Sequoia National Park

State: California. Destination type: U.S. National Park, jointly managed with adjacent Kings Canyon National Park as a single administrative unit. Established September 25, 1890 as the second national park in the U.S. and the first created to protect a living organism (the giant sequoia). Covers about 404,064 acres in the southern Sierra Nevada. Home to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume.

Sequoia National Park protects a dramatic swath of the southern Sierra Nevada, from oak-studded foothills up to alpine peaks, but it is best known for its groves of giant sequoias — the largest living trees on the planet by volume. The park is administered jointly with neighboring Kings Canyon National Park under a single National Park Service unit, and the two parks share a combined entrance fee and much of their visitor infrastructure. Sequoia's centerpiece is the Giant Forest, home to the General Sherman Tree and a network of easy interpretive trails, along with granite viewpoints like Moro Rock that look out over the deep river canyons below. The park's high country, reachable mainly by backcountry trail, includes the western approaches to Mount Whitney and remote alpine wilderness far removed from the crowds around the famous sequoia groves.

Sequoia National Park sits in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Visalia, California, in Tulare County. Its main entrance (Ash Mountain) is reached via State Route 198 from Visalia and Three Rivers, while the park's Generals Highway also connects it to neighboring Kings Canyon National Park to the north.

Because the park spans an enormous elevation range — from around 1,300 feet in the foothills to over 14,000 feet near Mount Whitney — conditions vary dramatically by location and season. Summer brings comfortable temperatures to the mid-elevation sequoia groves, ideal for the most popular hikes, while the high country stays snowbound well into early summer. Fall sees cooling temperatures with light snow sometimes arriving by late October. Winter blankets the Giant Forest and higher elevations in snow, closing some roads, while the lower foothill areas remain accessible and milder year-round. Spring conditions (roughly April through mid-June, depending on elevation) can include lingering snow and fast, cold streams from snowmelt, so trail conditions vary widely by month and area.

Summer is peak season for the Giant Forest and General Sherman Tree, when trails are clear and temperatures in the mid-elevation groves are comfortable, but reservations and crowds are heaviest then. Fall offers cooler, quieter conditions before winter snow closes some higher roads. Winter is a distinctive but limited option — the foothills stay accessible while the sequoia groves get snow — and spring can bring lingering snow and cold, fast-running streams at higher elevations, so check current road and trail conditions before planning a visit outside summer.

Congress established Sequoia National Park on September 25, 1890, making it the United States' second national park (after Yellowstone) and the first anywhere created specifically to protect a living organism — in this case the giant sequoia, whose ancient groves had been targeted by commercial logging in the decades before. In the park's early years, before the National Park Service existed, it was patrolled and administered by U.S. Army cavalry and infantry units, including African American regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who built early park infrastructure and helped curb poaching and illegal grazing. The park's most famous tree, the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest, is recognized today as the largest tree in the world by volume, standing about 275 feet tall with a base circumference of roughly 103 feet and an estimated trunk weight of nearly 1,400 tons. Sequoia and neighboring Kings Canyon National Park have been jointly administered as a single National Park Service unit for decades, reflecting their shared sequoia groves, ecosystems, and visitor facilities.

The signature activity is walking among the giant sequoias in the Giant Forest, including the short, paved path to the General Sherman Tree and the longer Congress Trail loop through the surrounding grove. Moro Rock offers a dramatic but strenuous short hike — about half a mile round trip up more than 350 built stone steps — to a granite dome with sweeping views over the Kaweah River canyon. Crystal Cave offers a guided tour of a marble cavern beneath the forest, though tours must be booked in advance through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy rather than arranged on the day. Longer hikes include the trail to Tokopah Falls, and serious backcountry hikers can access the western approaches to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States, from within the park. Because black bears are active throughout the park, all food and scented items must be stored in the provided metal bear-proof lockers at all times — bear spray, notably, is prohibited here.

The Giant Forest Museum sits near the General Sherman Tree and explains the ecology of the sequoia groves, with the short Big Trees Trail looping nearby through meadow and forest. Moro Rock and the roadside curiosity of Tunnel Log (a fallen sequoia with a tunnel cut through it for cars) are popular photo stops. Crystal Cave, reachable via a separate side road and a moderate approach hike, reveals marble formations underground. Three Rivers, the small town just outside the Ash Mountain entrance, offers additional services and lodging for visitors staying outside the park itself.

