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Highway 180 to Cedar Grove reopens in Kings Canyon National Park

The Fresno Bee
Parks Service fire ecologist Tony Caprio and fire department supervisor Robert Sanders look across Kings Canyon in the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon National Park on Friday, April 15. Last summer’s Rough Fire burned along the steep hillsides of the mountains on either side of the Kings River making it a difficult stop for firefighters. The road to Cedar Grove reopens at noon Friday, April 22.
Parks Service fire ecologist Tony Caprio and fire department supervisor Robert Sanders look across Kings Canyon in the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon National Park on Friday, April 15. Last summer’s Rough Fire burned along the steep hillsides of the mountains on either side of the Kings River making it a difficult stop for firefighters. The road to Cedar Grove reopens at noon Friday, April 22. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

For the first time since last summer’s devestating Rough fire, Highway 180 will reopen Friday to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park.

The opening is to occur at noon, the Parks Sevice said.

The roadway has been closed since the Rough fire broke out in Kings Canyon last July. As the fire grew, it became unsafe for visitors to travel to Cedar Grove. The lodge there was evacuated and Kings Canyon was emptied of visitors and Parks Service personnel as the fire raged. By the time the blaze was brought under control, it had burned 150,000 acres and was the largest fire in California last year.

The road closure was at a spot six miles east from Grant Grove Village. That point is just past the road to Hume Lake.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Highway 180 to Cedar Grove reopens in Kings Canyon National Park."

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