Snapshot Planning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We visited these two sister parks in February. Although the snow and fog added a mysterious element to our visit, we were very limited what we were able to see. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are very close to one another, however, in the winter months the north entrance is not accessible from the General Sherman tree. This added hours to our drive time to get to both of the parks. I would also say that only about 20% of both parks had roads open to the public during the winter months. Because of this, we saw some highlights, but not everything we wanted to see. We used heated vests and jackets to stay warm while walking around the trees we could get to. If you visit during February, you are at a much higher elevation, and layers or warmer clothes are definitely recommended.  weather-us.com Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, these parks are very close and very large when visiting both. Make sure to allow enough time to explore both Sequoia and Kings Canyon. 2. Your experience in these parks will vary, depending on the time of year you visit. About 80% of these parks close the roads for the winter in the higher elevations. Driving around the parks adds considerable time to your trip. 3. These parks are at high elevations, so plan accordingly. I didn't realize we would be well over 6,000 feet. 4. To reach the Sequioa trees, you have about a 45 minute drive from the visiter centers near the entrance of the parks. Make sure you are comfortable driving up and down switchbacks in the mountains to reach these places. 5. Bring layers and check the weather and/or road conditions. Weather can change quickly in the mountain, so you needed to be prepared.  How to Get There Kings Canyon From San Francisco - Take I-80 E to I-580 E. Continue onto I-205 E, merge onto I-5 N. Take CA-120 E to CA-99 S. Then take exit 133B onto CA-180 E. Continue to the Big Stump entrance of Kings Canyon National Park. From Yosemite - Take CA-41 S toward Fresno. In Fresno, take exit 128 onto CA-180 W. Merge onto CA-180 E. Continue to the Big Stump entrance of Kings Canyon National Park. Sequoia From Los Angeles - Take any highway to I-5 N. Continue onto CA-99 N toward Bakersfield/Fresno. Take exit 96 onto CA-198 E towards Visalia. Continue to the Ash Mountain entrance of Sequoia National Park. Death Valley National Park (West Entrance) - CA-190 W to US-395 S and turn left. Continue onto CA-14S. Turn right at CA-58 W. Take the ramp onto CA-99 N. Take exit 96 onto CA-198 E towards Visalia. Continue to the Ash Mountain entrance of Sequoia National Park. Additional Maps Provided by the Park - Link npmaps.com/sequoia/ Where to Stay Inside the Park Grant Grove Cabins John Muir Lodge Wuksachi Restaurant & Lodge Camping Azalea Campground Sheeps Creek Campground Dorst Creek Campground Lodgepole Campground Buckeye Flat Campground Potwisha Campground Outside the Park Three Rivers Fresno Clingan's Junction Genas' Sierra Inn Hume Lake Campground   What We Did We spent a day and a half at these two parks. The first thing we did was drive to the Foothills Visitor Center. We learned about the road conditions and what parts of the park were open in February. This is also where the iconic Sequoia Park sign is located. The biggest surprise was that we had a 45 minute drive from the visitor center to the General Sherman Tree. This was quickly followed by a surprise in the road we had to drive. The sequoias only grow above 6,000 feet, and we quickly made our way up the side of the mountain. The drive is beautiful, but not for the faint of heart. When you enter the sequoia forest, the entire drive is mesmerizing, and worth the trip alone. In February, you are required after a certain elevation to have tire chains because the elements can change quickly on the mountain. We learned this as the fog set in and made visibility almost zero on our way down. If you go to these parks, make sure you have planned for changing weather conditions accordingly. Our goal was to get to the General Sherman tree. This is the largest tree in world at 275 feet and over 2,000 years old. The hike to the tree is short, about 10 minutes, and a gravel trail. When we got to the tree, there were many people there, however, everyone was respectful and took turns getting their pictures with the tree. It was astoundingly huge! The sequoia trees could swallow up our whole family. We were in awe of something so old and majestic, wondering what this tree has witnessed in its time. When we were done, we couldn't drive any further up the Generals Highway because it was blocked after the parking lot for General Sherman. So we headed back down the mountain towards the Foothills Visitor Center again. In the summer, if you continue on the Generals Highway, it will eventually take you to Kings Canyon. That was our original plan before we realized a large amount of this park is closed for the winter months. We stopped at the Big Trees hiking trails. Here we hiked along a creek and among the Sequoias. We found some that had openings at the base, and we explored these trees, inside and out. I definitely enjoyed this trail the most. We then headed towards Kings Canyon, through Dunlap. This took use to the entrance of Kings Canyon. We couldn't really get beyond Grant Grove Village, because the road Scenic Byway is closed in the winter. we did see a beautiful sunrise here, but our time in Kings Canyon was very short as we moved onto Yosemite. If we had more time, we would have stopped at Panoramic Point Viewpoint, Mist Trail, and Roaring Rivers Falls on the Scenic Byway. We did find a cute food truck outside of Kings Canyon with toys for our kids to play with. The food was great and it was such a fun way to spend the night. The next morning, we went to the local coffee shop. Clingan's Junction Coffee and Cabins is a great place to stay between the two parks. I wish we had known they also rented cabins out here. We stayed at a small family run hotel at the last minute because Hume Lake campground was snowed in. They had great coffee, food, and games to entertain us while we had breakfast. Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the second stop on our road trip. We drove up from Los Angeles to Three Rivers to enter the park at the Foothills Visitor Center. This gave us access to General Sherman Highway. During the winter months, this park is only open to the General Sherman tree, which is about a 45 minute drive from the visitor center, up the mountain to the road block, then you have to turn around and drive back down. After we saw what we could, we headed to King's Canyon next. Again, in the winter months, most of this park is closed, but we were able to see Grant's Village. If you visit these parks, summer or fall is definitely recommended to see the most. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
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