From Visalia, the most direct route follows Highway 198 east to the park's Ash Mountain entrance, a drive of roughly 85 miles and about 1.5 hours. From Fresno, the equivalent route via Highway 99 to Visalia and then Highway 198 covers roughly 83 miles in a similar 1.5–2 hours; alternatively, Highway 180 east from Fresno leads to the Big Stump entrance near Grant Grove in neighboring Kings Canyon, connecting south to Sequoia via the Generals Highway. The direct road between the Grant Grove area and the Giant Forest is closed seasonally in winter, so check current road conditions before a cold-weather visit. There is no regularly scheduled public transit directly into the park; a personal or rental vehicle is the standard way to arrive.

The parks are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as of research, though individual roads, facilities, and seasonal areas (such as Cedar Grove and Mineral King) close for parts of the year, and winter storms can close some roads until they're plowed. Check the current seasonal road-status page before visiting outside summer.

As of research, the standard private-vehicle entrance fee is $35 (valid 1–7 days and covering both Sequoia and Kings Canyon), $30 for a motorcycle, and $20 for an individual arriving on foot or by bicycle; an annual pass covering both parks is $70. Confirm current prices on the official fee page before you go, since park fees are periodically updated.

A single full day covers the core Giant Forest highlights (General Sherman Tree, Congress Trail, Moro Rock, Tunnel Log); a second day allows time to add Crystal Cave or Tokopah Falls, or to explore the Kings Canyon side of the shared park.

Wuksachi Lodge, near the Giant Forest, is the park's main hotel-style lodging, with over 100 rooms and an on-site restaurant. Several campgrounds are scattered through the park (14 in total across Sequoia and Kings Canyon combined), with Lodgepole Campground the closest to the General Sherman Tree parking area; most are seasonal, typically open from around May through November, and reservations can be made months ahead. Outside the Ash Mountain entrance, the small town of Three Rivers offers additional lodging, from boutique riverside inns to glamping-style camps.

Dining options inside the park are limited to lodge and village restaurants, including the restaurant at Wuksachi Lodge; visitors should not expect a wide restaurant scene comparable to a city. The nearby town of Three Rivers, just outside the Ash Mountain entrance, offers additional casual dining and grocery options for those staying outside the park gates.

Kings Canyon National Park is administered jointly with Sequoia and connects directly via the Generals Highway, making the two parks a natural pairing on a single visit. Beyond the immediate area, this guide's other featured Sierra and coastal destinations — Lake Tahoe, Big Sur, and Napa Valley — are all a considerable drive away and better treated as separate legs of a longer California itinerary.

There is no scheduled public transportation directly serving the park; the nearest airports are in Fresno and Visalia, both roughly 1.5–2 hours' drive from the Ash Mountain entrance. A personal or rental car is the standard way to reach and get around the park.

Black bears are present throughout the park; store scented items — including food, toiletries, and trash — in the provided metal bear-proof lockers at all times, since improper storage can result in fines of up to $5,000 and endangers both visitors and bears. Bear spray is prohibited in the park. Altitude and terrain vary enormously across the park, so check elevation and trail difficulty before setting out, and be prepared for sudden weather changes at higher elevations even in summer. Roads can close temporarily for snow, rockfall, or maintenance, so check current conditions before driving between park areas, particularly outside summer.

Bring layered clothing to handle temperature swings between the foothills and higher elevations, sturdy footwear for trails like Moro Rock's stone stairway, a reusable water bottle, and a certified bear canister if backcountry camping. A paper map or offline map is useful given limited cell coverage in much of the park. Reserve any Crystal Cave tour tickets in advance rather than expecting same-day availability.

Reserve lodging, campsites, and Crystal Cave tours well ahead of your visit, especially for summer weekends. Check current road and seasonal closure information before visiting outside summer, since some routes (including the connection to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon) close for the winter. If visiting both Sequoia and Kings Canyon, remember a single entrance pass covers both parks, since they're managed as one unit. Store all food properly at all times to avoid problems with the park's resident black bears.

Dial 911 for any emergency — cellular emergency calls can often go through even without regular phone service in much of the park. For non-emergency park dispatch, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks can be reached at (559) 565-3195, as of research.

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (National Park Service) — https://www.nps.gov/seki/

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.