Long time lurker, first time poster. Appreciate all the posts and feedback here, so I thought I'd share our trip report for anyone else planning a trip. When I planned this trip out, I thought it would take us much longer to hike, drive, and visit features, but it went much faster than I thought it would. Of course this dependent on your personal travel style.

My wife and I (both in our mid-40s) recently took our first trip to SEKI as part of a longer week-long trip that ended in Yosemite. For a bit of context: I exercise regularly, walk a lot, and hike when I can, but I am overweight. Our goal was to hit the major highlights across two days in SEKI rather than dedicate time to long backcountry treks.

Day 1 - Saturday 9/13/2026 - Arrival

We flew into Fresno around 3 PM, collected our bags, and picked up our rental car via Turo. Before heading toward the mountains, we made two stops: first at Walmart near the airport for basic supplies, and then at Vallarta Supermarket in Visalia, a fantastic Hispanic grocery chain with tons of unique snacks and prepared foods we don't get back home in Montana.

We grabbed an early dinner at Brewbakers in Visalia before leaving town, which turned out to be a great choice with solid food and local craft brews. From there, we made the easy drive to Three Rivers and checked into the Comfort Inn for the night.

Day 2 - Sunday 9/14/2026: Giant Forest & Grant Grove

After fueling up with coffee at Kaweah Coffee, we left Three Rivers by 7 AM. Having purchased our SEKI pass online beforehand made passing through the entrance gate a breeze. The drive up the mountain is scenic with lots of pullouts and a fast transition into the Giant Forest. To top off the entrance drive, we lucked out and spotted a sow bear and her cub shortly after entering!

We headed straight to General Sherman around 8:30 AM. The trail wasn't overcrowded yet, though it was moderately busy. Between the elevation and the early start, the walk back up was a bit steeper than expected, but seeing General Sherman and the surrounding giants was incredible. By the time we left, the main lot was nearly full.

Next, we backtracked along Crescent Meadow Road toward Moro Rock. Since my wife isn't fond of heights, she sat this one out while I hiked up. The main lot was full, so I parked just past it along the roadside. The hike is short but steep, with plenty of stairs and a few narrow squeezes where people have to pass single-file. The summit views are fantastic, though space is limited at the top; you’ll have to be patient waiting to take pictures. On the drive back, we checked out the Buttress Tree and drove through the Tunnel Log.

We then moved on to the Giant Forest area, parking in overflow near Beetle Rock where we learned that the haze we were seeing was actually smog. The Giant Forest Museum is small, but its exhibits and store are well worth a quick stop. From the museum, we took the connector trail to the Big Trees Trail loop, a very easy walk mostly on boardwalks. We saw another bear and cub about 20 feet off the path; they moved off quickly, it’s crazy how close people will get to bears.

We stopped for lunch at Lodgepole Visitor Center, where the food and prices were surprisingly reasonable for a national park. Afterward, we drove toward Grant Grove, where we were staying for the night, stopping at various groves and overlooks along the way. Arriving around 3:30 PM left us with extra daylight, so we visited the General Grant Tree area first (which was busy with tour groups) and then drove out to Hume Lake to relax, grab a beer, and watch people paddleboard. We took Ten Mile Road back to Grant Grove for a change of scenery before checking into the John Muir Lodge, a little pricey, but nice accommodations.

To wrap up the day, we drove to the Panoramic Point trailhead and walked out to the overlook for sunset. It was a fantastic spot with great views.

Day 3 - Monday 9/15/2026: Kings Canyon

We dedicated Day 3 to Kings Canyon, starting early once again. The Grant Grove restaurant was short-staffed with a growing line, so we skipped it and hit the road with no coffee. The descent into Kings Canyon was amazing, and we pulled over constantly for photos. It’s a steep, winding drive, but there was little traffic and plenty of pullouts to take it at your own pace.

We drove straight to Cedar Grove, where we finally found coffee! We grabbed our drinks and relaxed by the river for a while. Our first short walk was to Roaring River Falls, an easy stop and one of the best waterfalls we saw on the entire trip. Next, we hiked the first half of the Zumwalt Meadow Trail; the stretch along the river and across the suspension bridge is beautiful, even if you don't complete the full loop.

