Chapter 6: Exploring Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Most of the land in these parks is wilderness, best explored on foot. There are few roads. The three main access points enter the park from the southwest, and much of Sequoia & Kings Canyon remains undeveloped. The National Park Service prefers it that way, as do many visitors. If you visit here after staying in Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or other big-name national parks, be prepared for a shock. The crowds are thinner, there are few scheduled events, and the prime attraction—and the real reason for the existence of these parks—is the beauty and majesty of the mountains and the trees, some of the largest living things on earth. This is nature, and none of it is likely to change anytime soon. You can expect fewer people, less prepackaged entertainment, and plenty of terrain to explore at your leisure.

Essentials

Access/Entry Points

You can access the Big Stump Entrance (Kings Canyon National Park) via CA 180, and the Ash Mountain Entrance (Sequoia National Park) via CA 198, both from the west. Continuing east on CA 180 also brings you to an entrance near Cedar Grove Village in the canyon itself, which is open only in summer. See the “Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks” map and the “Highway Access to the Parks” map to orient yourself. To access the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park, take the steep, twisting Mineral King Road (closed in winter) off CA 198, just a few miles outside the Ash Mountain Entrance.

Marmot Invasion

Always do a quick check under your hood before leaving a parking lot. Marmots, especially in the Mineral King area, love munching on car hoses and wiring, leaving a trail of disabled vehicles in their wake. A good number of them have stowed away in a car’s engine compartment and hitched rides with unsuspecting drivers to other parts of the parks; several have ridden as far as the Los Angeles area!

Visitor Centers & Information

The parks have three major visitor centers open year-round, some seasonal facilities, and a museum. Make one of these facilities your first stop so you can buy books and maps and discuss your plans with park rangers. Call 559/565-3341 or visit www.nps.gov/seki for information.

In Sequoia National Park, the largest visitor center is Foothills Visitor Center ( 559/565-3135), just inside the Ash Mountain Entrance on CA 198. Exhibits here focus on the Sierra Foothills, a biologically diverse ecosystem.

About 15 miles farther on CA 198 is the Giant Forest Museum ( 559/565-4480), housed in a historic building and offering extensive exhibits on giant sequoias.

Lodgepole Visitor Center ( 559/565-4436) includes exhibits on geology, wildlife, air quality, and park history. It’s located 4 1/2 miles north of Giant Forest Village. The center is closed weekdays in winter, but it may be open on weekends.

In Kings Canyon National Park, the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, in Grant Grove ( 559/565-4307), includes exhibits on logging and the role of fire in the forests.

Open in summer only are Kings Canyon’s small Cedar Grove Visitor Center ( 559/565-3793) and Sequoia’s Mineral King Ranger Station ( 559/565-3768), where you can get backcountry permits and information.

Fees

It costs $20 per motor vehicle ($10 per individual on foot, bike, or motorcycle) to enter the park for up to 7 days. Camping fees range from $12 to $20 a night in the park. The Sequoia & Kings Canyon yearly pass, which allows unlimited entry into the park but does not cover camping fees, sells for $30. Also see “Special Permits & Passes.”

Regulations

In Sequoia & Kings Canyon, there is a 14-day camping limit from June 14 to September 14, with a maximum of 30 camping days per year. Check campsite bulletin boards for additional regulations. Some campgrounds close in winter (see the chart). Pets are allowed in campgrounds, but they must be on a leash and are not allowed on any trails.

The most important warning in Sequoia & Kings Canyon, which cannot be repeated too often, is that this is bear country, and proper food storage is required for the safety and health of both visitors and the resident black bears. In addition, rattlesnakes are common, so be careful where you put your feet and hands. In the Foothills area, check your clothes frequently for ticks; poison oak is another hazard.

The roads in the park are particularly steep and winding. Those in RVs will find it easiest to come by way of CA 180 from Fresno.

