Memorial Day Camping at Kings Canyon National Park will be limted as nearly half the campsites will be closed over the holiday due to tree hazards, including the popular Sunset Campground, U.S. Park Service officials said Monday.

The Sunset Campground, which has 150 spaces in the Grant Grove area, will remain closed until the Park Service can remove pine trees that have been killed by the bark beetle infestation, which was exacerbated by the five-year drought. Heavy winter snows at the 6,500-foot elevation of Grant Grove have also left cleanup work to be done.

Sunset is one campground that takes reservations, but those made for May 24 to June 7 have been cancelled, and no new reservations are being taken.

Officials expect a strong turnout for camping at Kings Canyon over the upcoming holiday weekend. They say finding a campsite “will be very challenging.”

Camping at Kings Canyon with RVs

There are no RV hookups in the parks. Generator hours are from 9 am to 9 pm, except at Lodgepole and Dorst Creek campgrounds, where generators can run only from 8-11 am. and 5-8 pm. Dump stations are located at Potwisha, Lodgepole, and Dorst Creek campgrounds. There is also a dump station at Princess Campground in Sequoia National Forest near Hume Lake. Dump stations at Lodgepole, Dorst Creek, and Princess campgrounds are only available during the summer months. There are no dump stations in Grant Grove or Cedar Grove. Check vehicle-length limits on park roads before deciding which road to take into these parks.

For more information, go to the Kings Canyon National Park website.

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