Hey Campers, this poll will help us decide when to do what.
There's a good amount of purely optional excursions and activities that will be offered over the weekend. Some will require driving away from Swank Camp, and two require nothing more than hiking direct from Swank Camp!
Because not everyone will be there the entire 3.5 days, figuring out which activities are the most popular will help us decide which ones to do when most people are in Camp.
Vote for as many activities as you think you'd like to participate in.
Brief descriptions follow:
The Muir Grove of Giant Sequoias: a 2-mile trek from our campground will bring us to this fairly secluded grove of the massive trees the Park is named for. This 4 mile round trip will provide our best opportunity to commune with some of the largest living things on the planet.
Little Baldy: a 3-mile hike from our campsites climbs 700 feet to a granite dome overlooking the Giant Forest region. We could drive part of the way to lessen the 6-mile round trip ... but that would negate the fun of the only trail that leads directly from Swank Camp.
King's Canyon Road Trip: a driving excursion to explore the wonders of the National Park Next Door, with our experienced guides, €uroMeinke and Not Afraid at the helm.
Tokopah Falls: a 3-mile round trip from nearby Lodgepole Campground, along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River to the impressive granite cliffs and waterfall of Tokopah Canyon. The Falls are 1200 feet high, and are most impressive in early summer!
Crystal Cave:
Beautiful stalactites and curtains, impressively large rooms, and ornate marble polished naturally by a subterranean stream make a tour of Crystal Cave an unforgettable experience. 45-minute tours depart every half hour (10:30 - 4:30) and cost $11. (Tickets at Lodgepole Visitor Center, not at the Cave.) A two-hour "Discovery Tour" lasts 2 hours, costs $19, and is limited to 16 persons. Oh, and the temperature inside the Cave is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrrrr.
Griant Grove - In connection with a drive to Crystal Cave, we might want to visit the famous stuff nearby that the Park is known for, such as:
General Sherman Tree - the world's largest living tree
The Congress Trail - a 2-mile stroll thru the heart of the giant sequoia forest and some very famous trees
The Auto Log - a roadway was cut into the top of this fallen tree to give early visitors a sense of scale. Though you can no longer drive on it, the Log is an interesting historic feature.
Crescent Meadow - summer wildflowers, a 1-mile stroll to Tharp's Log and, of course, Bambi!
Moro Rock - a steep, quarter-mile staircase climbs 300 feet to the top of the famed granite dome, offering spectacular views of the Great Western Divide