Orientation

The parks are roughly equidistant—5 hours by car—from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Kings Canyon National Park borders Sequoia National Park on the north and is nearest to Yosemite and Fresno. Kings Canyon contains the developed areas of Grant Grove and Cedar Grove. Sequoia National Park is home to the Giant Forest sequoia grove, as well as Lodgepole, the Foothills, and Mineral King. The main entrance (for all except Mineral King) is on CA 198 (which becomes Generals Highway in the parks), via Ash Mountain through Visalia and Three Rivers. From Sequoia’s border, Visalia is 36 miles and Three Rivers is 7 miles away.

Although it’s impossible to drive through the parks from west to east—the High Sierras get in the way—the north–south Generals Highway connects Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park with Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. The highway runs 25 miles between two giant sequoias named for famous American generals—the General Grant Tree and the General Sherman Tree. Allow at least an hour to drive between the two on this slow, winding route—not including delays for construction, planned for the foreseeable future. From several miles inside the CA 198 Ash Mountain Entrance to Giant Forest, Generals Highway is narrow and winding and not recommended for vehicles over 22 feet long, which should enter the parks from CA 180.

The road to Mineral King turns south off CA 198 about 3 miles east of Three Rivers, crosses private and public land, and heads 11 miles to the Lookout Point Entrance. From here it’s another 15 miles to Mineral King. This steep, narrow, twisting dead-end road is closed in winter and does not reconnect with any other park roadways, which puts the Mineral King area off-limits to motor vehicles during the winter and well into spring.

Introducing Sequoia National Park

Giant Forest

The best-known stand of sequoias in the world can be found in Giant Forest, part of Sequoia National Park. Named in 1875 by explorer and environmentalist John Muir, this area consists mostly of huge meadows and a large grove of trees. At the northern edge of the grove, you can’t miss the General Sherman Tree, considered the largest living tree on the planet, although it is neither the tallest nor the widest. Its size is noteworthy because of the tree’s mass—experts estimate the weight of its trunk at about 1,385 tons. The General Sherman Tree is 275 feet tall, it measures 102 1/2 feet around at its base, and its largest branch is 6 3/4 feet in diameter. It is believed to be about 2,100 years old—and it’s still growing. Every year, it adds enough new wood to make another 60-foot-tall tree. The tree is part of the 2-mile Congress Trail, a foot trail that includes groups of trees with names such as the Senate and the House. Also in the area is the Beetle Rock Education Center, a fun place for kids to investigate science and nature.

A Question of Size

Until recently, the National Park Service has claimed that the General Sherman Tree is the largest living thing on earth. Technically, however, this may not be quite true, and now the claim is that it’s the largest living tree, still quite a distinction. The reason for the change? Park officials say it has been discovered that some underground fungi may actually be bigger than the General Sherman Tree. In addition, there are groves of aspen trees in the Rockies that share a common root system and may be considered one living thing, thereby exceeding the General in overall size.

Another interesting stop in Giant Forest is Tharp’s Log, a cabin named after the first non–Native American settler in the area, Hale Tharp, who grazed cattle among the giant sequoias and built a summer cabin in the 1860s from a fallen sequoia hollowed by fire. It is the oldest cabin remaining in the park.

Pretty Crescent Meadow is a pristine clearing dotted with wildflowers and tall grasses. A trail (described in “The Highlights” section) wraps around the meadow. This is also the trail head for several backcountry hikes.

Also in the area is Moro Rock, a large granite dome well worth the half-hour climb up and back. From the top, Moro Rock offers one of the most spectacular views of the dark and barren Great Western Divide, which includes the Kaweah Range. The divide is one of two crests in the southern Sierra Nevada but is not officially the main crest, which lies to the east and is obscured from view.

Lodgepole Village, the most developed area in both parks, lies just northeast of Giant Forest on the Generals Highway. Here you’ll find the largest visitor center in the parks, plus a large market, several places to eat, a laundry, a post office, and showers.

Nearby, the Wuksachi Village has replaced the old facilities that were damaging to the Giant Forest sequoia grove. A dining room, gift shop, and lodge have all recently opened.

