Improve your visit:  Take a moment to click on the topics below!

Your safety is your responsibility. Learn about the unfamiliar hazards you may encounter in natural areas.

Travel time: Plan in enough time to travel across these gigantic landscapes.

Summer shuttles run from late May to early September.

Gasoline and vehicle services are limited, and there are many miles between stations.  

Black bears live here, so food storage is required.  

Road work on the Generals Highway can mean delays.  

Conditions change with elevation. Park roads climb more than a mile up from the San Joaquin Valley. This rise in elevation means much cooler, different weather.  

Cell phones generally don't work in the parks.

Frequent fire is part of this ecosystem, so you may see or smell smoke.

Air quality: Polluted air visits the parks, too.  

Fire restrictions begin when fire danger increases — including limits on campfires, barbeques, and smoking.

Some rules vary between National Parks and National Forests. Since you go in and out of these agency lands when visiting this area, it's important to know which is which.  

Differing conditions may exist in areas of the same elevation.  
 

Gigantic landscapes, long distances
Give yourself plenty of time. Allow a minimum of two hours for driving the Generals Highway loop alone—plus whatever time you plan to spend outside of the car. These parks are huge—865,258 acres. Together they measure 66 miles from north to south and 36 miles across at their widest point. Even though roads access only a small portion of the parks, it is possible to drive for more than four hours and still be within the parks. For example, the drive time between Ash Mountain and Cedar Grove is 3.5 hours. more...

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Extreme elevation range, steep curvy roads, variable weather
Be prepared at any time of year for a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. The parks range in elevation from 1400' (425 meters) at Ash Mountain in the Foothills to 14494' (4418 meters) atop Mt. Whitney at the remote eastern edge of the parks. The rugged terrain makes for narrow, steep, and very curvy roads and highly variable weather. It can be hot in the Foothills while it is snowing at higher elevations. Drive slowly, use low gear, and watch for signs of engine and brake overheating on steep switchbacks. Avoid grass fires by parking cars only on paved turnouts. There is a vehicle length advisory of 22' (6.7 meters) on the 12 narrow miles of the Generals Highway from Potwisha Campground to Giant Forest Museum. more...

See what conditions look like from the Giant Forest sequoia grove right now!" more...

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Remote country
Come prepared to be self-sufficient. Although there are several small convenience and gift shops and plenty of lodging and camping is available in and around the parks, smaller stores may not always have all the things you need. Accommodations fill up quickly during the busiest times of the year. It is wise to make reservations well in advance if you are planning to visit during a summer weekend. There is no gas available in the parks. more on goods and services... more on lodging...

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Bears and wildlife
Help keep all park animals wild by storing your food promptly and properly, by not feeding wildlife, by keeping a safe distance, and by picking up all trash. Many visitors come to the parks particularly to see their abundant and varied wildlife. These parks are home to several hundred back bears (but no grizzly bears) as well as mountain lions and many other kinds of wildlife. more...

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Land shaped by fire
Natural fires as well as prescribed burns are critical to the park ecosystems you have come to see. Occasionally that means that a trail or area may be closed temporarily due to dense smoke or the presence of flames. In other areas you may smell smoke, even if the fire is not nearby. Fire and/or smoke may be present in these parks at any time of year.

Why use fire? It is a natural part of these landscapes. Plants and animals here have adapted to it. Some actually need periodic fire for survival. Sequoias, for example, have adaptations to survive fire, and have trouble reproducing without it. Flames clear and fertilize the ground under the big trees, leaving the kind of soil in which their seeds germinate best. Not coincidentally, fire also opens sequoia cones, so that seeds rain down on this excellent seedbed. In addition, fires remove ground vegetation and forest litter that compete with the seedlings for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight.

Throughout the parks, complete fire suppression would harm the parks' natural character and increase the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Therefore, the park uses natural fires as well as prescribed burns to maintain these ecosystems. more...

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Air quality
Check the air quality index forecasts in visitor centers and adjust your activity accordingly. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks periodically experience some of the worst air quality in the National Park system. Warm afternoon winds—particularly on sunny summer days—bring valley ozone and other particulates up the canyons into the mountains. Ozone levels are highest from May to October, peaking in late afternoon. These peaks sometimes reach "unhealthy" levels by state and federal standards and can affect respiratory systems. more...

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Road work
If the possibility of delays concerns you, check with the park before you come to find out whether road construction is planned. All park roads periodically need repair and maintenance, and every other year there is substantial repair on the Generals Highway. more...

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Recognize the different kinds of land in these mountains and the rules that govern each.

Driving you will see signs for national parks, national forests, and national monuments. What is the difference?

All are federal land. All exist for the benefit of society. But each has a different history, purpose, and set of rules. Together they provide for a wide spectrum of uses.

National parks strive to keep landscapes unimpaired for future generations. They protect natural and historic features while offering light-on-the-land recreation. Park rangers work for the National Park Service—part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

National forests, managed under a "multiple-use" concept, provide services and commodities that may include lumber, cattle grazing, minerals, and recreation with and without vehicles. Forest rangers work for the U.S. Forest Service, an agency in the Department of Agriculture.

Both agencies manage wilderness and other areas where they strive for maximum protection of natural resources. For example, part of Sequoia National Forest has been designated Giant Sequoia National Monument to emphasize protection of sequoias.

Parks, forests, and monuments may have different rules in order to achieve their goals. more...

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Conditions vary greatly from area to area and season to season
Understand the variability of conditions in these parks. Conditions vary greatly according to season, altitude, geophysical features, and habitat. For example, although Lodgepole and Grant Grove have similar altitudes, they have different geophysical features that make for somewhat different climates. Grant Grove is often warmer because Lodgepole lies at the bottom of a narrow cold-air canyon while Grant Grove sits on top of a ridge. View season-specific information that corresponds to the time when you think you will visit the parks.

Summer (July to mid-September—depending on elevation)
Fall (mid-September to November—depending on elevation)
Winter (December to April—depending on elevation)
Spring (February to June—depending on elevation)

Also check the current seasonal edition of the park newspaper or call 558-565-3341.

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