California - Sequoia National Park - Help

First off, I'm a newb when it comes to the Sequoia National Park and National Parks in general.

Leaving LA on a Friday around Noon and will be heading to the Sequoia National Park. The plan is to do some sightseeing on Friday, get to a motel, then sightsee on Saturday and come back to LA on Saturday night.

A few questions:
- How far is the drive?
- Can anyone recommend a decent motel to stay that's somewhat close to the "attractions"?
- What are the attractions not to be missed? Our crew loves to hike and would definitely consider camping as well.

Thanks for your input!

I believe it's *quite* a drive from Los Angeles to Sequoia National Park (several hours) -- I'd say at least 3.5-4 hours.

Also, Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP are operated together as they're essentially adjacent to each other. Check out the NPS web site (http://www.nps.gov/seki/) for more info.

I went to Sequoia/Kings Canyon for three days over Memorial Day Weekend in 2005. We stayed two nights in Fresno, about one-hour drive to the park. There are accomodations in the park itself, and those are much more preferable since they save you the additional driving to and from the park.

Hi there! tom911 suggested I check out this thread as my sister was a park ranger at Sequoia until she transferred to the Cascades about 6 mths ago. I've been to Sequoia many times to visit Cheryl, although only once in the summer.

You're trying to do a lot in a day; Sequoia is a very large park. If you could stay 2 nights I think you'd enjoy it more, but if you only have a day to work w/, you can still see the highlights if you get an early start/late finish. Luckily it's summer so it stays lighter longer.

First, it will take 4-5 hours to drive depending on where in LA you're departing from & traffic. Let's just say for purposes of this response the LAX area.

Take the 405N to the 5N to 99N (you catch 99 after you get through the grapevine). Take 99 until you get to Visalia. Do NOT take the exit that says Sequoia that's near Bakersfield; takes longer. You're on major freeway for this entire part.

Get off heading East at the Visalia exit (think that's Route 198; anyway, the Visalia exit) & then don't stop until you get to the entrance to Sequoia, about 45 minutes after you exit 99. Through Visalia you'll still have divided freeway.

Once you hit the outskirts you'll go to 1 lane in each direction. It's actually a lovely drive, as you're facing Sequoia/mountains & it's winding. You'll pass through Lemon Cove & then just before the entrance to the park, Three Rivers.

BTW - when you're going through the 'grapevine' in the summer, you need to have your a/c off for that portion. It gets very hot & you're going from 1K to 4K feet and back down again, which is tough on car engines. They post signs reminding you. Those that forget are usually at the side of the road w/ their hoods open & steam coming out of the radiator ;)

There are a few things re: housing. Sequoia gets VERY busy in the summer.

Within Sequoia:

* There is one lodge at the top of the mountain; Wuksachi Lodge. Nice place; good restaurant.

* There are also numerous campsites within Sequoia (reservations required).

Outside Sequoia:

Outside the entrance to Sequoia is a small town called Three Rivers. Three Rivers has numerous small motels (AAA-approved), and I think some of the chains have outlets there (Holiday Inn Express; Best Western).

There are also a number of restaurants in Three Rivers. One I like is just before you get to the entrance of the park; can't remember the name. You cross over a small brige (river underneath it) & it's literally to the right after you cross the bridge. It also has rooms for rent/small motel next to it.

NOTE: Whichever you choose in terms of housing you'll need to have reservations (even the campsites w/in the park). Don't think you'll just 'find something' when you get there because Sequoia is very busy in the summer. You can probably google info on housing for phone #s.

I think the entrance fee is $10-15/day per car or something like that. I really can't remember. If you think you might go to a national park more than once/year it's cheaper to just buy an annual pass, which gets you into all the parks throughout the US.

To get from the bottom/entrance of Sequoia up to Lodgepole at the top is a 45-60 minute very windy drive where you'll either be in first or second gear the entire way (I'm not kidding). There are pull-offs for some great picture taking.

Things to do/see:

* Crystal Caves is open in the summer. That's about 1/2 way up the mountain. You walk down a long path to get to the caves (which IIRC) & there are guided tours inside the caves. Walking back up to the parking area will put you in shape :)

*Moro Rock is another spot that's a must-see. You'll walk up to it, and it too can get you in shape.

There is parking at both CC & MR, and then you walk to the locations.

* There is a small Museum about 3/4 of the way up. It's worth stopping at & doesn't take long (figure 10-15minutes). There's also some walking/hiking paths near there.

* General Sherman Tree - yup, the big grand-daddy of them all located in Sequoia Grove about 5 minutes past the museum. It's a must-see. World's largest living tree.

* Lodgepole (at the top) has a visitor's center, post office, market & laundry. Also, some walking trails.