About 16 miles south of Giant Forest are the Foothills. Located near the Ash Mountain Entrance, the Foothills area offers a visitor center, several campgrounds, a picnic area, and Hospital Rock, a large boulder with ancient pictographs believed to have been painted by the Monache Indians who once lived here. Nearby are about 50 grinding spots probably used to smash acorns into flour. A short trail leads down to a serene place along the Kaweah River where the water gushes over rapids into deep, clear pools.

Located in the southern part of the park, Mineral King is a pristine high-mountain valley carved by glaciers and bordered by the tall peaks of the Great Western Divide. Red and orange shale mix with white marble, black metamorphic shale, and granite to give the rocky landscape a rainbow of hues. This area resembles the Rocky Mountains more than the rest of the Sierra Nevada because the peaks are formed of metamorphic rock. A silver prospector gave Mineral King its name in the 1800s, and the region was annexed to the park in 1978. The trails in Mineral King begin at 7,500 feet and climb. To reach the area, head west from the Ash Mountain Entrance 3 miles on CA 198 to the turnoff—watch for the sign. Then it’s a 28-mile trip that makes around 700 tight turns and takes 1 1/2 hours. Trailers, RVs, and buses are not allowed. The road is closed in winter, when the area is prone to avalanches.

Introducing Kings Canyon National Park

Grant Grove

Cedar Grove

With its rugged canyon, huge river, and desolate backcountry, Kings Canyon is considered a hiker’s dream. The park comprises Grant Grove and Cedar Grove, as well as portions of the Monarch Wilderness and Jennie Lakes Wilderness. Note: Between Grant Grove and Cedar Grove is Giant Sequoia National Monument, which is managed as part of Sequoia National Forest. This region includes Hume Lake, Boyden Cavern, and several campgrounds.

Grant Grove is the most crowded region in either Sequoia or Kings Canyon. Here you’ll find the towering General Grant Tree amid a grove of spectacular giant sequoias. The tree was discovered by Joseph Hardin Tomas in 1862 and named 5 years later by Lucretia P. Baker to honor Ulysses S. Grant. The tree measures 267 1/2 feet tall and 107 1/2 feet around, and is thought to be the world’s third-largest living tree, possibly 2,000 years old (just a youngster in this neighborhood!). It was officially declared the “Nation’s Christmas Tree” by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926 and remains the centerpiece of an annual Christmas tree ceremony.

Two and a half miles southwest of the grove is Big Stump Trail, an instructive hike that can be slightly depressing as it winds among the remains of logged sequoias. Since sequoia wood decays slowly, you’ll see century-old piles of leftover sawdust that remain from the logging days. In summer, visitors can drive a short distance to Panoramic Point, stand atop this 7,520-foot ledge, and look across a long stretch of the Sierra Nevada for a glimpse of Kings Canyon.

Although in the same park, Cedar Grove seems a world away. That this region is even around today is sheer luck. There were once plans to flood Kings Canyon by damming the Kings River, a decision that would have buried Cedar Grove beneath a deep lake. Today that’s considered an inconceivable move. With the flood threat abated, the region stood to become another Yosemite, but people fought hard to avoid the overcrowding and development that had occurred in Yosemite, and eventually everyone agreed it was better to keep development to a minimum. It was finally annexed in 1965 and, under a master plan for the area, will remain as it is today.

Cedar Grove is abundant with lush foliage, crashing waterfalls, and miles upon miles of solitude. Half the fun of driving through Kings Canyon is seeing its sheer granite walls close around you and the wild South Fork of the Kings River tumble by. The small Cedar Grove Village contains a store and gift shop, restaurant, laundry, showers, lodge, and campgrounds. This region of the park is often less crowded than others. Remember that it is also closed from mid-November to mid-April.

One mile east of the Cedar Grove Village turnoff is Canyon View, where visitors can see the glacially carved U-shape of Kings Canyon.

Easily accessible nature trails in Cedar Grove include Zumwalt Meadow, Roaring River Falls, and Knapp’s Cabin. Zumwalt Meadow is dotted with ponderosa pine and has good views of two rock formations: Grand Sentinel and North Dome. The top of Grand Sentinel is 8,504 feet above sea level, while North Dome, which some say resembles Half Dome in Yosemite, tops out at 8,717 feet. The mile-long trail around the meadow is one of the prettiest in the park. The best place to access this walk is at a parking lot 4 1/2 miles east of the turnoff for Cedar Grove Village.

