abmj-jr
Aug 22, 10, 1:10 am
There have been a few recent posts mentioning possible visits to the various California National Parks. I hadn't been up to Sequoia NP in awhile but have heard some rumbles about road work there so decided to run up the hill today and check it out for myself.
The Park itself is as nice as ever but still a tad busy, as usual on a summer weekend. Nothing like the madness a couple hours north at Yosemite but semi-crowded with many of the popular campgrounds and tourist sites full. Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow, Giant Forest Village, the Sherman Tree and Lodgepole were all busy but parking spots could be found. Weather was glorious - shorts and tee shirts during the day, even above 7,000 feet.
Now to the point of this post. The stories of road work are true. A lengthy section of the cliff-hugging SR 198 has sheered off and fallen into the Kaweah River Canyon from a couple miles above Hospital Rock to the hairpin curve just below the last steep grade up to lower Giant Forest. Work is under way to repair the damage but it will be a big job. Whole sections of the roadbed are simply gone. Crews are working to fill the gaps where possible but in some areas they are having to chop out new lanebeds from the uphill-side cliff!
Through the damaged area, the road has been barricaded down to a single, very narrow and rough one-way lane. They have installed portable signal lights at top and bottom and uphill/downhill traffic take turns, with the direction of travel swapping at 15 to 20 minute intervals on weekends. Depending on when a car arrives at the checkpoint, travelers will have anywhere from a minute or two to over 15 minutes to wait. ON WEEKDAYS, WHILE CONSTRUCTION WORK IS ACTIVE, DELAYS ARE ADVERTISED TO BE UP TO 1 HOUR OR MORE. Once given the green light, traffic moves at 10 to 20 MPH through the repair zone. With the narrow, rough temporary road, you will not want to go any faster. Cars and small RVs can make it through easily but vehicles more than 22 feet in length are discouraged and those over 32 feet are prohibited beyond the Potwisha campground. In a car or SUV, you can get up to the Park - and back down - just fine but should allow an extra 30 minutes or so on weekends and an extra hour+ during the week to make the drive. The Visalia-Sequoia bus service IS running too, although I don't know how. Those drivers are GOOD!
The purpose of this post is NOT to discourage visits to Sequoia National Park. You can and should go and enjoy the Park and its majestic, awe-inspiring Big Trees. Just plan for the delay and be prepared for a few miles of close-attention, slow driving.
For a little teaser for anyone considering a visit, I offer this photo I took on the way back down the hill. I got lucky with the dusk light washing over Moro Rock, Castle Rocks and the Kaweah River Canyon.
http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Nature/North-Fork-Kaweah-River/IMGP3711C/978011525_rcHY8-M.jpg (http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Nature/North-Fork-Kaweah-River/13397944_zBDY3#978011525_rcHY8-A-LB)
The Park itself is as nice as ever but still a tad busy, as usual on a summer weekend. Nothing like the madness a couple hours north at Yosemite but semi-crowded with many of the popular campgrounds and tourist sites full. Moro Rock, Crescent Meadow, Giant Forest Village, the Sherman Tree and Lodgepole were all busy but parking spots could be found. Weather was glorious - shorts and tee shirts during the day, even above 7,000 feet.
Now to the point of this post. The stories of road work are true. A lengthy section of the cliff-hugging SR 198 has sheered off and fallen into the Kaweah River Canyon from a couple miles above Hospital Rock to the hairpin curve just below the last steep grade up to lower Giant Forest. Work is under way to repair the damage but it will be a big job. Whole sections of the roadbed are simply gone. Crews are working to fill the gaps where possible but in some areas they are having to chop out new lanebeds from the uphill-side cliff!
Through the damaged area, the road has been barricaded down to a single, very narrow and rough one-way lane. They have installed portable signal lights at top and bottom and uphill/downhill traffic take turns, with the direction of travel swapping at 15 to 20 minute intervals on weekends. Depending on when a car arrives at the checkpoint, travelers will have anywhere from a minute or two to over 15 minutes to wait. ON WEEKDAYS, WHILE CONSTRUCTION WORK IS ACTIVE, DELAYS ARE ADVERTISED TO BE UP TO 1 HOUR OR MORE. Once given the green light, traffic moves at 10 to 20 MPH through the repair zone. With the narrow, rough temporary road, you will not want to go any faster. Cars and small RVs can make it through easily but vehicles more than 22 feet in length are discouraged and those over 32 feet are prohibited beyond the Potwisha campground. In a car or SUV, you can get up to the Park - and back down - just fine but should allow an extra 30 minutes or so on weekends and an extra hour+ during the week to make the drive. The Visalia-Sequoia bus service IS running too, although I don't know how. Those drivers are GOOD!
The purpose of this post is NOT to discourage visits to Sequoia National Park. You can and should go and enjoy the Park and its majestic, awe-inspiring Big Trees. Just plan for the delay and be prepared for a few miles of close-attention, slow driving.
For a little teaser for anyone considering a visit, I offer this photo I took on the way back down the hill. I got lucky with the dusk light washing over Moro Rock, Castle Rocks and the Kaweah River Canyon.
http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Nature/North-Fork-Kaweah-River/IMGP3711C/978011525_rcHY8-M.jpg (http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Nature/North-Fork-Kaweah-River/13397944_zBDY3#978011525_rcHY8-A-LB)