Your Ultimate Guide to Sequoia National Park 🇺🇸

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If you’re on an ultimate Californian road trip or just planning on visiting a new national park, Sequoia National Park should definitely be on that list. Even though Yosemite National Park receives so much praise for its beauty, I believe that this neighboring Sequoia National Park is just as beautiful and worth visiting. Sequoia National Park is adjacent to the Kings and Canyon National Park and the best thing about these two national parks is that you only have to pay one entrance fee. Now, that’s a deal I would really want to get behind. Sequoia National Park is for everyone, with easy hikes that one can enjoy with their toddlers to elders who want to relax and take in nature. Since Sequoia National Park is often overlooked due to the popularity of its neighboring national park, Yosemite, today, I want to convince you to visit this national park on your next trip to California. Sequoia National Park or otherwise also known as a land of giants offers a dramatic landscape that testifies to nature’s size, beauty, and diversity—huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and let’s not forget the WORLD’S LARGEST trees. A little history on the national park: More than 130 years ago, on September 25, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation establishing America’s second national park. Created to protect the giant sequoia trees from logging, Sequoia National Park was the first national park formed to protect a living organism: Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia).

  • 📝 Due to a COVID-19, you have to reserve spots online in advance to enter the park.
    💰 Entrance Fee: $35 (in and out privileges for a week)
  • 📝 Dates Visited: October 27th, 2020 – October 31st, 2020
  • 📝 I have T-mobile and had NO service throughout the park.
    • 📱 To help with this, explore Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks with the free, official National Park Service App. This interactive guide will help you make the most out of your trip even away from cell service. Search for NPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon and download the app from the Apple App or the Google Play store before you get to arrive at the parks. Cell service is VERY limited here, but free WiFi is available at Foothills and Kings Canyon visitor centers. Be sure to enable location services and download offline content in the app settings. This will allow the app to continue working when you’re out of cell range.
Sequoia National Park Entrance

Today I will go through:

1) How to get there

2) Where to Stay

3) Weather in Sequoia National Park

4) Things to do

5) On-site Restaurant/cafe

6) Overall Loop

1. How to get there

Getting to Sequoia National Park was actually really easy to get to. Once you land, you WILL need a rental car. You can fly into either of these 2 airports or drive 4 hours from Yosemite. Makes it a perfect park to visit on a single road trip:

  • ✈️ FAT (Fresno-Yosemite International Airport) – Closest to the park
    • It’s a very small airport so tickets might be expensive depending on where you’re coming from.
    • 1.5 hours from the park entrance
  • ✈️ LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)
    • about a 4.5 hours drive from the airport to the park entrance
  • 🚗 Drive from Yosemite National Park – I did this
    • about a 4-hour drive

I rented from Alamo from the San Fransisco International Airport without any problems.

2. Where to Stay – 3 nights 4 days.

Since Sequoia National Park was part of a big trip, I only stayed one night and the next morning I was on my way to Santa Barbara but I’ve gathered some lodges and campgrounds in the national part that are worth checking. Also, MAKE SURE to book any of these locations way in advance because they tend to get sold out. If you’re only staying for the day and are going to be heading towards your next destination, the nearest town is Visalia ( I did this). If you would like to stay in town, there are shuttles from the town to the national park at a reasonable price.

  • $20 Round trip to and back to Visalia
    • Get more information here: LINK
  • Lodges:
    • Wuksachi Lodge
      • Phone: 866-807-3598
      • Website: LINK
      • The modern lodge has 102 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, cocktail lounge, and a gift shop.
      • Currently, this location is closed due to COVID-19 but they are re-opening April 2, 2021, but in normal conditions, it’s open all throughout the year.
    • John Muir Lodge
      • Phone: (866) 807-3598
      • Website: LINK
      • Offers 36 hotel rooms and a restaurant. The lodge is one-half mile (.8 km) from a sequoia grove, visitor center, market, restaurant, gift shop, and post office.
      • For the current winter season, this lodge has been closed due to COVID-19 restrictions but they are re-opening April 2, 2021, but in normal conditions, it’s open all throughout the year.
    • Grant Grove Cabins
      • Phone: (866) 807-3598
      • Website: LINK
      • Guests can choose from six types of cabins, some of which are available year-round. At an elevation of 6,500 feet (1,980 m), this area is snowy in winter, and tire chains may be needed during winter storms.
      • For the current winter season, this lodge has been closed due to COVID-19 restrictions but they are re-opening April 2, 2021, but in normal conditions, it’s open all throughout the year.
    • Cedar Grove Lodge
      • Open Spring through fall (confirm the exact dates before your trip)
      • Phone: (866) 807-3598
      • Website: LINK
      • The lodge offers 21 hotel rooms, a snack bar, a market, and a gift shop. The lodge is also within walking distance of Cedar Grove’s visitor center.
  • 🏕 Campgrounds:
    • Sequoia has a lot of campgrounds but it depends on which season you’re going there for. Some of them are closed during the months of winter and there are some that are open all throughout the year.
    • You can reserve these at Recreation.gov (You will have to make an account first)
    • Check out the LINK to get a list of all the campgrounds at Sequoia National Park. NOTE: Make sure to reserve these well in advance as these campgrounds tend to get booked up.