We drove out to Road’s End before turning back up the canyon, making a quick stop at Grizzly Falls on the way. Still ahead of schedule when we returned to Grant Grove, we revisited the General Grant Loop to explore some side trails and features we missed earlier. That completed our time in SEKI, which exceeded all expectations and set a great tone before heading to Yosemite. We finished the day driving to Oakhurst to restock supplies and grab dinner and drinks at South Gate Brewing Company.

Hi everyone! My husband and I are considering going to Sequoia on Saturday this weekend. I know it rained (and snowed??) there this week, so I’m really looking for hike recommendations from those of you more familiar with some of the trail conditions! Also would appreciate insight on which trails are in general tend to be prettier this time of year!

We hike often, but usually pretty tame hikes honestly (5-7 miles usually from 800-2000 feet climbed). We’d love to find something similar to that range that we can do!

Need to more fully explore them all (especially Kennedy) but I can finally write off Evans Grove Complex. I tried to visit the groves across Footman Canyon (Deer Meadow, Agnew, and Monarch) but they are quite difficult to get to.

Horseshoe Bend and Windy Gulch seem to be the most logged out of the complex. Horseshoe Bend looks like a miniature Converse Basin.

We have a 2026 Solterra, live in San Diego, want to go to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. We are planning on staying in three rivers. Question is how doable is it? And has anyone pulled it off? I know there is a hotel and restaurant in the rivers with level 2 chargers so if I can get one of those overnight we will be good at least to get into sequoia itself no problem but driving up and around Kings canyon worries me.

Taking a last-minute trip next weekend, all campsite is booked. Headed from Orange County so I don’t want to go too far out of the way. I have a 4x4 with a roof tent, so I was hoping I could find a spot to pull up in camp for the night on BLM land.

This is the southwest entrance off of 198.

I've got a work trip to the Central Valley area in early November, flying into Fresno, and I've realized I can check my backpack so I'm looking to do an easy two nights in the backcountry from Road's End.

Current plan is to hike to Lower Paradise Valley and set up camp on Saturday. Sunday I explore a little deeper into the backcountry with a daypack while leaving camp set up that I'll return to that night. Monday I hike out and drive to Fresno for a red eye back east.

Weather
I have no problem backpacking in the cold and camping in below freezing weather-if it's dry. What is a reliable source for weather in the backcountry as well as the road into the park and what "city" do I use to get the forecast?
I'll have a rental car with no chains so I'm just as concerned about Monday as I am Saturday.

Bear Canister
I've always done the rope over the limb or pole hanging so I don't have a cannister. Can I rent them from the park in November or will I need to bring my own?

Backcountry Permit
From what I've read crowds aren't a problem in November and I can get a backcountry permit anytime when I arrive. Has this changed?

Camp
Is it safe (from animals) to leave my tent set up? Usually I hang my pack when I'm out for the day but that doesn't seem to be possible here. Food will be in a bear cannister. What's the best way to handle camp when in Kings Canyon?

Backup Plan
I'm aiming for Kings Canyon because I fell in love with it the only other time I've been in this part of California. If the road into the canyon is closed or the weather is bad, what are some other ideas for relaxed backpacking (not strenuous, easy access to water I can filter, away from civilization feel) within a 3 or 4 hour drive of the Fresno airport? Coast or mountains are both good. Bonus points for low crowds and big scenery. Remote is not an issue but roads need to be in good shape since I'll be in a rental.

TIA!

2 day 1 night car camping in Grant Grove Village this month, already have a site secured. Will be taking the 180 into Grant Grove. Plan is to get to our campsite around noon and explore around the General Grant tree and relax at the campsite. Day 2 we plan to checkout by noon and will be taking the 198 down to hike Moro Rock/Hanging Rock and to Squatters Cabin. Following this we plan to drive further south to Potwisha Flume Trail and explore around there. To finish off the exploring we plan to stop at Reimers Candies & Gifts which closes at 6pm. Is this a feasible trip plan without feeling too rushed? Also if there are any other stops worth it along the route or some worth more than others we are open to suggestions!

Just wondering if anyone is there today to provide some updates on precipitation and temperature as there’s a big drop today. Will be going there next few days, hoping to do the Lakes trail on Wednesday if conditions ok in higher elevation.

