Moro Rock - Kings Canyon {California 2012 Recap}

The last hike we did in Kings Canyon National Park was Moro Rock.  I was almost not going to partake in the hike (because of my tooth) and just let Brett go, but once we got to the trail head, I couldn't resist.

Moro Rock is a granite dome rock formation that has a stairway cut into it so you can hike to the top.  That's 400 steps straight up to the top of the rock.  And on either side of you, all you see is a great plunge into the abyss.  The views at the top are seriously insane.  I am not generally afraid of heights, but I found myself clinging to the railing pretty much the entire time. 

These were the stairs to get up and down...
(kinda frightening!)

And the view of the top from where we parked our car...

And the view from our car while driving down the mountain and out of the park...
(So so high up in the sky!  I can't believe we were at the top of it!)

Insane.  I am so glad I decided to do the hike.
I'll never forget that feeling of being on top of the world with Brett.

Sherman Tree Trail - Kings Canyon {California 2012 Recap}

Even though we were only able to get in one long difficult hike while we were in Kings Canyon National Park, we were able to do a couple easier hikes with my dysfunctional tooth problem...

Enter: the Sherman Tree Trail.  Not too much elevation change, most of it was paved, and pretty much anyone could do it.  Even though it was a super easy hike, the sights were still breathtaking.  This trail is set zigzagging between some of the largest trees in the world, including General Sherman - AKA, the largest tree in the world (by volume).  These photos don't even do these trees justice.  They are unreal.  Something you truly need to see in person.

Big trees are so cool.

Heather Lake Hike - Kings Canyon {California 2012 Recap}

Kings Canyon National Park is awesome.  Kings Canyon is home to some of the biggest Sequoia trees in the country.  The drive in alone is breathtaking.

We stayed in the town of Three Rivers right at the entrance of the park and made sure to head in every day to explore.  One day we went on a 10 mile round trip hike up to a lake that was situated on top of a mountain.  It was a steep vertical climb up, but so worth the views.

Unfortunately, this was the only longer distance hikes we did while in Kings Canyon.  We had plans of going on many awesome long distance hikes, but... funny story:  When we arrived in Kings Canyon for "part 2" of our California vacation, I developed as serious toothache.  It was so bad that Brett ended taking me to an urgent care center in the neighboring town our 2nd day there.  Well, turns out, my tooth decided to pick the worst time ever to develop the need for a root canal.  Yeah...  But instead of getting a root canal ON VACATION, I decided to just take the medication/pain killers that the doctor gave me to relieve the pain until I got home and could get a root canal with my own dentist.  Therefore, I was on an antibiotic and Vicodin for the remainder of our vacation.  Womp.  I couldn't drink alcohol and any strenuous activity made me really dizzy and nauseous.  Hence the reason we only ended up doing one big hike while in Kings Canyon.  It kind of really sucked, but we made the best of it!

Sunset River Hike - Kings Canyon {California 2012 Recap}

When we arrived at the Rio Sierra Riverhouse, it was already late afternoon.  We still wanted to get in some kind of hike on our first day, but didn't have enough time to make it into the Kings Canyon National Park before the sunset.  So instead, we hopped in the car and drove down the road to a little hiking path we saw on our way in.  It followed right along the river that pours out of the Kings Canyon mountains and into a giant lake.  We got in our hike right at dusk and finished up just as the sun was setting behind the mountains.

Perfect timing.

Rio Sierra Riverhouse - Kings Canyon {California 2012 Recap}

 I have been so busy lately that blogging about our California trip has seriously been thrown to the side.  Which is pretty obvious seeing as how we went on our vacation in September and I am still trying to blog about it in November.  Yeah... Better late than never, though!  These vacation recap posts are my favorite ones to look back on years later.  So how can I not post them?  Moving right along...

After spending the first part of our trip in the Napa and Sonoma wine country, we headed down South for part 2 of our trip: Hiking and relaxing in Kings Canyon.  Our original plans were to spend part 2 of our trip in Yosemite, but after the whole deadly virus thing, we made new plans.  And you know what, it worked out waaaay better than we expected!  We came across the most amazing place to stay and lucked out big time that they still had availability (seeing as how we booked only a few days before leaving for our trip!).

The Rio Sierra Riverhouse.  Translation = Heaven on Earth.  This amazing little bed and breakfast seriously exceeded all of our expectations.  It was perfect.

Welcome to the Rio Sierra Riverhouse...

But we didn't stay in the main house.

No, no.  We stayed in a magical, relaxing, and cozy little place at the end of this wild flower path...

The "Hideaway"...

And right outside the door of this sweet little tucked away camper...

The most amazing grounds & views.

The most perfect place for relaxing and just taking it all in...

And the rest of the grounds that were on the property were literally amazing.
Swimming holes, huge rocks, little coves, incredible views, and kitty cats.
When we weren't up hiking in Kings Canyon,
we were just relaxing and enjoying this amazing property.

And we ended every night with a warm campfire and star gazing...

This place was perfect.  We definitely plan on returning some day...