Roaring River Falls is a 5-minute walk from the parking area, 3 miles east of the turnoff to Cedar Grove Village. Even during summers and dry years, the water here crashes through a narrow granite chute into a cold green pool below. During a wet spring, these falls are powerful enough to drench visitors who venture too close. Knapp’s Cabin can be reached via a short walk from a turnoff 2 miles east of the road to Cedar Grove Village. Here, during the 1920s, Santa Barbara businessman George Knapp commissioned lavish fishing expeditions and used this tiny cabin to store his expensive gear.

The Monarch Wilderness is a 45,000-acre region protected under the 1984 California Wilderness Act. Part of it lies on the grounds of Sequoia National Forest, adjoining the wilderness in Kings Canyon National Park. It’s tough to reach and so steep that hikers practically need to be roped in to climb. You’re close to the wilderness area when you pass Kings Canyon Lodge and Boyden Cavern.

The Jennie Lakes Wilderness is smaller, at 10,500 acres. Although it’s possible to hike through in a day, it exhibits a variety of wilderness features, including the 10,365-foot Mitchell Peak and several wide lowland meadows. This region lies between the Generals Highway and CA 180, east of Grant Grove. About 7 miles southeast of Grant Grove, Big Meadows Road (closed in winter) takes off from Generals Highway and heads east into Sequoia National Forest. From this road, you can access several trails that lead into Jennie Lakes Wilderness.

The Highlights

The view atop Moro Rock is one of the most spectacular in the Sierra—the Great Western Divide dominates the eastern horizon. These high-elevation barren mountains can seem dark and ominous, even though snow caps the ridgeline throughout the year. The cliffs appear towering and steep, and with some peaks over 13,000 feet, they are only slightly below the summit of Mount Whitney (14,505 ft.), which is obscured from view. The climb to the top of the Rock takes you up hundreds of stairs, so pace yourself. The summit offers a narrow, fenced plateau with endless views. During a full moon, the mountain peaks shimmer like silver. See “Seeing the Parks by Car & Shuttle.”

Mist Falls is a wide, powerful waterfall accessible only on foot, but the trek is well worth the effort. The waterfall is especially impressive during spring and early summer, when it’s fed by snowmelt, and the cascading water crashing onto the rocks below drowns out most other sounds. This is also when you’re likely to see rainbows galore.

Crescent Meadow is a large, picturesque clearing dotted with high grass and wildflowers, and encircled by a forest of firs and sequoias. The park’s oldest cabin is along this route as well. This is a particularly nice hike in early morning and at dusk, when the indirect sunlight allows for the best photography.

A Nearby National Monument

Some of the most beautiful scenery in the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks area is not actually in either of these national parks, but in an adjacent section of the Sequoia National Forest that was recently designated a national monument.

Now covering 353,000 acres, Giant Sequoia National Monument was created by President Bill Clinton in 2000. The monument contains 38 groves of sequoias, including some of the most magnificent giant trees to be seen anywhere. In addition, it has towering domes of granite; scenic Hume Lake, a popular destination for boaters and anglers; and the spectacular Kings Canyon—the deepest canyon in North America, with elevations ranging from 1,000 to 11,000 feet.

Among the hiking trails in the monument is the Boole Tree Trail, a moderate 2.5-mile loop trail that leads to Boole Tree, the largest sequoia in the 1.1-million-acre Sequoia National Forest and the eighth-largest tree in the world. This trail, located off Forest Road 13S55, off Kings Canyon Highway, includes forest and open country, where you’ll see sequoias, scenic vistas of the Kings River, and wildflowers in summer.

An easy walk on the quarter-mile (one-way) Chicago Stump Trail leads to the stump of the General Noble Tree, which was cut down, chopped into pieces, and then reassembled and displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Some fairgoers refused to believe that a tree could grow so big and dubbed it “the California hoax.”

