By Dave Boyer

Location: Central California east of Fresno.

Seasons open: Spring-Summer-Fall weather permitting.

Nearby Facilities & Camping: Several primitive camping spots along the Kings River. Limited dispersed camping along the trail.

(Please click on smaller images to enlarge them)

The Davis Flat Trail located in the lower Sierra Foothills of California is a fairly scenic non-paved forest service road that runs between Pine Flat Reservoir and Ca highway 180. It’s one route that connects the Kings River Canyon area to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In general, the trail is maintained well and is usually passable with higher clearance 2WD vehicles depending on the weather. Of course, as with any non paved route, it’s best to check trail conditions before running it. Several fairly steep switchbacks take you past the numerous vista points along the route making the drive quite memorable. It can be a great run for larger vehicles or for those who wish a more non technical drive. For people new to driving off road, this is a good trail to start off with.

 

The trail is accessible off Trimmer Road that leads to the Kings River which is the main tributary that feeds the Pine Flat reservoir. Trimmer is a paved road and a nice drive during springtime when the hills are green and the flower bloom is in its full regalia. The road follows along the lake’s shoreline for several miles until it reaches the Kings River.

There are two bridges to cross, a two lane modern style crossing and a small one lane metal structure bridge which crosses back over to the other side river if you wish to explore the area opposite Davis Flat.

 

 

 

Both Pine Flat Lake and the Kings River offer a variety of water sports including some fine fishing opportunities. There are camps along both side of the Kings River, but the south side is the starting point of the trail close to Mill Flat campground, 3 miles from the end of Trimmer Road past the bridge. (Note: To reach the trail, do not cross over the bridge at Rogers Crossing).

The road to Mill Flat is open year round and is suitable for automobiles.

Although there are a few spots to disperse camp along the trail, most of these areas are not what I would call “premium??? sites. YMMV. Other issues that visitors might encounter are the several river rafting companies that operate on the Kings when the river flow is high. This is generally in springtime and camping along the river may be cramped during the weekends. The rafting groups run trips during the week as well, but the crowds are smaller and it doesn’t seem to impact the camping along the river as much. It’s also important to note that both sides of the Kings River offer river access and camping. (Please see the “Kings River Access Trail???).

 

PG&E operates the Hass/Kings River power project so there are a few transmission lines and power houses throughout the region that some might object to, but as soon as the trail splits off the river, it becomes more remote.

Running the trail:

(On some vehicle GPS units made for road use, this trail is shown as an extension of Trimmer road. Although this trail is an easy run, it’s still a trail and may pose damage to vehicles that sit low to the ground.)

 

After veering away from the Kings River, the route follows an easy path along Davis Creek which offers spectacular views of dense vegetation down along the stream that stays green throughout most of the early summer season.

In the later portions of the year, the hills are golden brown but generally the creek holds enough water during summer to keep the river bottom green unless the year has been unusually dry.

 

Along this section of the trail, it crosses private property and it’s always important to respect the owners by proper trail etiquette and common sense. Most of the trails path crosses over BLM or Government territories but the rules still apply, especially the common sense portion. Seeing where jerks have decided to blasé their own trails is an ignorant action and only supplies the operating agencies to shut down the route.

Soon the trail begins to move up in altitude as it veers away from Davis Creek. It passes through a diverse terrain that wanders in and out trees along the valley but it’s the upper vista points supply extraordinary views.

The trail can be rough in spots depending on the terrain but is generally suitable for stock SUV’s. After the seasonal rains, steeper sections of the trail develop ruts such as is shown here.  Eventually the roads bad spots  are  graded providing a more palatable drive for 2WD vehicles but don’t expect the trail to be free from these moguls.

This run is probably fantastic in the springtime when the hills are green but even during October it’s still a pleasant drive as shown in these images.

As the road climbs, the views become more scenic and it’s sights like this that do justice to the ride.

 

 

 

Eventually the path reaches altitudes that support a different environmental zone.

 

 

 

Oaks gave way to Pines and Manzanita that share the forest floor.

 

 

The day was coming to an end and so was the trail.

The sunset was striking and made for a great end to the day.

While watching the sun set, we kicked back, had a fine cigar and sipped on a cold beer as we reflected on the days events.

This was a nice run. Definitely not technical but worth the 3 hours it took to drive it. I’d like to see it in the springtime when the flower bloom is at its peak and the hills are green. My guess is this trail has light traffic most of the time and although we never found that perfect spot along the trail to boon dock, I’m sure you’d be able to find a spot to overnight at. Of course there is always the camps along the Kings River that would do in a pinch and a trip into Kings Canyon would round out the day nicely.

 

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