Canyon View Overlook

Views here show the distinctive U shape of the glacier-carved canyon,

Quick Facts

Location:

Located near Moraine Campground, along Highway 180 ( Kings Canyon Scenic Byway).

Amenities

8 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Recycling, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible

Canyon View Overlook provides an excellent view east of the U-shaped, glacial canyon. The flat bottom of the canyon supports meadows and forests that could not be supported in the V-shaped, water-carved canyon further west. From here you can see canyon walls that were ground flat by the glacier, with scars where boulders trapped in the ice were dragged across the granite. John Muir, a proponent of protecting this area, was one of the first to support the idea that glaciers cut canyons such as this one. The scars on the canyon walls helped to support his argument.

You might also notice parts of the granite walls where years of waterflow have smoothed the rock until it shines even when there is no water.