Our trip to Sequoia & King's Canyon was actually completely unplanned, and we put it all together at the very last minute. We were supposed to be in London celebrating my birthday, but COVID had other plans. I was in LA, and we had gotten the national park bug when we visited Joshua Tree. I still wanted to do something for my birthday, and out of curiosity, checked to see the park's status given COVID. We couldn't camp, but they were open!
We certainly hadn't planned to take off work, so we took off Friday night and stayed in Visalia (the closest town to the park). We spent a quick weekend in the parks. While we wished we could've spent more, we were able to tackle a lot of ground - and there's a lot more to see here than just the big trees!
Keep on reading to hear about how we spent our two days, or check out the destination guide below for more detailed, logistical advice on the lay of the land and how to prep for your trip!
DESTINATION GUIDE:
DAY BY DAY GUIDES:
DAY 01:
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
OVERVIEW:
I had a rough idea of what I wanted to accomplish on our first day in the parks, but I had no idea how feasible it would be. The nice thing about Sequoia is that a lot of the major sights to see are located right along the General's Highway, so it kind of plans your trip for you. The question was - how long would it take us?
We started from our hotel in Visalia and headed to the Sequoia entrance, which is about 45 min. to an hour on its own. Luckily the drive is really pretty, so it's not "wasted" time. You start out in the orchards surrounding the town and then work your way into the golden foothills before entering into the mountainous terrain you expect from the park.
We felt like we were really making good time until we came to a standstill in traffic. It was hard to tell how far the entrance was given the terrain (and lack of GPS). Fortunately, it didn't take us very long to make it through the line, but I imagine it would get a lot worse during peak times. There is a line for those who already have a pass, but unfortunately, the road leading up to it is one line, so you're along for the ride. I can't speak for peak season, but the King's Canyon entrance was a lot less crowded and could be a strategy to take here.
Once you get past the entrance, you are in the mountains. The road twists and winds its way from switchback to switchback up the side of the mountain. The park rangers will give you a map and a newsletter which can help guide your trip, but we quickly passed up Tunnel Rock as we were trying to get our bearings. If you have any must-sees, its smartest to plan in advance (you won't have GPS to help you)! We wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything else by accident, so we made sure to pull off at Hospital Rock, and we were glad we did! Uphill of the road, there is a large rock with some Native American pictographs and some interesting information about the people who once lived in the park and how they used the land. We almost missed it, but there is a second part of the trail that leads down under a fallen boulder to a river lookout and "beach." This hike was short, but beautiful!
Your next major stop in a normal season might be Crystal Cave, but this was closed due to COVID, so we continued on towards the Crescent Meadow area. Be sure to stop at some of the pull-outs along the way - the views are truly incredible!
Our next stop was Moro Rock, which is just a short distance off the Crescent Meadow road. Parking is limited, so keep that in mind. I had read that Moro Rock was a must do thing in the park, and I will say that that is true (with a caveat). If you are afraid of heights - this might not be your favorite! The hike really isn't a hike. It's mostly stairs and intentionally formed walkways, but the ascent is quick and the drop is far. I certainly had a moment or two where I wasn't thrilled with the low stone "railing" guarding the narrow ledge I was on. The views at the top are beautiful, and if you don't mind a little height induced vertigo, the hike is a unique opportunity to get the experience without actually having to rock-climb.
From Moro Rock, simply continue up the road, and you will quite literally go through Tunnel Log. This fallen tree is big enough that you can drive your car right through (even the F-150 we were in!) We continued through the log to the end of the road at Crescent Meadow, where we stopped for lunch at the picnic area and got to see some wildlife.
We wanted to do some hiking while we were in the meadow because we knew it would be a little more natural and less busy than some of our "hikes" planned for later in the day. So, we checked out the trail board and planned a route on the loops to see Tharp's log, a fallen tree turned cabin, and the Chandelier Tree, which you can stand inside and look up to the sky. Don't get me wrong, we thoroughly enjoyed the more touristy stops of our day, but we found this stretch of the forest to be really beautiful with the added benefit of some solitude (unless you count the animals). I highly recommend spending some time here. There are lots of trails to explore, and many link in to other parts of the park.
We wrapped up at Crescent Meadow and headed on to the main events - the really big trees. First stop - the aptly named Big Trees Trail. This boardwalk style trail loops around a meadow with some of the biggest trees in the world at its fringes. This is certainly one of the more popular trails in the park, but I feel for good reason. Not only is it impressive to see so many of the giant trees in an easy-access, condensed space, but the trail does a really good job of helping educate visitors about the trees. You can learn about why they grow where they do, their relationship with fire, and a lot more that give you an appreciation for the Sequoias beyond just their massive size.
Last but not least, we headed to our final major stop of the day to see the world's biggest tree, General
Sherman. This is probably the number one sight in the park, and I can imagine that during peak season would be quite hectic. This is also another trail that isn't really a "trail" in the rustic sense. It's completely paved and has well constructed steps to help you manage your way down to the world-famous tree. That said - there are a lot of stairs, so be prepared for that! You descend (and then ascend) about the same height as the tree itself. The General Sherman tree is obviously worth the hike. It's one of those things that you just have to see while you are in the park. The conditions that allowed Sherman to grow to this size are also right for other trees in the area, so there's a lot to see here.
