Discover Your Guide to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

Travel Adventures
Written By Madalyn Meyers

Make the most out of your visits to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks by using this all-in-one park guide to help you plan your trip!

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📍- Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

To visit Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks is to have the opportunity to walk amongst giants. Here, a collection of larger-than-life sequoia trees cling to the mountainside of the Sierra Nevadas, giving the parks the celebrated reputation for being the best environment in the world for sequoia trees to grow.

Contained within these two national treasures, you will find the famous General Sherman, known globally as the largest tree in the world, mountain top views that reach the golden sandbeds of the Mojave Desert, and waterfall-fed valley streams that resemble the majesty of their northerly neighbor, Yosemite. 

Indeed, these national parks are rich in beauty and ripe for exploration by anybody who has the pleasure of visiting them. With 2 million visitors venturing through their gates every year, if the brilliance of these parks were ever a secret, it certainly isn’t anymore.

If you are one of these fortunate visitors, then there are a few secret ingredients that will take your great national park trip and elevate it into something purely spectacular. We’re talking about how to see the sights, beat the crowds, and come prepared for anything mother nature has to throw at you. 

Since we just finished up a week of learning the ins and outs of these parks, we’ve discovered all the secrets, and we’re sharing them with you in this article. So, if you’re looking to make your upcoming trip to these national parks something to remember, continue reading to find your guide to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. We’ve even included a sample weekend itinerary packed with the best sights that this area has to offer.

About Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

While technically two national parks, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks have been jointly operated since 1943. They are interconnected, and only require one entry fee before you are free to explore the entirety of their combined 1,350 square miles.

Location
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are located in central california. They lie on the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, just east of the town of Visalia. If you are flying into the area, Fresno has the closest city airport and will require an hour-long easterly drive after landing.
Hours of Operation
These parks are open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, making every day a good day to wander amongst the sequoias. Their open gate policy also makes them a great location for star gazing, and even offers the opportunity to take a midnight stroll in the Giant Forest if you’re feeling brave enough.
Nearby Towns
Fresno is the largest city within one hour of Sequoia National Park and can make for a good base camp if you’re interested in exploring the city as well as the national parks. If you’re not much of a city goer, Visalia is the most robust town close to the park. Here, you will be within arms reach of supermarkets, gas stations, and convenience stores, while being within a 45-minute drive to the heart of Sequoia National Park. If you prefer to be closer to the parks, small towns such as Three Rivers, Woodlake, and Squaw Valley each have a few accommodations, and are perfectly acceptable if you’re not expecting anything fancy, and come prepared with groceries to last the length of your stay.
Weather
Temperatures can vary dramatically within the park depending upon elevation. The lower elevation valleys are known to have wet, mild winters, rarely dropping below freezing, and hot, dry summers. In the groves, where the elevation is much higher, you will experience warm days, which rarely go above 100 °F, and cool evenings. Their wet winters bring thick blankets of snow which can make driving and hiking difficult to impossible at times.
Because of the drastic change in weather within park boundaries, the national park service does offer convenient links to check the weather forecast at different locations within the park. Check it out right here.
Best Time to Visit
June to August brings warm weather and lots of crowds to this national park. If you hate the cold, and don’t mind bumping elbows with lots of strangers than this peak season will be the best time for you to visit the Sequoias. If you’re not a fan of crowded walkways, then the shoulder seasons of April to May and September to October may be better suited for you, with cooler temperatures and less competition for parking spots. The remainder of the year will leave you with the risk of snowfall and impassible roads as a result.
Pet Policy
Like most national parks, dogs are allowed within park boundaries, but their exploration is limited to parking lots, paved roads, campgrounds and picnic areas. They are not permitted on any trail, unless they are a certified service dog.

How to Prepare

Dress in Layers
Because you may experience a wide range of temperatures and weather while exploring these parks, it is important to dress in layers to make sure you are warm enough in the mornings and evenings, yet cool enough to stay comfortable when the sun is at its highest.
Pack your own Food
Since there are not many restaurants within the parks, and the restaurant options outside of the entrances are few and far between, we recommend packing enough food and water to sustain you for your entire day. High calorie and salty foods such as nuts, fruit, and beef jerky are recommended to restore your electrolytes and keep you energized throughout all of your adventures.
Practice Bear Safety
We had the pleasure of watching a bear eat berries along a meadow during our trip to Sequoia National Park, but it was also a reminder that bears are extremely active within these two parks. In addition to that, they also have an amazing sense of smell, and can smell any food you leave in your car, no matter how tightly you may have it packed. While you are exploring for the day, plan to carry all of your provisions on your back, removing any food, gum, and air fresheners from your car. If you happen to have an empty cooler in your vehicle, place it in your trunk, or cover it with a towel so that it is out of sight.

While on your adventures, keep your bags within arms reach at all times. Bears will rarely try to get food out of a hikers hand or from their back, but they are known to snatch bags from visitors who leave them behind to go take a photo. It’s important for your own safety and for the safety of the bears that we keep wildlife as wild as possible.

Here is me spying on a bear in the distance. Remember, a fed bear is a dead bear!

Bring all the Sprays
Bug spray and sun block will be your best friends during your trip to these national parks. The sequoia groves are known for having some persistent, and annoying mosquitos which can feel relentless without a reliable bug spray. Likewise, a good sunblock will ensure that you protect yourself from the strong sun rays that California is known for.
Fill Your Tank
There are no gas stations within the national park, and stations just outside the park have extremely high prices due to their demand. To save yourself a headache, make sure you have a full tank of gas before you start your day’s adventures.
Map it Out
Cell Service in the park is spotty at best depending upon your carrier. We recommend downloading the Google Maps of the park and the National Park Service maps before you arrive, to help keep you oriented while traveling.

