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The parking lot was nearly empty when Jean and I arrived at about 10am. The parking lot
is set on the south side of the road, and on the north side of a fork of the
Kings River. High granite walls rise steeply on either side of the canyon.
Zumwalt Meadow
We started the hike by crossing a large footbridge over the river. From there,
the meadow lies to the left. We took the right trail fork (we'd return on the
left fork), and soon met up with a guided nature walk led by a ranger. The group
(about 15 people) were hushed as they watched a lone deer staring at them from
the middle of the meadow.
The trail begins in pleasant shade. But after we passed the group, it climbs
gently over rocky terrain under the warmth of the sun. Here we got brief
glimpses of the meadow below before the trail quickly descended. We then followed
the trail left, along the eastern edge of the meadow.
Granite walls above Zumwalt Meadow
Here we found a beautiful small shaded beach just off the trail. It was perfect for
skipping rocks and just relaxing. We lingered there for several minutes while groups
of people passed without even noticing us there.
Private beach
After enjoying the peace and quiet, we continued along the loop trail, again passing
the large group of people. By this time, there were many more people on the trail,
and we had to weave our way through them. Eventually we reached a section of the trail
which actually passes through the meadow on wooden planks. The view is gorgeous
from here, as we can see the high granite walls backing the bright green meadow.
Zumwalt Meadow
Unfortunately, large numbers of mosquitoes were also enjoying the view, and we quickly
continued back across the foot bridge and back to the now-completely-filled parking
lot.
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