Where to base yourself
Lodgepole and Wuksachi (Sequoia). The park’s main lodge and a campground village, ten minutes from the Sherman Tree — the most convenient base for the Giant Forest.
Grant Grove (Kings Canyon). A lodge, cabins, a restaurant and a shop beside the Grant Tree, well placed for Kings Canyon and for arrivals from Fresno.
Three Rivers. A strung-out riverside town just outside the Ash Mountain entrance with motels, inns and restaurants; an hour below the big trees.
Visalia and Fresno. Central Valley cities with plentiful, inexpensive chain hotels, one to one and a half hours from the groves.
Food & drink
Inside the parks there are restaurants at Wuksachi Lodge and Grant Grove, a simple café and market at Lodgepole and a snack bar at Cedar Grove in summer. Opening seasons and hours are limited. Three Rivers has a handful of cafés and restaurants along the river. Bring a picnic and plenty of water; the picnic areas among the sequoias are among the best in any national park.
Money-saving and safety tips
- One entrance fee covers both parks. With a third park on your route, the America the Beautiful pass is cheaper.
- Gateway-town rooms cost much less than in-park lodges, at the price of an hour’s drive each way.
- The Giant Forest is at about 2,000 m (6,500 ft). Take walks slowly on the first day and drink plenty of water.
- Never approach or feed black bears, and keep food locked away at all times.
- Rivers run fast and cold with snowmelt in spring and early summer; people drown every year. Stay well back from the banks.
Sample plans
One day
- Drive up from Three Rivers early
- General Sherman Tree and the Congress Trail
- Moro Rock and Tunnel Log
- Crescent Meadow before driving down
Two days
- Day one in the Giant Forest
- Generals Highway to Grant Grove and the Grant Tree
- In summer, continue down the scenic byway into Kings Canyon
- Leave via Highway 180 towards Fresno
Three days
- Days one and two as above
- A full day at Cedar Grove: Zumwalt Meadow and Roaring River Falls
- Or a longer hike from Lodgepole to Tokopah Falls
Where to stay in Sequoia & Kings Canyon
The in-park lodges at Wuksachi and Grant Grove save a long daily drive and should be booked well ahead for summer. Three Rivers, at the southern gate, has the best choice of independent places.
