While not as famous as nearby Yosemite or Death Valley, this pair of neighboring National Parks is high up the list of amazing things to see and definitely worth the trip to get there, even if you’re not from California. Rainy called these the “Bridesmaids” parks because they “smelled like pine needles and have a face like sunshine” (it’s a quote from the movie). Anyway, add the wonderful smell to the list of reasons to visit.
We visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon in May 2021
Getting There
Since the NPS manages these parks together (SEKI) and since most people visit both in a single trip, we’ll report on them together as well. The parks sit 40 miles northeast of Visalia (coming from LA) and 60 miles southeast of Fresno (coming from SF) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They’re pretty popular on weekends and in the summer. We visited in May and they were practically empty. The challenging elements of getting here are if you drive an RV or trailer as you’ll have to enter via route 180. This is because driving the Generals Highway from the south is a windy, steep road and even we would agree to avoid this. We’ve driven some windy, steep roads (Wheeler Peak in Great Basin and Chisos Mountains in Big Bend), but this one is longer and our 25’ rig could easily make it, but would grind traffic to a crawl. So be advised. The other point is that Kings Canyon is split into two parts. The first, Grant Grove is easily accessible and right next to Sequoia. But the actual canyon of Kings Canyon is a bit of a drive further into the remote wilderness. And wow! The drive along the Kings River is as stunning as any we’ve driven and that part of the park is gorgeous. Read on.
The Trees
Pictures of Giant Sequoias don’t do justice to the size of these things. We had seen the coastal redwoods (tallest trees in the world), but the mass of the trees in Sequoia are another step up on the amazement scale. The General Sherman tree is supposedly the largest living thing on the planet and as you approach it, you might not notice the movement at its base. Then you realize those are humans. And you start to get a feel for the scale of the tree. It’s over 2000 years old and still growing (wider, not taller). Walking around its 100+ foot circumference takes more than a few seconds. While General Sherman is the main attraction in the Giant Forest, the Congress Trail was our favorite as the shady 2 mile loop takes you through beautiful groves with several great concentrations of trees. The nearby Big Trees trail is a ¾ mile flat paved loop around a nice meadow ringed by the massive trees. It’s right across from the Giant Forest Museum where you can learn all about these trees. Their reliance on fire for survival is unique and really amazing. The trees alone are worth the visit to Sequoia NP alone.
Moro Rock
The southern end of the park is quite different as it drops from over 6000’ elevation to less than 2000’ via the Generals Highway. There are some great overlooks, and we rode this down and back up on our scooter. She handled it easily. Just outside the park is the town of Three Rivers where we stopped to refuel and grab a bite to eat. Anyway, back up toward the Giant Forest is Moro Rock. This is a very popular hike with a rewarding majestic view from the top. The final push is about 350 steps winding up to the summit. Tiring, but exhilarating. Even in late May, the distant high Sierra peaks are covered in snow and make for a breathtaking view. You can’t quite see Mt Whitney (highest peak in continental US), but it’s out there. It might look imposing, but definitely hike up Moro Rock. It may be crowded on weekends, so plan accordingly
Lodgepole
We camped four nights at Lodgepole, the largest formal campground in the park. It’s right along the Kaweah River and has a Visitor Center, General Store, Laundry, and pretty much everything a camper could want. Of course, it was all closed due a combination of Covid and early season. It all worked well for us being a convenient place to access everything in Sequoia NP. Another note about the giant trees… when we arrived, we took a couple laps around the campground to get our bearings. The next day, after hiking and exploring the Giant Forest, we took our campground lap and noticed that our previous route was blocked by a fallen tree. Seemed that somewhere in that 24 hour period a rather large (~100’ tall) lodgepole pine had toppled onto a road. First, it was amazing that it fell on the road and not onto any campsites. Second, there was one casualty – one of those trash dumpsters that are the size of a car. The tree absolutely crushed it – like it was a milk carton. Crazy. Third, the NPS had cut up most of the tree, cleaned it up, and replaced the dumpster within a day. As if it never happened. Before we left Lodgepole, we hiked out of the campground up to Tokopah Falls. This was a 3.5 mile out and back easy/moderate trek to a large cascading waterfall. Some hikers we passed said they had seen a mama bear and a cub, but we never saw her. We really wanted to see a bear, just not surprise one. We did see a Marmot, but had no trouble surviving that encounter. Then we departed for Kings Canyon NP, basically next door.
Grant
Grove
The Grant Grove in Kings Canyon NP hosts the General Grant tree, almost as big as the General Sherman tree, and part of an impressive grove of giants. This was also a nice quick hike that included a fallen tree that early park inhabitants lived in. The same properties that allow these trees to survive fire, make them resistant to rot, so the fallen tree was perfect to live in, and pretty much looks the same, hundreds of years later. Grant Village has lots of amenities and their grill was open, so we took a break from our camping menu. This area, while somewhat similar to Sequoia, was clearly more “harvested” as parts of the area highlighted the early logging industry work cutting these trees. We took a hike on the Big Stump Trail, which (you guessed it) went through an area that once had a mill and logged the area. The hike was pretty good and there were two parts we really enjoyed. At one point, there were two trees planted by one of the lumberjacks back in 1835. They were decent sized which gave us some perspective on how big these trees get in just 186 years. The other was the Mark Twain Stump. I don’t know if he actually ever visited the tree, but back in the late 1800’s, stories about these huge trees were making their way back east and most people thought it was a hoax. So, they cut down this tree, took giant cross sections and put them on trains to museums and fairs back east (leaving the Mark Twain Stump). We enjoyed the history lesson. And we’re glad that the trees are now protected.
The Canyon
The actual Kings Canyon is beautiful and super remote, so few people actually make the trek to get there. While the drive is fairly long and twisty (30+ miles and takes about an hour), the route paralleling the Kings River is full of gorgeous cascades and distant vistas. The road ends as the canyon becomes impassable unless you hike with a wilderness permit. The canyon where we camped is nowhere near as dramatic or colorful as either the Grand Canyon or Black Canyon of the Gunnison (although parts further upstream are up to 8200 feet deep, much deeper than either of those two). We really enjoyed our two nights in Sentinel campground. That is, after we got our RV level. We don’t have automatic levelers, so we use the old-fashioned blocks to do the best we can. In most places, Rainy and I can get Eddie leveled out in less than 5 minutes. But our site was not level in any direction. But through a combination of science (our leveling app), equipment (we used nearly every one of our blocks) and Rainy’s keen eye, we got it level in about 15 minutes. There weren’t many better sites available. Anyway, we survived just fine and were able to see several of the outstanding waterfalls. We especially liked Grizzly Falls and the Roaring River Falls. Not sure if we’ll be back, but if you like solitude, waterfalls, and dark skies, this might be one for you to consider.
We stayed 4 nights in Sequoia and 2 in Kings Canyon which was about right to get in all the hikes and iconic photo shots. May was amazing for weather and light crowds. I know it gets both warmer and more crowded in the summer. If you go in the summer, aim for midweek. At a minimum, seeing these magnificent trees once in your lifetime is a must. The scale is indescribable, you have to see them in person. Happy travels!
