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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.
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Prescribed Fires Planned at Ash Mountain/Sequoia National Park (Parks' South Entrance)
Fire crews will be working on hazard fuel reduction project at Ash Mountain (south entrance) starting May 23. There are nine small burn segments near the south entrance. The fire may be visible from the road and will produce smoke for very short periods.
Why Does the Park Service Use Fire?
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Fire has been a natural part of the Sierran ecosystem for centuries. Natural fires swept through these plant communities at intervals that provided conditions for many plant species to regenerate. Fire thins competing species, recycles nutrients into the soil, releases and scarifies seeds, and opens holes in the forest canopy for sunlight to enter. All of these are critical to forest health and natural cycles of growth and decomposition. Plants are not the only living things that have evolved with and adapted to fire. Animal species are just as much a part of the "fire environment." With the increased forage that results after a fire, many animals low on the food chain experience increases in their populations; therefore species above them on the food chain also benefit. Despite the evidence that fire is a necessary element in the Sierra Nevada, over most of the past century people have feared and suppressed it whenever possible. Especially in the western United States, the accumulation of dead forest litter and duff during that time now presents extreme hazards to the health of the trees, soil, and wildlife, to humans living in these areas, and to the taxpayer who has to fund the fighting of catastrophic wildfires. Prescribed fire is used in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks to restore this natural process to the forests. These fires are strategically used to reduce the risks that unnaturally heavy fuels pose to humans and ecosystems. You can learn more about wild and prescribed fire in this overview. For more technical information about fire, fire research and fire management, select from the following links. Fire Policy
Fire and Park Resources
Special Fire Management Information Other Information |
Did You Know?
When first set aside, what is now Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were less than one-ninth of their present size. Over the last century, Congress has made seven major additions to the parks — the last being the Mineral King area in 1978.