Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are jointly run by the National Park Service. If you have the time, I highly suggest visiting both, you will need at least one day per park. The giant Sequoia trees have to be seen in person to truly understand their mass. I have been to Sequoia twice now and I am still in awe of these giants.
When to go
Summer is peak, but is the best time to go if you’re going to be camping. Both times I have visited have been in August. The foothills will be very hot, but as your car slowly climbs the switchbacks all the up into the park you will feel the temperature drastically go down. September would probably be a great month to go weather-wise to avoid the crowds of summer, but snow can begin as early as October. Spring is from April to June, and with all the snow melting, can bring dangerous conditions in the rivers and streams.
What to do
Sequoia National Park
Giant Forest
The most popular attraction is the General Sherman Tree. This is a very easy, paved loop trail that gets a lot of traffic. If you stray away from the most popular attractions of Sequoia National Park, you can have the trails virtually all to yourself. When the paved pathways turn into dirt trails, you know you’ve found your escape.
We flew by the Sherman Tree to Congress to Circle Meadow Loop (where the trail goes from paved to dirt) to Washington Tree to Crescent Meadow Loop to Tharp’s Log Cutoff to Log Meadow Loop to Trail of the Sequoias and back to Congress and Sherman Tree. There are a ton of trails in this area beyond Sherman Tree, make your own combination for the distance that is right for you. Be sure to check out the trail map before heading out.
The best place to find bears are in the meadows, so be sure to keep an eye out when hiking past them. We stumbled into a mama bear and her two cubs at the edge of Log Meadow. We may have gotten a little too excited and scared them away, resulting in terrible photos. Next time we will definitely try a little harder to contain our excitement.
Sequoia National Forest
Weaver Lake
Weaver Lake is a sub-alpine lake, part of the Jennie Lakes Wilderness and is connected to Sequoia National Park. There are a few trailheads that will take you to the lake. This is a great spot to bring a picnic lunch, go for a swim and enjoy the summer blooms. Camping is allowed by permit only.
Kings Canyon National Park
Mist Falls
It is four miles to Mist Falls from Roads End, where there is parking and bathrooms. The first two miles are relatively flat on a sandy trail, the next two miles you will gain a little elevation on a dirt and stone trail. Beware, the mosquitos are brutal in the summer. Most people stop at Mist Falls to swim and take pictures then head back.
We hiked past Mist Falls for three more miles into Paradise Valley, this is where you really start to gain some elevation. Past Mist Falls we basically had the trail all to ourselves and found ourselves our own little watering hole. There was a perfect rock to jump off of into the bone-chilling water. This was a great little refresher before starting the hike back. There are just a few campsites in Paradise Valley if you’re looking for a cool place to backpack to. Set your tent and hammock up right by the creek.
Where to stay
Camping
Lodgepole is the most popular campsite, it is located right behind a visitor center with a market and a restaurant. I personally have camped at Dorst Creek and Sunset campgrounds. Dorst Creek was the most private of the two, while Sunset had amazing, get this, sunset views.
Be sure to use the bear bins because there will be bears around. If you come across a bear make loud noises, such as honking your horn or banging pots and pans. This is to assure that bears don’t get too comfortable in the presence of humans, keep them wild. One night at Dorst Creek we heard honking and pans banging and knew bears were in the vicinity. It was a little scary, but we knew we had cleaned up and all our food was locked in the bin where bears could not get at it.
For more information please visit the National Park Service website. Remember when visiting national parks to leave no trace.
If you liked this blog post, be sure to check out My Guide to Joshua Tree National Park! Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly.