Once we wrapped up our classic tourist pictures with General Sherman, we had to make a decision on how to head home. Obviously you can head back the way you came, but we decided to continue all the way through on the General's Highway to the King's Canyon entrance. I honestly think it was the quicker way to go. It only took us about an hour because the road is a lot less crooked on the back half than it is on the way in. I definitely recommend this because it lets you see more of the park, and there are some beautiful lookouts on the King's Canyon side. HOWEVER, we did make one mistake. As I've mentioned before, GPS signal is non-existent in the park. So, while I had looked up directions on how to get home before we left, I had forgotten the road number. Not wanting to miss an important turn, we took the first route back to Visalia, which is CA 245. Don't do it. You want 63. Taking 245 was the only mistake we made all day. We slowed to about 15 mph for the entire trip because of how crooked and narrow the road is. What was supposed to be about another hour back to Visalia ended up quickly doubling. Spare yourself the car-sickness and take 63!
KEY STOPS:
STOP 01: Hike around Hospital Rock
STOP 02: Hike up Moro Rock
STOP 03: Drive through Tunnel Log
LUNCH: Picnic at Crescent Meadow
STOP 04: Hike to Tharp's Log & Chandelier Tree
STOP 05: Walk the Big Trees Trail
STOP 06: See the General Sherman Tree
AFTERNOON: Drive the General's Highway to King's Canyon Entrance
CLICK HERE to read about Sequoia in detail
DAY 02:
KING'S CANYON NATIONAL PARK
OVERVIEW:
To be quite honest, I had no idea what to expect for day 2. I didn't know how much of our itinerary we would get through on day 1. I also, admittedly, found it a little more difficult to find good info online to really know what to expect from King's Canyon beyond being a "sister" park to Sequoia.
Since we were able to drive the full length of the General's Highway on day 1, we started at Grant's Grove to see the General Grant tree. While the Sherman tree is the largest in the world, General Grant is not far behind and is actually wider. The trail through Grant Grove is another that is well-paved and lined with educational signs. There are multiple interesting sights along the trail. You can step inside the Fallen Monarch here, a very large fallen trunk; the Centennial Stump gives you a different perspective to comprehend the size of the trees; and the Gamblin Cabin gives you an idea of life here in the old west.
We still had plenty of time left, so we decided to start the trek into the Canyon. The drive is quite literally breathtaking. We definitely had some moments where we tried to take our minds somewhere else to avoid thinking about the very steep cliff just outside the window. Like the road into Sequoia, this one is windy and steep, but I would say this road is narrower and more exposed in terms of guard rails. The views are difficult to capture on film and impossible to describe.
After hugging the side of cliffs for the first part of the drive, you begin to descend into the canyon and travel along the King's River. Water rushes over large boulders, creating beauty in both sight and sound. We stopped a couple times just to take it in, but we made our first real stop at Grizzly Falls. The waterfall is just a few quick steps off the road and has a small picnic area that we took advantage of for lunch.
In the canyon, we also stopped at an overlook that helps visualize the size of the canyon as well as illustrate how it was carved by glaciers. Though it wasn't open, we pulled into the Cedar Grove campground and sat along the banks of the water for a while just enjoying the sound of the water over the rocks. Our final stop for the day was a quick hike to Roaring River Falls. It's not far off the road, but the waterfall and stream were quite enjoyable.
Unfortunately, we still had a trip to LA ahead of us (not to mention the drive back out of the canyon), so we felt like we had to stop ourselves here. It was honestly hard to pull ourselves away because this part of the park is just drop dead gorgeous and we had it largely to ourselves. We didn't get to tackle any of the longer hikes, but there are a whole host of options that depart from this area that we hope to check out someday.
KEY STOPS:
STOP 01: See the General Grant Tree
MORNING: Drive into King's Canyon
LUNCH: Picnic at Grizzly Falls
STOP 02: Hike to Roaring River Falls
CLICK HERE to read about King's Canyon in detail
DAY 03:
KING'S CANYON NATIONAL PARK
OVERVIEW:
We actually didn't stay for a day 3, but I wish we would have! Getting into King's Canyon is quite the drive, and it takes some time. But, getting in is only halfway. We wanted to make sure we had time to drive the road back with plenty of light, which cut down on the time we had to spend in the actual canyon. While the rest of the park is awesome, we really thought this part of the park was a standout and wanted to spend more time here. We did a couple quick hikes off the road, but there are lots of options for longer hikes to waterfalls and vistas that we felt like we missed out on. In a non-COVID world, I highly recommend planning your itinerary to camp in the canyon overnight so that you can have a chance to explore all that's on offer here. Hopefully, we'll be back!
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#Sequoia #KingsCanyon #hiking #outdoors #nationalpark #California #WestCoast #mountains #SierraNevada #WeekendTrip #Itinerary
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