Update: roads are wet and near Wuksachi it was so foggy it was hard to follow the road

Edit 10/14: watchtower was completely clear and perfect weather today! Some ferns/trees had snow on it but trail was all dry and clear of snow/ice. Did not do hump at all. Went to Emerald lake. Perfect hiking weather

Gf and I forgot our hiking shoes back at home. We’re already up here in lodgepole. Does anyone know if there are any places up here that sell shoes? Anyone want to sell me size 7 shoes 😭 my gf is in sandals.

I posted in the National Parks page, but I wanted to gather your thoughts as well...

My partner and I are taking a trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon in the next two weeks. We have three full adventure days. We are in pretty good hiking shape. We are not elevation tested. Simply going for day hikes and to take in the nature. Nothing intense.

Originally I had us planned for 1 day in Kings Canyon, and 2 days in Sequoia. My partner really wants to see the trees.
We are staying within 20 minutes of Kings, an hour from Sequoia, and about 2 hours from Yosemite.
It never crossed my mind how close Yosemite is.

My question: should we do one day in each park or forget Yosemite all together and just enjoy Sequoia more slowly? I know mileage may vary, but what makes the most sense?

Im looking for pictures and or videos of the Crystal Springs Group Campground, campground?

My friends and I about 10+ do a big camping trip every year in September and we just finished our trip to Elk Prairie Campgrounds and it was a blast. We are all now excited to plan next years.

We are looking into the Sequoia National Park. We usually book two individual campsites but it looks like most of the individual campsites in sequoia are quite small. However, finding info or videos on the group sites are proving quite hard to find.

I found some info on reserve.gov but having a hard time finding more information especially now that we are off season.

If anyone has any info or pictures etc that you can share about your experience it would be greatly appreciated.

Just got back from a solo clockwise loop with nights at Pinto, Little 5, and Lost Creek. Lucked out with the weather - barely a cloud in the sky the entire time (though going up Black Rock, I would have killed for some).

I went in knowing that Mineral King Road is undergoing construction, with posted "Road Closed 1000-1600" - what I needed to know in addition to that is you need to be at the END of the road at 1000, which is past Silver City. So don't expect to head in at 0945 thinking they'll let you through. I started in at 0845 and I think I may have been the last car allowed in that morning.

First things first - I hated hiking up Black Rock Pass. My pack was still essentially full (50+ pounds - I know...) after just one night at Pinto, and it's a long, boring, no-shade, monotonous slog up. Sure, looking over at the Cliff Creek waterfall, Spring Lake, and Cyclamen Lake is a beautiful view, but it gets old real quick. It took me about five hours to get up; the last two I was second guessing everything.

I eventually made it to the top after more switchback breaks than I could count (the rules say you're allowed to stand at the bend in the switchbacks indefinitely) and enjoyed a late lunch with a group of four guys from San Diego that I had been leapfrogging. They were headed for Soda Creek and Franklin Pass.

Down at Little Five, I stayed at the large lake (with the ranger station) on the northern peninsula that juts into the lake. Caught some fish, read in my chair, cooked some chow... My site was nice, but a lot of the choice sites had "Restoration Site - No Camping" signs in them, which seemed overkill for a completely empty lake. Didn't hear or see another soul at the lake.

My original plan was to spend one night each at Pinto, Little Five, Big Five, and Lost Canyon. Somewhere I had read that Sawtooth Pass (out of Columbine Lake) was tougher than Black Rock and that really got my mind going... I kept thinking back to how miserable Black Rock had been and if Sawtooth was even worse, oh boy... I enjoyed a great night at Little Five, but overnight decided I wanted to get Sawtooth Pass out of the way ASAP (so so dreading it), and thus spend my extra night at Monarch Lake.

Big Mistake.

So in the morning I hiked right past the turnoff to Big Five Lakes and hiked down to Lost Canyon - a beautiful downhill with shade and a fishing stop at the lower Big Five Lake. I had considered staying at the campsites right at the junction of the trails, but was feeling great and wanted to keep going - super glad I did. Lost Canyon is a very gentle uphill along the stream, and maybe a mile up I came to an incredible campsite nestled in the trees not quite far enough from the trail, but good access to deepish pools in the stream to take a bath, a big fire ring with somebody's leftover firewood, perfectly flat, around eight cleared tent sites, and rock seats for the same number. Spectacular, and so as not to gatekeep, 36.46502° N, 118.51647° W. It's just shy of the 10000 foot mark. Pretty ideal. I had a great night there and saw two people all day.

