Mist Falls

The trailhead starts at Roads' End (the end of Hwy 180). Take the Bubbs Creek/Kanawyer Loop Trail and hike east. For the first three miles the trail is relatively flat through an open pine forest. Make sure to look up as there are some great views of the valley. The granite walls on both sides of the river rise a couple thousand feet above the canyon floor, making Kings Canyon feel like an enclosed oasis not unlike Yosemite Valley. After the first mile and a half, the forest get denser and trail begins to gain some elevation.

In about two miles there's the first trail junction, take the trail to your left. The trail becomes narrower but after a brief climb it continues through a pine/cedar forest alongside the rushing woods creek. 

At the third mile the trail begins to climb along some dramatic cascades in the boulder-strewn river, until reaching Mist Falls at mile 4.5. The falls are quite impressive: the river rushes down a steep, smooth granite slope before cascading over a cliff. The giant waterwheel does create a lot of mist which is perfect to cool off after a good hike. I suggest take the trail to the brink of the falls and a get view of the mist and the forest below.