Kings Canyon Tours

There are two, and each is special for its own reasons. Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory of Australia is a red sandstone gorge in Watarrka National Park: the NT Government says its walls rise 100 m above Kings Creek, the park is on the National Heritage List, and the Garden of Eden rockhole lies about halfway round the Rim Walk. Kings Canyon National Park in California holds the General Grant Tree, the Nation's Christmas Tree, and the deep Cedar Grove valley. See the Rim Walk guide for Australia, and the California guide for the US park.

For most Red Centre trips, yes. Tourism NT calls the Rim Walk at Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory one of the most iconic hikes in Australia, and the park joined the National Heritage List in 2024. It is about 450 km from Alice Springs and about 3.5 hours by road from Ayers Rock Airport, so plan a long day or a night nearby. The day tour from Ayers Rock Resort does it in 12 hours.

Yes, at both. For Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory you need an NT Parks Visitor Pass, bought online before you go, from A$10 per adult for one day (2026); NT residents do not need one. For Kings Canyon National Park in California you pay the National Park Service entrance fee, US$35 per vehicle for 7 days in 2026, which also covers Sequoia; the National Park Service adds a US$100 nonresident fee for each non-US resident aged 16+ unless entering with an annual or America the Beautiful pass. More in the NT Parks Pass post.

No. The National Park Service says entrance reservations for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California are not accepted or required. What you do book ahead: campsites (nearly all on Recreation.gov), wilderness permits for overnight trips in the summer quota season, and Crystal Cave tours. For Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory, the one thing to buy in advance is the NT Parks Visitor Pass, online.

In California, the 2026 entrance fee for Sequoia and Kings Canyon is US$35 per vehicle, US$30 per motorcycle or US$20 per person on foot or bike, valid 7 days. The National Park Service fees page (updated 17 April 2026) says each non-US resident aged 16+ pays a US$100 nonresident fee on top unless entering with an annual or America the Beautiful pass. In the Northern Territory, an adult NT Parks Visitor Pass costs A$10 for 1 day, A$20 for 3 days, A$30 for 2 weeks, A$45 for a month or A$60 for a year. See the 2026 fees post.

Yes, for the main sights in California. The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia to Grant Grove Village in Kings Canyon National Park is 28 miles (45 km), about 60 minutes, and one entrance pass covers both parks. Cedar Grove adds about 60 minutes each way from Grant Grove, and only while Highway 180 is open, usually late April to mid-November. The private day from Los Angeles visits both big trees; see Sequoia or Kings Canyon.

They are next to each other in California, and the National Park Service runs them as one unit. Grant Grove Village in Kings Canyon to the Giant Forest Museum in Sequoia is 30 miles (48 km), about 65 minutes. In winter the Generals Highway between Lodgepole and Grant Grove is often closed by snow, from early January to the third Friday in March.

The Rim Walk at Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory is: Grade 4 (moderate to difficult) on the NT Government scale, 6 km (3.7 miles) in 3 to 4 hours, with a steep climb at the start. The easy option is the Kings Creek Walk, Grade 2, 2.6 km return. In Kings Canyon National Park in California, Zumwalt Meadow (0.8 miles round trip) and Roaring River Falls (0.4 miles) are short; Mist Falls is 8 miles round trip, 4 to 5 hours. More in the Rim Walk guide.

In the Northern Territory, allow 3 to 4 hours for the Rim Walk and about 1 hour for the Kings Creek Walk; on days forecast at 36°C or above, start the Rim Walk before 9am. From Ayers Rock Resort the day tour takes 12 hours in all. In California, Grant Grove to Cedar Grove is 29 miles, about 60 minutes each way before any walking, and the National Park Service says the Generals Highway alone takes at least 2 hours plus stops.

There is no official best month. For Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory, the NT Government calls April to September the most pleasant; in January 2026 highs averaged 41.4°C (107°F) at the Watarrka weather station. For Kings Canyon National Park in California, Cedar Grove is typically open from May to early or mid-November, the sequoia groves usually have deep snow from December to May, and summer is the busiest season. See the best time guide.

No grizzlies, and no bear spray. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California are home to several hundred black bears and no grizzly bears; black bears are the only bear species in California. Bear spray is illegal to possess in the two parks, so store all food in the metal food-storage boxes and keep at least 50 yards (46 m) from bears. Kings Canyon in the Northern Territory has no bears. More in bears and safety.

In the Northern Territory, no: swimming is not permitted at the Garden of Eden on the Rim Walk or at Kathleen Springs. In Kings Canyon National Park in California you may swim in the rivers, but the National Park Service says all of them are extremely hazardous, worst in spring and early summer when snowmelt makes them swift and icy, and drowning is the primary cause of death in the parks.