Amy and Lynn visiting from Pennsylvania who had accidentally driven their Kia sedan rental up a winding dirt road to get into the park, thanks to setting their GPS to avoid tolls. It was scarily similar to the road we drove up two nights prior but worse.

Above: The General Grant Sequoia, one of many massive redwoods at Kings Canyon

Overall the park was incredible. The views were spectacular and the lack of crowds made the experience all the more enjoyable. Here’s to more adventures in my dad’s van!