• Giant Sequoia Trees

    Sequoia & Kings Canyon

    National Parks California

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • 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 »

  • 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 »

  • 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 »

  • 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.

Current Fires

Click on the fire name to read more information including its location and size. Pictures and maps are posted if they are available. (The links below take you away from this webpage. Use the "Back" button to return here.)

Information on this page is updated when there are significant changes to report.

 
Hand ignitions on a prescribed fire.

Firefighters use drip torches to ignite prescribed fires.

Cedar Grove Prescribed Fires Completed (News Release, Heliport Map, Valley Floor Map)

Visitors to the Cedar Grove area may experience light smoke from the prescribed fire projects completed April 10-12, 2013.

Please read the news release for further information.

Fire has long been a natural process in the Sierra Nevada. Fire suppression policies over the last century have resulted in abnormally high levels of forest fuels. Prescribed fire consumes these fuels under favorable conditions. This reduces the risk of an unwanted fire during hotter, drier conditions. This fuels reduction is important for the developed areas of Cedar Grove.

The Cedar Grove area shows the most frequent fire cycle in the parks, with fire occurring approximately once every three to ten years. This level of frequent fire is likely influenced by Native American burning practices. In Cedar Grove, local tribes used fire to encourage the growth of black oak; a staple food source.

This is an ideal time to complete this project. A dry winter means that the Cedar Grove is in prescription nearly a month earlier than in "typical" years. Fire crews are taking advantage of this early season prescription window to complete the project prior to Cedar Grove opening to visitors.

Did You Know?

Col. Charles Young in uniform

In 1903, an African-American served as superintendent of Sequoia National Park, the first to do so in the National Park Service. Colonel Charles Young and his troops played a major part in completing the first wagon road to the Giant Forest, and the Moro Rock Road. A sequoia tree was named for him. More...