Information about other attractions and facilities within the monument, such as the beautiful drive through Kings Canyon and the underground world of Boyden Cavern, are discussed elsewhere in this book.

Primitive camping is allowed and there is no fee. For additional information on Giant Sequoia National Monument, contact the Hume Lake Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest, 35860 E. Kings Canyon Rd. (CA 180), Dunlap, CA 93621 ( 559/338-2251; www.r5.fs.fed.us/sequoia).

Exploring the Inside of the Earth

There are more than 200 caves in the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks area, but only two are open for tours by the general public—one in Sequoia National Park and the other in Giant Sequoia National Monument, just outside Kings Canyon National Park.

South of the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park is the turnoff from the Generals Highway for Crystal Cave, a beautiful underground world that was formed from limestone that turned to marble. The cave contains an array of cave formations, many still growing, that range from sharply pointed stalactites and towering stalagmites to elaborate flowing draperies. To reach the entrance, drive 7 miles down the narrow winding road (RVs, trailers, and buses are prohibited), and walk 0.5 miles down a steep path to the cave. Note: To take a tour, you need to get advance tickets, available at both the Lodgepole and the Foothills visitor centers. Tickets are not sold at the cave.

Impressions

It is in this cave [Crystal Cave] that nature has lavishly traced her design in decorative glory.

—Park Superintendent Walter Fry, 1925

The Sequoia Natural History Association conducts 45-minute guided tours along paved, lighted pathways. The tours are offered from mid-June to Labor Day daily every half-hour from 10:30am to 4:30pm, from mid-May to mid-June and after Labor Day to late October daily every hour from 11am to 3pm (with slightly longer weekend hours). The cost is $13 for adults, $10 for seniors 62 and older, and $7 for children 5 to 12 (free for children under 5). A special discovery tour is offered in summer only, Monday through Friday at 4:15pm. It is less structured and limited to 16 people, has a minimum age requirement of 13, and costs $16 per person. There are also historic candlelight tours ($16) and belly-crawling wild cave tours ($125, 4–6 hr.) on Saturdays in summer. The cave is a constant 48°F (9°C), so take a sweater or jacket. Sturdy footwear is recommended, and strollers, tripods, and backpacks are prohibited. Information is available at visitor centers or by telephone ( 559/565-3759; www.sequoiahistory.org).

Ten miles west of Cedar Grove, in Giant Sequoia National Monument, is Boyden Cavern, the only other cave in the area that hosts tours. Boyden is an especially scenic cave known for a wide variety of formations, including rare “shields,” which consist of two roughly circular halves of mineral deposits that look like flattened clam shells. Highlights include a flowstone formation, known as Mother Nature’s Wedding Cake, and the appropriately named Christmas Tree and Baby Elephant formations. The cave is open daily from late April through mid-November. Hours are usually 10am to 5pm in June, but often are shorter at the beginning and end of the season. Visitors get to see the cave on guided 45-minute tours that follow a well-lighted, handrail-equipped trail. Tours leave approximately every hour on the hour. The cost is $13 for ages 13 and up, $8 for children 3 to 12; admission is free for children 2 and younger. Reservations are not required. Special flashlight tours are also available for $35, with a four-person minimum. For information, contact Boyden Cavern ( 559/338-0959; www.boydencavern.com or www.kingscanyoneering.com). The tour operator also offers a number of “canyoneering” trips, where participants rappel, hike, and even swim in Kings Canyon; call for reservations and additional information.

Seeing the Parks in 1 or 2 Days

Eighty percent of the parks’ visitors come here on day trips—an amazing statistic, considering the geography of this place. It takes 3 to 4 days to do the parks justice, but it is possible to take a short walk through a grove of big trees in an afternoon. Day-trippers should stick to Grant Grove, if possible—it’s the most accessible. Coming from the south, Giant Forest is a good alternative, although the trip takes a while on the steep and narrow Generals Highway. Cedar Grove and Mineral King, two other destination points, are farther afield and require an early start or an overnight stay.