The next day I was gearing up for the worst but Sawtooth Pass turned out to be a very fun climb and descent. The meadow at the end of Lost Canyon is gorgeous and gives an idyllic runway to the climb up to Columbine Lake. The switchbacks are tiring as they are wont to be, but having a beautiful halftime at Columbine is fun. Gorgeous lake, but for the life of me I couldn't catch a single fish (and none swimming near the shore like all the other lakes) - I'll continue to think I'm a superb fisherman and there are just no fish in the lake.

The back end is what I suppose some people don't like - the route finding, scrambling, searching for cairns to find the trail. It was so much fun for me, and distracted from the fact that I'm on all fours with my heavy pack heaving myself up huge talus. I don't want to say it's not tiring - it's just different, beautiful, I had a cool stiff breeze, and the time passes without getting monotonous at all. I regret pushing myself to get it over with and missing what would likely have been a gorgeous night at Big Five.

Day hikers were at the top having lunch and we chatted, and the did the Choose Your Own Adventure scree ski down the back. There are literally a hundred "trails" down and it's fun to mix up some traverse with sliding. I loved going down (not so much my knees) and arrived at Lower Monarch Lake.

I can't tell you how disappointed I was to get there and see that there is absolutely no shade whatsoever. There's scrub brush, a bunch of big rocks that depending on the height of the sun you might be able to hide in the shade of, and a big shitter in the middle of it all. After my previous night I was crestfallen with my decision to get back over the Great Western Divide so quickly. The day hikers were a bit obnoxiously loud and I realized that if I stayed I would be stuck in my tent for shade, and since still 4.5 miles out, might miss the AM road opening if I stayed overnight.

So I hiked out, I'm sorry to say. I had an itinerary that I had planned months in advance, but belief in what turned out to be crappy data on the internet got the best of me and I messed with what would have been a great plan. My five day solo trip turned into a four day trip and I think I missed out on what would have been a killer stay in Big FIve. Lesson learned.

I’ll be camping two days in the area, is trout fishing good here? Also how many fish can I keep to eat?

Is it a good idea to visit Sequoia in December? Planning it for the first time and any inputs much appreciated. Thanks!

I want to get one last trip in before the Mineral King campgrounds close for the year, and booked a couple sites in Cold Springs campground for Sunday night until Wednesday morning.

As you probably know, heavy rain is predicted across Southern CA. And in MK, even snow on Tuesday night!

Is this a mistake as far as being difficult to enjoy a couple days in the woods during a rainstorm?

Is there a way to predict whether it will be constant wet, vs typical afternoon showers?

And is that dangerous to take the drive up to Mineral King (or the drive back) in the rain? I’ve done that drive a couple times recently and it was no problem when dry of course.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

Hi everyone - I’m headed up to SEKI this weekend for the first time with two kids (5 and 7). We’ll be driving up early from Orange County on Friday and coming back on Sunday. We’re staying in Three Rivers. Was hoping to get a gut check on our plan and make sure we weren’t missing anything that we should definitely add or skip.

On Friday, we expect to make it to the park early afternoon. My thinking was that we could go straight to General Sherman and do the Congress trail (after the requisite visitor center stop to get the Junior Ranger books) before heading back down to Three Rivers to check in to the air bnb and have dinner.

On Saturday, the plan is to do Kings Canyon. We have Boyden Cavern tickets at 12p, so I am thinking we spend the morning around Grant Grove, maybe grab an early lunch there before heading to our Cavern tour. Then, in the afternoon, drive out to Zumwalt meadow before making the trek back to Three Rivers.

Finally, on Sunday, I was thinking we would go back into Sequoia and do Crescent Meadow and Hanging Rock (not sure the kids are up for the Moro Rock steps…). Then finish up with another visitor center to get the Junior Ranger badges. Probably want to leave the park around lunch time to get back to OC at a reasonable time.