3. Weather in Yosemite

The best time to visit Sequoia National Park is June through August when the weather is the most stable. The park is open 24/7, year-round, but there are certain challenges during select seasons, such as when it snows in December and snow chains or tires are required for safely navigating park roads. Beginning in September, the park reduces its ranger-led programming and certain facilities cut their hours. Some parts of the park, such as the Mineral King and Cedar Grove areas, close entirely due to access issues.

I was there last week of October.

4. Things to do

You’re at a national park so there is no limitation to how many trails you can hike and how many things you can see but obviously, there are some that you must and there are some that can be on the list for next time. I split the nine things we did into 3 days.

  • There are a lot of things to see in Sequoia National Park but below are a few spots that I really recommend you check out when you’re at Sequoia.

1. Tunnel Log

– Visiting this Tunnel Log had been on my bucket list for quite a long time and so when I was planning the Californian National Park trip, I made sure that going to this place was on the list. Going from Yosemite National Park to Sequoia National Park is not super far. Only about a four-hour drive. The whole drive there, you’ll be able to see the giant sequoias but it won’t be until you enter the national park, you’ll be greeted with one right next to another.

– Visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon can drive through Sequoia Park’s fallen “Tunnel Log” located along the Crescent Meadow Road in Giant Forest.

– 📝 I’ve heard from numerous people that it tends to get really crowded to get a picture here so either go EARLY or LATE AFTERNOON. My friend and I got there around 4:30 PM and there was NO LINE to take pictures here.

– If you can drive the bypass road and loop around so that the nose of your car is pointing to the camera. Plus, if you get out of your car and walk down a bit, people can climb onto the top of the log where it’s a little closer to the ground. Really neat photo opportunity! 📸🌲

– Skill level: Drive-up

2. The Hanging Rock Trail

– This might be the easiest trail to an overlook in Sequoia National Park.

– The reason why it’s called the Hanging Rock trail is that once you get to the top, you’ll see this huge boulder perched on the edge of the cliff, propped up by a much smaller rock.

– Skill Level: Easy

3. Moro Rock Trail

– This trail is not like a traditional trail where you can “hike”. This is more of a trail where there are loads of stairs carved into the rock that takes to the top and presents you with some of the most beautiful 360* views of the Sequoia National Park.

– This is a must when you visit Sequoia National Park.

– 📝 It is one of the popular hikes and so it does get a bit crowded especially during sunset time. When my friend and I got there, people had already gotten to the top and situated themselves to view the sun go down. Luckily we weren’t super late to the party and got a good place to sit. Check out my Instagram guide on Sequoia National Park for a time-lapse of the sunset. ☺️🌅

– This was hands down one of my top favorite views. 360* view of mountains and sequoia treetops. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was and something about just being there felt really good. It does have a lot of steps but ultimately it’s really worth it.

Few things to remember:
1️⃣ Wear good shoes. Especially because you’re going to be climbing a bunch of steps.
2️⃣ Take a water bottle with you.
3️⃣ Don’t forget your camera for epic sunset views.
4️⃣ Take some snacks with you so you can enjoy them while watching the sunset. BUT… do not litter! It’s a National Park. Bring back the waste and throw it in the trash.
5️⃣ There is plenty of parking at the trailhead so no worries there.

Skill Level: Medium

5. Parker Group

– There are about 6-8 sequoias just standing tall right next to one another looking like as if they were forming a group. These giant sequoias were named for the eight members of the family of Captain James Parker. Captain Parker served in Troop B, 4th Cavalry, U. S. Army, and was the Acting Superintendent of Sequoia National Park from 1893-1894. You can stand nestled among three closely clustered trees in the group and observe their fire scars and sheer size. Look upwards into the tree canopy above to catch a unique view from the forest floor.

– Swipe to see the second picture of me and my friend Danette by these giant trees! AREN’T, THEY HUGE?!

– Skill Level: Drive-up

5. Onsite Restaurent/Cafe

Grant Grove Market

There is a number of restaurants on-site with a small market to buy groceries and other necessities.

Check out a complete list of restaurants in the national park: LINK

6. Overall Loop

  1. Tunnel Log
  2. Parket Group
  3. Hanging Rock Trail
  4. Moro Rock Trail

Sequoia National Park was an amazing National Park and now that I think about it, it’s very underrated. I always see Yosemite and Yellowstone make it to the top of the list and yes, those are some amazing parks but Sequoia is right there at the top with them. Like I said at the beginning of my blog, it gets overlooked because Yosemite is such a short drive from here but next time you’re planning a trip to a national park, make sure to consider Sequoia National Park. It’s definitely in my top 3.

Below are some of the pictures I took when I was visiting Sequoia National Park, California. Check it out & follow my journey @mrshutterup on Instagram. Lastly, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!

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