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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are two great national parks in the Sierra Nevada mountains that share a boundary. While Sequoia, with its Giant Sequoia trees, is the more visited park, the drive down into Kings Canyon is not to be missed if you have the time.
California
2007, 2014
About The Park
The National Park Service treats these two parks virtually as one extended park which it basically is. They are adjacent to each other and the typical park service brochure is for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. If you come in from the northwest on California highway 180 it becomes the Generals Highway and enters in Kings Canyon National Park. As you drive south along it, you will run into the sign that says Sequoia National Park. That’s all that separates these parks. In addition you have the Sequoia National Forest which is adjacent to both of these parks and if you’re not paying attention you’re not even sure which of these three you are in.
The main road for both parks is the Generals Highway, and it goes through both parks. It is almost impossible to visit either park without setting foot in the other.
So, if you are planning a visit to Sequoia you should visit the page for Kings Canyon National Park too.
Sequoia’s distinctive feature are the Giant Sequoia Trees which are the most massive trees on the planet and their scale makes one feel very small. Sequoia gets over 1 million visitors a year. By contrast Yosemite gets about 5 million visitors and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, due to its central eastern location, gets about 9 million visitors. So, while you won’t see the masses of people that those parks get, you won’t be alone. In bear country that’s not such a bad thing.
Both of these parks are only about a 3 ½ hour drive from Yosemite National Park which makes it convenient to do all three parks on one trip. The last two times that we went to Yosemite we worked in a few days at Sequoia and Kings Canyon.
Sequoia National Park is the nation’s second oldest National Park created in 1890 (six days ahead of Yosemite) to protect the magnificent groves of giant sequoias which were being systematically logged for the huge amount of lumber that a single tree would yield.
The park contains the highest mountain in the lower 48 states, Mount Whitney, which is 14,505’ high. The mountain, which lies right on the remote eastern border of the park, is a long hike in from the eastern side of the park which is a long way from the main part of the park and a destination in and of itself. The park is situated on the Sierra Nevada mountain range and there is no road across the park from the west to the east. The trip around is hundreds of miles of difficult mountain driving.
Crystal Cave
Sequoia has its own cave, the Crystal Cave, which is off the Generals Highway and down a road that is only opened in the summer. It is a marble cavern which is a type of cavern that I’ve never seen. We didn’t get a chance to visit it on either of our two trips but hopefully we will on some future trip. These are big parks with lots to see if you have the time.
Giant Forest Museum
The historic Giant Forest Museum contains information about the Sequoia trees and the human history of the area.
Near the Giant Forest Museum there is the Tunnel Log. This 275’ tall tree, 21’ in diameter fell across the park road in 1947. A 17’ wide, 8’ high tunnel was cut through the trunk that you can drive through. This is a relic of times past and no one would do something so destructive today.
Mineral King
There is an interesting road to a place called Mineral King. To get there you travel a long, difficult, narrow, winding road with blind curves, steep drop-
Wildlife
Black bears, bobcats, foxes, ground squirrels, rattlesnakes, and mule deer. The last California grizzly was killed in this park in 1922.
Lodging
There’s several different lodges along the Generals Highway between Kings Canyon and into Sequoia National Park.
John Muir Lodge
The John Muir Lodge, which we stayed at, is at Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park but close enough to serve both parks.
Grant Grove Cabins
There are cabins at Grant Grove which are also in Kings Canyon National Park but also close enough to serve both parks.
Wuksachi Lodge
The Wuksachi Lodge is a modern lodge near the Lodgepole Visitor Center. It is conveniently located and is close to the Big Trees Trail, General Sherman Tree, Crystal Cave, the Giant Forest Museum and Moro Rock.
Basically, with the exception of the Cedar Grove Lodge down in Kings Canyon, any lodging along the Generals Highway is fine for touring either or both of these parks. If you stay at the Cedar Grove Lodge down in Kings Canyon it is about an hour’s drive to get to Sequoia and, in the dark, the drive down to get back is not fun.
Hiking
Along the Generals Highway there are many Sequoia trees and various pullouts where you can walk among them. The most famous of them is the General Sherman Tree which has its own fairly substantial parking area and a mostly paved trail heading down to the tree. And a very impressive tree it is. It is 2,200 years old, 272 feet tall, over 100 feet in circumference and has an estimated weight of 1,385 tons. It is the largest tree on Earth. I forget how many houses could be built with that amount of lumber.
Along the way down the trail there was a mother bear with 2 cubs doing the usual foraging. Since she was right on the paved trail everyone was taking pictures. People were entirely too close to this bear as is often the case when there’s no Ranger around to back everybody up and give the bear space. But she was obviously very used to people, and not afraid for her cubs, and they did their thing. The cubs were as curious about us as we were about them and were constantly turning to look at us. The mother bear just went about her business of ripping the bark off downed trees looking for grubs.
Tokopah Falls Trail
The Tokopah Falls Trail is an easy 1.7 mile (one way) walk along the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River to the impressive granite cliffs and waterfall of Tokopah Canyon. Tokopah Falls is 1,200 feet (365.8 meters) high. Summer is the best time to see it since the flow is fueled by snow melt runoff.
Cahoon Meadow, Twin Lakes and Lodgepole Trails
These trails can be found In the area around the Wuksachi Lodge and they are relatively easy trails.
Big Trees Trail
The Big Trees Trail is an easy 1.3 mile paved loop trail among the Sequoias. It is a heavily traveled trail.
Moro Rock
About 15 miles north of the southern entrance to the park, the Ash Mountain entrance, you will pass Moro Rock which is something that you don’t want to miss. This is a granite dome that juts out over the valley. It’s a steep walk up 300 steps with walkways cut into the dome to get to the top. It is open in winter but, if it is snowy or icy, the park service’s advice is to stay off it. At the top is a railed in area where you can stand and take in the view. If you’re on your way out, as we were, you can see the road down zig-
These next three trails are technically in Kings Canyon National Park and are located close to the Big Stump (northwest) entrance to the park(s).
North Grove Loop
Across the road from the Kings Canyon Visitor Center is the North Grove Loop. This is an easy 1.5 mile trail that gets you close to the big trees without the crowds.
General Grant Tree Trail
The General Grant Tree Trail is an easy, paved, 1/3 mile trail that shares the same Grant Tree parking area.
Buena Vista Peak Trail
Another relatively easy 2-
Sequoia National Parks Photo Gallery
Other Resources
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on the National Parks Service website -
Other National Parks Within a Day’s Drive
Kings Canyon National Park with a glacier carved valley more than a mile deep is adjacent to Sequoia National Park.
Yosemite National Park home of Yosemite Falls and El Capitan is about 235 miles to the north.
Death Valley National Park the hottest place on Earth is about 90 miles to the southeast as the crow flies. Unfortunately the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range lies between these parks and there is no easy way across it. That makes the trip a long 375 mile drive.
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