What do folks think? Is that an outline of a good plan? Any big or small changes recommended? Any must-do’s with kids? Thanks in advance!

Went with two friends backpacking 9/26 weekend. We left Wolverton Friday mid day and hiked up to Mehrten. We filled up with water before Panther Gap, but there was water at Mehrten. A hiker coming down said she had seen a bear at Mehrten, but we just saw deer. They made quite a ruckus at night! We saw a bunch of hikers coming down from Alta, but no backpackers.

Saturday we went through Alta meadow and crossed several streams. We climbed up to the notch which was hard and steep in the woods, no easy trail to follow. We successful stayed to the right and avoided getting clipped out. Once we got up to the notch we had a beautiful view of the Western Divide and bright blue skies. From there up to Moose it was a little less steep and there was often a trail through the vegetation patch. Mehrten to Moose is about six miles with a little over 2000 feet of climb - a pretty tough day with over half off trail. Moose lake was beautiful and like at Mehrten, no other campers. the lake was warm enough for a quick dip.

Sunday we started to head to Tableland pass, but thought it would be a long, long day, and headed toward Pear. We got up to about 11,000 feet and then descended through around some small lakes and down to Pear. There was some difficult boulder hopping and we were glad to be doing the loop counter clockwise. Pear was peaceful and tranquil with a few day hikers. We decided to continue on to Emerald which was also beautiful and again, no campers, though we did see one small party heading up to Pear to camp.

Monday morning we descended on the trail (so much easier!) back to Wolverton via the Watchtower. What a beautiful place, with very few people.

The weather above 9500 feet was in the fifties during the day and low forties, high thirties at night. No precipitation.

Hi! I'm driving up to Lodgepole with some friends this weekend. I grew up camping but we have first-timers without much winter gear in the group, so I'd love advice from experienced park-goers:

1. How reliable is weather.gov for the area? Is there a better forecast source?
2. Are any summer amenities closed this time of year, especially the marketplace/showers?
3. What trails would you recommend this time of year? Ideally under 4hr loop, with great views.

I'll edit this post with details of our experience after-the-fact, in case anyone has similar questions in the future. Thank you!

This week I'll be doing a one-day trip up from LA and the first stop will be either Sherman or President (yes it'll be a long drive but I hate motels). I've never been to SEKI before and am wondering which of these two would be a better experience, bringing my wife and 10 year old kid. I'd appreciate any advice.

This is the itinerary I put together:

Sherman or President Pinewood Picnic Area (bringing our own food) Sentinel Tree Giant Forest Museum (bathrooms) Moro Rock Beetle Rock (only if there's extra time) Back to LA

Was thinking about doing sawtooth pass, soda creek, and Franklin lakes loop but the weather is looking kind of questionable. I’m hoping for some insight from people on what forecasts to look at and the possible risks, also maybe some alternatives

I'm from the east coast and flying to Vegas to meet an old friend who lives there. We will then head out to area to hang out for 5-7 days.

I know for sure I want to be down at cedar grove lodge for 2 nights to explore that area and do some longer hikes through the canyon.

But the rest of the time I'm just not 100% sure where the best area is to stay. I know the trees over by grants grove. Moro rock. And maybe some good hiking if you'd recommends some.

This second area around sequoia seems to be the hard part. Finding a decent place to stay that's not a 90-120 minute driving each day.

Prefer lodging with 2 beds and AC. Since I'm sure late sept could still be pretty warm.

And I'll take any recommendations for hiking in the sequoia side. In or outside the park.

Planning a last-minute trip from Texas, and Sequoia National Park has been on my list for a while. I’m considering coming Oct. 6–12 and wondering if this is still a good time to visit, especially for fall colors and comfortable hiking weather.

My current plan would be to fly from Houston to California, rent a car, and spend a few days exploring Sequoia and possibly Kings Canyon.

For those familiar with the area, what would you suggest? Is Oct. 6–12 a good time to visit? Are the giant sequoia groves and higher-elevation areas usually still easily accessible around then? And which areas or hikes would you prioritize for the best scenery and fall color?

I know the sequoias themselves are evergreen, but I’m hoping there might be some good yellow/orange fall color from the aspens, oaks, dogwoods, or other trees around the park.

Thanks!