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.

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.

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.