A trip to the mountains can only be heightened by a bear sighting. As we drove in through the entrance gate, all of us began staring out the windows, desperately trying to spot our first sequoia. Thank you for adding your note about HWY 198. with a vehicle larger then 22′ (in our case 33′) how did you get to Moro and the Tunnel? I hope you have a great road trip! Filled with alpine peaks, deep canyons, and the largest trees in the world, you could spend several days here. At the end of the Scenic Byway is a parking area. On the second Sunday of December, you can “Trek to the Tree,” an annual Christmas celebration in the park. I would definitely suggest trying to spend more than 1 day but I know for some that’s all they can do. General Grant Grove is home to the largest sequoia trees in Kings Canyon, including General Grant, the second largest tree in the world. During summer this trail is accessible only by the shuttle bus from the Giant Forest Museum. The General Grant tree is the world’s second largest tree. But after our one-day visit this month, we will be life-long fans. One of the main attractions at Sequoia is to see the worlds largest known living tree. Sequoia National Park is home to the General Sherman tree, the largest tree in the world. If you are visiting Sequoia for one day or several, you have landed in the correct place! Heading there today! I recommend 2 to 3 days in Yosemite. Often dwarfed by the magical and heavily touristed Yosemite National Park just a few hours up the road, Sequoia National Park is worth the extra effort as it’s almost always less crowded than Yosemite and is filled with an amazing tranquility. There are many giant sequoias here, but finding the General Sherman is easy. Need more information on routes through the park? Moro Rock is a short but strenuous climb to a fabulous viewpoint in Sequoia National Park. The sprawling park, combined geographically with Kings Canyon National Park, is filled with opportunities to hike, camp and explore in meadows, along rivers and through canyons. The drive from Grant Grove to Zumwalt Meadows on this road is 30 miles long and takes between 45 minutes and an hour. But seeing the pictures of Sequioa park, it kinda looks like Big Trees park (yes big trees too but has more hiking trails). It is a 0.75-mile walk one way and should take about 15 minutes to get there. DeAnna. Rises 6,725 feet above sea level, you can easily see this prominent granite protrusion when driving up the Generals Highway into Sequoia National Park from the south. There are drop offs, so test out the area before letting kids play on their own. Would I do this if I didn’t have a child obsessed with being a park ranger? , Hello Shelby from Tennessee. The General Grant tree is also known as the nation’s Christmas tree. Learn how your comment data is processed. Overall, some great advice for everyone planning a day trip there! You will hear visitors on the shuttle buses, at viewpoints and along the trails discussing bear sightings with excitement. You aren’t alone if you are visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks on a day trip. If you have time in Oregon, check out our road trip there- so beautiful! The hike to Mist Falls is an absolute must. Luckily the bears in this region are not aggressive towards humans, so the opportunity to see one is met with great excitement, rather than fear. Nearby, you can also visit Grizzly Falls, located just off the road near Cedar Grove. Cheers, Julie. I love this itinerary! It is a beautiful drive, but don’t expect the wide, awe-inspiring panoramas you would see at Yosemite or Yellowstone. Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. T'was a good time. Trees are big. Be Prepared for Crowds In this itinerary, the most crowded spots will be the General Sherman Tree, the General Grant Tree, and Moro Rock. Next time. Tunnel Log is a passageway that was carved into a fallen sequoia tree. Now you will be driving on Generals Highway, the scenic road that connects the two parks together. Or share this post with others by pinning on Pinterest. If you suffer from motion sickness, make sure you take your Dramamine or anti-nausea medication before starting this drive. Even with a small SUV, we had trouble finding a place to park once in Sequoia National Park. Getting here: On weekdays, you can drive directly to Moro Rock on Crescent Meadow Road, but parking is limited. You are now down in the heart of Kings Canyon, with the mountains looming overhead. These giant trees attract quite the crowd. Drive the Steep Winding Road to Mineral King. The road winds along the mountains, descending down into Kings Canyon. It is 50 miles long, starting at the Hume Lake Ranger District (located east of Kings Canyon, outside of the park) to Cedar Grove. On the way out of the Crescent Meadow area, stop by the Parker Group, a small concentration of enormous Sequoia trees. There are several spots along the trail where you can set up a blanket and have a dip in the cool water. Cheers, Julie. The park was not really very crowded, except for General Sherman Tree, and that wasn’t too bad. Crescent Meadow is a quiet meadow located at the end of Crescent Meadow Road. Athena loves stuff like that. You can fly into Fresno, sleep in Fresno your first night. There are guard rails along the path, but caution is still needed with small children. Your email address will not be published. Get out and experience the park even if you are here for only one day. It’s a cool