Don Cecil Trail to Lookout Peak

This is a leg-burner that earns every inch of its view. Starting from the Cedar Grove area, the Don Cecil Trail wastes no time gaining elevation, climbing relentlessly through mixed conifer forest with occasional granite slabs underfoot. The first few miles offer filtered shade, but as you push higher the canopy thins and the trail becomes more exposed, switchbacking across sun-baked slopes. The nearly four thousand feet of climbing over six and a half miles one-way demands a slow, steady pace. But the summit of Lookout Peak delivers what the name promises — a sprawling, unobstructed panorama of the Kings Canyon backcountry, the Monarch Divide, and the deep gash of Kings Canyon itself. On a clear day the Sierra Crest stretches to the horizon. This is a trail for conditioned hikers who want a full-day challenge and a summit reward that rivals anything in the Sierra without the permit hassle.