I had done this trail back in March, escaping from virtual everything and when everything shut down in California, where Arizona was still open; I had done this hike toward the end of my visit, with six local beers at the top.  Very good time.

No summit beers this time, as it was only the second hike of the trip, and it actually was the second hike of the day (Picacho Peak in the morning).  Don't worry, I still got local beers on this trip 🙂

In March, I took the Sweetwater Trail up, then down on the Gould Mine Trail, so for this trip I decided to reverse it.  This way was longer but less steep, and so the way down was a bit quicker.  Crossed paths with a few couples and families- pretty accessible for the youths.

Didn't feel much like Winter in late November!  Took off my base layer bottoms before the hike, and glad I did- could have used a short sleeve shirt, but at least the sun wasn't beating down on my forearms.

Beautiful desert views throughout, beautiful views at the summit; nice and peaceful.

I did see a sign for the closure of the Kings Canyon Trailhead, and confirmed on the USFS website, so if you're reading this, you might need to take an alternate approach, if they haven't yet again opened up this particular route- there are others, or so I am told.