Sequoia and Kings Canyon - 2 of California's National Parks

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world"

"Keep close to nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.  Wash your spirit clean."

John Muir

Trees in Sequoia National Park

In the heart of the Sierra Nevada, just south of Yosemite, are Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, home to both the largest giant sequoia trees in the world and a deep gorge of a canyon that rivals Yosemite Valley for awe-inspiring beauty. Sequoia & Kings Canyon are separate parks snuggled next to each other and managed jointly. Combined, they outsize Yosemite. Peaks stretch across 1,350 square miles and include 14,505-foot Mount Whitney, the tallest point in the lower 48 states. These parks are also home to the Kaweah Range, a string of stark and magnificently beautiful mountains nestled among the Sierra. Three powerful rivers, the Kings, Kern, and Kaweah, tumble through the parks. Despite their large size, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks attract less than half the number of Yosemite's annual visitors, making them a great alternative for those looking to avoid huge crowds.

Muirs Rock on the south fork of the Kings River
John Muir used to give lectures from the rock.

I have lived in California for 30 years, and somehow I didn’t get to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks until 2 years ago.  I don’t know why we didn’t go there, we had been to Yosemite, which is very close by.  We have travelled all over California, seeing the sights of this great state.  But somehow we overlooked these 2 parks.  When we finally did go, it was because our friends came over from Scotland to see us, and we took them on a road trip.  They had said that they would like to see Yosemite, so we immediately booked that, but then I started looking at other things we could do in the same area, and I saw these 2 parks.  I thought, well – they are national parks, they must be interesting.  I booked 3 nights there, before our visit to Yosemite.   I am so glad I did.  I think that Sequoia/Kings Canyon parks were probably the highlight of our trip.  Our Scottish friends had never seen trees like the Sequoia’s and the whole area was just stunningly beautiful. 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada's.  This landscape testifies to nature's size, beauty and diversity.  Huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees.

Taken from inside a fallen tree

The parks are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, weather permitting. Their highest visitation is in July and August. Campsites and lodging may be difficult to obtain on summer weekends and holidays, as well as off-season holidays.  Because of the extreme elevation range in the parks, weather conditions vary greatly from area to area and day to day.  The park changes with the seasons.

SPRING (April to June) the sequoia groves are often still snowy. Rivers and creeks become especially swift, cold, and dangerous. Spring brings warm weather and abundant wildflowers to the foothills.

One of the easier hiking trails is the Zumwalt Meadow Trail
It is a 1.5 mile loop with spectacular scenery

SUMMER (July to mid-September) the snow has usually melted from High Sierra passes. Most facilities are open and many free ranger programs are offered. The foothills are hot and dry, which makes the dangerous rivers tempting - be careful!  Sequoia groves offer comfortable shade.

FALL (mid-September to November) the sequoia groves get chilly at night; light snows that melt quickly may begin in late October. Facilities begin to reduce hours or close, and fewer ranger programs take place. Crystal Cave closes in late October. The foothills cool down and rains may start by November. 

WINTER (November to April)the sequoia groves are snowy, peaceful, and cold, and rangers offer free outdoor activities. Foothills are cool, green, and decked with wildflowers starting as early as January. Solitude is abundant.

Sequoia Tree

  
The parks have 14 campgrounds of which the majority are first-come, first-served. Lodgepole, Dorst and certain group campgrounds are open to reservations. Campgrounds often fill up on Saturday nights in July and August. Sunday afternoons through Friday afternoons offer the best chance of finding a campsite, with the exception of Lodgepole which usually has limited sites even midweek. Each campsite has a picnic table, fire ring with grill and a metal bear box for food storage. There are no hookups in the parks. Dump stations are located at Potwisha and Lodgepole.

Lodging inside the park is limited. There are 4 facilities. One in Sequoia and 3 in the Kings Canyon area.  They are:

The Wuksachi Lodge is located in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park. The modern lodge offers 102 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, cocktail lounge and a retail and ski shop. The lodge is located 4 miles from Giant Forest Museum. Elevation 7,050 feet.  The lodge is open all year.

The John Muir Lodge is located in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. The lodge offers 36 hotel rooms and a restaurant. The lodge is ½ mile from a sequoia grove, visitor center, market, restaurant, gift shop and post office. Elevation 6,500 feet . Open all year.

The Grant Grove Cabins are located in the Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park. The cabins are ½ mile from a sequoia grove, visitor center, market, restaurant, gift shop and post office. Guests can choose from six types of cabins some of which are available year-round. Elevation 6,500 feet.

Cedar Grove Lodge is located within Cedar Grove Village, deep in the canyon of the Kings Canyon itself. The lodge offers 18 hotel rooms, a counter-service restaurant, market and gift shop. The lodge is also within walking distance of a visitor center, restaurant, gift shop and market. Elevation 4,600 feet.  It is at trailsend and near Muirs Rock on the Kings River.  Open: mid-May to October.  This is where we stayed with our friends when we visited the park.

River on the Zumwalt Meadow Trail

If you have visited some of the more popular national parks, such as Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, you will be surprised by how few people there are in these parks.  The crowds are thinner, there are few scheduled events, and the prime attraction -- and the real reason for the existence of these parks -- is the beauty and majesty of the mountains and the trees, some of the largest living things on earth.
There is plenty of terrain to explore at your leisure

The best way to see the park is by foot, on the many hiking trails.  There is a road, the Generals Highway, which connects Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park with Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. The highway runs 25 miles between two giant sequoias named for famous American generals -- the General Grant Tree and the General Sherman Tree. Allow at least an hour to drive between the two on this slow, winding route, longer when there is construction. From several miles inside the CA 198 Ash Mountain Entrance to Giant Forest, the Generals Highway is narrow and winding and not recommended for vehicles over 22 feet long, which should enter the parks from CA 180.

Inside Crystal Cave

The trees really are the main attraction at these parks, although there are spectacular mountains, rivers, creeks and some fantastic caves.  A definite stop should be a visit to Crystal Cave.  It is a guided tour, and quite pretty inside, with its stalagtites and stalamites.  And of course you have to visit the General Grant and General Sherman trees, they are quite magnificent.  There are plenty of places to eat throughout the park, as well as several general stores.  A visit to one of the visitors centers will give you lots of information about the parks.

These two parks could easily be combined with a visit to Yosemite.  They are only a short drive apart.  You will certainly have more quiet and less crowds in Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks, and I think they are just as spectacular.