Both the museum & visitor's center will have maps available that show all the hiking trails throughout the park, so pick one up if you want to do some hiking.

* Crescent Meadow (or Long or Grand - can't quite remember the name) is worth seeing as well. There are signs for it; I think the entrance/road is actually near the museum.

* There are no restaurants (other than in the lodge) within Sequoia, so either bring food w/, stop off at the market or eat at the lodge. If you bring food w/, make sure it's in coolers or containers so the bears can't get to it. If you camp they provide containers for you to put your coolers/containers in - USE THEM.

* Do not feed the bears. 'Nuf said. If you see some & want to take pics, do so from a distance. Do not surround the bears. Do not stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of the bears. You'll cause a traffic jam (and probably get a ticket if there's a ranger nearby!). If you see a cub, that means mama bear probably isn't far away so act accordingly.

* There are NO gas stations within the park, so the last place to refuel is in Three Rivers. I know there's a Chevron there, and think there might be a Shell station as well.

I love Sequoia - it's a beautiful park. Have fun! Cheers.

As epi231 mentioned, Sequoia & Kings Canyon are next to each other. Kings Canyon is closer to Fresno & Sequoia to Visalia.

You can reach KC from Sequoia; once you're at the top of the mountain it's about 30 miles farther (and has its own great sights & the General Grant tree).

However, given the short timeframe you'll be there my recommendation would be to just stick w/ Sequoia. If you like it, you can always go back for another visit.

Cheers.

Wow, great, detailed advice, SkiAdcock.

Just a small clarification: the fee is $20 per vehicle, good for seven days. As SkiAdcock suggested, it may be worthwhile to buy an annual NPS pass that's good for (virtually) all national parks for $50 per vehicle per year.

Received the following from my sister when I asked for the # to make camping reservations...

"1-800-365-CAMP (2267)

There are only two campgrounds that accept reservations at Sequoia: Lodgepole and Dorst Creek. Lodgepole is the popular campground (it is the one you walk the dogs in) but often difficult to get reservations."

The you in her sentence above is referring to me. I used to walk the dogs daily when I visited at Xmas.

BTW - if someone does bring a dog, it has to stay 'on leash' while in the park.

Lodgepole is the area that the post office, visitors center, market & laundry are located at, which is why it might be a tad more popular than Dorst Creek. I've also walked the dogs at DC too.

And hey, as long as I'm on a roll here....

If someone visits during the winter, Crystal Caves is closed then. The market is also closed. Usually the visitors center is too, except during the weekends and/or during the Xmas holidays. The museum is open year-round. I think the road to the meadows is closed in the winter as well.

Also, depending on the weather either chains or 4-wheel drive are required in the winter. And at times even if you have 4WD, you'll still need the chains.

It can be in the 50s & no snow at the entrance to the park, and in the 20s & several feet of snow/ice up at the top, which is at the 7,000ft mark.

When conditions warrent it, the rangers will do 'chain patrol' - ie, if you don't have a set in your car they'll send you back down the mountain. It's primarily for your own safety (and cuz they don't want to call in a tow truck up the mountain when you slide off the road due to snow/ice; it's a hassle).

If you've got them, no worries, and if needed you can put them on at one of the pull-offs. Do not stop in the middle of the road to put them on or someone coming around a curve will hit you!

In the winter, just before you get to Lodgepole there's a turn-off to an area where you can go snowsledding, etc. Can't remember the name of it, but it's a popular place.

Also, a number of people come up to the top of the mountain & go snowshoeing & cross-country skiing.

One other thing (back to summer now). If you've got bikes you can bike along the roads, but no mountain biking is allowed in the wilderness/mountains. The purpose of the parks is to preserve them, & mountain biking usually tears up the terrain.

Also, both during the summer & winter the interpretive rangers will do lectures, hikes, tours, etc. You can usually check the schedule at the museum or visitors center.

Cheers.

PS - I think there might be some other campgrounds besides Lodgepole & Durst Creek (forgot to ask Cheryl) & those might be on a first-come, first-served basis. LP & DC do take reservations, which is what I'd go for during the busy season.

Saw this in the LA Times today....

A new transit system for Sequoia National Park features bus service from Visalia, Calif., to the park, and two shuttle routes link the park's top sites. The bus from Visalia, about 35 miles southwest of the park, costs $10 round-trip per person and includes park admission; reservations are recommended. Buy tickets, which carry a $1 fee per order, at www.sequoiashuttle.com by phone at (877) 287-4453 or in person at several places in Visalia. Once in the park, visitors can board free shuttles, which run about every 15 minutes, to Sherman Tree, Moro Rock, Lodgepole Visitor Center, Wuksachi Lodge and other sites. Go to www.nps.gov/seki.