News Release

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Seek Public Input About Visitor Experience and Access

Date: November 17, 2022
Contact: Rebecca Paterson, 559 702 3400

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. November 17, 2022 – The National Park Service (NPS) is initiating a Visitor Experience and Access planning process for developed areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and is seeking public feedback to help identify key issues and ways the NPS can improve visitor experiences. You are invited to participate in the planning process during the public comment period, today through January 17, 2023.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have experienced record-breaking levels of visitation over the last decade, and popular destinations in the parks can be challenging for visitors and staff to navigate, particularly during busy times. This project seeks to meet the changing needs of park visitors while sustainably addressing ongoing challenges attributed to high levels of visitation in the most popular areas of the parks.

To learn more about this planning process and provide your feedback, please visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEKIFrontcountryFall2022.

Comments may also be mailed to:

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Attn: Visitor Experience and Access Plan
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271

The NPS will also be hosting three public meetings on the planning effort between December 2022 and January 2023. A virtual public meeting will be hosted on Monday, December 12 at 4 p.m. PST, with a recording shared on the project webpage afterwards. The NPS will also host in-person meetings: one on Thursday, December 8 at 6 p.m. in Visalia, CA, and another on Wednesday, January 11 at 6 p.m. in Three Rivers, CA. Instructions for joining the virtual public meeting and specific locations for the in-person meetings can be found on the webpage listed above.

“It’s wonderful that unprecedented numbers of people are coming out to enjoy their public lands, but it’s also important that we plan appropriately to accommodate that volume of people,” said Superintendent Clay Jordan. “We are concerned about how increasing visitation can affect visitors’ access to and experiences within the parks, but it is critical that we understand the perspectives of those of you who visit, or used to visit, or hope to visit in the future. What do you most value about your experiences in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks? What are we doing well and what could we do better?”

This comment period will be open from November 17 to January 17 and is the first phase of this planning effort. Future comment public comment periods will be announced as this effort moves forward.

If you have any specific questions regarding this proposal, please contact Elly Boerke, Environmental Protection Specialist, at [phone].