Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park offers awe-inspiring recreation — walking among the giant sequoias of the Giant Forest (to General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth, and along the Congress Trail), climbing the granite dome of Moro Rock for sweeping Sierra views, driving through the Tunnel Log, exploring Crystal Cave (by tour), hiking the foothill and high-country trails, backpacking the vast High Sierra wilderness (including toward Mount Whitney), wildlife watching, and winter snowshoeing. Standing among the giant sequoias is the signature, humbling experience. The combination of the world’s largest trees, the granite high country and the wilderness makes the park a premier destination.

Late spring through fall offers the best access to the Giant Forest and the high country (some roads and areas are seasonal, closed by winter snow), with summer the busy peak (and the foothills hot) and fall bringing crisp air and quiet. Winter blankets the giant sequoias in snow — a magical sight — with snowshoeing, though high roads close and chains may be required. The sequoias are awe-inspiring year-round; spring through fall for full access and the high country, and winter for the snow-draped giants, are highlights. Check road and chain conditions seasonally.

The giant sequoias were known to and used by the Native peoples of the southern Sierra for thousands of years. In the 19th century, the magnificent trees were threatened by logging (though the sequoias’ brittle wood often shattered when felled, the cutting was devastating), prompting a campaign to save them. Sequoia became the second national park in the nation in 1890, established specifically to protect the giant sequoias — an early triumph of conservation. Managed with adjacent Kings Canyon, the park preserves the ancient groves, the high Sierra and Mount Whitney, a treasured landscape of giant trees and wilderness.

Sequoia National Park spans the dramatic southern Sierra Nevada, from the foothills up to the granite high country and the crest at Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet. The Sierra’s granite, formed deep underground and uplifted, was sculpted by glaciers into the high peaks, domes (like Moro Rock) and canyons. The giant sequoias grow in a specific elevation band on the western slope, where the climate and the granite-derived soils suit them. The uplifted, glacier-carved granite and the favorable mid-elevation slopes created both the dramatic high country and the home of the giant sequoias.

Sequoia National Park’s range of habitats hosts black bears (requiring careful food storage), mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats, the rare Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep in the high country, marmots and pikas in the alpine zone, and a rich community of birds, including the great gray owl, the white-headed woodpecker and high-country species. The range from hot foothills to alpine crest creates diverse habitat. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding, with the black bears (store food properly), the high-country wildlife and the birds of the giant forest among the highlights of this vast Sierra landscape.

Sequoia National Park protects a remarkable range of Sierra Nevada ecosystems, from the oak-and-chaparral foothills, through the mixed-conifer forests that include the giant sequoia groves (among the largest and longest-lived organisms on Earth, dependent on periodic fire to reproduce), up to the subalpine and alpine zones of the high country and the Sierra crest. This great elevation range supports exceptional biodiversity. The giant sequoias, threatened by climate change and severe wildfire, are a global treasure. Protecting the sequoia groves, the forests, the high country and the wildlife sustains a globally significant Sierra Nevada ecosystem.

Sequoia National Park, protecting the largest living trees on Earth and the most massive tree in the world, holds a treasured and humbling place among America’s natural wonders, beloved for the awe-inspiring grandeur of its ancient giant sequoias. The second national park in the nation, established to save the giants from logging, Sequoia embodies the reverence for the great trees and the early triumph of conservation. Standing among the ancient sequoias, some over 2,000 years old, is a profound experience. Sequoia is a cherished icon of California and the American wilderness, a sanctuary of living giants.

Sequoia National Park is in the southern Sierra Nevada of California, reached via State Route 198 from Visalia and the Central Valley (a steep, winding mountain road to the Giant Forest), about four hours from both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and managed together with adjacent Kings Canyon National Park. An entrance fee applies. The park offers the Giant Forest and General Sherman, Moro Rock, lodging, campgrounds, a visitor center, and high-country and wilderness access (much of it seasonal). Winter brings snow and chain requirements. Check the National Park Service for road, chain and seasonal conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the giant sequoias, the forests, the high country and the wildlife of Sequoia National Park. Visitors help by storing food in bear-proof lockers, staying on trails and boardwalks (protecting the giant sequoias’ shallow roots and the fragile forest floor), not climbing on or damaging the trees, protecting water quality, respecting wildlife (never feeding animals), packing out everything, following permits and Leave No Trace, and supporting the protection of the sequoias from severe wildfire. Protecting the ancient sequoias, the forests, the high country and the wildlife sustains this globally significant Sierra Nevada ecosystem and its irreplaceable giants.

In Sequoia, store all food in bear-proof lockers (this is bear country), and keep your distance from wildlife. The mountain roads are steep, winding and can require chains or close in winter snow; drive carefully and check conditions. Moro Rock’s stairway climbs an exposed granite dome with drop-offs (avoid in storms for lightning, and keep back from edges). The high country brings altitude and fast-changing weather; carry layers and water. The foothills are hot in summer. Watch footing on trails and granite, supervise children near edges, and respect the bears, the altitude, the weather and the mountain roads.

An entrance fee applies (covering Sequoia and Kings Canyon). Store all food in bear-proof lockers; never feed wildlife. Stay on trails and boardwalks; do not climb on or damage the giant sequoias. Backcountry and Mount Whitney trips require permits (Whitney via a separate lottery). Camp only in designated areas. Pets are restricted (not allowed on most trails). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. High areas are seasonal. Check the National Park Service for permits, road conditions and current rules before visiting.

Adjacent Kings Canyon National Park (with its own giant sequoias and deep canyon) adjoins Sequoia, with the gateway towns of Three Rivers and Visalia, the Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument, the eastern Sierra and Mount Whitney’s eastern approach (near Lone Pine), and the high Sierra wilderness in the region. Los Angeles and San Francisco are each about four hours away. The southern Sierra Nevada defines the region. Sequoia, with adjacent Kings Canyon, anchors a magnificent region of giant trees and high country, a centerpiece of a Sierra Nevada adventure.

Walk among the giant sequoias of the Giant Forest to stand before General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth, and along the Congress Trail — staying on the boardwalks to protect the shallow roots and craning your neck in awe. Climb the granite stairway up Moro Rock for sweeping Sierra views (in good weather), drive through the Tunnel Log, and explore the high country in summer. Store all food from bears, drive the steep mountain road carefully (chains may be needed in winter), visit in winter for snow-draped giants, and pair Sequoia with adjacent Kings Canyon.