experience and learning how this ‘shelter’ has been used in the past makes it even more interesting. I love the giant redwoods and the idea of seeing two parks in one day. Did you know that Sequoia National Park is also home to Mt. This shuttle connects Moro Rock, the Giant Forest Museum, and the General Sherman tree for free. Add in the time for the tour and this little excursion takes about half of a day. There is a flat walking trail into the Zumwalt Meadows. It is not the tallest in the world, but is taller than the Statue of Liberty which is pretty amazing! Don’t be one that just drives through. This area is similar to General Sherman in that it has nicely paved walking paths through a gorgeous grove of giant trees and is considered a must see for the park. During the summer months, expect to share the views with lots of people. Can’t wait! There is a 2-mile leisurely walk (Crescent Meadow Loop) through alpine forests and a meadow filled with wildflowers during the summer months. If you wanted to turn this into a 10 day itinerary, you could day trip from San Francisco to Monterey and Big Sur. Visitors to the park can drive through this tunnel, but only on weekdays when Crescent Meadow Road is open. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. The best time to visit Sequoia National Park is June through August when the weather is the most stable. Great tips! By 9 am, Kings Canyon and Sequoia are filling with people. A true international family - a Texan bred Mom, Irish bred Dad and a son born in India - exploring the world one trip at a time. This fee includes both Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park and is valid for up to 7 days. Travel Tip #1: This is a very, very windy road. Also, I instant messaged the park through Facebook about the weather, and they replied back within a couple of hours. And Julie, this is a great site, thank you for putting it together. We visited Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park on a road trip through California. I’d love to get there. The actual park entrance is about 4 hours away, but it takes about 1 hour of driving through the park to get to the central area where most of the campgrounds/sites are. However, road closures due to snow will limit access to several areas of the park from October through May. This town is a short drive from southern entrance to Sequoia National Park. To see the most fragile wetland in Sequoia, take the road’s end to Crescent Meadow. Yosemite for First-Timers: Best Hikes, Best Views, and the Best Things To Do, 2 Amazing Days in Death Valley: Our Itinerary from Las Vegas, How to Visit Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, The Big List of Things to do in San Francisco, Angels Landing Survival Guide: Things to Know Before You Go, Zion National Park Itinerary: How to Spend 1 to 6 Days in Zion, One Day in the Grand Canyon: Best Things to Do, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks: 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary, 10 Winter Vacation Ideas Perfect for the Holiday Season, 14 Best Hikes in Norway to Put on Your Bucket List, 20 Fun, Short Hikes in the National Parks, Hiking Mt. It’s a nice view but it is skippable if you just want to move on to the more popular sites. For us, it was a 2.5-hour drive from Mariposa to get here. -Krista, Sequoia Guides, Hello Krista! Read on for our top things to do in Sequoia National Park. Are you planning a trip to Sequoia National Park in one day? For us, the thought of walking through a cave on a guided tour sounded uninteresting. This is exactly what I was looking for! During our visit on a Saturday in July, parking in Sequoia National Park was extremely limited. It takes about 30 minutes of driving round trip to get to this point and enjoy the view. The big draw for kids are the abundance of rocks and logs to climb on just off the trail. Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are open 24 hours a day 365 days per year. The article by No Back Home is really well done, so I won’t try to recreate the wheel. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. From Zumwalt Meadows, travel back along the Scenic Byway. This will allow you to see both parks with no backtracking. I don’t think that driving these roads will be an issue. So much to do in this national park. Day one enter from Three River EARLY in the day. I liked the Utah Mighty 5 or the trip layed out from Las Vegas to GC to Page ect…. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks One Day Itinerary We did this trip on a whim back in July of 2018. We found a parking spot on the side of Generals Highway and had to walk up to the Giant Forest and to the shuttle for Moro Rock. The short, but steep 400 step climb up a narrow path built into the rock might test your fear of heights and give you wobbly legs, but the payoff will be worth it. Catch the shuttle bus from here for Moro Rock (in the summer) or head out on the self-guided interpretive Big Trees Trail. I would add a little more time to account for stopping at the many scenic lookouts but this really is a great line up! Much appreciated . Pack a picnic and carry on your back or use bear boxes. Even though we didn’t do it, I still wanted to include Crystal Cave in this post since this is a popular spot to visit in Sequoia National Park. Storm King in Olympic National Park, Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks: 10 Day Road Trip Itinerary. 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