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Changes to Some Opening/Closing Dates for Services and Facilities – Check Back for Updates
Some of the opening/closing dates for facilities and visitor services in the parks have changed due to weather and/or other circumstances. See link for details and match to locations on the park map (under "Park Tools," bottom left, this page). More »
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Road Conditions (Entire Park) and Road Construction Delays (if Entering/Exiting Hwy. 198)
Expect 20-minute to 1-hour construction delays on main road through parks (Generals Hwy) until Memorial Day weekend (7 a.m.-6 p.m.). See link for schedule. Call for 24-hour road conditions info: 559-565-3341 (press 1, 1, 1). More »
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Vehicle Length Limits Have Changed in Sequoia NP (if Entering/Exiting Hwy 198)
Planning to see the "Big Trees" in Sequoia National Park? If you enter/exit via Hwy. 198, please pay close attention to new vehicle length advisories for your safety and the safety of others. More »
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You May Have Trouble Calling Us. Use the "Contact Us" Link (Bottom Left) to Send an E-mail.
We are experiencing technical problems receiving some incoming phone calls at the parks. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please keep trying to reach us or check this website for frequently-asked questions. The search box (top, right) may be helpful.
Air Resources Overview
A view from the High Sierra Trail shows a thick layer of air pollution above the San Joaquin Valley. This mid-afternoon view looks down the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.
National Park Service/Rick Cain
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) periodically experience some of the worst air quality in the National Park Service. The Clean Air Act and the National Park Service Organic Act mandate that SEKI protect air-quality-related values and resources within the parks from adverse impacts of air pollution. The SEKI Air Resources program has been involved in air quality monitoring for over 25 years, one of the longest running air programs in the National Park Service. An emphasis is placed on knowing the abundance of pollutants that are atmospherically transported into these parks, their health effects on employees and visitors, and their effects on the natural resources that we are charged to protect. 
Data are collected at a meteorological station on the edge of the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. NPS Photo Monitoring and research, planning, participation in regulatory activities (with regional, state, and federal regulatory groups), partnerships, and education are key components of the SEKI's program. The knowledge gained through monitoring and research allows park staff to plan future actions and provide input into regulatory activities, thereby increasing the likelihood that regulatory decisions will benefit these parks. Partnerships facilitate communication and help stretch limited funding. Education, both of the general public and park staff, strengthens understanding of the need for improved air quality. Currently, the program is directly involved with the following: implementation of a daily air quality advisory of the parks; research into the effects of air pollutants on vegetation; research and monitoring of ozone, nitrogen, and particulates; synthetic chemicals, fine particulate matter, meteorology, wet and dry deposition chemistry (acidic, nitrogen, contaminant deposition), and visibility. The air program also includes an educational outreach program, and cooperates with the Environmental Protection Agency (national), the California Air Resources Board (state), and the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (regional). |
Did You Know?
The Sierra Nevada is still growing today. The mountains gain height during earthquakes on the east side of the range. But the mountains are being shortened by erosion almost as quickly as they grow. This erosion has deposited sediments thousands of feet thick on the floor of the San Joaquin Valley.