Sample Weekend Itinerary

Saturday - Sequoia National Park

General Sherman Trail

I’m willing to bet that the pursuit of seeing the General Sherman Tree in person was high on your list of motivating factors when choosing to visit Sequoia National Park. This tree, whose massive volume makes it the largest in the world, draws visitors to the General Sherman Trail like a strong magnet. You want to head straight to this part of the park, bright and early, for a chance to see the tree in all its glory before the trail becomes too congested. You’ll have to trek an easy 0.6 miles into the Giant Forest before you see the unbelievably massive trunk of General Sherman. 

Congress Trail

If you’re anything like me, and you want to spend more time feeling like a character from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” beneath a canopy of giant sequoias, then you should consider exploring another trail within the Giant Forest. We opted to venture along the Congress Trail, a 2-mile, flat and easy loop that leads you on a walk amongst some of the most impressive trees that the world has to offer, many of which are around 2,000 years old. While none of these other sequoias can bear the title of being the biggest tree in the world, they are impressive in their own right, and can be all the more magical because you will be able to marvel at their grandeur without the accompaniment of a dozen strangers on either side of you.

Be warned, however, that the trails in the Giant Forest are braided together and can make navigation confusing. Take a photo of the trail map before you get started.

Giant Forest Museum

The Giant Forest Museum is located just a mile up the road from the General Sherman Parking area. It is a great way for people of all ages to take a break from their hikes and learn a bit about the marvelous trees they just had the pleasure of seeing. You’ll learn interesting facts about General Sherman, comparing its height to the likes of the Statue of Liberty, and discover why Sequoia National Park is the best environment in the world for sequoias to grow.

Little Baldy 

Perhaps you’re itching for a view atop the sequoia tree-line at this point. Many people would tell you that the go-to in view in Sequoia National Park is Moro Rock, a 0.5 mile, out and back trail near the Giant Forest. This trail offers big rewards for its hikers, but its extreme popularity and quick hiking time made me feel like it was not the match for me. Fortunately, Sequoia National Park is full of granite dome hikes.

To escape the crowds, Little Baldy Trail and Big Baldy Trail are two alternative granite dome hikes that will make sure you get a bit more of a challenge and experience a more secluded overlook to take in the unparalleled vista of the untouched sequoia forest. At 3.3 miles, and 6.4 miles, respectively, these out and back trails will give you the serenity that many of us nature-lovers crave while out on a hike. On our trip, we opted to try the Little Baldy Trail and were blown away with the view we were awarded with for our efforts. We were completely alone the entire time we were at the summit, and only saw two other couples out adventuring during the hike.

Dinner

After all this hiking, I’d say you should reward yourself with a high-calorie dinner! There are a few restaurants within the park that you can select from here. Or, if you are staying near the Squaw Valley area as we did, two personal restaurant recommendations are Bear Mountain Pizza and Twin Valley Smoky Mountain BBQ, both of which offer hearty portions at reasonable prices within a relaxed atmosphere.

Sunday - Kings Canyon National Park

Grant Grove

If you loved exploring Giant Forest yesterday, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are more giant sequoias in store for you today at Grant Grove. In the center of the grove, easily reached by way of a 0.8 mile, paved loop is General Grant. The only other tree that can rival the size of General Sherman, General Grant is the second largest sequoia tree in the world and the third largest tree in the world by volume.

You can expect it to be a bit less crowded around General Grant than what you likely experienced around General Sherman, but given that this tree is the most visited location within Kings Canyon, the crowds can still get quite dense by mid-morning. Enjoy your time within the Grant Grove, and explore some of its other paths if you are having a hard time saying goodbye to these patient giants.

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

To give your feet a break from some of the miles we put on yesterday, today we are going to do a bit more driving. The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway is known as one of the most beautiful drives in the country, giving visitors breathtaking overlooks of Kings Canyon, and leading you 50 miles into one of the deepest canyons in North America. 

Along the way, we encourage you to pull over and stop at any of the overlooks that peak your interest. Highlights along this route include Grizzly Falls, Roaring River Falls, and Zumwalt Meadows which requires a short hike and includes a suspension bridge. It will take you about 2-3 hours to drive the entirety of of Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, but plan on it taking much longer with you giving yourself a chance to explore and enjoy the beauty of the canyon.

Roads End Picnic

Roads end is quite literally where the scenic byway ends. It is a popular area for people to stop, stretch their legs, look for a hiking trail, and enjoy a picnic. While we didn’t do any hiking here, some trails that were recommended to us were the 9-mile Mist Falls Trail, and the 5-mile Kanawyer Loop Trail.

Enjoy your time here, because when you’re done, it’s time to pack it all up and drive back the way you came.

Sunset at Panoramic Point

If you’re not terribly sick of being in the car, and the timing is right, one of the best places to experience sunset is Panoramic Point. It’s just a 15 minute detour off the Scenic Byway, and requires just a 0.5 mile loop trail to reach a vista that overlooks all of Kings Canyon. As the sun sets, the canyon walls will glow beneath you and Hume Lake will mimic the colors of the sherbet colored sky. Pack a jacket, some hot chocolate, and a blanket for this experience because it’s likely that the high altitude will make it a chilly evening.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. If you have any questions or want to share a tip for other travelers I may have missed, please comment below!

Thank you for joining us at Discovery Detour, where the destination is always unknown.

Madalyn Meyers

Madalyn is an author, trained ecologist, and advocate for science communication. As a resident of the road, she travels the country in her home on wheels, pausing to learn about stories of culture and science along the way. She documents these discoveries on her science driven travel blog, Discovery Detour.