If you have only 1 day, we recommend driving from the Foothills through Giant Forest to Grant Grove, or vice versa. It’s about 2 hours through the park, plus whatever additional time is necessary to resume your route outside its entrances. Start at a park visitor center—there’s one near each location—to get your bearings. Whether traveling from the north or south, you’ll see the varied terrain within the park as you pass through dense forest, exposed meadows, and scrubby foothills covered in oaks and underbrush. In spring and summer, much of the route may be dotted with wildflowers. The southern portion runs along the Kaweah River. This route also passes two large stands of giant sequoias: one at Grant Grove and the other at Giant Forest. Both have easy trails looping through the majestic stands. At Grant Grove, a footpath passes lengthwise through a fallen sequoia.

Seeing the Parks by Car & Shuttle

Although these two parks are generally considered the domain of hikers, and they contain only 127 miles of paved roads between them, you will have a use for your car here. Those not willing or physically able to lace up a pair of hiking boots and take off down a trail will still be able to enjoy the scenery, often from the comfort of their motor vehicle or from roadside and near-roadside viewpoints.

A Vacation from Your Car

Since 2007, the National Park Service and the City of Visalia have operated a transportation system that makes it possible to explore Sequoia National Park without a car. From Visalia (or Three Rivers), the Sequoia Shuttle ( 877/287-4453; www.sequoiashuttle.com) will take you to the Giant Forest Museum for just $15 round-trip. From here, riders can connect with the free park shuttle to get to Wuksachi Lodge or one of the numerous trail heads en route. The former makes five runs between 6am and 6:30pm daily (reservations are accepted); the latter runs from 9am to 6pm daily. Both shuttles operate in the summer only, although there has been some talk of extending the season; call for current information.

The Generals Highway runs nearly 50 miles from Sequoia National Park’s Ash Mountain Entrance to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, passing through the Giant Forest, home of the world’s largest sequoia trees. It’s a very pretty drive, with optional stops to see the Giant Forest Museum and the General Sherman Tree. There are also several easy walking trails along the way. From several miles inside the Ash Mountain Entrance to Giant Forest, Generals Highway is narrow and winding and not recommended for vehicles over 22 feet long.

For a short, scenic drive in Sequoia National Park, we recommend the paved Moro Rock/Crescent Meadow Road, a 3-mile dead-end road (open in summer only) that runs from the Giant Forest Museum, along the Generals Highway, south and east through a grove of sequoias. Along the way, you can see the fallen sequoia at Auto Log (now too rotted to support a vehicle), drive through a hollowed-out fallen sequoia at Tunnel Log, and stop for a steep 0.3-mile walk up to the top of Moro Rock for a spectacular panoramic view. This road ends at Crescent Meadow, known for its colorful wildflowers in summer. See also the sections on Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow in “The Highlights.”

Kings Canyon Highway, from the Grant Grove area to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, is a lovely drive of some 35 miles, but most of its especially scenic sections are not in the park. Instead, some of the best roadside scenery is in Giant Sequoia National Monument (see “A Nearby National Monument”). For part of the journey, Kings Canyon Highway (also called CA 180) is high above the Kings River, offering breathtaking vistas of the canyon; then it seems to almost join the river, giving motorists a close-up view of the rapids as the water crashes over and among huge boulders. Well worth a stop along this route are the spectacular Grizzly Falls. Allow about an hour. The eastern two-thirds of this road are open during the summer only.

Organized Tours & Ranger Programs

The Sequoia Field Institute ( 559/565-3759; www.sequoiahistory.org) offers a wide variety of “Ed Ventures” spanning backpacking expeditions (about $70 a day) to writing and pottery workshops (usually about $100–$300). It also offers a “Hire a Guide” service starting at $200, where you can “rent” one of the Institute’s naturalists for 4 hours.

Ranger programs include free walks and talks at Giant Forest, Lodgepole, Grant Grove, Mineral King, and Foothills. Some of the highlights include weekend wildflower walks at Foothills, talks at General Sherman, and evening campfire programs at Lodgepole. Call the park ( 559/565-3341) or check bulletin boards and visitor centers for the current schedule.